11. Air Power in the Six Day War

On the 5th of June 1967, Israel launched a series of devastating attacks against neighbouring Arab states. This would be the third Arab-Israeli war in less than twenty years. In the months preceding June 1967, tensions increased significantly after Egypt threatened to close the straights of Tiran to Israeli shipping for the second time. In May, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser closed the shipping lane, even after Israel had threatened military action. What ensued is arguably one of the most impressive air campaigns in all of history. 

As the name suggests, the Six Day War didn't last very long. Despite facing a coalition of Arab states, Israeli airstrikes had a crippling effect on Egypt's Air Force (the biggest air force in the conflict), before turning its attention to Jordan and Syria. Through a remarkable display of ingenuity, agility, and interoperability, Israeli forces managed to capture key areas including the Golan heights from Syria, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, as well as the Gaza Strip from Egypt, which all remain in Israel's control to this day. 

To try and understand how Israel managed to inflict such a devastating defeat against all odds, we have Ilan Warshai on the show. Ilan is a specialist in Israeli air power and has worked with the Israeli Air Force's historical branch. He is also a reserve Colonel in the Israeli Army and an airline pilot.