Benny Peled

Benny Peled (1928 – July 13, 2002), born Benjamin Weidenfeld in Tel Aviv, Israel, was the commander of the Israeli Air Force during the Yom Kippur War and Operation Entebbe. He retired with the rank of Aluf (Major General).

Military career
He started as a mechanic in the beginnings of the Israeli Air Force. During the War of Independence he had assembled the first Messerschmitt Bf 109 which had arrived in Israel dismantled. He then became a pilot and fought in the Independence war.

After the war, he was one of the pioneers of the jet age in the IAF. He commanded the first Meteor, Ouragan and Mystère squadrons. He was the first Mystère pilot to be shot down in the Sinai Campaign. Peled was a base commander during the Six-Day War.

Benny Peled participated in Operation Kadesh, in which he was shot down by Egyptian anti-aircraft, and became the first Israeli pilot to use an ejector seat. He was later rescued by an IAF Piper.

He became commander of the IAF in 1973 when he was 45 years old.

Post-military
In 1978, Peled became the president of Elbit Systems, a positions he held until 1985.

Peled was played by John Saxon in the film Raid on Entebbe (1977).