1947
NOVEMBER 29: UN votes to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.
DECEMBER 3: Civil war erupts between Arab and Jewish factions in Palestine.
1948
JANUARY 15: Schwimmer Aviation Services opens in Burbank, California.
APRIL 11: Service Airways C-46s fly away from the Millville, New Jersey base.
APRIL 20: Bill Gerson and Glen King killed in Mexico City crash.
MAY 14: David Ben-Gurion declares establishment of the State of Israel.
MAY 15: Arab armies invade Israel. First air attack on Tel Aviv.
MAY 20: George “Buzz” Beurling killed in Norseman crash in Rome.
MAY 24: Bill Malpine and fellow airmen captured by Egyptians.
MAY 29: First air strike by IAF fighters against Egyptian Army at Ishdud.
MAY 31: Establishment of the Israeli Defense Force.
JUNE 3: Modi Alon shoots down two Egyptian Dakota bombers over Tel Aviv.
JUNE 21: Altalena shelled and seized by IDF off Tel Aviv.
JULY 9–JULY 19: “Ten day campaign” followed by second truce.
JULY 9: Aborted strike on El Arish; Stan Andrews crashes; Bob Vickman disappears.
JULY 10: Lionel Bloch vanishes while pursuing Syrian warplane.
JULY 15: B-17 bombing raid on Cairo. Three B-17s arrive in Israel.
JULY 19–OCTOBER 15: Second truce.
AUGUST 23–OCTOBER 21: Operation Avak (Dust).
SEPTEMBER 24: Operation Velvetta. First Spitfires fly from Czechoslovakia.
OCTOBER 15–22: Operation Yoav; offensive in the Negev.
OCTOBER 16: Death of Modi Alon in Messerschmitt.
OCTOBER 20: Deaths of Len Fitchett and Stan Andrews in Beaufighter.
OCTOBER 28-31: Operation Hiram; Upper Galilee captured by Israel.
NOVEMBER 9: Red Squadron moves to Hatzor Air Base.
NOVEMBER 20: Wayne Peake shoots down Shufti Kite.
DECEMBER 18: Operation Velvetta II; next wave of Spitfires fly from Czechoslovakia.
DECEMBER 22: Operation Horev; offensive to push Egyptian Army from the Negev.
1949
JANUARY 7: Climactic air battles with the RAF. Final cease-fire goes into effect.
FEBRUARY 24: Armistice signed with Egypt; Lebanon and Transjordan soon follow.
MARCH 5–10: Operation Uvda (Fact); Israel gains possession of the entire Negev.
JULY 20: War officially ends with signing of Israel–Syria peace agreement.