Ezra Dotan

Colonel Ezra Dotan (; 25 September 1937 – 16 May 1981) was an Israeli Air Force (IAF) officer and a fighter ace credited with five victories.

Early life

Dotan was born on 25 September 1937 in Danzig as Ezra Zandman. In 1940, following the outbreak of World War II, he immigrated with his parents to Mandatory Palestine but was deported by the British authorities to Mauritius, where he attended elementary school. He returned to Mandatory Palestine in 1945 and settled in Nahariya, where he completed his elementary education. He later studied at the Air Force Technical School in Haifa and was a member of the Israel Aviation Club during his youth.

Military career He enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in May 1955 and volunteered for a flight course, which he completed in 1957. While patrolling the area, Dotan and his wingman Giora Ben-Dov spotted four low-flying aircraft later identified as Syrian MiG-17s. Although IDF controllers initially misidentified the aircraft as friendly, Ben-Dov confirmed they were hostile and Dotan chose to engage the MiG-17s. Although Mirage fighters on combat air patrol offered assistance, Dotan asserted control over the engagement, intent on handling the threat by himself. Despite this, Mirage pilot Asher Snir flew towards the MiG-17s and downed one of them. Although the A-4 was not designed as a fighter, Dotan fired multiple salvos of rockets which struck and destroyed a MiG-17 in mid-air. Moments later, while maneuvering to evade return fire from another MiG, Dotan's aircraft entered a steep dive and nearly lost control. He managed to recover by jettisoning external stores, re-entered the fight, and ultimately positioned himself behind a second MiG-17. After a prolonged chase over mountainous terrain, Dotan fired a burst from his 30 mm DEFA cannon fitted in the A-4, hitting the MiG-17’s wing root and causing it to crash. These two aerial victories brought his total aerial victories to five, making him a fighter ace.

In the early 1970s, Dotan helped to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) within the Air Force. Despite suffering two heart attacks and undergoing open-heart surgery, he continued flying with a transport squadron. In 1974, he was appointed commander of Lod Airbase. He died on 15 May 1981 while still in active duty and was buried at Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery.

Personal life

Dotan and his wife had a daughter and two sons.