Last summer I went to shake the hand of Mitchell Flint, one of the first fighter pilots of the Israeli Air Force - about a dozen planes that made up Squadron 101 he helped form. I ended up talking to him for two hours. Me, his son (who's producing a movie on his dad titled Angels in the Sky) and a 94 year old man standing and talking about his experiences. I was in 7th Heaven. He was mentally sharp and he stood the entire time despite chairs available. A few weeks later I learned he had passed. I both grieve and smile because I had the opportunity to get to know this man and his son.
Mitchell Flint is the only man to fly a US Corsair, US Mustang, German Messerschmitt Bf-109, and British Spitfire. He served as a US Navy pilot in WW2 and was awarded 3 Air Medals, one for shooting down a Kamakazee heading for his aircraft carrier, the USS wasp (under Admiral John McCain Sr).
After the war he heard the nation of Israel was being formed and was in need of planes and pilots. Being a former US Navy pilot meant it was illegal for him to fight in another nations military. But he felt the need. Because he didn't want his mom to worry he said he was going to London to see the Olympic Games. In London he wrote a bunch of postcards and told a friend there to mail his mom one every couple of weeks.
At that time no first world nation was willing to sell Israel aircraft. But third world nations were willing to get some cash after WW2. So what he did was go from London to Czechoslovakia where he picked up and flew a NAZI Messerschmitt 109, complete with swastikas, down to Israel. If that isn't irony I don't know what is.
His story was repeated by other pilots until they had a small squadron of war surplus planes made by the US, British, and NAZI's. They called the first squadron 101 because it sounded a little more impressive than Squadron 1.
When Israel was attacked by its 5 surrounding neighbors after independence was declared, the few planes of Squadron 101 are credited by both sides of the war for stopping the entire Egyptian Army that was rolling through Israel and poised to take Tel Aviv then the entire nation.
The book is out now, I look forward to the release of the movie.
Angels in the Sky
Mitchell Flint is the only man to fly a US Corsair, US Mustang, German Messerschmitt Bf-109, and British Spitfire. He served as a US Navy pilot in WW2 and was awarded 3 Air Medals, one for shooting down a Kamakazee heading for his aircraft carrier, the USS wasp (under Admiral John McCain Sr).
After the war he heard the nation of Israel was being formed and was in need of planes and pilots. Being a former US Navy pilot meant it was illegal for him to fight in another nations military. But he felt the need. Because he didn't want his mom to worry he said he was going to London to see the Olympic Games. In London he wrote a bunch of postcards and told a friend there to mail his mom one every couple of weeks.
At that time no first world nation was willing to sell Israel aircraft. But third world nations were willing to get some cash after WW2. So what he did was go from London to Czechoslovakia where he picked up and flew a NAZI Messerschmitt 109, complete with swastikas, down to Israel. If that isn't irony I don't know what is.
His story was repeated by other pilots until they had a small squadron of war surplus planes made by the US, British, and NAZI's. They called the first squadron 101 because it sounded a little more impressive than Squadron 1.
When Israel was attacked by its 5 surrounding neighbors after independence was declared, the few planes of Squadron 101 are credited by both sides of the war for stopping the entire Egyptian Army that was rolling through Israel and poised to take Tel Aviv then the entire nation.
The book is out now, I look forward to the release of the movie.
Angels in the Sky
