Considered the father of the Israeli Air Force, Adolph William Schwimmer, commonly called Al, was an American and later Israeli engineer, businessman and Mahal operator.
During World War II, he worked for TWA and assisted the U.S. Air Transport Command as a flight engineer, and during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Schwimmer became an agent for the Mahal, managing to smuggle 30 warplanes into Israel in violation of a UN arms embargo, and also recruiting pilots and crew to fly roundabout routes to land the planes in Israel.
In 1949, Schwimmer returned to the United States and in 1950 was convicted of violating the U.S. Neutrality Acts by smuggling the planes into Israel, but did not receive a prison sentence. In the early 1950s, at the urging of David Ben-Gurion, he founded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
This fascinating story will be brought to the big screen in Hollywood, by Warner Bros and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, known for his work in The Social Network y The West Wing, who will also direct the film. The film project is based on an article by David Kushner published in Business Insider, and will focus on the clandestine operation to smuggle fighter jets to help ensure the survival of the nascent State of Israel.