The HistoryThe roots of the IDF/ASA go back to 1947 when the Air Service was created by the Palmach, the resistance movement for a free and independent Israel. Those first days nearly everything that could fly was put in to service. Amongst those first aircraft were Austers and Dragon Rapides. With the declaration of independence on May 15th 1948 a regional war started with the Arabic neighbour countries. Because of a weapons embargo the Israeli's had to find their aircraft trough other means, mostly by smuggling Spitfires, Mosquitos and other aircraft. The first real order for aircraft was placed in Czechoslovakia and ironically enough they were from German origin: license build S-199's (Me-109) The first airfields the IDF/AF used were former RAF bases: Sde Dov, Ramat David and Lod (better known as Ben Gurion IAP) One of the most famous pilots of those days is Ezer Weizman, later Chief of Staff of the IDF/AF and at the end of the nineties President of the State of Israel.
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