Arms shipments from Czechoslovakia to Israel 1947–1949

Between June 1947 and October 31, 1949 the Jewish agency (later to become the Israeli government) seeking weapons for Operation Balak, made several purchases of weapons in Czechoslovakia, some of them of former German army weapons, captured by the Czechoslovak army on its national territory, or newly produced German weapons from Czechoslovakia's post-war production.In this deal, sale activities of Czechoslovak arms factories were coordinated by a special-purpose department of the Československé závody strojírenské a kovodělné, n.p. (Czechoslovak Metal-Working and Engineering Works, Nat.Ent.) Holding, called Sekretariát D (Secretariat D), headed by Ret.Gen. Jan Heřman.

One of the first large contracts was signed on January 14, 1948, and included 200 MG 34 machine guns, 4,500 P 18 rifle and 50,400,000 rounds of ammunition. The deliveries from Czechoslovakia proved important for the establishment of Israel.

Total deliveries

(confirmed until October 1948)

Infantry weapons

• 34,500 P 18 rifles
• 5,515 MG 34 machine guns with 10,000 ammo belts
• 10,000 bayonets vz.24
• 900 vz. 37 heavy machine guns
• 500 vz. 27 pistols

Other infantry weapons

• 12 ZK-383 submachine guns
• 10 ZK 420 semi-automatic rifles
• 500 vz. 26 light machine guns (shipped, yet delivery not confirmed in Czech sources)

Ammunition

• 91,500,000 7,92 x 57 mm cartridges
• 15,000,000 9mm Parabellum cartridges
• 375,000 13mm cartridges for MG 131
• 150,000 20mm cartridges for MG 151
• 375,000 7.65mm cartridges for......
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