WORLD MACHAL - Volunteers from overseas in the Israel Defense Forces

Colman Roberts (Israel)

I came directly in November 1948 on a Dakota belonging to Mercury Airways that took ages to get here.  After leaving Khartoum where we had spent the night, we were forced to land at an RAF base at El Adem in Libya due to engine troubles.  The names in my group that I remember are as follows: Abe Caspar, Maurice Ment, Michael Myers and Joe Teper.

For the record, I played a very insignificant role and I have a feeling that they would have won the war without me.  I was posted to Air Force 101 Squadron (because of a very low medical category) and worked as a clerical assistant to an American called Harry Axelrod (since deceased) who was in charge of the engineering dept. of the squadron.  My first OC was Syd Cohen and after him Ezer Weizman.  Among the South Africans I remember were Jack Cohen (pilot) Arnold Ruch a CT lawyer (pilot), Issy Greenberg (chief radio technician) Colin Traub (codes and cyphers),  Tev Zimmerman  and  Chaim Grevler (both aircraft engineers).