Israel Amir, 99; First Commander of Israeli Air Force
Israel Amir, 99, the first commander of the Israeli air force, died Friday of unspecified causes in a Tel Aviv hospital.
Born Israel Zblodovsky in Russia in 1903, Amir immigrated in 1923 to what was then British-ruled Palestine.
He soon joined the Hagana underground, the forerunner of the Israeli army, and by 1942 was made head of its information department, which later evolved into the Mossad and Shin Bet intelligence agencies.
Before Israel declared its independence and was attacked by Arab armies in 1948, Amir was sent to Europe to recruit and train thousands of young Jewish survivors of the Nazi Holocaust for combat in the new state. On May 16, new Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion named Amir to head the country’s fledgling air force, which consisted of eight secondhand planes and no airstrip.
Amir held the post a mere 10 weeks, but built the air force into 3,000 personnel with two airfields and training schools for pilots and technicians. He also purchased 60 additional aircraft, including German Messerschmitt fighters and U.S. B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
Amir moved on to the defense ministry, where he remained until retiring in 1966.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
