ARAB ARMOUR VS ISRAELI ARMOUR

◗ Chris McNab ◗ Osprey (2021) ◗ £13.99 ◗ 80 pages (softback) ◗ ISBN:9781472842879 ◗ ospreypublishing.com

The 1967 Six Day War saw Israeli armour pitted against Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian foes, with each side having a varied range of tank types. For the Israelis, the mixture was Shermans, AMX-13 light tanks, Pattons and Centurions; for the Arab forces it was a rather weird mix of modern T-54s right back to WWII-era T34/85s, SU100s, Pz IVs, and JS-IIIs, plus handfuls of Shermans, PT-76s, and some other oddballs.

As usual in this series, you get a fine blend of technical data, tactical and operational usage, and reasoned analysis – the only obvious defect being confusion over‘east’and ‘west’(is it a Spellcheck thing?). Photos are of high quality, and a clear map shows initial divisional dispositions in the Sinai theatre. The author identifies the main causes of Israeli victory as being training, leadership, command and (loose-rein) control, close air support, and sheer motivation: they knew that losing meant annihilation. The Arab forces fought well, and each side had both strong and weak equipment.

A good account of armoured warfare prior to large-scale use of anti-tank guided weapons.