Product Description
In May 1967, Egypt expelled the United Nations peacekeeping forces stationed in the Sinai desert and deployed its army along its border with Israel, its moves coordinated with those of Jordan and Syria. By June, Israel realized that the international community would not act, and launched a pre-emptive strike against the combined Arab forces. The ensuing Six Day War was a crushing defeat for the Arab world, one that tripled the area controlled by Israel and which sowed the seeds for the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the continuing strife in the region.

Written by the author of Osprey's Yom Kippur War, this volume covers the background to the war and the campaign against the Egyptians in the Sinai Peninsula, including the initial devastating air assault that showed the world how vital air supremacy was in modern combat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The six day war
A good book that explains the sinai campaign, a good source for begineers and students.

Perfect Case Study in Maneuver Warfare
The 1967 Six Day War is usually remembered as a walk-over but Simon Dunstan's two-part history in Osprey's campaign series demonstrates that this was a conflict that deserves serious study by military professionals. This first volume covers the four-day Israeli attack on Egypt. Dunstan writes almost entirely from the Israeli perspective but he does succeed in adding a level of military detail that has not been present in many earlier, politicized accounts, although it compares favorably with Dupuy's Elusive Victory. While the Egyptian military is depicted as stolid but incompetent ciphers, at least they are given credit with putting up a tough fight on the border until betrayed by their supreme commander (who was later executed). The Israeli Ugda (division) commanders, including Ariel Sharon, are pretty much the stars of this account, although the author uses a number of lower-level memoirs to provide tactical vignettes. Indeed, Sharon's remarkable night-time assault on the Egyptian fortified position at Um Katef should rightly be considered a model for the American tactics against Iraqi in Desert Storm in 1991. Dunstan's narrative tends to emphasize the first 24 hours of the war and then skims rather rapidly over the last three days, but overall this is a good volume.

The introductory sections in this volume are a bit thin, with a 1-paragraph background on the conflict (which seems almost devoid of much of the political/diplomatic maneuvering), 2 pages on opposing forces and a few pages on opposing commanders. For readers without much background on this conflict, this is insufficient. The 9-page section on opposing plans fills in some gaps and identifies Egypt's strategy based on rhetoric (although it seems to suggest that the Arab plans to attack Israel were illusory, which is questionable) and Israel's pre-emptive strategy. On the military side, Dunstan notes the weaknesses of the Egyptian officer corps but fails to identify two key weakness - lack of sufficient anti-armor capability for their infantry and lack of forward air defense - which the Egyptians were quick to recognize and rectify after their defeat with loads of Saggers and SA-6 SAMs from the Soviets. It is also clear that the Israelis had not really adopted a combined arms approach to warfare and that they relied too heavily on armor-heavy task forces and close air support, which would come back to bite them in 1973. Indeed, one lesson of this conflict that the author misses is that the defeated Egyptians learned a great deal from the campaign but the victorious Israelis rested on their laurels.

The volume has five 2-D maps (the Middle East in 1967; Arab and Israeli invasion plans; Operation Moked; the Israeli coastal attack to El Arish; the Sinai front) and two 3-D BEV maps (the Battle at Rafah junction; Battle of Abu Ageila/Um Katef), which are quite satisfactory. I particularly liked the map on the Israeli air strikes which not only showed the targets, but also the air routes used. As usual, the three battle scenes by Peter Dennis (Israeli Mirage III jets bombing Cairo West; Israeli air assault against Egyptian artillery batteries at Um Katef; Israeli Centurion tanks race for Mitla Pass) are superb, but all from the Israeli perspective. The author also provides a one-page bibliography, which unfortunately lists no Arab sources.

Dunstan gets into the campaign proper with an 8-page section on Operation Moked, the Israeli air strikes that destroyed Egypt's air force. This section is well written and he notes that even though the Egyptian Air Force was clobbered, the Israeli Air Force still lost a quarter of its front-line strength in the four-day war. The heart of the volume lies in the 47-page section on Operation Red Sheet, the ground phase of the war in Sinai. The author quotes large chunks from Israeli first-person accounts of the fighting - almost one quarter of his ground campaign narrative. At times he's a little too much in the turret and it could be easy for readers to lose track of the big picture, particularly since the map that shows the overview of the whole Sinai is misplaced far in the end of the volume. Nevertheless, the author's dissection of Sharon's impressive attack on Um Katef is thorough and very well done. However, he provides very little information on the Egyptian armored reserves in Sinai (e.g. what was in Task Force Shazli?) or how much escaped across the Suez Canal. The author also avoids any mention of Israeli atrocities in Sinai, even though there have been some credible accounts that Sharon and other commanders may have turned a blind eye to the execution of Egyptian POWs (which was repeated later in Lebanon). Nevertheless, this is a decent if one-sided account and just the right size for military professionals to use as an operational case study.
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Though it lasted for only six tense days in June, the 1967 Arab-Israeli war never really ended. Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades, from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada, is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting. Michael B. Oren’s magnificent Six Days of War, an internationally acclaimed bestseller, is the first comprehensive account of this epoch-making event.

Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. Extraordinary personalities—Moshe Dayan and Gamal Abdul Nasser, Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin—rose and toppled from power as a result of this war; borders were redrawn; daring strategies brilliantly succeeded or disastrously failed in a matter of hours. And the balance of power changed—in the Middle East and in the world. A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative, Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (153)

Fine Introduction to the Mideast Conflict
Michael Oren is now (2010) the ambassador from Israel to the United States. This history is quite detailed and captures the feel of the world stage at the time of an incredible face-off between a seemingly united Arab world and a somewhat divided and anxious Israel. We learn from Oren about the creation of Israel, the build up of hostilities over the two decades before the face-off, and the longstanding conflicts in the Arab world prior to its attempt to unite under Egypt's hero: Nasser. We get an inside view into frantic diplomatic efforts to avoid war. We see the Johnson administration vacillating and unable to offer any help to defuse the situation. Johnson was out of his depth and preoccupied with the mess in Vietnam and at home.We see Israel seemingly abandoned to its fate by its "friends."

And so the war comes. Some of us recall it well: the pictures on TV of the destroyed Egyptian air force, caught by surprise in the Sinai; the reports, day by day, of a rout. The disunity in the Arab world, intent more on posturing and propagandizing than on actually organizing a cohesive fighting force, quickly leads to its defeat.

Oren has done a fine job creating a compelling history of this dark, ominous period, which is completely relevant to today's news. Though some may argue otherwise, I contend that not much has changed in the geopolitical atmosphere forty plus years later. In fact, the atmosphere seems more supercharged and polarized than ever. Today's weapons are more deadly and more numerous, and Iran's radical influence is undeniable and hugely threatening. I have great sympathy and even pity for Hillary Clinton as she proceeds to tilt at windmills, Quixote like, in an attempt to even get the two sides of this conflict to sit down together. Until there are major concessions on both sides, there will be no end to this situation and no permanent security for Israel.

I took one star away because I did feel that this history was somewhat one sided. Nonetheless, it is well worth the read and is highly recommended, particularly to those who were too young or not even born when this war erupted.

Comprehensive, Concise, and Complete!
The Six Day War is easily one of the most important event to occur with respect to the Middle East in the last half a century. Michael Oren gives the reader a complete picture, not solely a tome to make one side look immediately the bad guys, but not to sugarcoat the messianic vision which Nasser had for himself, the Middle East, and the world, and how his and the Soviet Union's attempt at Middle East hegemony brought the Middle East to war, Israel to victory and greater security and her later peace with Egypt and Jordan, America to hegemony in the Middle East and a huge blow for Nasser-style Communism in Russia's backyard, and inadvertently, the PLO to the forefront, along with modern Islamic fundamentalism. Oren's contextual background is very useful, as it gives the clear picture of events leading up to war, the actions which followed, and how they affected the actors involved, which is a lot more complex than the likes of Chomsky, Finkelstein, Avi Shlaim, Edward Said, or Rashid Khalidi would like you to believe. It clearly wasn't a war with expansionism in mind, or occupation of areas adjacent to vulnerable Israeli territory pre-ordained, nor was it "ethnic cleansing" or a "war for Jerusalem." Oren shows how these things occurred ad hoc along with the battlefield developments and security needs for Israel, at war with three Soviet proxies (Egypt, Syria, and Iraq), but also with a King of a troubled kingdom half-heartedly throwing his lot in with Nasser, with Nasser being the pivotal figure of the story, around whom all the other actions revolved.

A superb read, necessary history.

Very good general history of this war
Michael Oren's "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East" is an excellent political and military history of this milestone war.This is a well-researched, thorough and comprehensive history of the Six-Day War.

A large part of the book, almost the first half, deals with the diplomatic build-up to the war and helps justify Israel's pre-emptive attack after repeated Arab (Egyptian) aggressions.Oren does a commendable job describing the military actions during the war, although this book (like most military histories) could use more and better maps, especially for those not intimately familiar with the terrain in the area.

Although presenting primarily the Israeli view, Oren's book does an excellent job describing this important war, the political run-up to it, and the fallout from the Israeli victory.This is an outstanding short, readable work about this war for those who aren't familiar with it.

A little dense, but worth the knowledge gained.
Let me start off by saying that this book is very scholarly and chock full of cited facts. About 25% of the kindle edition is dedicated to footnotes.Other than that, though, it's a great read and provides pretty much everything you'd need to know about the fateful Six Day War.Both sides, Israeli and Arab, are dealt with equally and the reader will glean a lot of knowledge about the run up to, and the ramifications of the war.

About 40% of the book deals with the actual war, with the balance covering Israel's early years and conflicts with its Arab neighbors, Egypt's, Jordan's and Syria's political situations, and the benefits and consequences to Israel in their historic victory.Many of today's issues in the Middle East are a direct result of the Six Day War, and to truly understand them, one must know the history.This book is an excellent place to start, and I'd highly recommend it.

Norman Finkelstein rips it to pieces, as it should be.
People that think Israel is wonderful will love this book. People who think, will not. ... Read more

Product Description
Following the lightning destruction of the Egyptian forces at the outbreak of the Six Day War, Israel turned to the forces of Jordan and Syria, with whom Egypt had signed a mutual-defence pact, and who had now entered the war. Jordan's army moved against West Jerusalem and central Israel, while Syria began shelling Israeli towns from the seemingly impregnable Golan Heights.

The IDF's invasion of the Golan was as daring and successful as its more famous Egyptian victory, but its success in Jordan - taking the West Bank - sowed the seeds of its future troubles. Comprehensively illustrated with artwork, maps and battlefield views, this new history brings one of the most important of 20th century campaigns to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The six day war - jordan and syria
A good book that explains the jordan and syria campaigns, a good source for begineers and students.

Decent Account told from the Israeli Perspective
The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria is the second volume in Simon Dunstan's history of the Six Day War, focusing on Israeli attacks on Jordan and Syria. Like its sister volume on the Sinai Front, this volume is colorful and fairly well-stocked with maps, but it suffers somewhat from an over-use of Israeli sources. In general, the Jordanians are depicted as fairly competent opponents, but the author seems to concur with the Israeli disdain for Syrian fighting capabilities. Overall, this is a likeable volume for its graphic content, but can't see that it adds much new material that wasn't already available in English. Decent, but not great; probably 5 star for graphics and 3 for research/writing.

The introduction is a bit longer than usual and the author provides useful background information on the various issues that helped to create and sustain conflict between these antagonists, including water rights, cross-border terrorism and Israeli `political agriculture.' The author could/should have provided a bit more background on the build-up of military forces in the region prior to the war, including the nature of Soviet involvement in Syria (which is only mentioned in passing). Without direct and significant Soviet support Syria would not have been capable of posing any real threat to Israel, so this should have been fleshed-out a bit more. The 5-page section on opposing plans is succinct but packs important information that is still relevant, particularly Arab plans to "destroy Israeli settlements and kill all persons in them." Arab pre-war saber-rattling is also well-documented, but the author does not spare the Israelis either, notingtheir penchant for offensive-planning. The section on opposing commanders is overly brief and provides little more than a listing of who was who, but no real insight into motivations or abilities. The section on opposing forces is also a bit too cursory and the order of battle only lists brigade-size units and omits air forces. Dupuy's Elusive Victory written years ago listed numbers of tanks, planes, artillery, etc for each side, so this OB is a step backward from what is already in print. Furthermore, there is no analysis of opposing strengths and weaknesses; neither the Jordanians or Syrians had any SAMs, so they were particularly vulnerable to Israeli air attacks.

Graphically, this volume is attractive and it has seven 2-D maps (the Middle East in 1967; the invasion of the West Bank; Radar Hill; the Battle for Jerusalem; Ammunition Hill; Battle for the Old City; the Golan Heights) but only one 3-D map (the break-in battle in the Golan Heights). From personal experience, I know that Osprey tries to avoid 3-D BEV maps of cities, which are tedious and expensive to create. The three battle scenes (the Battle of the Dothan Valley; combined assault Golan Heights; Air assault by helicopter in the Golan Heights) by Peter Dennis are very nice but all depict combat from the Israeli point of view. The author also provides a 1-page bibliography, which are almost entirely Israeli sources.
The author's campaign narrative is 59-pages long and divided between Jordan and the Golan. Both of these theaters were strategic backwaters for the Israelis - the main threat was regarded as Egypt. Although the Israelis informed the Jordanians that they would not attack them if they remained neutral, King Hussein acquiesced to Arab pressure and permitted some small-scale cross-border artillery fire that incited an Israeli response. The Israelis were ready and launched an immediate offensive into the West Bank, revolving around control of Jerusalem. The author covers the main battles around Samaria and Kabatiya Junction prior to the Israeli capture of Jerusalem. The 31-hour campaign for the Golan is then covered, but in slightly less detail. Throughout the volume, the author inserts a number of Israeli first-person accounts, but their Arab opponents remain essentially ciphers. With a little extra effort, the author probably could have found at least some Jordanian accounts to add some balance.

A GOOD PRIMER ON THE SIX DAY WAR 1967 - JORDAN & SYRIA
This book is a good primer on the Six Day War between Israel and Jordan and Syria. The pictures and artwork are good. The only drawback to this book are the maps. Often the text refers to a place or objective that's not on any map. I would prefer more detailed maps so it would be easier to trace the troop movements. Another thing I would like to see is the use of 3-d graphics to better depict troop movements through built-up areas like Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the like. Often topography played a significant role during a battle. A foldout battle map would be idea. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A comprehensive,, engaging and detailed account
A comprehensive,, engaging and detailed account for the military historian and Middle East historian alike, of Israel's heroic defense of her existance and her stunning victory in the Six Day War of 1967.
The first chapter describes the background.
This book describes how Soviet agitation and fabricated intelligence helped to egg the Arabs on to surround Israel, make violent threats and mobilize massive troop movements on Israel's borders. The Arab powers, Egypt, Syria and Iraq had practically declared war on Israel before Nasser closedthe Straights of Tiran, leading to Israel eventual reaction.
On May 26 1967 Nasser addressing the leaders of the Pan Arab Federation of Trade Unions said that the coming war would be ' it will be total and it's objective will be to destroy Israel".
PLO leader Ahmed Shukeiry said it was likely that the PLO would fire the first shot. If the Arabs conquered Israel the remaining Jews would be helped to 'return to their countries of origin' 'But my estimation is that none will survive'
This book details the massive advantage the Arab powers had in weaponry prior to the war which dwrafed Israel's capabilities making Israel's lightening victory such a miracle.
The main section of the book details the fighting both on the Sinai front and in Jerusalem and the West Bank i.e Judea and Samaria.
After the war the Churchill's quote Abba Eban when he pointed out that this was the first war in history in which 'on the morrow the victors sued for peace and the vanquished called for complete surrender (of the enemy)'
Ben-Gurion pointed out that Israel regretted the war becuase of the loss of human life despite the advantages she gained from the war, and also pointed out the importance of Hebron as the rightful inheritance of Israel, as while Jerusalem became Jewish three thousand years ago under King David, Hebron became Jewish four thousand years ago under Abraham.
Observer correspondent Colin Legum pointed out that '...few armies of occupation have behaved as well or with more friendliness that Israel's. This testament comes from ever Arab mayor I have talked to on the West Bank'.
An interesting section on the BBC's comprehensive coverage of the conflict which puts to shame today's gross propaganda against Israel by the BBC today.
The BBC has certainly deteriorated from the once worthy new organization it once was, to a far-left propaganda station

The very best book of its kind - by Winston's son and grandson
This book is heavily pro-Israel, so don't expect it to be otherwise.That said, it is an exhilarating and detailed story of how David slayed at least two Goliaths in a war fought at an incredible pace over the course of just six days.The key to victory was the IAF's complete destruction of the Egyptian air force, at the very outset of the war.The detailed description of how this was done is alone worth the price of admission.I was there in June of 1967.This book captures something of the national euphoria which followed the war.

Excellent History of the 1967 Middle East War.
Excellent journalistic history of the Six-Day-War. A must read for those with a serious interest in either Military History or the events related to the 1967war in the Middle East. Makes fascinating,almost riveting reading even for those otherwise not particularly interested in military history.

A must for all students of the Middle East.
In a rather short book,the political and military aspects of the events surrounding the Middle East War of 1967 are well examined. Amazingly enough;enjoyable reading .

The Six-Day War by Randolph Spencer Churchill
The most engaging nonfiction I have spent time with in more years than I care to remember. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not good, not useless
I read this regular book, here in Brazil.This book is concise, very fast and easy to read.The photos, with exception from the cover, are all black & white photos.Being writen in 1970 decade, this book is now a little outdated.
The maps of this book are regular and black and white.There's more than a dozen technical mistakes, in this book.This isn't a great work about six days war.This book isn't good, but also it isn't useless.

Dated but still very useful
Despite its age this book is probably the best synopsis of the 1967 Six Day War that you could find. The text is well written, the black and white photographs plenty and there are some good maps of the campaign. The author starts with a short presentation of the political situation in the Middle East during the months prior to the conflict and contiunes with the military balance and the actual war. The description of the pre-emptive Israeli air strike is very good and so are the chapters about the war in the Sinai and the West Bank, with less attention paid to the Golan Heights front. Altough there are some mistakes (like the point that all the types of israeli aircraft were supersonic, or that IAF used heat-seeking missiles to destroy grounded aircraft) the book is still very useful as a quick but accurate reference to that war, which indeed shaped the current Middle East. ... Read more

Product Description
mer Ambassador Richard B. Parker gathered representatives from the Israeli, Arab, Russian, and U.S. military, government, and academe, many of whom were participants in the 1967 crisis, to reexamine the steps and missteps that led to the conflict.Developed from a State Department conference marking the 25th anniversary of the war, this analysis and discussion provide the most authoritative account we have of the genesis of the Arab-Israeli war. ... Read more

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In Israel and the West, it is called the Six-Day War, in the Arab world it is known as the June War, or simply as 'The Setback'. Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen and largely unwanted by both sides, so transformed the world. "Six Days of War" is the most comprehensive history ever published of this dramatic and pivotal event, the first to explore it both as a military struggle and as a critical episode in the global Cold War. Oren spotlights all the participants - Arab, Israel, Soviet and American - telling the story of how the war broke out and the shocking ways it unfolded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If only it had succeeded
Re-reading the book after many years brings up poignant reveries of what could have been if it had only succeeded. The heady optimism, the potential for a true peace, for harmony. Michael Bernet captures the human story of arab and jew, soldier and civilian during the brief days of war.

A Real Eye Opener
Most of us are too young to recall Israel's stunning Six Day War of 1967 against Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Most of those who were then old enough, seem to have forgotten the details of that earthshaking event, and have been taken in by decades of Arab lies and deceit. Michael Bernet was there and recorded the events from the points of view of both Israelis and Arabs, warriors, politicians, soldiers and civilians. It was not a war of aggression by Israel but an unexpected unnecessary war that was forced on her. It was also not a war of conquest: the Israelis were hoping to speedily give back all the territory they had captured in return for a genuine peace.

What is even more surprising, at the end of the war Arab and Jew treated each other as long-lost brothers. There was genuine hope and excitement on both sides, an expectation of peaceful, productive and synergetic coexistence. That hope was dashed twelve weeks later when the Arab states met in conference and vowed never to negotiate with Israel, never to recognize the Jewish state, never to permit peace. Now, forty years later, the Islamist warmongers have won out, as we see tragically from Iraq to Afghanistan, Spain and Bali, and New York and the Pentagon.

Bernet is a brilliant writer. His book is gripping, the personal details he recounts bring the participants to life with all their fears, their courage, their hopes and the flow of their emotions.

A must reading for anyone interested in the shape and future of today's world.

A clear insight into the way it all happened
The Six Day War of 1967 was perhaps the last war of the old era, before media technology developments facilitated bringing the gory truth into our living rooms and rendered all operations seemingly transparent. Michael Bernet, with this excellent book, sheds light on what really happened to the people involved. He does this like a good documentary director, with parallel editing and surprise twists in the 'plot' of fascinating real life stories, and with his own refreshing insights.
I am eagerly waiting for Michael Bernet's new book on the psychology of the Middle East.

Looking back
I remember the excitement and optimism as a young Israeli teenager in the summer of 1967.Venturing across the "green line" to meet with people my age in Eastern Jerusalem and Ramalla.I was filled with awe at the prospect of peace and coexistence.
Jews and Arabs got together like long-lost cousins, rejoicing in the rapid end to the war, learning to understand and accept each other, seeking channels for cooperation in education, health, commerce, democratization.
This book takes me back to those optimistic euphoric days and sheds some light on the reasons why we are now at such a dead-end...
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This book is a collection of seventeen essays on the effects of the Six-Day War on Jews in the Diaspora, with special focus on the Jewish communities in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Russia, France, South Africa, Poland, and the Islamic nations. The war’s cultural, economic, and political effect upon Diaspora-Israeli relations is also analyzed. ... Read more

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Britain's reputation in the Middle East was reduced to shreds by the Suez fiasco in 1956. Recovery was imminent--only to be shattered by the Six-Day War in 1967, a pivotal period in Israeli-Palestinian relations and in the history of the region and its contacts with the West. The "Big Lie"--alleged British-American collusion with Israel--was a potent factor. The Six-Day War and its Aftermath is essentially an insider's account that refutes the "Big Lie" and traces British policy of strict impartiality and the pursuit of economic and political objectives in a turbulent region--vitally important to the West today.
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On the eve of the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel was nineteen years old and as much an adolescent as the average nineteen-year-old person. Issues of identity and transition were the talk among Israeli intellectuals, including the writer Nissim Rejwan. Was Israel a Jewish state or a democratic state? And, most frustratingly, who was a Jew? As Nancy Berg's foreword makes clear, these issues became more critical and complex in the two decades after the war as Israel matured into a regional power. Rejwan, an Iraqi-born Jew whose own fate was tied to the answers, addresses the questions of those days in his letters, essays, and remembrances collected in Israel's Years of Bogus Grandeur. Israel's overwhelming victory in 1967 brought control of the former Palestinian territories; at the same time, Oriental Jews (i.e., those not from Europe) became a majority in the Israeli population. The nation, already surrounded by hostile, recently humiliated Arab neighbors, now had an Arab majority (Jewish, Muslim, Druze, and Christian) within its borders--yet European Jews continued to run the country as their own. Rejwan wrote tirelessly about the second-class status of Arab Israelis (and especially of Arab Jews), encouraging a more inclusive attitude that might eventually help heal the wounds left by the Six-Day War. His studies in sociology at Tel Aviv University informed his work. For his cause, Rejwan lost his job and many of his friends but never his pen. Through Munich, Entebbe, political scandals, economic crises, and the beginning of the Intifada, Rejwan narrates Israel's growing pains with feisty wit and unwavering honesty. ... Read more