The Trailblazing Women Who Flew Paratroopers into the 1956 Sinai War
During the 1956 Operation Kadesh, Yael Rom and Batia Orni became the first female pilot and navigator in the Israeli Air Force to participate in a historic combat airdrop over the Mitla Pass.
In October 1956, during Operation Kadesh, the Israeli Air Force wrote an extraordinary chapter in its history. Among the flight crews that airlifted paratroopers across the Mitla Pass were Yael Rom and Batia Orni, the first female pilot and navigator in the history of the Israeli military. While thousands of troops advanced toward the battlefield, both women fulfilled their duties in an operation that became a milestone not only in the history of the IDF, but also in the integration of women into military aviation.
"Batia and Yael were trailblazers, but they were not the alone," notes Dr. Anat Stern from the Open University and the Debora Forum. "There were pilots before them like Zohara Levitov, but they were the first to participate as part of the IDF in the first and most significant combat parachute drop. During the war, they were professionals who simply had to fight for their place."
Rom (1932-2006) was born in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv. In 1950, upon graduating from high school, she joined a Gadna group for flight screenings at the Tel Nof base. At the time, the young air force did not have a clear policy regarding female pilots. When Flight Course No. 5 began, Rom passed the screenings and was assigned to the flight school alongside 29 male cadets attending as attachés.
In December 1951, at the end of the course, Air Force Commander Haim Laskov awarded her officer rank and pilot wings. She thus became the first woman in the Western world to complete a military flight training course, placing second out of 15 graduates.
Service in the Elephant Squadron
Following advanced training on twin-engine aircraft and a stint as a flight instructor on light planes, Rom transferred to the Elephant Squadron, flying DC-3 Dakota transport planes and accumulating 1,500 flight hours. In November 1953, she was discharged and pursued academic studies in general history and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, continuing her reserve service by flying weekly.
On the eve of Operation Kadesh, Rom was mobilized. "I was posted as co-pilot in the lead aircraft alongside Squadron Commander Maj. Yaakov Avisar and navigator Eyal Ahikar," Rom recalled in an interview. "Twenty-five paratroopers were in my Dakota, including Rafael Eitan. At 5 PM, in the twilight of sunset, I broadcast the final codeword over the radio: 'Bell' and 'Red'—and immediately an entire battalion jumped from the planes toward the Mitla Pass."
Batia Orni and the Mitla Pass Drop
Batia Orni (1933-2020) was also born and raised in Tel Aviv. An aviation enthusiast in her youth, she joined the Israel Aeroclub and studied aeronautics. After high school, she drafted into the Nahal. Standing only 1.52 meters tall, Orni faced physical hurdles reaching the pedals of the Dakota. Her fellow cadets constructed wooden blocks to strap to her shoes. She successfully completed her navigation course in 1954, receiving her wings from Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan.
During Operation Kadesh, Orni and Rom flew night after night under blackout conditions, delivering supplies, mail, and ammunition to the troops, and landing on unfamiliar airstrips to evacuate wounded soldiers from the fierce battles at the Mitla Pass.
Following the war, Rom worked as a pilot for Arkia, later dedicating herself to education and women's advancement, co-founding Israel's Women's Network. Orni worked for El Al preparing navigation plans and later served as a travel agent. For decades following the 1950s, the IDF flight course was closed to women until the landmark 1995 High Court petition by Alice Miller reopened the skies to female pilots.
