Operation Rooster by Avi Heiligman

Operation Rooster

By Avi Heiligman

In the years following the Israeli War of Independence, the small Jewish nation had been quickly building up its military, but in 1956, they were in for a shock. Their adversary to the south, Egypt, signed a massive arms deal with Czechoslovakia. Two-hundred-thirty Soviet-built tanks, 200 front line fighter and bomber jets, 600 cannons, many guns, armored personnel carriers, ships, and various types of military equipment were headed to Egypt. The balance of power in the Middle East was about to shift to Egypt’s favor, and they showed their might by nationalizing the Suez Canal. Great Britain and France were about to get involved, and in a secret meeting in Paris it was decided to attack the Egyptians first.

Israeli fighter pilots were to be heavily engaged in enemy targets, but the plans did not include Squadron 119 and pilot Yoash Tzidon. However, intelligence reports came in and suddenly Tzidon was called on for a most secret and important mission that could possibly change the outcome of the upcoming war.

Yoash “Chatto” Tzidon was born in Romania in 1926 and made Aliyah in 1941. Two years later, he began his military career by joining the Haganah as a wireman. After taking several courses, he soon was in the Palmach’s naval unit, Palyam, as an officer and was sent to Europe at the end of the war to help Jewish refugees make their way to Eretz Yisrael. In 1946, he arrived in Cyprus to help at the refugee camps and set up communications with the Palmach in Eretz Yisrael. During the Israeli War of Independence, Tzidon commanded a convoy to Jerusalem and later was assigned to the Harel Brigade.

The Israeli Air Force in 1948 needed pilots and to that end set up a training course. Tzidon joined the first course to be held entirely in Israel and operated transport planes for the rest of the war. In 1950, he became a fighter pilot after completing another course and was stationed at Ramat David. A year later, he became Israel’s first test pilot at the Tel Nof Air the 1956 Suez conflict – and therefore were not part of the IAF’s plans. However, this changed when Israeli intelligence learned of a plane that was supposed to carry the Egyptian chief of staff that was going to be flying from Damascus to Cairo on October 28, 1956 before the war broke out.

Called Operation Rooster, Tzidon was ordered to shoot down the plane. As one of the few pilots trained in night operations, Tzidon understood the importance of the operation. Many top Egyptian officers would be on that Ilyushin Il-14, and this was a rare opportunity to deliver a

The Meteor had wiped out sixteen top Egyptian officers in one shot.

Base and was involved in repairing and salvaging airplanes from World War II.

In 1955, Tzidon transitioned to flying fighter jets and founded a night-fighter all-weather squadron. Squadron 119, also called the Bat Squadron, flew British-built Gloster Meteor two-seater fighter jets but only had three planes. Tzidon and Elyashiv “Shibi” Brosh were the only operational crew in the weeks leading up to Operation Kadesh – another name for staggering blow to the enemy right before the fighting started. Tzidon rejected Colonel Shlomo Lahat’s plan to fly to Damascus and wait for the plane to take off. Instead, he chose to wait until radar had picked up the plane a half hour after it left the airport.

Soon after nightfall the call came that the IL-14 had left Damascus and was heading towards the Mediterranean. It was a moonless night, and as the Meteor headed toward the sea, it became apparent that its detachable tanks weren’t transferring fuel into the main tanks. This meant Tzidon had to drop the extra fuel into the sea. Then the call came on the two-way radio, “Contact! Contact! Contact!” The Meteor then relayed the information to base and began following the yet unidentified plane. The plane soon came into view, and the IAF commander wanted visual confirmation that it was indeed the plane they were chasing. The Israeli plane then approached the IL-14 and saw the Egyptian officers walking between the aisles. After confirming positive identification, Tzidon was given permission to shoot down the plane.

The Meteor was a jet plane and much faster than the radial piston engine IL14. In order not to overshoot his adversary, Tzidon lowered the Meteor’s landing flaps to get into a firing position. As Tzidon commenced firing, he became aware that the ammunition that was loaded into his guns used tracer bullets which hampered his vision temporarily. A blockage in the right cannon caused the Meteor to go into a spin. Tzidon steadied the plane and was relieved that they hadn’t lost the IL-14. He had hit the enemy plane in the first burst and now was ordered to finish it off at all costs. There was a close call as the Meteor almost rammed into the IL14 but Shibi shouted to Tzidon to correct course. This saved them from a crash, and they were now able to shoot again at the IL-14. The Egyptian plane burst into fire

Yoash Tzidon An Israeli Air Force Meteor

and soon exploded.

The Meteor went into another spin, and Tzidon was able to pull out of it at just 150 meters from impact. He then confirmed that he saw the IL-14 crash, and the Meteor made its way back to Israeli airspace.

Low on fuel, Tzidon made his way towards the closest Israeli air base. Hatzoar Air Base had him on radar and directed him towards the airstrip. As they approached the runway, the fuel gauge read zero and the plane glided towards the runway. When the Meteor touched down, the engines shut off due to all the fuel running out.

Headquarters was waiting for Tzidon and had some news to tell him. At the last moment, the Egyptian chief of staff decided not to fly on the IL-14, but the Meteor had wiped out sixteen top Egyptian officers in one shot. It wasn’t until 1989 that the Israeli public became aware of the operation – the Egyptians never reported the loss of their officers. They thought the plane crashed due to bad weather and weren’t aware that the Israelis targeted the plane.

The year 1956 turned into a military victory for Israel, Great Britain, and France but was a political disaster for the two European countries. Political pressure from the U.S. forced a withdrawal from the area, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned, and the French Prime Minister heavily damaged his reputation.

Other than the Egyptian chief of staff being absent on the plane, Operation Rooster was a success for the Israelis and Tzidon. He stayed in the IAF for a total of 41 years and fought in both the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. The daring operation was another victory in a long line of Israeli secretive missions. Tzidon and Brosh weren’t given credit for the victory for decades, making them both Forgotten Heroes.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.