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Description
As it prepared to ward off an invasion by five well-equipped neighboring armies in 1948, newborn Israel lacked the weapons to defend itself. Enter Al Schwimmer, an American World War II veteran who feared a repeat of the Holocaust. He created factitious airlines, bought decommissioned airplanes from the US War Asset Administration, fixed them in California and New Jersey, and sent his pilots—Jewish and non-Jewish WWII aviators—to pick up rifles, bullets, and fighter planes from the only country willing to break the international arms embargo: communist Czechoslovakia. For the crime of arming Israel with basic war instruments and battle-ready planes, including Messerschmitt fighters and B-17 bombers, Schwimmer and key members of his team paid a heavy price. They lost their civil rights after being convicted of breaking the arms embargo and America's Neutrality Act. Years later, three presidents would pardon three of them. The operation members risked their lives, freedom, and US citizenship to prevent what they viewed as an imminent genocide. They evaded the FBI and State Department, gained the support of the mafia, smuggled weapons—mostly Nazi surplus—across hostile territories, and went into combat in the Middle East. This book recreates the operation members’ sui generis journey in vivid scenes, capturing their multilayered stories and larger-than-life personalities. It documents the spirit as well as the facts of a mostly unknown mission to save a nascent-yet-ancient nation.
As it prepared to ward off an invasion by five well-equipped neighboring armies in 1948, newborn Israel lacked the weapons to defend itself. Enter Al Schwimmer, an American World War II veteran who...
As it prepared to ward off an invasion by five well-equipped neighboring armies in 1948, newborn Israel lacked the weapons to defend itself. Enter Al Schwimmer, an American World War II veteran who feared a repeat of the Holocaust. He created factitious airlines, bought decommissioned airplanes from the US War Asset Administration, fixed them in California and New Jersey, and sent his pilots—Jewish and non-Jewish WWII aviators—to pick up rifles, bullets, and fighter planes from the only country willing to break the international arms embargo: communist Czechoslovakia. For the crime of arming Israel with basic war instruments and battle-ready planes, including Messerschmitt fighters and B-17 bombers, Schwimmer and key members of his team paid a heavy price. They lost their civil rights after being convicted of breaking the arms embargo and America's Neutrality Act. Years later, three presidents would pardon three of them. The operation members risked their lives, freedom, and US citizenship to prevent what they viewed as an imminent genocide. They evaded the FBI and State Department, gained the support of the mafia, smuggled weapons—mostly Nazi surplus—across hostile territories, and went into combat in the Middle East. This book recreates the operation members’ sui generis journey in vivid scenes, capturing their multilayered stories and larger-than-life personalities. It documents the spirit as well as the facts of a mostly unknown mission to save a nascent-yet-ancient nation.
Advance Praise
The American Jewish and Christian role in helping Israel win its War of Independence in 1948 is little known in the US or Israel. Saving Israel is a revelation.
- Ralph Lowenstein, dean emeritus, University of Florida College of Journalism
How did Israel come to rely on Nazi-surplus weapons during its war for independence in 1948? How did a fledgling state that didn’t yet have an air force manage to turn back a powerful Egyptian military column that was poised to march on Tel Aviv? In Saving Israel, Boaz Dvir answers these questions and more by recreating the relatively little-known story of a heroic band-of-brothers—a group of American WWII vets who risked their comfortable lives and freedom to answer a desperate call for help. Drawing on over two-dozen interviews, Dvir’s book brings this incredible chapter in Israel’s early history to life. What motivated these men to fly for Israel at a time when its survival hung in the balance? Saving Israel is a must read for anyone interested in military history and learning more about America’s war heroes.
- Miriam F. Elman, Executive Director, Academic Engagement Network, and Associate Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University
The American Jewish and Christian role in helping Israel win its War of Independence in 1948 is little known in the US or Israel. Saving Israel is a revelation.
The American Jewish and Christian role in helping Israel win its War of Independence in 1948 is little known in the US or Israel. Saving Israel is a revelation.
- Ralph Lowenstein, dean emeritus, University of Florida College of Journalism
How did Israel come to rely on Nazi-surplus weapons during its war for independence in 1948? How did a fledgling state that didn’t yet have an air force manage to turn back a powerful Egyptian military column that was poised to march on Tel Aviv? In Saving Israel, Boaz Dvir answers these questions and more by recreating the relatively little-known story of a heroic band-of-brothers—a group of American WWII vets who risked their comfortable lives and freedom to answer a desperate call for help. Drawing on over two-dozen interviews, Dvir’s book brings this incredible chapter in Israel’s early history to life. What motivated these men to fly for Israel at a time when its survival hung in the balance? Saving Israel is a must read for anyone interested in military history and learning more about America’s war heroes.
- Miriam F. Elman, Executive Director, Academic Engagement Network, and Associate Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University
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