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

. 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, professional military men, and AIW (Arab-Israeli Wars) miniatures wargamers 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 hundred 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 principle enemies, a captured Arab MiG.

P.S.
Today is also the anniversary of the WWII Battle of Midway.

P.S.S.
My friend Treppenwitz found this amazing photo:
http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/2007/06/this_picture_ma.html

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).

HASBARA: Six Day War Redux!

.Yossi Ben Hanan, later tank commander, refreshing in the Suez Canal.

Hi Everyone,

- With the fortieth anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem from Jordan, I'm seeing a plethora of articles about The 1967 Six Day War that may be of interest to AIW (Arab-Israeli Wars) miniatures gamers.

- Charles Krauthammer writes:

"A Prelude to the Six Days"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/17/AR2007051701976.html

- In which he relates the overwhelming significance of the Six Days War to politics in the modern Middle East. He mentions Michael Oren's outstanding 2002 book:

"Six Days of War"
By: Michael Oren

- ...which is by far, the best and most definitive book written yet on the conflict. If you're an Oren fan, check out some of his other recent books as well. He recently concluded a US tour promoting his latest 2007 book:

"Power, Faith, and Fantasy: The United States in the Middle East, 1776 to 2006"

Egyptian Archer tank captured in the Sinai.

And Michael Oren wrote this article in The Jerusalem Post:

"Did Israel Want The Six Day War?"
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1178708597047&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

- You can read more about Michael Oren here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oren

Israeli paratroopers after they liberated Jerusalem.

- Meanwhile Abraham Rabinovich writes a recollection of his experiences during The Six Day War in this Jerusalem Post article:

"City Under Siege"
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1178708596997&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

- I particularly recommend the following of Rabinovich's books:

"The Battle For Jerusalem, June 5-7, 1967"
"The Boats of Cherbourg"
"The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East"

- Rabinovich has a very different writing style than Oren and his research is less authoritative, but his books have a less academic and thus more entertaining feel to them. Read Oren for academic history backed by solid fact and relentless research; read Rabinovich to be entertained and to get an "in a nut shell" history of the war.

- You can read more about Abraham Rabinovich here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Rabinovich

The "Big Three," Narkis, Dayan, & Rabin, entering Bethlehem triumphant.

- And I can never mention modern Israeli history without mentioning Herman Wouk's wonderful novels:

"The Hope"
"The Glory"

- They can be found cheaply as used paperbacks and employ charismatic characters set against the backdrop of Israel's many wars for survival.

- You can read more about Herman Wouk here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Wouk

Sharon and Begin in 1967, the beginning of a long and successful relationship.

- And lastly, a new book about The Six Day War is coming out this year entitled:

"Foxbats over Dimona: The Soviets' Nuclear Gamble in the Six-Day War"
By: Remez & Isabella Ginor

- The new book tells the history of the Soviet involvement in The Six Day War, with the premise that the Soviets engineered the war in hopes of overthrowing the government of Israel and installing a puppet state in its stead. Very interesting.

Israeli jets in a flyby after the war: Mirage, Mystere, Vautor & Magister.

- I learned about the book in this Jerusalem Post article:

"Soviets engineered Six Day War"
By: David Horovitz
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1178708610161&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

- More about the new book here:
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300123173

- And here:
http://www.amazon.com/Foxbats-Over-Dimona-Soviets-Nuclear/dp/0300123175

- So, for folks interested in AIW history, now is a particularly rich time to study with Soviet archives opening up, US historical documents being shared, and a great need to look back on history with critical regard and analysis.

Have a great Friday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
Comments are down on this post due to an internal Blogger glitch. Blogger is working on fixing it.

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).