Military Model Scene

Title:  Air Combat During Arab-Israeli Wars

Author: Jakub Marszalkiewicz

Publisher:  Kagero

ISBN:  978-83-65437-49-5

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This new book from Kagero, who are of course a Polish publishing house, looks at Air Combat in the various Arab-Israeli conflicts since WW2., though with a slant to considering Polish involvement over the years.  It's a softcover book of 104-pages, the first in a new series 'Library of Armed Conflicts. and an interesting read. The book is arranged into 2 main chapters, with the first split into 6 sub-sections and the second into 5 sub-sections.  

The first chapter examines the establishment of the Israeli Air Force and how they got their initial aircraft and went on from their.  Aircraft have come from a variety of sources over the years, largely from Western sources.  On the other side, the Arab nations were largely supplied from the Warsaw Pact.  Not just Russia, but from others which did include Poland.  As well as the physical equipment though, it was also the command and control systems that went with them.  What made it even more interesting is in the later section, where the changes have seen Poland, now part of NATO, whose force now exercise with the Israelis.

In the second chapter it moves onto consider the various major flashpoints that have occurred in the region over the years.   These include the Suez Crisis of 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Operations in the Lebanon in 1982 and then a catch-all of 'Other Dogfights'.  In recent years other problems have drawn some of Israel's neighbours away from direct conflict with Israel.  Egypt has had enough of their own internal problems while Syria has become embroiled in  Civil War.  As an outsider here in Europe the troubles in the Middle East have been around for all my lifetime and I can only think how sad that is all is.  The casualties and most recently how Civil War in both Lebanon and Syria have destroyed cities and countless families.

Throughout the book there are maps as well as lots of archive photos, some in black and white but a large number in colour..  As well as the historical stories which will interest the aviation historian, an equally good selection of colour profiles showing camouflage and markings from all sides over the years, so lots in here to inspire the aircraft modeller.

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Distributed by Casemate Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin