Caesar Dangott

USA

Combat Record

?

Story

Ferry pilots for Velvetta 2, drawn primarily from 101 Squadron and including Dangott, landed in Prague on December 9.

After a delay caused by winter storms, Velvetta 2 began as six Spitfires left Czechoslovakia at 10:00 on Dec. 18. Sam Pomerance (in Spitfire 2006 or 2007) took first to lead Caesar Dangott and Bill Pomerantz (2007 or 2006) while George Lichter led John McElroy and Moti Fein (later Moti Hod), an air cadet. In the low visibility conditions, Bill Pomerantz quickly lost the others. With the cloud cover still solid at 14,000 feet, after an hour and a half, Lichter decided to return to Kunovice with the others, but Pomerance, who along with Lichter had the only airborne radios, told Lichter he'd press ahead.

Pomerance died when he crashed into a mountain in Yugoslavia.

Pomerantz ditched in Yugoslavia and although his aircraft burned up, he suffered only minor injuries. John McElroy, a veteran of Spitfire ferry operations into Malta, in anger over the failure refused to follow a less experienced pilot a second time and was give a flight of three to lead the next day, when George Lichter led Shapira and Fein with John McElroy leading Caesar Dangott and Arnold Ruch along the assigned route. (You can find plane assignments in Cull et al 1994 but I question its accuracy on this point.). Clouds still blanketed the terrain. Despite a bout of disorientation on Shapira's part and a minor fuel leak in Fein's plane, all made the three-hour, forty-minute flight safely.

Jack Cohen led six Spitfires from Kunovice on Dec. 20.

Ground crew removed the Yugoslav markings from the Spitfires and painted on Israeli colors. Two Spitfires were judged unable to make the second leg and had to wait to reach Israel inside transports.

On Dec. 23, Lichter, Dangott, Fein, and Shapira left for Israel accompanied by a C-46. Lichter and Fein had traded aircraft, perhaps to allow the more experienced pilot to fly the Spitfire that had leaked. Fein recalled the flight:

Shapira also remembered that leg of the trip:

Jack Doyle left Chatzor in a Mustang to escort the the incoming, unarmed Spitfires.

Shapira nearly rammed Fein at Ekron. Fein, landing first, had his engine cut out as he landed and Shapira, coming in behind him, had to swerve violently to avoid a collision. Dangott landed at Chatzor after losing touch with the other three.

 

 

 

xxxx

 

 

Click the badge to return to the squadron roster