A Haganah Squadron - Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Ceske Budejovice Airport has a long history - see:http://www.forgottenairfields.com/czech-republic/south-bohemia/budweis-ceske-budejovice-s1003.html .

Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in the British Mandate of Palestine (1921–48), which became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.

In 1948 a Israel succeeded in acquiring 25 Avia S-199 aircraft from Czechoslovakia (now Cyech Republic). In the second-half of May 1948, the first batch of four Avia S-199s were dissembled and packed into crates and transported in C-46 Curtiss Commando aircraft from Czechoslovakia to Israel. On arrival in Israel the aircraft were hastily re-assembled and inducted into 101 Squadron. The Avia S-199, which was manufactured in Czechoslovakia was a very inferior version of the German Luftwaffe’s Me-109 aircraft.

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An interesting episode of Ceske Budejovice Airport dated in April 1948 was the establishment of the training facility for fighters within the scope of 5th Air Wing, 2nd Training Flight. This action was officially marked with the code DI (Confidential – Israel) and unofficially discussed as the “Hagana action” (from Hebrew language – Haganah = selfdefense). It came from the fact that Israeli airmen were members of the air service Haganah. The flight was established within the frame of the military assistance to Israel and former aviation veterans were retrained to Avia S-199 aircraft in Planá. The later Israeli president E.Weizman was also one of the flight team members. The part of the agreement was also a delivery of 25 aircraft S-199 and 50 aircraft S-89 (Spitfire Mk IX E) including other military material.


This plaque reminds training of Israeli pilots at this airport.


Plaque Inscription:
CZ: Na pamet pilotu z letky Hagana, kterí se zde v roce 1948 pripravovali k boji za svobodný Stát Izrael
EN: In commemoration of the pilots of the Haganah Squadron, who trained here for their struggle for an independent State of Israel in the year 1948

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