Spitfire Mk XIVE
Israel Air Force
101 Squadron
Ezer Weizman
Israel, 1955

Original artwork by Petr Furmanek. The real one was probably a Mk XVI but Petr made a Mk XIV and I think it still looks great.  I tweaked and fit it to the most recent Mk XIV model.  Can't even remember who made that 3dz but the biggest change to Petr's work is that its non-mirrored now.

-RedEyes
  

Some history...

About 90 Spitfires went into service with the IAF. The first 2 to enter service were rebuilt from wreckage. One from the remains of British Spits that were demolished and left behind when the British Army left on the 14th May 1948, and the other an Egyptian plane, shot down when bombing the Dov Air Field near Tel-Aviv, then the base of most Israeli planes. 60 were bought from Czechoslovakia, that was selling arms to Israel under Russian influence. (the Russians expected Israel with is strong socialist Ideology at the time to be born as a communist state). But as opposed to the S-199s after being threatened by the Americans the Czech no longer allowed air lifting of the planes to Israel.  So Israel had a fleet of 60 good Spitfire Mk.IX, and no way of bringing them over in time to help in the war. The numbers of S-199s were dwindling mostly because of the high rate of landing and takeoff accidents with the crooked planes, (see S-199). And desperate times called for desperate actions. The missions that brought 13 Spitfires in time to fight in the war of independence were probably the most dangerous they flew in the war. In two Velveta  operations, 18 Spitfires that had every spare piece of equipment taken out and replaced with fuel tanks were flown all the way from Czechoslovakia to Israel, (13 made it). with one refueling stop in Yugoslavia. Except in the flight leaders plane, radios and compasses were not spared, if a plane lost visual contact with the formation it would be lost. It is hard for a person unfamiliar with WWII fighters to understand the madness of these missions. Not only were WWII fighters short ranged, but the Spitfire was one of the least  ranged among them. The remaining Czech Spitfires were shipped to Israel by sea and did not make it in time for the war. The Spitfires that participated in the war were added to the first fighter squadron, and were operated for the first time in October 1948 as escort for Bombers. The Spitfire has at least 7 known kills in the IAF (documentation at the time left much to be desired by historians). As well as Egyptian planes the Spits also had an encounter with British planes based in Egypt that were patrolling the Israeli-Egyptian border. In this encounter and two more that came as a reaction to it, 3 British Spitfires and one Tempest were shot down. (this incident took place in the last hours before the ceasefire between Egypt and Israel began, and the war was over.  Many of the IAF planes in the encounter were flown by ex-RAF pilots, including Ace,John McElroy). In 1951 30 more Spitfires were bought from Italy (some of them MK.XVI). The first planes were operated by the first fighter squadron, and later other Spitfires were operated by a second fighter squadron. In June 1953 all the remaining planes were transferred to a 3rd squadron. In 1954 there were 64 Spitfires in service, a year later 26, and in 1955 16. The planes were taken out of service a short time before Operation "Kadesh" (October 1956). Some of the planes were sold to Burma, one was left behind to be the personal mount of a rising star in the IAF, Ezer Weizman (then a base commander, later IAF commander for 8 years, eventually President of Israel). Ezers Black Spit is still flight worthy today. 

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Ezer Weizman (b. 1924) 
Seventh President of the State of Israel

 

 
Ezer Weizman - air force general and politician, 
nephew of Israel's first President Professor 
Chaim Weizmann, and incumbent President of the 
State of Israel - was sworn into office on May 13, 1993.
Ezer Weizman was born in Tel Aviv in 1924, and 
raised in Haifa. He began his long military career 
as a fighter pilot during World War II, joining the 
Royal Air Force in 1942 at age 18. Returning to 
Mandatory Palestine after the war, Weizman was 
one of a handful of pilots who founded the 
"Air Service" of the Haganah. He served as a 
fighter pilot during the War of Independence, 
commanded a squadron, and later (1958-66) was 
O.C. of the Israel Air Force, in which capacity 
he introduced the use of electronic warfare 
systems in aircraft. During the Six-Day War 
he was Chief of Operations of the General Staff, 
and later Deputy Chief of Staff. He retired 
in 1969 with the rank of major-general, and 
turned to politics.

An outspoken individual with strong political 
views and a vivid personality, Ezer Weizman 
maintained a high and at times highly-provocative 
public profile, even while in the army. In the 
two and a half decades following his retirement 
from the military, Weizman served in many key 
political posts. He ran the election campaign 
that brought Likud leader Menachem Begin to power 
in 1977, after nearly thirty years in opposition; 
served as Minister of Defense; and was a member 
of the Israeli negotiating team to the talks that 
culminated in the Camp David Accords. In 1980, 
Weizman, who had gradually moderated his views, 
retired from politics to pursue a business career. 
Returning to public life four years later, he 
formed a small independent party and served as 
a government minister for the next six years - 
first as Minister for Arab Affairs, then as 
Minister of Science and Technology. In 1992 he 
retired from active politics and a year later, 
he was elected as the seventh President of the 
State of Israel.

Almost without actual powers, the Presidency is 
an institution that relies heavily on style. 
Ezer Weizman's strong personality and unique manner, 
which have pervaded every task he has undertaken - 
from air force commander to government minister - 
have also colored his Presidency. Weizman's 
down-to-earth manner has been quite different 
from the statesmanlike image and "elevated status" 
that characterized most of his predecessors. 
His unique character has endowed the Presidency 
with an informality and lack of reserve that reflects 
the warm, dynamic and unstructured nature of 
Israel's society. Thus, the office has in many ways 
come to mirror the typical Israeli - direct, 
familial and unceremonious, candid and spontaneous.

While President Weizman has conducted state visits 
to Great Britain, India, South Africa and Turkey, 
meeting national and Jewish leaders in his travels, 
he has focused more on Israel itself and its citizens - 
Jews, Arabs and Druze - and on Israel's immediate neighbors.

In addition to planned visits to various communities and 
participation in major public events, Weizman has adopted 
a Presidential schedule that includes unplanned and 
spontaneous visits closely tied to unfolding events, 
many of them tragic. Thus, during the July 1993 
"Accountability" campaign against Hizballah 
terrorism, the President demonstrated his 
solidarity with Israeli citizens living on 
the northern border by visiting them while their 
towns were still under shell-fire, staying the 
night with the inhabitants and even sleeping in 
a bunker with IDF soldiers. President Weizman 
also visits the wounded in hospitals and the 
families of the fallen and of terror victims in 
their homes. Weizman has applied the one real 
power of the Presidency - the right to grant 
Presidential pardons - in his own way, by refusing 
to sign some pardons recommended by the Ministry 
of Justice.

President Ezer Weizman renewed an institution 
established by one of his predecessors - a monthly 
gathering of intellectuals and academics entitled 
the "Bible and Jewish Sources Group", dedicated 
to examining and discussing core Jewish issues. 
This rather exclusive and prestigious circle had 
undergone a change of venue; it is now a 
"traveling forum." Monthly deliberations are 
conducted each time in a different outlying 
location, with former Supreme Court Justice 
Menachem Elon acting as moderator.

Recently, Ezer Weizman has taken a more active 
role in political developments than did 
Presidents in the past - first behind-the-scenes, 
later publicly - and his actions have been a source 
of public controversy. Political figures involved 
in the peace process have met with Weizman, even 
though this is not part of diplomatic protocol. 
Moreover, the President has openly criticized the 
government's performance and attempted to prevent 
derailing of the peace process. His unique brand 
of personal diplomacy, his charm and his personal 
ties have opened communication lines between 
Israel and the Palestinian Authority and with Egypt.

Ezer Weizman was re-elected to a second term in May 
1998, and resigned from the Presidency in July 2000.
 
