Danny Rosin Officer Commanding 103 Squadron Israeli Air Force
Danny’s military flying history started with the South African Air Force. He first experienced operational service in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), in the war against the Italians who were allies of the Germans in World War II. For a while he was seconded to the Royal Air Force (RAF), and he also flew with the Americans in Spanish Morocco. During this period, he was flying the British-made Blenheim bomber aircraft, mainly on patrols in the Mediterranean area. Subsequently, he became a flying instructor on Tiger Moths at a military flying school in South Africa.
Like many of his co-South Africans who were veterans of World War II, Danny volunteered through the South African Zionist Federation to fight for Israel in its War of Independence. He came to Israel via Rome. Another South African Air Force pilot, Jack Weinronk, was in charge of a flying school which had been secretly set up by the Haganah at the Urbe Airport near Rome, and in view of Danny’s experience as a flying instructor. Jack had very much wanted Danny to be an instructor at his school, but Danny had set his sights on getting to Israel. Whilst in Rome, Danny flew a rescue mission on a Haganah aircraft which was on its way to Czechoslovakia, but had to force land at Treviso Airport, near Venice. The crew members of the disabled plane had been arrested and released, and Danny then flew the repaired aircraft safely to Zatec in Czechoslovakia. At Zatec, he met the brilliant pilot/engineer Sam Pomerance who was in charge of the Zatec operation, as well as Danny’s old World War II friend Tev Zimmerman, an outstanding aircraft mechanic. Air Transport Command (ATC), which had created and operated an air bridge between Zatec and Israel, very much wanted Danny to join this organization, but Danny’s wish was to fly in the Israel Air Force.
As a passenger on an ATC aircraft, Danny arrived in Israel on 21st July, 1948, during a cease-fire period, and was stationed at Ramat David Air Base, and assigned to 103 Squadron. His first two operational flights were as second pilot in a Dakota aircraft which delivered supplies at night to the Negev for the army and kibbutzim, as the Negev had been entirely cut-off by the Egyptian forces. Danny’s first operation as first pilot took place on 19th August. On 25th September, Danny was appointed Commanding Officer (CO) of 103 Squadron.
On 15th October, 1948, “Operation Yoav” was launched, in which the northern and central Negev were cleared of Egyptian forces. 103 Squadron was fully involved in bombing Beersheba, Faluja, El Arish Airfield, and other targets. On 20th October, two Beaufighters of 103 Squadron attacked the formidable Iraq Suweidan fortress, near Negba. Unfortunately, the first Beaufighter commanded by Len Fitchett, a non-Jewish Canadian pilot, was shot down. Tragically, Fitchett and his two crewmen Dov Sugarman and Stan Andrews were killed. The second Beaufighter, commanded by Danny, experienced serious armament problems as the aircraft’s cannons were jammed, and he couldn’t release his bombs over the target.
On 25th October, Danny was scheduled to fly on an operation, but as he had been heavily engaged in earlier operations, he was instructed to stand-down for this one due to fatigue, and he was replaced as first pilot by Wilfred Canter, a Canadian Machalnik. On its flight to Sdom with supplies for the army and kibbutzim, the Dakota aircraft exploded in mid-air and the entire crew, Wilfred Canter (captain), Fred Stevenson (second pilot), Willy Fisher (navigator), and Leon Lightman (radio operator), as well as an army officer, Michael Wilmers, known as “King of the Negev”, perished in the accident.
“Operation Ayin” was launched on 22nd December, 1948, with the mission of expelling the Egyptian forces from the borders of the State of Israel and back into the Sinai. It was probably the toughest battle of the War of Independence. The IAF threw its full weight into the battle, using B-17s, Spitfires, Harvards, Dakotas, Norsemen, C-46s, and P-51 Mustangs. The war ended on 7th January, 1949.
Following the cessation of fighting in the War of Independence, Danny remained on in the Air Force. Amongst other activities, 103 Squadron ferried British-made Anson aircraft from Rhodes Island in the Mediterranean to be integrated into the Israel Air Force.
In March 1949, Danny was appointed Commander of the air base at Herzlia, with responsibility for the new elementary flying school for training pilots. The school was equipped with Stearman aircraft. In May 1949, the flying school moved to Kfar Sirkin, but Danny did not move over to the new base. In his latter months of service, Danny felt that the policy of the Air Force was to replace the Machalniks by Israeli personnel, and that the Air Force environment was changing. During his period as head of the flying school, he logged his 2,000th hour of flying experience.
On retiring from the IAF, Danny joined El Al Israel Airlines and with the passage of time he became a senior captain and was put in charge of El Al’s pilot training program.
Author: Smoky Simon
Source: Danny Rosin’s personal diaries (loaned to Smoky by his son Colin Rosin), and Henry Katzew’s “South Africa’s 800.”