Model 1947

Haim working on this Empire New-York from Willis Under restoration. Engine Jeep 42

A Homegrown Hero: The Willis Empire Tractor

Chaim is restoring a one-of-a-kind tractor, a Willis Empire New York, built from the parts of a military Jeep. This unique vehicle, constructed in 1947 using surplus from World War II, has a fascinating history.

During the 1950s, when tensions were high in Israel due to frequent incursions from the Gaza Strip, this tractor played a crucial role in safeguarding the nation. Its off-road capabilities, speed, and sturdy build made it the ideal vehicle for the sappers who worked tirelessly to protect their communities from the threat of mines. In Kibbutz Gav'am, where it was affectionately nicknamed "Kelev" (Dog), the tractor was a symbol of both strength and loyalty.

Childhood Memories 1951-1954 from Kibbutz Gav'am

Kibbutz Gav'am is situated near the Gaza Strip border. After the War of Independence, the economic situation in the Strip deteriorated significantly, leading to the formation of armed gangs that infiltrated Israel for robberies and sabotage. Kibbutz Gav'am, along with other border settlements like Karmiya, Zikim, and Yad Mordechai, was asked to provide volunteers for a military engineering course to serve as sappers in their settlements.

In Gav'am, my father, Dan Mish, volunteered and completed the sappers' course in December 1951. From early 1952 to mid-1954, he served as the kibbutz sapper. Every morning before the members left for work (at dawn), my father would set out with "the dog" (an American Empire tractor) to the fields to place triggers on the shrapnel mines he had installed near irrigation systems, pipes, and other agricultural equipment. The shrapnel mines were jumping mines activated by a tripwire that detonated an explosive, propelling a hand grenade into the air, which then exploded above the ground. After completing this task, my father would go to his regular work as a field worker like all the other kibbutz members. Every evening, for about an hour in winter and two hours in summer, Dan would again get on "the dog" and drive to the fields to disarm (remove the triggers) and reactivate the mines.

The Empire tractor, assembled from surplus Jeep parts from the war, was a wonderful service vehicle. It functioned like today's ATVs.

I often joined my father, especially in the evenings, and there, at the age of 8-9, I learned to drive the tractor. Occasionally, at night, animals would trip the wire, and my father would bring hyenas, wild boars, camels, and rabbits  to the kibbutz kitchen.

After two and a half years, and after two sappers from neighboring kibbutzim were injured while working—one due to a mistake caused by fatigue, and the other when saboteurs tampered with the minefield—my father, as a father of three, asked to be relieved of this duty and replaced by a younger kibbutz member but was refused. This was a significant factor in his decision to leave the kibbutz.

Told by: Yair Mish