Fighters Over Israel

In Fighters Over Israel, author Lon Nordeen applies more than a decade of research to a comprehensive history of the Israeli Air Force, highlighting the men and machines that have made it one of the world's premier fighting forces.
During the past forty-three years, the air arm of Israel has grown from a collection of war-surplus light planes into a first-class air force with a battle-proven reputation. Since 1947, the Israeli Air Force has participated in five major wars, several small-scale conflicts, and hundreds of border confrontations and clashes with terrorists. In the course of these actions, IAF aircrews have destroyed some 1,200 aircraft—more than 600 in air combat—and have flown hundreds of thousands of attack and support sorties.
Israel's armed forces are the most tested and most successful in the world. What is the secret to this success? Who are the men and women who have served throughout Israel's history? What makes and keeps the air force so strong?
To answer those questions, Lon Nordeen obtained first-person accounts from combat pilots of every phase of Israel's history. The result is an astonishing collection of exciting eyewitness reports from the men who flew such missions as the dramatic Entebbe rescue, the surprise bombing of the Iraqi reactor, and the brilliant triumphs over the Syrian air defenses and SAMs during the invasion of Lebanon. In gripping detail, these pilots reveal how their wits, their technology, and their spirit kept them alive and triumphant.
Surrounded by enemies and under constant pressure, Israel cannot afford failure. By attracting the best people and giving them the best training-and plenty of it-the Israeli Air Force has successfully defended Israel's skies and independence.


by Lon Nordeen
Published by Guild Publishing 1991 226pp illustrated, maps, index, appendix. 17x24 mint, including d/j.
The story of the Israeli Air Force from the War of Independence to the Bekaa Valley.





Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.