|
|
The Six Day War saw Israel fighting on three fronts - against Egypt, Jordan and Syria. This entry in Osprey's Campaign series looks at the Jordanian and Syrian fronts and the fighting that saw Israel capture Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. These quick victories have had a long-lasting impact on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,
The majority of the well chosen photographs come from Israeli sources and the account of the fighting itself leans heavily on Israeli sources, perhaps inevitably given the closed nature of Syrian society, but overall the text is well balanced, with materials from all three combatants and from Egypt. Dunstan does a good job of explaining the tensions on the Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Jordanian borders, and makes it clear that there was plenty of provocation from both sides. The text is well supported by maps illustrating the course of the fighting, although I would have liked to see a map showing Israel's borders after the war.
This is a well organised and clearly written book that provides a good account of two of the most important military campaigns of the long Arab-Israeli conflict and of the political impact it had in Israel, Jordan, Syria and in Egypt.
Chapters
Introduction
Chronology
Opposing Plans
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Forces
Fighting for the Holy Places
Syria and the Golan Heights
Aftermath
Author: Simon Dunstan
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 96
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2009