The Skymasters served during the War of Independence, and - together with three Commando transports - formed the country's first transport squadron. The first Skymaster to operate in the pre-independence Sherut Avir had been leased from an American company named 'Overseas Airlines'. It carried out its first flight in March of 1948, bringing a cargo of arms to Daras Airfield.
The DC-4 - which is the civilian version of the C-54 - carried out two additional flights in mid-1948, in which it transported two disassembled and packed Messerschmitts. Eariler, on May 15th 1948 (the day that Ben Gurion proclaimed Israel's independence), two DC-4s were purchased for bringing weapons into the country.
In operation 'Black', for bringing arms and supplies in from Czechoslovalia, the DC-4s transported Spitfires into Israel. Besides transport assignments, the planes served, on occasion, on bombing missions as well.