RAF Beit Daras was built in 1941 by the Royal Air Force in the British Mandate Palestine. It was used by de Havilland Mosquito bombers for supply flights. On the night of March 31, 1948, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster landed on the airfield to airlift the arms from Czechoslovakia to Israel. This was the first flight of Operation Balak, which was made in part of the Czechoslovak Arms Deals. In 1949, the British units were withdrawn from the airfield after facing increasing anti-British resistance.[1][2]
When British forces were withdrawn, the airfield was operated by the Israeli Air Force as an emergency landing ground for occasional manoeuvre.[3] Afterwards, the airfield was used as a one-time minor civil airfield known as Kiryat Gat or El-Faluja. Currently, there is no remnants of the airfield.[4]
Layout
On-site was two wooden hangars, two asphalt runways (NW/SE, 1,827 meters, N/W, 1,508 meters), and also a nearby power plant.[5]
Units
The followings units based at RAF Beit Daras at one point.
No. 1434 (Photographic Survey) Flight RAF between 24 May and 1 July 1943, when the flight was disbanded[6]
HQ, No. 283 (Airborne Forces) Wing, 1 Feb 1946 - 17 Jan 1947.[7][8]
Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN978-0851-3036-59.
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