On June 3, 1948, the Israeli Air Force won its first two aerial battles, according to popular opinion. However, that day no aircraft was shot down
The first two aerial victories for the Israeli Air Force/Defence Force (IDF/AF), which was then in its early stages, are commonly regarded as having occurred on June 3, 1948. ‘Everybody knows’ – and this is a ‘matter of fact’ that’s so firmly and widely accepted that it must be ‘beyond any doubt’ – that on that day Mordechai ‘Modi’ Alon has ‘shot down’ two Douglas C-47 Dakotas of the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF) over Tel Aviv.
This is not only a ‘claim’: it’s ‘confirmed’ by the ‘legendary’ photo attached to this post. Or isn’t it?
The IDF/AF have acknowledged it formally, and it has been recorded in history as such. It makes little difference that the Israelis never disclosed any gun-camera images or wreckage images, that there are no reports of any captured or slain Egyptian crew members, or that there is any other type of proof — “facts” — supporting the two in dispute allegations.
Actually, the only thing that is “beyond any doubt” in this situation is that Alon attacked a formation of two REAF C-47s that were being escorted by a pair of REAF Spitfires while flying a single Avia S.199 (a Czechoslovak-made variant of the Messerschmitt Bf.109G).
How is that? The two C-47s in question were altered to accommodate the addition of bomb shackles beneath their fuselages. And in revenge for an earlier Israeli bombardment of Amman, they bombed Tel Aviv (the capital of what was then Transjordan).
Alon approached near enough to start firing by taking advantage of the two Egyptian Spitfires’ low flight speed (they had to fly slowly since C-47s couldn’t fly much faster). Surprisingly, he damaged one of the two C-47s before disengaging instead of shooting off his propeller (which happened frequently enough with Israeli S-199s).
The Dakota’s crew was required to do an emergency landing on a beach close to Isdud. A day or two later, it flew the aircraft back to Egypt after having it repaired.
What happened to the other C-47? Nothing. It returned to Almazza AB, near Cairo. Namely, no C-47s were ‘shot down’ in this clash.
In other words, it is a myth that Modi Alon shot down two Egyptian C-47 Dakotas over Tel Aviv on June 3, 1948. The truth is that during that battle, just one of the Egyptian Dakotas sustained damage.
…and the photo supposedly shows ‘Alon pursuing’ or ‘shooting down an Egyptian Dakota over Tel Aviv’?
It’s actually showing one of REAF C-47s escorted by one of REAF’s Spits. How comes this is ‘facts’?
Since it was translated from the operational diary of what was then known as the “Tactical Air Force,” it reads: “REAF’s units forward deployed at el-Arish AB, in Egypt’s Sinai.”
Photo by Bukvoed via Wikipedia