50 Years since the Six-Day War and the Remarkable Operation Moked
Hundreds of enemy aircraft were destroyed in their bases at the outset of the Six-Day War in 1967, in an unprecedented operation that is still being taught in air force academies worldwide. IAF pilots share their stories from the critical hours that decided the outcome of the war
IsraelDefense
| 06/06/2017
IAF's Mirage fighter jet (Photo: IAF Archive)
The famous Operation Moked was the opening strike of the Six-Day War. Striking enemy airports and disabling the Arab Air Forces led the IAF to complete aerial dominance throughout the war, which allowed it to assist ground forces freely. Thousands of attack sorties launched from IAF bases resulted in the destruction of about 70 percent of the enemy air forces' fighter aircraft, about 450 in number.
"After waking up, we went up to the briefing room as usual. There we heard that our forces were attacked and that we would be active in a short time. Everything seemed like another exercise, but when I took off – I knew that a historic operation had just begun," shared Lt. Y, an "Oragon" pilot to the IAF Magazine a day after the operation. "I was number four in the formation, as we flew low towards Bir Gifgafa. High above us, the "Mirages" that took off to cover us had caught up. We arrived. In the first dive, we hit four MiG-21 fighters, one of which was taking off. The aircraft caught fire; I saw it flying in a formation next to me and then diving, hitting the ground and bursting into flames."
Maj. A, a navigator in a "Vautour" Squadron, wrote down fleeting impressions from the war. He begins his recollection of his sortie to Cairo on the first day of the war with the five minutes the aircrews received to plan the flight. "It was better that we weren’t given time to plan because I was afraid to think. The feeling I experienced above an airport like Cairo West is difficult to describe… all of your senses sharpen in one direction: discover the targets, discover anti-aircraft, consider attack directions and assess damages, all in seconds. The time is short, very short, and the task is great. The airport is full, but the number of dives is limited, and you must destroy only the most important targets. The airport is on fire, the anti-aircraft is shooting at you, and you must decide within seconds."
Flying through endless space and discovering it was no less exciting than shooting down or striking a target. From their birds-eye point of view, the pilots told us about views we do not know today. "I conducted five flights between Quneitra and Mount Hermon until I brought all the people," shared Capt. N, a "Super Frelon" Helicopter pilot. "There were streaks of snow in the channels, and some of us were seeing it for the first time in our lives – snow. Nevertheless, the temperature was about 30 degrees. Landing on Mount Hermon illustrated the significance of taking the Syrian Golan Heights. I had always seen Mount Hermon from afar. This time I was standing on it, and all of the Hula Valley and Lower Galilee were spread out before me. I enjoyed the view."
Maj. A also documented the empty moments of the war in his diary, the moments in which doubt and difficult feelings crawl into the mind. "Stretched out on armchairs in the rec room, sharing experiences, listening to the news. I try to look at these people from aside. What I find: a group of young men who matured six years in six hours. Some kind of irrational stubbornness that nothing can stop, until the final victory – not fear nor the loss of friends. People withdrawing into themselves, who don’t want to hear who was killed, how and where, while on the other hand unable to give up on any morsel of information."
[Source: IAF website]
Hundreds of enemy aircraft were destroyed in their bases at the outset of the Six-Day War in 1967, in an unprecedented operation that is still being taught in air force academies worldwide. IAF pilots share their stories from the critical hours that decided the outcome of the war
IAF's Mirage fighter jet (Photo: IAF Archive)
The famous Operation Moked was the opening strike of the Six-Day War. Striking enemy airports and disabling the Arab Air Forces led the IAF to complete aerial dominance throughout the war, which allowed it to assist ground forces freely. Thousands of attack sorties launched from IAF bases resulted in the destruction of about 70 percent of the enemy air forces' fighter aircraft, about 450 in number.
"After waking up, we went up to the briefing room as usual. There we heard that our forces were attacked and that we would be active in a short time. Everything seemed like another exercise, but when I took off – I knew that a historic operation had just begun," shared Lt. Y, an "Oragon" pilot to the IAF Magazine a day after the operation. "I was number four in the formation, as we flew low towards Bir Gifgafa. High above us, the "Mirages" that took off to cover us had caught up. We arrived. In the first dive, we hit four MiG-21 fighters, one of which was taking off. The aircraft caught fire; I saw it flying in a formation next to me and then diving, hitting the ground and bursting into flames."
Maj. A, a navigator in a "Vautour" Squadron, wrote down fleeting impressions from the war. He begins his recollection of his sortie to Cairo on the first day of the war with the five minutes the aircrews received to plan the flight. "It was better that we weren’t given time to plan because I was afraid to think. The feeling I experienced above an airport like Cairo West is difficult to describe… all of your senses sharpen in one direction: discover the targets, discover anti-aircraft, consider attack directions and assess damages, all in seconds. The time is short, very short, and the task is great. The airport is full, but the number of dives is limited, and you must destroy only the most important targets. The airport is on fire, the anti-aircraft is shooting at you, and you must decide within seconds."
Flying through endless space and discovering it was no less exciting than shooting down or striking a target. From their birds-eye point of view, the pilots told us about views we do not know today. "I conducted five flights between Quneitra and Mount Hermon until I brought all the people," shared Capt. N, a "Super Frelon" Helicopter pilot. "There were streaks of snow in the channels, and some of us were seeing it for the first time in our lives – snow. Nevertheless, the temperature was about 30 degrees. Landing on Mount Hermon illustrated the significance of taking the Syrian Golan Heights. I had always seen Mount Hermon from afar. This time I was standing on it, and all of the Hula Valley and Lower Galilee were spread out before me. I enjoyed the view."
Maj. A also documented the empty moments of the war in his diary, the moments in which doubt and difficult feelings crawl into the mind. "Stretched out on armchairs in the rec room, sharing experiences, listening to the news. I try to look at these people from aside. What I find: a group of young men who matured six years in six hours. Some kind of irrational stubbornness that nothing can stop, until the final victory – not fear nor the loss of friends. People withdrawing into themselves, who don’t want to hear who was killed, how and where, while on the other hand unable to give up on any morsel of information."
[Source: IAF website]
