Adolph "Al" W. Schwimmer

Al Schwimmer was an American Jewish activist who organized the purchase of transport aircraft for Israel during its foundation as an independent state in 1948.

By late 1947, the Jewish defense force in Israel possessed fairly capable ground personnel, but a trained Israeli air force was nonexistent. Faced with a woeful and dangerous mismatch in the air defense effort against neighboring hostile Arab states, the Jewish population in Palestine was supported by volunteer pilots, supplies, and aircraft from other countries.

One of the principal allies of the Jewish cause in the USA was Al Schwimmer. In 1947, with the backing of Jewish defense forces, he formed Schwimmer Aviation in Burbank, CA, to purchase and recondition war-surplus transport aircraft. The acquisitions included three Lockheed Constellations and ten Commandos. Schwimmer’s original goal was to use these aircraft to help establish Israel’s first airline. However, when the Arabs rejected a partition of British Palestine and threatened widespread armed hostilities, the goal soon shifted to fly these aircraft to Israel to help during Israel’s war of independence. Schwimmer’s group also recruited experienced aircrews and conducted pilot retraining. He was assisted by two other Americans from Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles, who served with Schwimmer in the USAAF during World War II, Sam Lewis and Leo Gardner, both of whom were to later become captains for El Al.

A tremendous obstacle soon confronted Schwimmer. The United States and nearly all other nations imposed an embargo against the shipments of arms to Palestine — including large transport aircraft. To circumvent the restriction, Jewish interests formulated a clandestine scheme worthy of a spy thriller. They called it "yekoom purkan" ("may salvation arise from heaven"), a sentence from a Jewish prayer. Among the participants were Schwimmer, Teddy Kollek (later to become mayor of Jerusalem), and Yehuda Arazi of the Jewish defense forces, one of the most famous Israeli spies in history. The secret connection became Panama. Tocumen Airport in Panama City had recently been built and was underused, a real white elephant. The Panamanian government, eager to develop the new airport, warmly accepted a proposal by the Jews to set up a privately owned airline, called LAPSA (Lineas Aereas de Panama SA). Schwimmer’s fleet would be registered to LAPSA and flown to Tocumen, ostensibly for commercial service. In reality, LAPSA would serve as a cover to spirit the aircraft out of the US and onward to Israel.

Schwimmer Aviation started overhaul work on the aircraft at Burbank during winter 1947-48. On 13 March 1948, the first of the Constellations, in LAPSA colors and with a Panamanian registration, was flown by Capt. Sam Lewis to Tocumen from Millville, NJ via Kingston, Jamaica. The Commandos followed a few weeks later, although one was lost in a crash on takeoff from Mexico City. Each had been heavily overloaded with electronic equipment urgently needed for the anticipated war. Meanwhile, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, having received information that the aircraft were ultimately destined for Israel, set off in hot pursuit of the two remaining Constellations and, at the last minute, seized them before they could leave the US.

Civil strife between Jews and Arabs in Palestine escalated sharply in January 1948, and violence intensified every month. The only country willing to sell arms to the Jews was, astonishingly, Czechoslovakia. Ironically, the Soviet Union, motivated by anti-British policy, supported the birth of the State of Israel. While the Soviets would not sell arms to Jewish interests directly, they allowed their satellites to do so.

The Jewish interests in Palestine, however, lacked any means of transporting the Czech arms in quantity. Moreover, Arab belligerency forced them to evacuate Lydda Airport and, when BOAC suspended service from London two days later, on 28 April, the Arabs were left in sole possession. Jewish air communications were then shifted north to Haifa and Ein Shamer. Other international air carriers fled to Cairo, leaving the Jewish community in Palestine isolated.

Meanwhile, as the fateful day of British withdrawal from Palestine approached, the Jewish volunteer pilots and technicians in Panama hastened to prepare their aircraft for the trans-Atlantic flight to Africa and then to the anticipated new State of Israel, but time was running out. On 8 May 1948, with preparations and crew training only partially complete, the first five Commandos took off for Israel via Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana (now Surinam), Natal, Brazil, Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal), Casablanca, French Morocco and Catania, Italy.

As planned, on 14 May 1948 the British withdrew their remaining troops from Palestine. Immediately, David Ben-Gurion and other Jewish leaders proclaimed the independence of the State of Israel. The very next day the newborn state was attacked. Without warning, but not unexpectedly, Egyptian Douglas C-47s bombed Tel Aviv and Supermarine Spitfire fighters attacked airfields. With Israel blockaded on all sides, its very existence depended on sea and air communications with a few friendly, but distant, countries. Fortunately, the LAPSA aircraft began to arrive. Two Commandos landed at Ekron Air Base on the night of 18 May. After offloading their cargo of precious equipment, they lifted off the next morning for Zatec, Czechoslovakia to help in the arms airlift. The other Commandos proceeded directly to Czechoslovakia.

LAPSA’s lone Constellation slipped away from Tocumen on 19 May, under the command of Sam Lewis, with Maurice Kauffman as co-pilot, destined for Zatec. The new Israeli government then gathered the Constellation and the Commandos into a somewhat autonomous group called LATA ("Lahak Tovala Avirit", or "Air Transport Command"), under the direction of Munya Mardor, a Jewish defense forces arms-acquisition specialist who had been based in Europe. Lewis was appointed the chief pilot in charge of operations at Zatec. LATA proved invaluable to the airlift. Arms included disassembled and crated Czech-built Avia S-199 (Messerschmitt Bf 109G) fighters, which on arrival to Israel were hurriedly assembled for immediate action. By 29 May, the first four fighters were launched in Israeli skies, ending the dominance of the Egyptian Air Force during the first two weeks of the War of Independence. Israeli pilots shot down some Egyptian aircraft, and the Arabs unexpectedly abandoned their air offensive shortly thereafter. The arms airlift continued until shut down by the Czechs in August 1948. A total of 95 precious trips were flown, mostly by foreign volunteers, carrying 25 Avia fighters, spare parts, flying personnel, and 350 tons of ammunition to Israel.

Early in July 1948, the newly-formed IDF (Israel Defense Forces) managed to recapture Lydda Airport, renamed Lod upon Israel’s independence. However, the airport had been extensively damaged by the Arabs and required much reconstruction. Not until 24 November 1948 was Israel able to announce that Lod Airport was ready anew for civilian air traffic, which began on 1 December 1948.

On 22 August 1948 Israel launched the appropriately named Operation Dust to save Jewish settlements in the Negev, the country's desertic south cut off from the main part of Israel by Egyptian troops and accessible only by air. A 1,230-meter dirt runway was built near the desert settlement of Ruhama, about 40 km south of Ekron. Because of the danger of Egyptian attack, flights to the airstrip had to be made at night, and there were no radio beacons or other navigational aids. As each airplane approached in the dark it would flash signals. Kerosene-filled smudge pots lining the runway would be lit, and the aircraft would land in a cloud of dust. This operation lasted two months and totaled 417 flights, mainly between Ekron and Ruhama, moving 2,200 tons of supplies and 1,900 personnel into the Negev, and returning many wounded and exhausted men to central Israel. Operation Dust helped saved the Negev during the War of Independence.

By late summer 1948 the Israelis had at last secured the upper hand in the conflict. Although the signing of an armistice was still several months away, the nation could at least start organizing itself serenely, including by the resumption of civil aviation. The stage was set for the founding of Israel’s national airline: El Al, which would use Al Schwimmer's Constellation and some of its Commandos as its first airplanes.

Schwimmer later settled in Israel, where he founded an aeronautical testing institute at Lod Airport. This grew up into IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries).

• Curtiss C-46A-15-CU Commando: (41-12405)
• Curtiss C-46A-35-CU Commando: N67925, (42-3664), (42-3672) / N2714A, N67924 / N9841F
• Curtiss C-46A-36-CU Commando: (42-3676)
• Curtiss C-46A-41-CU Commando: N67923, NC67922
• Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando: (42-96540)
• Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando: N67926
• Curtiss C-46A-55-CK Commando: N75393