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Operation Nickel Grass
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Operation Nickel Grass was an overt strategic airlift operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The Military Airlift Command of the U.S. Air Force shipped 22,325 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies in C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft between October 12 and November 14, 1973.
This rapid supply mission was critical to Israel's ability to fight off the invading Arab armies. It also had immediate and far-reaching effects beyond Israel.
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Encyclopedia
Operation Nickel Grass was an overt strategic airlift operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The Military Airlift Command of the U.S. Air Force shipped 22,325 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies in C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft between October 12 and November 14, 1973.
This rapid supply mission was critical to Israel's ability to fight off the invading Arab armies. It also had immediate and far-reaching effects beyond Israel. Holding to their threats, the Arab states declared a complete oil embargo on the United States and precipitated the 1973 oil crisis.
Operation
Israeli forces were largely caught by surprise at noon on October 6, 1973, when Egypt and Syria, respectively, attacked the Sinai and the Golan Heights (which Israel had occupied since 1967). Arab armies moved forward rapidly. With their successes early in the war, Arab nations also issued a warning that they would stop all oil shipments to any nation that assisted Israel in defense. While the Israel Defense Forces managed to stabilize the situation (and within two weeks would launch devastating counterattacks deep into enemy territory), it soon became clear that Israel was in considerable need of supplies. On October 9, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir issued a personal appeal for assistance. European nations refused, but U.S. President Richard Nixon eventually agreed to send aid and military supplies, especially since the Soviets had already begun their own large scale resupply operation of Arab forces by air and ship. Commercial carriers were contacted, but none were willing to accept the job for fear of being refused entry to Arab nations after the war. Only the Israeli national airline, El Al, offered to help. Supplies began to arrive in Israel on October 10. Nonetheless, it was soon clear that El Al's limited supply of ill-configured passenger aircraft were not up to the task.
On October 12, Nixon decided that no more delays could be allowed, and ordered the Air Force to "send everything that can fly." Within nine hours, C-141s and C-5s were en-route to Israel. The political maneuvering was not immediately solved by the Air Force's participation however: traditional European allies refused to allow re-supply aircraft to land for refueling or even overfly their territory. Portugal seemed willing to help though, so aircraft were dispatched to Lajes Field. After a few hours in the air, word came through that Portugal would permit them to land, and Lajes became a key staging point for the rest of the airlift. To comply with the demands of other European nations, even U.S. supplies already stationed in Europe were routed through Lajes, and soon over 30 aircraft per day were moving through Lajes. To accommodate this, the base instantly grew to house an extra 1,300 people who were billeted in improvised housing and hastily reactivated World War II barracks.
Between Portugal and Israel, the aircraft had to follow an extremely precise route. Flying exactly along the airspace border between hostile Arab nations to the south and European nations to the north, the transport craft flew down the middle of the Mediterranean Sea to Israel. Fighter escort was deemed necessary for this leg of the journey, so American fighters from the U.S. 6th Fleet escorted the transports to within 150 miles of Israel, where Israeli Air Force Phantoms and Mirages escorted them into Ben Gurion International Airport. Along the Mediterranean route, American ships were stationed every 300 miles, and an aircraft carrier every 600 miles. These precautions appeared justified when unidentified Arab fighters made threats over the radio, but no conflict ensued. Upon arrival, the transports were unloaded by U.S. and Israeli servicemen before they returned home and supplies were expedited to the front where they arrived within a few hours.
Airlifted supplies were not all that was delivered under Nickel Grass. In the opening days of the war, Arab forces destroyed significant numbers of Israeli Air Force aircraft, surprising the Israelis with aggressive use of the new Soviet SA-6 Gainful Surface-to-air missile. Consequently, 36 F-4 Phantom jet fighters were sold to Israel under Nickel Grass. They were flown to Lod, where American pilots were swapped for their Israeli counterparts. After the replacement of USAF insignia with IAF insignia if needed, the planes were refueled and ordered to the front, often taking to the air within hours of having arrived. Interestingly, some aircraft came directly from the USAFE fleet and operated in USAF camouflage, but with Israeli insignia.
When the cease fire was implemented on October 24, the airlift immediately slowed. Further flights were made to rebuild Israeli forces to their pre-war strength, and Operation Nickel Grass was ended on November 14.
Effects
Operation Nickel Grass had immediate and far-reaching effects. Holding to their threats, the Arab states declared a complete oil embargo on the United States. Oil prices skyrocketed, fuel became scarce, and the United States was soon embroiled in the 1973 oil crisis.
Nickel Grass also revealed a severe deficiency in American airlift capabilities: the need for staging bases overseas. Without Portugal's assistance, the airlift might not even have been possible. As a result, the U.S. greatly expanded its aerial refueling capabilities and made long-distance flight operations the standard rather than the exception.
A GAO study of the operation discussed the shortcomings of the C-141A. As a result, the C-141B was conceived. The A models were sent back to Georgia where they were cut fore and aft of the wing, extended in length by two pallet sections, and refitted for refueling.
Nickel Grass vindicated the Air Force decision to purchase the C-5 Galaxy. Since its introduction in 1970, the C-5 had been plagued by problems. The Air Force claimed to have rectified the problems, but the C-5 was still viewed by the press as an expensive failure. During Nickel Grass, C-5s carried 48% of the total cargo in only 145 of the 567 total missions. The C-5 also carried "outsize" cargo such as M60 Patton tanks, M109 howitzers, ground radar systems, mobile tractor units, CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, and A-4 Skyhawk components; cargo that could not fit in smaller aircraft. This performance justified the C-5's existence, and allowed the Air Force to move forward with their proposed upgrade to the C-5B variant.
Another effect of the operation was the near-resignation of then United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General George Brown. Brown was reportedly livid that American weapons and munitions were being sent to a foreign country at the same time that the American command in Vietnam was protesting a lack of supplies in its theater of operations.
See also
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