A Wing and a Prayer (2015 documentary)
| A Wing and a Prayer | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Written by | Boaz Dvir |
| Directed by | Boaz Dvir |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | William Baldwin |
| Music by | Boaz Dvir and Bob Cubbage |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Boaz Dvir |
| Cinematography | Boaz Dvir and Tim Sorel |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Distributor | American Public Television |
| Release | |
| Original release | April 5, 2015 |
A Wing and a Prayer is a 2015 PBS documentary by Boaz Dvir. The film predominantly covers the story of American pilot Al Schwimmer and his covert operation to deliver weapons to the Israeli Army prior to and during Israel's War of Independence. It was first released on PBS to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In 1948, months before what was considered an imminent Jewish State and an imminent invasion by neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt, the United States publicly announced their refusal to send military aid to Israel out of concern for antagonizing Middle Eastern countries during the Cold War.
Al Schwimmer had been a flight engineer of World War II, and he maintained many contacts after the war had ended. He used his World War II experience and contacts to illegally smuggle surplus rifles, machine guns, bullets and fighter planes to Israel. These supplies mainly came from Czechoslovakia, where many of the arms had been used by the Nazis. They arrived in Israel just as British rule ended, and Al returned to the United States to buy and smuggle out B-17 bombers. His men participated in the ensuing war. They took control of the skies and formed the Israeli Air Force.
In 1950, after turning themselves in, Schwimmer and nine of his men were convicted for violating the US Neutrality Acts for smuggling arms into Israel. Although they avoided prison sentences, they were stripped of their civil rights and fined $10,000 each.
Schwimmer refused to ask for a pardon, believing that smuggling weapons to help create a Jewish State was the moral decision to make. In 2001 President Bill Clinton pardoned Schwimmer.
The film ends listing the fates of many of the pilots who had flown on the mission, the last of which is Schwimmer himself, who died in 2011.
Boaz Dvir first became fascinated with the project after hearing about his grandfather’s experiences in Israel following the Holocaust. “He told me in 1948 when he came to Israel, he was sent to the desert to fight,” Dvir said. “When he got there, he thought he was going to die because his platoon had no weapons. One day they did get rifles. When he looked closely at his rifle, he saw a swastika on it.” Neither of them knew where the weapons came from, so Dvir began research he figured would take a few days. The actual process took many years.
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