The Six Day War in 1967 was one of nearly stunning Israeli successes against three major powers in the region. The biggest one was Egypt in the south with Jordan and Syria to the east and northeast respectively. Iraq and some of the other countries in the region also supplied men and equipment to the conflict, but by and in large, it was those three that bore the brunt of the war. They also bore the brunt of the losses, something that took years to build back up again.

Much of the reason that the Israelis were so successful, despite being out manned and out gunned was a lack of coordination on the part of the adversaries, a higher level of training, and superior military intelligence. This latter aspect of things allowed Israel to intercept and decode message traffic that told them exactly what their enemies were going to do. This allowed them to put in the first strike that pretty well eliminated Egyptian air power and to take over key spots in the West Bank. Without these advanced strikes, the war may well have been a lot more costly in terms of casualties and may not have gone as well as they did for Israel. However, it did go well and provided Israel with not only defensive space, but also with some bargaining chips that could be used years on down the road. I found it particularly interesting that just after the war, Israel offered to return all the captured territory in exchange for Syria, Jordan, and Egypt's promise to acknowledge and allow Israel the right to exist free from attack. Of course that did not happen and led to decades of hot and warm wars.

Simon Dunstan, who is quickly becoming my favorite Osprey author, does his usual superlative job of telling the story of the conflict between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai campaign. This was the main area of battle and where Israel concentrated most of its forces. As with all books in this series, there is a background to the situation as well as the various plans of the antagonists. We then get to look at the people commanding the troops and how well prepared (or not) their forces were. Then there is a section on the French connection and the build up of the Israeli Defense Force prior to the war. This is followed by the initial Israeli assault and the five days of war with Egypt. The book finishes with the aftermath of the war and what few places are available for history buffs to visit.

All of this is superbly illustrated by Peter Dennis who does some great art work and, I assume, does the maps and 3D battlefield illustrations as well. There are the usual great selection of period photos of the war and those who fought in it.

You can add this to your list of books that you simply must have. It is a great read and one that I know you will enjoy.

February 2010

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