3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A GOOD PRIMER ON THE SIX DAY WAR 1967 - JORDAN & SYRIA, December 14, 2009
This review is from: The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria (Campaign) (Paperback)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent Account told from the Israeli Perspective, January 11, 2010
This review is from: The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria (Campaign) (Paperback)
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, noting their 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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The six day war - jordan and syria, June 5, 2010
This review is from: The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria (Campaign) (Paperback)
A good book that explains the jordan and syria campaigns, a good source for begineers and students.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
