WARGAMING: "Tank Battles In Miniature 5 - A Wargamer's Guide To The Arab-Israeli Wars Since 1948" by: Bruce Quarrie

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BOOK TITLE: "Tank Battles In Miniature 5"

FULL TITLE: "Tank Battles In Miniature 5 - A Wargamer's Guide To The Arab-Israeli Wars Since 1948"

AUTHOR: Bruce Quarrie

TYPE: Wargaming

LANGUAGE: English

TRANSLATOR: nil

ILLUSTRATOR: nil

PUBLISHER: P. Stephens

PUBLICATION DATE: 1978

BINDING: Hardback

ISBN: 0850-593-042

SYNOPSIS:

- n/a

NONFICTION: "The Israeli Army, 1948-1973" by: Edward Luttwak & Dan Horowitz

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BOOK TITLE: "The Israeli Army"
FULL TITLE: "The Israeli Army, 1948-1973"
AUTHOR: Edward Luttwak & Dan Horowitz
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: Harper and Row
PUBLICATION DATE: 1975
BINDING: Hardback
ISBN: 0060-127-236

SYNOPSIS:
- n/a

NONFICTION BOOKS: "The Arab-Israeli Wars" by: Chaim Herzog & Shlomo Gazit

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BOOK TITLE: "The Arab-Israeli Wars"
FULL TITLE: "The Arab-Israeli Wars - War And Peace In The Middle East"
AUTHOR: Chaim Herzog & Shlomo Gazit
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: Vintage; Reprint edition (July 12, 2005)
PUBLICATION DATE: 2005
BINDING: Softback
ISBN: 1400-079-632

SYNOPSIS:
- Now in its third edition, this classic study has been updated for the first time in more than twenty years. Chaim Herzog, former President of Israel, was involved in every conflict involving Israel and its Arab neighbors from before the 1948 War of Independence. The Arab-Israeli Wars is Herzog’s acclaimed history of Israel’s fight since 1947 to preserve her existence against repeated attacks. Revised after his death by friend and colleague General Shomo Gazit, this new edition also covers the events of the past twenty years, including the pullout from Lebanon, both intifadas, the first Gulf War, the Oslo Process, and beyond. Riveting, informative, and comprehensive, this authoritative account tells the story of Israel’s struggle to survive but gives a clear picture of the people and politics that continue to shape the destiny of this crucial region.

HASBARA: 40th Anniversary of The 1967 Six Day War!

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The photo that defined the war:

Paratroopers standing in aweful reverence after liberating the Kotel (The Western Wall).

Hi Everyone,

Today is the fortieth anniversary of The 1967 Six Day War that so dramatically changed the balance of power in the Middle East. This conflict not only changed the balance of power in the Middle East, but it profoundly affected military thinking and has ever since been of strong interest to historians, soldiers, and AIW (Arab-Israeli Wars) miniatures gamers among others.

First of all, let me make a recommendation to read the Magnum Opus (masterpiece) of 1967 Six Day War history:

If you're going to read just one book about the war, please read "Six Days of War" by Michael Oren, which is by far, the most comprehensively researched and definitive historical account yet written on the conflict.

The Six Day War is perhaps most noted for Operation Moked (Focus), in which Israel launched a surprise air attack against Arab Air Forces, which practically crippled the entire militaries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and other enemies of Israel. This single operation practically defined air power as the dominant force in warfare from the 1960s on. The Indians paid attention to it in their wars with Pakistan and the Arabs did as well in their later wars with Israel. Even NATO paid attention and began and ambitious program of building hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) in Europe. Operation Moked set the standard and has long been admired by air forces around the world.

The shadow of an Israeli Mirage fighter plane passes over ruined Arab aircraft.

But more than anything else, The Six Day War established Israel as a nation that would not go quietly into the night. Israel gained strategic deterrence in the form of land and no longer stood in the same precarious mortal danger that it had before. It's a fascinating piece of history and I highly recommend study of it to anyone with a passion for such. I've been studying it for over twenty years now, have probably read over a hundread books about it, and can still honestly say that I still have much to learn about it.

An Israeli AMX-13 light tank, which proved ineffective...
...as well as a false path in tank design.
Armor and armament later predominated over mobility in tank design.

Happy Tuesday!

Shalom,

Maksim-Smelchak.

An Israeli Mirage fightercraft with one of its principal enemies, an Arab MiG.

Notes regarding photos / pictures: These are not all my images. I am using various images from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

HISTORICAL FICTION: "The Hope" by: Herman Wouk

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BOOK TITLE: "The Hope"

FULL TITLE: "The Hope: A Novel"

AUTHOR: Herman Wouk

TYPE: Historical Fiction

LANGUAGE: English

TRANSLATOR: nil

ILLUSTRATOR: nil

PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Company

PUBLICATION DATE: 1993 original (1994 mass market paperback edition)

BINDING: Paperback

ISBN: 0316-852-570

SYNOPSIS

- In the Historical Notes to this solid saga encapsulating three Israeli-Arab wars, Wouk makes astute reference to the element that gives the novel its considerable power: he refers to his "arduous personal research . . . which is one reason that my books appear at long intervals." Conceding the impossibility of using "cool perspective" about events so recent and often still hotly debated, he then clarifies which episodes in the novel are based on fact. These accounts of specific battles, behind-the-scenes political skirmishes in Israel and diplomatic strategy in Washington, D.C., provide the novel's fascinating historical background and true drama. Among and between his accounts of the 1948 War of Independence, the Suez crisis and the Six-Day War, Wouk weaves a story of two protagonists and their fortunes in love and war. Young Polish immigrant Yossi Blumenthal first distinguishes himself in battle in such a reckless manner that he is dubbed Don Kishote; he goes on to become a military hero. His first commander, Zev Barak, is "sidelined" into diplomacy and becomes an attache in Washington. Such actual figures as David Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir and others are depicted with candor and credibility. While his account is sympathetic to Israel, Wouk does not paint the Arabs with a tarred brush; nor does he put a false gloss on less-than-admirable episodes in the short history of the Jewish nation. Though his prose at times peregrinates into the pedestrian, Wouk has not lost his touch: this is an engrossing and often moving tale.

Copyright 1993. Reed Business Information, Inc.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "Arab-Israeli Air Wars 1947-1982" by: Shlomo Aloni

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BOOK TITLE: "Arab-Israeli Air Wars 1947-1982"
FULL TITLE: "Arab-Israeli Air Wars 1947-1982 "
AUTHOR: Shlomo Aloni
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: Mark Rolfe
PUBLISHER: Osprey Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: 2001
BINDING: Paperback
ISBN: 1841-762-946

SYNOPSIS:
- When the UN called for the end of the British mandate and the partition of Palestine into two independent states, the RAF found itself under attack from both sides. Tracing the development of hostilities in the Middle East, this book covers the period from the establishment of the first proper Israeli Air Force in 1948 to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Israel's War of Independence against its Arab neighbours, the inevitable 'round two', the Suez Crisis of 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur wars of 1973 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 are all detailed in this fascinating chronicle of war in the Middle East.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "Foxbats Over Dimona" by: Isabella Ginor & Gideon Remez

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BOOK TITLE: "Foxbats Over Dimona"
FULL TITLE: "Foxbats Over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War"
AUTHOR: Isabella Ginor & Gideon Remez
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: Yale University Press
PUBLICATION DATE: 2007
BINDING: Hardcover
ISBN: 0300-123-175

SYNOPSIS:
- Fearing an imminent invasion, Israel launched a preemptive air attack on Egypt in June 1967 and it achieved such staggering devastation that in just six days the war was won and the future of the Middle East was forever changed. But have our assumptions about the genesis of the Six-Day War been misguided? What was the involvement of the Soviet Union? Were the Israelis planning to use nuclear weapons? Were the Soviets?This book provides an account that is startlingly different from all previous histories of the Six-Day War. Award-winning Israeli journalists Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez investigate newly available documents and testimonies from the former Soviet Union, cross-check them extensively against Israeli and Western sources, and arrive at fresh and frightening conclusions. Filled with astonishing new information about this crucial week in history, the book paints a disturbing picture of Cold War aggression, deception, and calculated willingness to precipitate a global crisis.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "A Warrior's Way" by: Avigdor Kahalani

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BOOK TITLE: "A Warrior's Way"
FULL TITLE: "A Warrior's Way - Israel's Most Decorated Tank Commander Relives His Greatest Battles"
AUTHOR: Avigdor Kahalani
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: S.P.I. Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 1993
BINDING: Softcover
ISBN: 1561-712-396

SYNOPSIS:
- In 1967 Avigdor Kahalani was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for leading the relentless charge at the head of the first Armored Corps tank company which broke through Egyptian lines and advanced along the northern Sinai axis during the Six Day War. Following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Kahalani was awarded the Medal of Valor, Israel's higest military citation for his courageous stand during the first critical days of the war at the head of a tiny force that engaged and fought to a standstill an overwhelming number of Syrian forces in fierce and bloody clashes on the Golan Heights. In this book written in 1989, Kahalani recounts the story of his years in uniform, during which he confronts difficulties, faces physical and mental challenges and overcomes obstacles.

Avigdor Kahalani was born in 1944 and is Leader of The Third Way Movement. In 1966 he was appointed Minister of Public Security in Israel's government.

MODELLING: "Israeli Military Vehicles" by: John Myszka

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BOOK TITLE: "Israeli Military Vehicles"
FULL TITLE: "Israeli Military Vehicles - The First 50 Years 1948-1998"
AUTHOR: John Myszka
TYPE: Modelling Guide
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: Mouse House Enterprises
PUBLICATION DATE: 1998
BINDING: Softcover
ISBN: 0646-360-027

SYNOPSIS:
- 232 pages, A4 soft cover, over 220 photos, forty 1/76 scale plans.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "Six Days of War" by: Michael B. Oren

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BOOK TITLE: "Six Days of War"
FULL TITLE: "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East"
AUTHOR: Michael B. Oren

TYPE: Nonfiction

LANGUAGE: English

TRANSLATOR: nil

ILLUSTRATOR: nil

PUBLISHER: Oxford Univ Pr, Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A

PUBLICATION DATE: 2002

BINDING: Hardcover

ISBN: 0312-338-643

SYNOPSIS:

- Based on newly available information in archives, this political and military history of the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict recalls the surprising and decisive victory of Israel over its adversaries that established a new balance in that region.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "Fighters Over Israel" by: Lon Nordeen

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BOOK TITLE: "Fighters Over Israel"
AUTHOR: Lon O. Nordeen
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: Ken Kotik
PUBLISHER: Greenhill Books, London, United Kingdom
PUBLICATION DATE: 1991
BINDING: Hardcover
ISBN: 1953-670-987

SYNOPSIS:
- The story of the Israeli Air Force from The War of Independence to the Bekaa Valley.

NONFICTION BOOKS: "Air Warfare in the Missile Age" by: Lon Nordeen

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BOOK TITLE: "Air Warfare in the Missile Age"
AUTHOR: Lon O. Nordeen
TYPE: Nonfiction
LANGUAGE: English
TRANSLATOR: nil
ILLUSTRATOR: nil
PUBLISHER: Smithsonian Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 1985 (2002 Edition)
BINDING: Hardcover
ISBN: 0874-746-809

SYNOPSIS:
- Lon O. Nordeen has completely updated his 1985 chronicle of military aviation's evolving role in warfare, now covering the major conflicts of the past four decades through the addition of chapters on the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the Bosnia-Kosovo conflict, and new material concerning past and recent actions in Afghanistan. He presents the historical and political background of each conflict and includes in-depth discussions of the aircraft, weapons, tactics, training, new systems, and other factors that influenced the outcome of each war. New and existing chapters have been enhanced with information based on recently declassified material -- especially regarding Vietnam -- and new sources in Egypt, Israel, and the former Soviet Union. As "smart" bombs have become more successful in reducing the risks for pilots and frontline troops, air-missile warfare has become the central player in military conflicts. Air Warfare in the Missile Age, Second Edition, is a valuable resource for understanding the evolution of modern air warfare.

REVIEW (by: Maksim-Smelchak):
- Lon Nordeen has been a writer in various defense and aviation magazines for more than twenty years. I first became aware of him after reading his book "Fighters Over Israel," a very cogent and incisive account of the rise of Israel’s air force and the many battles they have fought. Mr. Nordeen has done no less with this book; he has turned out one of the best overviews of the effect that missiles have had on aerial warfare since the Vietnam conflict until the Falkland Island War and the various wars in the Middle East as of the book’s 1985 publishing date.

The book has an introduction, ten chapters, two appendices, notes, a glossary, an index, and a very comprehensive bibliography. The book devotes the first two chapters to the Vietnam conflict detailing the constantly evolving tactics between North Vietnam’s excellent air force and air defenses versus the combined air forces of the United States. The next two chapters detail the little-known conflicts between Pakistan and India, which were a paradigm for the shape of aerial warfare to come. The next four chapter detail the many Arab-Israeli wars as well as inter-Arab warfare such as the conflict between Iraq and Iran. The book’s last two chapters detail the short but intense Falkland Islands conflict and draws conclusions about the effect and direction missiles have had on military aviation.

The supplemental material at the end of the book is extremely useful: lists of aircraft, aerial cannon, missiles, and bombs. The notes reference all of the hard data that Mr. Londeen uses. If you want to know where he read that information, look it up by footnote and you’ll find it. The glossary is of immense use to those of us studying military aviation who weren’t a part of military aviation. For instance, do you know what an Ironhand flight is? If you don’t, both the text and the glossary have ready explanations / definitions for you.

The bibliography is very comprehensive and uses books from both sides of every conflict where they were available. When reading about the Arab-Israeli conflict, for example, Mr. Londeen has made every effort to quote both Arab and Israeli sources. In fact, rather than state that "so many aircraft were shot down on this day," Mr. Londeen states both sides’ claims and often additionally references other sources that support those claims. For example, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War (known popularly in the Arab world as the Ramadan War), he states at one point the combined claims of the Arab air forces accounted for more aircraft than the Israel Air Force flew! He quotes an Egyptian Air Force officer who explained that the Israelis have more aircraft than anyone knows. Very interesting. I also want to mention that Mr. Nordeen has written not only a history of Israel’s air force, but also a history of Egypt’s air force called: "Phoenix over the Nile: A History of Egyptian Air Power 1932-1994." I would also like to mention that my edition is the older 1985 printing and that a more up-to-date 2002 version has been published, but I haven’t seen or read that edition.

At any rate, Mr. Londeen has done an excellent job of telling the rise of missile warfare without taking a strong bias for any side. He points out, from a very even keel, the strengths and weakness of the various combatants in major conflicts involving aerial warfare since the advent of the missile.

I highly recommend this very well written book for anyone wanting to learn more about the effect that the missile has had on military aviation.