Julius Cuburnek

Biography

Jules (Julius) Cuburnek was an American volunteer from Chicago who served in Israel’s War of Independence as an air navigator and bomber. A veteran U.S. Army Air Force navigator, he had flown twenty-five missions over Europe in a B-17 during the Second World War and was discharged in 1945 with the rank of captain.

Recruited in Chicago in February 1948 through the “Labor for Palestine” office by Rabbi Klausner, he reached Panama on 3 May 1948 and flew as navigator of a Curtiss C-46 Commando transport (“LAPSA 138”), the first of five aircraft that crossed from Panama to Israel via Paramaribo, Natal, Dakar, Casablanca and Catania, landing at Akir (Ekron) on 18 May 1948.

He served as a navigator in the Air Transport Command (ATC), flying supplies and arms from Zatec, Czechoslovakia to Ekron via Ajaccio, Corsica, until 6 July 1948. He then volunteered as a bombardier for the newly formed 69 Bomber Squadron of three B-17s, and between 15 July 1948 and 7 January 1949 flew 42 bombing missions, against targets including El Arish, Faluja, Majdal, Mishmar Hayarden, Tulkarm, Gaza, Tarshiha and Rafah, and an Egyptian warship off El Arish on 1 January 1949. On 5 October 1948 he flew once more as a C-46 navigator on a supply mission to Kibbutz Ruhama.

Cuburnek was discharged from the Israel Air Force in 1949 and returned to the United States. In later years he moved back to Israel for good, living in Kfar Shmaryahu, where he worked as an English teacher.