One thing is certain: Czechoslovak arms saved the state of Israel in a critical moment.
n 1948, when the newly established state of Israel found itself under immediate attack by neighboring Arab countries, it lacked both the resources and the international support to build a robust defense. At this crucial moment, Czechoslovakia emerged as an unexpected but essential ally, providing Israel with arms and training that were vital for its survival.
Despite the risks and political complexities, the Czechoslovak government secretly supplied Israel with critical weaponry, including rifles, machine guns, and planes, even though Israel was officially under an arms embargo imposed by the United Nations. These shipments gave Israel a fighting chance against well-armed adversaries and became a key factor in the successful defense of its territory.
The assistance went beyond just equipment. Czechoslovak experts also helped train Israeli soldiers, offering specialized instruction in aviation and warfare techniques that were crucial for the formation of the Israeli Defense Forces. This support, at a time when few other nations were willing to assist, had a profound and lasting impact on Israel’s military capacity and, ultimately, on its survival as a fledgling state.
State of Israel and Czechoslovakia
In a previous article about Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, I briefly mentioned the role that arms supplies from then-Czechoslovakia played in the founding of the state of Israel, as well as the provision of aircraft and training for soldiers and pilots in our country.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at this military aid, which is a fascinating part of our post-war history. The assistance Czechoslovakia provided to the emerging state of Israel allowed it to defend itself against the overwhelming forces of surrounding Arab states and lay solid foundations for its new sovereignty.
Although Czechoslovak aid was soon cut off due to shifts in the geopolitical strategy of the Eastern Bloc, orchestrated by Moscow, the Israelis themselves understood the significance of this help. David Ben-Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency and later Israel’s Prime Minister, famously remarked, “Czech armaments saved the state of Israel, and without them, we would not have survived.”
Context
The British Mandate of Palestine (today’s Israel) was under British administration from 1920. After World War II, increasing numbers of Jewish immigrants, mostly from Europe, came to the area, bringing with them the dream of a homeland where they would be safe from persecution, including pogroms and the Holocaust. To illustrate the scale, hundreds of thousands of European Jews who survived Nazi extermination camps sought to emigrate to Palestine.
This led to conflicts, with the British trying to curb immigration, Zionists pushing for Jewish immigration, and Arabs opposing Zionist aspirations for a state. At this time, the more radical wing of the Jewish Haganah organization resorted to armed resistance against the British. The intensity of these attacks was one reason the British withdrew from the mandate and left the matter to the newly established United Nations. Armed conflicts were ongoing with local Arabs as well.
In November 1947, two years after WWII ended, the UN voted at its 128th session to partition Palestine into two independent states: one Jewish and one Arab. With Britain’s waning power, a civil war erupted between Jews and Arabs, escalating from isolated violence and terrorism to conventional warfare in the months and weeks before the end of the mandate.
The Israelis knew that without outside help, their dream of a homeland would be crushed before it could become a reality. What they needed most were funds and weapons. Czechoslovakia became the only European country to provide the fledgling state with arms supplies and specialized training for soldiers and officers.
It should be noted that all states were bound by a UN resolution prohibiting arms exports to the Middle East to avoid escalating tensions.
Czechoslovak Role
As historian Zdeněk Klíma notes, “In 1948, the only country willing to sell arms was Czechoslovakia, driven by both political and economic reasons. The latter were especially pressing, as the Jews could pay in hard currency, which Czechoslovakia, particularly after February 1948, badly needed. It was a unique opportunity to earn a substantial amount with relatively little effort.”
Moreover, the Soviet Union did not oppose Czechoslovak aid, viewing Israel as a progressive state. Notably, Czech assistance began even before the Communist coup. The sympathies of the Czechoslovak population were evident in a fundraising effort that raised 30 million crowns—a considerable amount considering the average industrial worker’s monthly wage in 1948 was 725 crowns, and that of an engineer was 1,194 crowns.
According to the Military History Institute, Czechoslovakia became the main training ground for Israeli pilots, aviation specialists, tank operators, and paratroopers.
Arms Shipments to Israel
One of the first major contracts, signed on January 14, 1948, by Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk, included 200 MG 34 machine guns, 4,500 P 18 rifles, and 50,400,000 rounds of ammunition. In the end, Czechoslovakia provided Israel with thousands of rifles, machine guns, pistols, submachine guns, millions of rounds of ammunition, and dozens of aircraft. Additionally, Czechoslovakia trained 81 pilots and 69 ground specialists. Israel used all of these resources to their fullest.
The total value of arms deliveries exceeded one billion crowns by October 1949.
On May 14, 1948, the Provisional State Council declared the establishment of the State of Israel. The following day, Israel was attacked by the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Iraq, beginning the first Israeli War of Independence. Thanks in part to Czechoslovak weapons, Israel not only managed to defend itself but also expanded its territory by 12,800 square kilometers—21% more than the original UN plan had allocated.
The Israelis also managed to purchase four B-17G bombers in the United States, three of which were flown from Miami to Žatec in June 1948. There, they were armed and on July 14, 1948, set out on a historic mission, flying directly from Czechoslovakia to carry out air raids on Cairo and Gaza.
End of Cooperation
According to the documentary Heart of the Army, in the section on February 1948, “From the end of 1948, cooperation with Israel gradually declined due to political reasons and was ultimately terminated between 1949 and 1950. Officers of the General Staff involved in the cooperation were dismissed or reassigned to lower-ranking positions.”
This shift was due to the gradual cooling of geopolitical relations between Israel and the Eastern Bloc. After Stalin turned against Israel, the Czechoslovak Communist regime distanced itself from the arms supplies, even though they had been conducted with prior Soviet approval and encouragement.
In total, Israel paid over $12 million for arms, representing roughly a third of Czechoslovakia’s foreign currency earnings.
Despite the distancing brought about by Moscow’s influence, it is fair to say that Czechoslovakia, through its support, was the only country that kept the fledgling Middle Eastern state afloat in a critical moment, giving it enough time to survive amid hostile neighboring Arab states.
PS: The influence of the Soviets and Moscow in Czechoslovakia continued to grow stronger. Read the story of a secret operation that buried hopes of escaping to freedom.
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