The Six Day War
In June of 1967, the nation of Israel stood at the brink of annihilation. It was about to face the 3rd threat to its existence since its birth in 1948. Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq stood ready to attack and destroy Israel. It wasn't a territorial dispute. The Arab nations at war with Israel intended to kill every Jew in Israel and end its existence. It was truly a war for survival.
The Israelis sensed the impending attack and launched a pre-emptive strike. It was an aggressive defensive tactic and it produced one of the greatest underdog victories in history.
The Israeli Air Force began the attack with a raid on the airfields of Egypt. They didn't attack aircraft, they attacked airfields, leaving them unworthy of launching air strikes. The few Egyptian planes that became airborne before the airfields were destroyed were blown out of the sky. The Israeli air force dominated the early hours of the Six Day War. After decimating the Egyptian air force, the Israelis did the same to the Syrians. Before the end of Day One, the Israelis owned the skies.
The Israeli army now moved south to attack Egypt. It took the Gaza Strip, it took the Sinai and it eventually took the Egyptians' unconditional surrender, before the Israeli forces took Cairo.
The Israeli army also moved north and took the Golan Heights from Syria. These are highlands which provided a strategic advantage for Syria against Israel for launching artillery attacks. Now it is a buffer zone of Israeli artillery, tanks and infantry. The capital of Damascus is only a long desert march away.
Jordan wanted to remain neutral in the war, but was interested in cashing in on the result. Egypt convinced Jordan that it was winning, needing an ally to offset the pressure of the Israeli attack. Jordan fell for it and declared war. Israel did to Jordans' air force the same as it did to Egypt and Syria. Then Israel attacked Jordan in East Jerusalem. Although the Jordanian army was the best of the Arab armies, they were not sufficient. Israel now owns all of Jerusalem and other parts of the former Jordan known today as the "West Bank".
The Arab armies begged for peace in less than a week. Three of them were on the brink of losing their capitals. The Israelis fought off an attack force which was greater than 5 times their size and defeated them in less than a week. The Six Day War was greatest rout in military history.
The Israelis sensed the impending attack and launched a pre-emptive strike. It was an aggressive defensive tactic and it produced one of the greatest underdog victories in history.
The Israeli Air Force began the attack with a raid on the airfields of Egypt. They didn't attack aircraft, they attacked airfields, leaving them unworthy of launching air strikes. The few Egyptian planes that became airborne before the airfields were destroyed were blown out of the sky. The Israeli air force dominated the early hours of the Six Day War. After decimating the Egyptian air force, the Israelis did the same to the Syrians. Before the end of Day One, the Israelis owned the skies.
The Israeli army now moved south to attack Egypt. It took the Gaza Strip, it took the Sinai and it eventually took the Egyptians' unconditional surrender, before the Israeli forces took Cairo.
The Israeli army also moved north and took the Golan Heights from Syria. These are highlands which provided a strategic advantage for Syria against Israel for launching artillery attacks. Now it is a buffer zone of Israeli artillery, tanks and infantry. The capital of Damascus is only a long desert march away.
Jordan wanted to remain neutral in the war, but was interested in cashing in on the result. Egypt convinced Jordan that it was winning, needing an ally to offset the pressure of the Israeli attack. Jordan fell for it and declared war. Israel did to Jordans' air force the same as it did to Egypt and Syria. Then Israel attacked Jordan in East Jerusalem. Although the Jordanian army was the best of the Arab armies, they were not sufficient. Israel now owns all of Jerusalem and other parts of the former Jordan known today as the "West Bank".
The Arab armies begged for peace in less than a week. Three of them were on the brink of losing their capitals. The Israelis fought off an attack force which was greater than 5 times their size and defeated them in less than a week. The Six Day War was greatest rout in military history.
posted by BoiseJag at 11:32 AM
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