This week we bring you three significant historical events - the deportation of illegal Jewish refugees back to Europe from British Mandate Palestine in 1947, the announcement for a reparations pact between Israel and West Germany in 1952 to compensate Jews who suffered at the hands of the Nazis and the report of an Israel Air Force strike on Syrian aircraft in 1973, described as the largest loss for Syria since the Six Day War of 1967. On September 9, 1947, The Palestine Post reported the landing of 1400 Jewish refugees in Hamburg, Germany. More than 1000 armed British troops holding machine guns, pistols and high-pressure hosepipes were aboard the cage-lined ship. The Ocean Vigour was the first of three ships used to deport illegal Jewish immigrants who attempted to enter British Mandate Palestine. At the time, British troops said the disembarkation of the refugees to Hamburg had 'generally proceeded well and that they had been 'highly pleased with the cooperation.' On September 11, 1952, at a secret, silent ceremony that lasted just 13 minutes, Israel and Germany signed a pact under which the Federal West German government agreed to pay 3450 million marks for war reparations to compensate for Jewish property stolen by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The agreement followed 18 months of negotiations between then Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett and then West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany entered in force on March 27, 1953. On September 14, 1973, the Israel Air Force shot down 13 Syrian Mig 21 jets. The Post reported that a group of Syrian planes attacked Israeli patrol planes north of Haifa, 25km from Syria. The pilot of an Israeli plane that was hit ejected himself and spent two hours in the water waiting to be rescued. Several Syrian Migs attempted to interfere with the rescue and were shot down within four-five minutes. The Post highlighted Syria's loss of 13 aircraft was 'the largest in one day since the Six Day War.' The following month the Yom Kippur War broke out.
