Abstract
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel. In response, the Arab states invaded Israel and launched an all-out war with the aim of forcibly nullifying the Declaration of Independence. The danger of an invasion of Israel by five Arab armies led by Egypt (alongside Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon) was already known. It was clear to Ben-Gurion and the other heads of the security apparatus of the Jewish community in Palestine/Israel that considering the Egyptian army’s air power and the fact that the Haganah had only a few light aircraft and not a single fighter plane, fighter planes had to be purchased immediately and pilots trained to fly them. The article will describe how the IDF purchased 25 Messerschmitt-Avia fighter jets and 50 Spitfires and planned to train Israel Air Force pilots to fly these aircraft.
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