Three or four times a week, Aviem Sella returned from missions over Egypt, flying at low altitude over Haifa to inform his lecturers that he would soon attend their lessons
Although the American-made F-4 was capable of performing both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions equally well, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) primarily used Mirage III and Nesher delta fighters. As a result, the Phantom II was most often deployed in air-to-ground operations. However, during the Yom Kippur War, the IAF also employed F-4s as fighters.
The 69 Squadron, also known as the Hammers, was the second unit in the Israeli Air Force to operate the Kurnass (the local name for the Phantom). They first saw extensive combat with their F-4s during Operation Blossom, a campaign involving strikes on command posts, supply centers, and training sites across Egypt. The purpose of these missions was to pressure Egypt into ending its Attrition War strategy.
During one of these missions, on February 8, 1970, the 69 Squadron achieved its first air-to-air kill. After attacking a supply facility in Helwan, two MiG-21s were scrambled to intercept two Kurnass jets piloted by Avihu Ben-Nun with Achikar Eyal, and Aviem Sella with Shabtai Ben-Shoa.
Aviem Sella’s journey to becoming the first pilot in the Hammers squadron to down an enemy fighter is a fascinating tale. As described by Sella in Shlomo Aloni and Zvi Avidror’s book, Hammers Israel’s Long-Range Heavy Bomber Arm, the story has its roots before the Israeli Air Force even acquired the Phantom: “Circa 1968, I was planned for conversion to the Mirage, but I already realized that flying was not enough. I initiated academic studies at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, immediately after the Six-Day War. The Mirage conversion course was at Ramat David, and the implication was that I would have had to discontinue my studies, so I turned down this offer. A fighter pilot turning down an offer for Mirage conversion was an unheard-of event, and I was summoned by the IAF Commander. The general attitude at the time was that a pilot did not need to study any further than he did during his flying training. I insisted upon studying, renounced the opportunity to fly the Mirage, and for this reason I was later assigned to 69 Squadron.”
While still pursuing his studies, Aviem Sella witnessed the IAF acquire the Kurnass and reactivate 69 Squadron. This meant he flew combat missions during the Attrition War while also attending academic classes. As Deputy Commander, Sella would fly missions over Egypt three or four times a week, then fly at low altitude over Haifa to let his professors know he would soon be attending their lessons. He would land at Ramat David and, within an hour, be sitting in a classroom in Haifa.
Sella completed his first Kurnass training at Hatzor and was then assigned to 69 Squadron. He flew his first Kurnass mission on December 25, 1969, targeting a SAM battery after logging just over 30 flight hours on the aircraft.
With just 20 additional hours of experience on the Kurnass, Sella made history by shooting down the first MiG for 69 Squadron: “In February 1970, I shot down my first MiG. I am not sure if I practiced air-to-air gunnery before that combat. I launched the first AAM—the wrong missile, as I confused the switches; instead of launching a heat-seeking missile, I launched a semi-active radar homing missile. I launched the second missile beyond the effective range. I had only flown some 50 flying hours in the Kurnass until then, and I hardly knew the cockpit, but luckily for me, the Egyptian pilot had plenty of patience for me to make all possible errors until I shot him down.” In fact, the Egyptian pilot flew slowly over the Nile Delta, and Sella got into cannon range and managed to shoot him down during his seventh cannon burst.
That mission marked the completion of Sella’s air-to-air training and cemented his place in history as the pilot who achieved both the first gun kill for an Israeli F-4 and the first air-to-air victory in 69 Squadron’s history. After the Attrition War, Sella was finally granted a nine-month leave to complete his academic studies.
Hammers Israel’s Long-Range Heavy Bomber Arm: The Story of 69 Squadron is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by Israeli Air Force
