I seem to be working backwards when it comes to this particular series of books, but it is based on availability as much as anything else. Apparently the series is quite popular. In line with others in this series, the book covers two subjects that I find fascinating; MiGs and their operation by the Arab nations of North Africa and the Near East. This particular volume covers the period between the 1956 'Suez Crisis' and the June 1967 war between what was then the United Arab Republic and Israel.

The book is subtitled 'Supersonic fighters; 1958-67' because that was the time period in which supersonic MiGs were first used by an Arab nation in this region. That nation was Iraq and the MiG was the MiG-19, the Soviet Unions first jet capable of supersonic speed in level flight. Now would be a good time to point out that the air arms of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt are covered in this volume. Two of these nations never operated MiGs, those being Lebanon and Jordan, but they were involved in the various political machinations of the time. Frankly, I found the sections on these two nations to be quite interesting, particularly because both relied quite a bit on the UK for its aircraft, Jordan in particular. As a result, we get to read about Hunter operations from these two countries.

Getting back to Iraq, that nations has been about as turbulent as any in what used to be called the Near East. There were revolutions and coup's that had the government changing with great frequency. This all made weapons procurement a rather iffy situation and even more so in terms of those who operated those weapons. With those in power more concerned with loyalty than in capabilities, frequent purges of the air force saw some of the most competent pilots and commanders leaving the service. This is a recurring theme when dealing with similar situations in Syria and Egypt as well. The need to surround oneself with loyal lackeys who will not be trying to overthrow a leader puts a real strain on the armed forces and moves people up the chain of command who are not suited for the task.

Anyway, Iraq went through a period where it relied on the UK as did other nations and so it acquired Hunters as well. This was a type that was quite suited for most Arab nations. It had good ground attack capabilities, decent range and could operate in air to air combat if needed. However, during this time, the Soviet Union saw that the powers in charge were leaning towards communism and sought to get itself involved in order to spread the word and extend its influence. As a result, Iraq was able to get the first MiG-19s in the region along with other types and later Mig-21s.

This scenario with the Soviets offering equipment was played out in Syria for pretty much the same reason. One thing about the Soviets was that they offered the equipment on excellent terms, but that was not the case with spares. Those were 'cash and carry' and often insufficient. To go along with the equipment, crews were trained in the Soviet Union using Soviet tactics. Those tactics were designed to be used against NATO bombers flying at high altitude and high speed. This was a perfect scenario for the Soviets and their fast, but short legged MiGs. Not a good scenario for the various Arab nations who would be fighting Israelis. They needed training they did not get, specifically air to air combat, air to ground capabilities, and the ability to operate outside of ground radar control.

As Syria, Iraq, and Egypt found out, Soviet equipment was also not capable of performing the tasks that were needed. The MiG-19 and MiG-21 were interceptors. Short ranged with poor electronics and an inability to carry a worthwhile load. Even the air to air missiles were severely limited, designed as they were to shoot down bombers that took no evasive action. This extended to the Su-7s as well. While they carried a fair bomb load, the engines were so fuel thirsty and two of the hard points had to be used for fuel tanks and even then the range was insufficient.

Yet these nations were in a bind. No one else would sell them better equipment, a situation that Israel did not have. Israel also had a more stable government that wasn't constantly breaking up units or telling leaders what they wanted to hear instead of what was happening.

The authors have done a superlative job of researching this volume. They have talked to those who were there, have poured over available documents in all the nations involved, and were able to piece together a very interesting picture of what occurred over fifty years ago. Any and all conclusions drawn are based on the facts they were able to obtain and where the information is not clear, it is presented as such. It shows why the Israeli attack of June 1967 was able to so easily destroy Arab forces, which were in disarray even before they were attacked. The volume also busts a few myths and enlightens. It is not a quick read, but it is one that I highly recommend to those interested in the topic and with open minds. There are a lot of great photos, charts and maps included as well as some color profiles that will be very useful to modelers and enthusiasts alike.

November 2015

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Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy at this link.

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