Book Review of
Lebanese Civil War
Vol 2: Quiet Before the Storm, 1978-1981
Authors: Tom Cooper & Efim Sandler
Middle East @ War Series No, 41
Helion & Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-914377-15-0
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-914377-15-0
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
Once known as the “Switzerland of the Middle East”, an island of economic stability and social progress, Lebanon was shattered by a civil war that raged from 1975 until 1990.
While volume 1 of this mini-series concentrated on the conflict pitting the central government against different factions and alliances of Christians, Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, leftists and the Israeli and Syrian armed forces from its beginning in 1975 until the Israeli Operation Stone of Wisdom (or Operation Litani) in 1978. Volume 2 continues with the period from 19788 until 1981.
With its armed forces of a size comparable to that of the strength of the active components of the contemporary U.S. Army and led by politicians pursuing aggressive intentions towards its northern neighbor, Israel gradually established itself in control over much of southern Lebanon and all of Lebanese airspace.
In turn, Syria found itself facing not only a growing insurgency and unrest at home, but also strong opposition inside Lebanon. Moreover, a seemingly endless series of air battles with the Israeli Air Force exposed a growing technological gap with its primary opponent, forcing it to deploy ever larger contingents of its air defences into Lebanon.
After almost culminating in a major war in 1981, the situation was de-fused through international pressure: nominally at least, a relatively quiet period was to follow the next storm.
Focusing on military-related developments, and containing much exclusive detail and specially commissioned illustrations, volume 2 of Lebanese Civil War dissects the military forces of Israel, Syria and the many Lebanese militias, their equipment, intentions and capabilities, and provides a detailed, blow-by-blow account of combat operations into 1981.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co., Ltd. is based in England.
This book is of soft-cover of 70 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¼” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of an Israeli-supplied M3 half-track of the SLA in 1979. At the bottom there is a color illustration of an Israeli RF-4E fighter. In a camouflage of sand and green over a gray under-carriage and with a white nose.
There are 82 black and white photos in the book, showing vehicles, combatants, aircraft and ships.
There are 6 maps included in the book.
There is a whopping 36 color side-view illustrations that include:
2 Land-rover jeeps, a T17F “Staghound” armored-car, a M42 “Duster” tank, a 155mm towed howitzer, a U.S. made M3 half-track, a BTR-152 APC (of Soviet design and manufacture), a Lebanese Army Alvis “Saladin” armored car, a French made AML-90 armored car, a U.S. made BGM-71 TOW ATGM with UN insignia, a Soviet built T-55, a Soviet built T-62, a Czechoslovak-manufactured VT-55 tank, a BMP-1 armored car, 3 different drone aircraft with the IDF/AF, a M107 self-propelled howitzer, a French made Aerospatiale SA-321 K helicopter, a Merkava Mk.1 tank, a M-163 “Vulcan” Air Defence System self-propelled gun tank, 2 illustrations of IDF/Sea Corps patrol boats, 3 illustrations of Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter variants, a Kfir-C2 fighter, 2 F-4Es, a F-16, a Syrian Air Force Mil MI-8 helicopter, 2 Mig-21 MFs, a Mig-23MS, ans a Mig 25.
This book will be of interest to both modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the N. American distributor of Helion & Co. books and all Helion book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Once known as the “Switzerland of the Middle East”, an island of economic stability and social progress, Lebanon was shattered by a civil war that raged from 1975 until 1990.
While volume 1 of this mini-series concentrated on the conflict pitting the central government against different factions and alliances of Christians, Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, leftists and the Israeli and Syrian armed forces from its beginning in 1975 until the Israeli Operation Stone of Wisdom (or Operation Litani) in 1978. Volume 2 continues with the period from 19788 until 1981.
With its armed forces of a size comparable to that of the strength of the active components of the contemporary U.S. Army and led by politicians pursuing aggressive intentions towards its northern neighbor, Israel gradually established itself in control over much of southern Lebanon and all of Lebanese airspace.
In turn, Syria found itself facing not only a growing insurgency and unrest at home, but also strong opposition inside Lebanon. Moreover, a seemingly endless series of air battles with the Israeli Air Force exposed a growing technological gap with its primary opponent, forcing it to deploy ever larger contingents of its air defences into Lebanon.
After almost culminating in a major war in 1981, the situation was de-fused through international pressure: nominally at least, a relatively quiet period was to follow the next storm.
Focusing on military-related developments, and containing much exclusive detail and specially commissioned illustrations, volume 2 of Lebanese Civil War dissects the military forces of Israel, Syria and the many Lebanese militias, their equipment, intentions and capabilities, and provides a detailed, blow-by-blow account of combat operations into 1981.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co., Ltd. is based in England.
This book is of soft-cover of 70 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¼” page format.
The cover art shows a black and white photo of an Israeli-supplied M3 half-track of the SLA in 1979. At the bottom there is a color illustration of an Israeli RF-4E fighter. In a camouflage of sand and green over a gray under-carriage and with a white nose.
There are 82 black and white photos in the book, showing vehicles, combatants, aircraft and ships.
There are 6 maps included in the book.
There is a whopping 36 color side-view illustrations that include:
2 Land-rover jeeps, a T17F “Staghound” armored-car, a M42 “Duster” tank, a 155mm towed howitzer, a U.S. made M3 half-track, a BTR-152 APC (of Soviet design and manufacture), a Lebanese Army Alvis “Saladin” armored car, a French made AML-90 armored car, a U.S. made BGM-71 TOW ATGM with UN insignia, a Soviet built T-55, a Soviet built T-62, a Czechoslovak-manufactured VT-55 tank, a BMP-1 armored car, 3 different drone aircraft with the IDF/AF, a M107 self-propelled howitzer, a French made Aerospatiale SA-321 K helicopter, a Merkava Mk.1 tank, a M-163 “Vulcan” Air Defence System self-propelled gun tank, 2 illustrations of IDF/Sea Corps patrol boats, 3 illustrations of Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter variants, a Kfir-C2 fighter, 2 F-4Es, a F-16, a Syrian Air Force Mil MI-8 helicopter, 2 Mig-21 MFs, a Mig-23MS, ans a Mig 25.
This book will be of interest to both modelers and military historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the N. American distributor of Helion & Co. books and all Helion book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.