In February 1948, I volunteered my services to fly for the Jews of Palestine in their fight against the Arabs. (Israel’s War of Independence).
On May 18th, I landed at Akir (Ekron) air base as Navigator of a Curtis C-46 Commando Transport. The plane, numbered LAPSA 138 (Lineas Aereas de Panama) was the first of five aircraft which had left Panama on May 8th and reached Israel via Paramariba, Dutch Guinea to Nataz, Brazil then Dakar, French South West Africa to Casablanca to Catania, Sicily to Oklahoma (our code name for Israel).
I served as navigator in Air Transport Command (ATC) flying from Zatec, Czechoslovakia to Akir via Ajaccio, Corsica flying supplies planes and arms until July 6th, 1948. Then I volunteered to fly as bombardier for the newly formed 69 Bomber Squadron consisting of three B-17s.
On July 15th I flew from Zatec, Czechoslovakia past Albania over Yugoslavia as the bombardier to Ekron, bombing Rafah on the way.
Between July 15th 1948 and January 7th 1949, I flew 42 bombing missions in B-17s to El Arish, Faluja, Majdal, Mishmar Hayarden, Tulkarm, Gaza, Tarshiha, Rafah and to an Egyptian warship in the Mediterranean near El Arish (this took place on January 1st 1949).
On loan again on October 5th 1948, I flew as navigator on a C-46 on a flight supply mission to Kibbutz Ruhama.
I was discharged from the Israel Air Force in 1949 and returned to the USA.
Narrative About Jules Cuburnek
“Go to an office in Clark Street,” one of Cuburnek’s drinking buddies tells him. Interested and curious, he locates the “Labor for Palestine” office. A man is dragging a desk into the empty room. “I’m looking for Rabbi Klausner,” he says.
“I’m Rabbi Klausner,” replies the furniture mover.
“I’m volunteering to fight,” Cuburnek states.
“First help me get the desk in,” answers the rabbi.
In February, having passed medical and psychiatric examinations (“good prospect, very adventurous”), Jules meets the rabbi at Weinstein’s Restaurant. Insulted at being offered $800 a month, he tells Klausner just to get him to Palestine. “First New York,” is the rabbi’s cryptic reply. After approval at a secret Greenwich Village meeting, the American Air Force officer returns to Chicago to await the go-ahead.
A late-night call from the rabbi informs him: “Ticket at Midway Airport for New York.” Still ahead a refresher course in navigation and endless instructions. “Obtain a passport, add $15 and get it express.”
All well and good but Jules birth certificate reads “Baby Cuburnek.”
“Sorry, no first name, no passport.”
He supplies a first name but ruefully wonders what other obstacles await before he’ll get to Palestine. The next day, passport in hand, he meets Al Schwimmer.
“Go to Argentina Airways and get four tickets to Panama.”
May 3, Jules Cuburnek lands in Panama with fifteen other eager recruits. By May 14, he has passed through Paramaribo, Dutch Guinea, Nataz, Brazil, Dakar and Casablanca. Throughout, the “secret” operation he receives whispered blessings of “good luck” and makes the local papers. The five C-46 transport planes to be flown more than 1500 miles are in questionable condition, extra fuel will have to be carried inside the planes to overcome the distance problem.
Rough weather conditions force three of the planes to abort flights. On May 14, two “Panamanian Airways” planes land in Casablanca. The planes (carrying parts of training planes) manage to pass French airport interrogation. Jules Cuburnek is on one of them.
A BBC broadcast, on May 15, transmits Ben-Gurion’s proclamation of the establishment of the State of Israel. The Hebrew words are foreign to the American officer but the meaning clear. As the two planes take off on May 16, the French officer says “Good Luck in Palestine.”
Catania, Sicily – a landing in the shadow of Mt. Aetna. The crews are handed maps and grimly advised that the situation at their destination is unclear. Hopefully, one hour prior to landing, aided by Morse Code to determine the situation at Akir (Ekron), runway lights will be lit.
On May 18, the eight hour fight to Israel (code name: “Oklahoma”) takes off. Passing Crete, the C-46 begins contact but receives no response. The flight continues. Tel Aviv is sighted but the plane comes within range of the sole anti-aircraft gun. The transport veers away but loses direction When a green light is spotted, the decision is made to land – engines running for a quick take-off in case Arabic is heard.
Suddenly voice contact breaks through, urging them away from Lod. Turn 180 degrees and you’ll see landing lights, are the instructions. Four months after regaling his Chicago buddies with WW II exploits, Jules Cuburnek lands, ready to fight in the Israel’s War of Independence.
“The July 18th B-17 raid on Tulkarm brought back memories. I was then with 103 Squadron at RD, and happened to be in the Ops Room late that afternoon when the order came to bomb Beirut. Tulkarm was given as an alternate target as it was doubtful there would be enough time to get to Beirut before 7 PM when a truce was due to come into effect.
As many of the guys had by then gone into Haifa, there was no regular crew on hand for the two B-17s ready to fly. Two make-shift crews was picked from those present after Morris Yankner offered to captain the second, with Al Raisin the senior pilot to captain the first. When nobody else offered to fill the last remaining slot, tail gunner, I said to myself “what the hell” and volunteered.
By the time we were airborne it was too late for Beirut, so we headed for Tulkarm. After the bombs were dropped and I could see our hits on the railway yards, I fired a burst from my Beza machine gun and it promptly jammed. So on our way home I took it apart, and before I could put it together again I heard Yankner informing us that a northern area air-raid alert had been given and that we’re heading for Haifa to wait it out.
But Haifa was also on alert, and as soon as we arrived their ack-ack crews opened up on us, apparently having mistaken us for the expected enemy raider. While Yankner was beating it away from there, word came through that RD was being bombed by an Avro-Anson, no less. So Yankner decided to take it on, and headed for RD. When we got there the Anson was heading for home, and we gave chase until close enough to exchange fire with its sole turret. By then my gun was re-assembled and I managed to get one burst in as we passed it. After that brief encounter we headed for home. We learned soon after that the Anson had made a forced landing in Israel territory after having sustained minor damage and its Syrian or Iraqi crew taken prisoner”.
Prepared by Joe Woolf from Cuburnek’s personal stories