Israel -Para Wings

[John Wright]

Whilst watching tv last night a program on the Suez Crisis 1956 caught a scene of a group of Israeli officers wearing a whole array of different wings on their left chest ranging from what appeared as the Ibis or Egypt wing of the SAS and regular British Army Issue,and others couldn't identify.

Having set the stage,would these have been British and/or French Staff Officers or Israli? or did Israel not have it's own wing design during this period and they had just hung onto their old alledgencies.

Regards

John

[Ingsoc]

Israel has it's own para wings, however those soldiers we receive British para wings while serving in the British army were allowed to wear them.

[Historama]

Since I can't paste pictures here, and to save some time, here's a http://www.202.org.il/Pages/chativa_...rce/air103.php link to a site in Hebrew with pictures of what you probably saw:

On the picture on the top right is the emblem of the IAF - from a distance or in a grainy picture it looks "similar" to the winged dagger of the SAS, but would be worn on a visored hat or a beret (possibly tucked under their left shoulder stap and therefore appearing to be "on" their uniform); the second badge on the left center is a pilots wings - you may have seen those worn by a pilot (not a para); the metal pin on the bottom left is the para wings (only those who jumped at Mitla in 1956 wear these with the red backing, as they were the only paras to make a combat jump).

Straying a little farther, here's a good link on foreign decorations worn by IDF members: http://www.yairmalachi.org/MedalsOfIsrael/Foreign.htm

[John Wright]

Many thanks for your replies.As these officers were with Moshe Dayan I conclude that they would have been British Officers consulting upon the time-table for that brilliant operation as I'm sure IDF members would have worn their Israelli qualification badges at that time.
Best of luck in the current operation to get your men back home.

John

[leigh kitchen]

As an aside - were'nt Israeli para wings the first pattern worn by the Ugandan army, giving way to an identical pattern but with the cockerel (or other birds head above the 'chute). I believe that the first ceremonial review of Ugandan paras actually involved their Israeli instructors performing a descent, "blacked up" as the Ugandans were'nt yet up to scratch.

[Historama]

It's an interesting story - I'll check it out. Idi Amin (the Ugandan leader) got his para wings from the IDF too, but I have to check more closely about that jump story.

[leigh kitchen]

Idi Amin also got the Victoria Cross - unfortunately he did'nt actually qualify for it, he just awarded it to himself. so I doubt very much that he qualified for the para wings - he just liked awarding himself attractive pieces of metal & presumably liked the idea of the Israeli para badge - before he fell out with the Israelis.
I'm trying to think where I read that the Israeli instructors jumped pretending to be Ugandans.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Idi Amin also got the Victoria Cross - unfortunately he did'nt actually qualify for it, he just awarded it to himself. so I doubt very much that he qualified for the para wings - he just liked awarding himself attractive pieces of metal & presumably liked the idea of the Israeli para badge - before he fell out with the Israelis.
I'm trying to think where I read that the Israeli instructors jumped pretending to be Ugandans.

Actually, he never wore a VC. It was a Ugandan medal that looked almost the same, a copy/crib... not a little different none the less.

[leigh kitchen]

Oh yeah, so it was - it was the Victorious Cross, not the Victoria Cross...........

http://www.iol.ie/~coinsandmedals/Foreign.htm

UGANDA, CROSS OF VALOUR, or "Victorious Cross". In the form of the Victoria Cross, but the obverse bearing a bust of Idi Amin and the legend "For God and my Country", and the reverse with central Arms of Uganda and the legend "For Supreme Valour" below, original Spink & Son top brooch suspender. Extremely Fine, rare.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>
<O:P> </O:P>
Only a few of these awards were made before the downfall of Idi Amin, including one that he bestowed on himself as "C.B.E." (Conqueror of the British Empire")<O:P></O:P>
<O:P> </O:P>
This medal was produced by Idi Amin, the infamous former dictator of Uganda, created the medal as Uganda's highest military award for bravery, and modelled it on the British Victoria Cross. It is very similar to the Victoria Cross, but rather than having the British lion on the front, instead has a portrait of Idi Amin himself, with the legend "For God and My Country" below. The Ugandan version, which Amin styled the "Victorious Cross", was very much in character with Amin, a monumental self-publicist who presided over one of the most evil post-colonial regimes in 20th century Africa. Idi Amin, who liked to be known to his countrymen variously as "Big Daddy", "President for Life" or "Field Marshall", was famous for bestowing honours and awards on himself, and once visited the Pope wearing a dazzling array of spurious Ugandan military decorations. He also liked to be known as "C.B.E.", not because he had become a Companion of the Order of the British Empire, but because he had declared himself Conqueror of the British Empire. Amin's career began as a Corporal in the King's African Rifles, a British colonial regiment. After Ugandan independence he led a successful military coup against the regime of another oppressive dictator, Milton Obote, and then went on to destroy the economy of Uganda, which had previously been considered the "Pearl of Africa". By the time his regime ended Amin had ordered the deaths of 300,000 of his countrymen, even going so far as to set up an extermination camp beside one of his country villas. The convenient location of this camp led to Amin also being known as the Cannibal of Uganda, though he always denied the title. He once famously, when answering a question about anthropophagi, denied involvement by saying "it's not for me. I tried human flesh, and it's too salty for my taste". The Ugandan Victorious Cross is rare, very few having been awarded prior to the collapse of Amin's regime in 1979.

I'm straying off Israeli para wings though........