in Czechoslovakia (German Messerschmitts and British Spitfires) and having them flown to Israel. Other aircraft, mainly heavy bombers, were smuggled out of the US by a network headed by future-Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, Al Schwimmer (who later became CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries) and others. They also received assistance from the Italian mafia and Jewish gangsters in New York.In June 1948, Smoky was appointed the IAF’s chief of operations. Throughout the war he participated in 24 reconnaissance and bombing sorties. None of the planes he flew in was ever hit by heavy fire, although some were riddled with bullet holes.One mission that Smoky recalls as particularly memorable took place on June 10, 1948. The target was Damascus. The decision to carry out an attack on Damascus was mostlyfor its psychological impact. The Egyptian Air Force was the major player in the region, and its planes were continually attacking Tel Aviv and other Israeli targets at random times, while the IDF had almost no anti-aircraft defenses. And so, in an effort to alter the balance of power, to deflate the enemy’s morale and raise that of the Jewish community, it was decided to carry out an attack on the Syrian capital.Smoky and his team flew a Dakota for about an hour, outfitted with the best weapons the IAF could get a hold of: bombs, firebombs and empty glass bottles. Upon arriving over Damascus, Smoky launched 16 bombs, each of which weighed 80 kg. Because they were so heavy, he couldn’t lift them higher than his thighs,