The Two O'Clock War: The 1973 Yom Kippur Conflict and the Airlift That Saved Israel

by Walter J. Boyne

Book Overview

It's usually called the Yom Kippur War. Or sometimes the October War. The players that surround it are familiar: Sadat and Mubarak, Meir and Sharon, Nixon and Kissinger, Brezhnev and Dobyrnin. It was a war that brought Arab and Jew into vicious conflict. A war in which Israel almost unleashed her nuclear arsenal and set two superpowers on a treacherous course of nuclear escalation. And a war that eventually brought peace. But a peace fraught with...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312273037
• ISBN13: 9780312273033
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Fast Paced and Politically Insightful

I just finished reading "The Two O'Clock War." I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" coverage of the mighty US Air Lift that enabled Israel to continue in the fight to secure a place at the negotiating table when the tank cannons would be silenced on the Golan and in the Sinai! I learned a lot about Kissinger, Nixon and the US's attitude toward the "Oil Weapon" as it relates to Israel. I also chuckled over the author's seemingly anti-Sharon stance all throughout the book! Though the author has little to praise "Arik" Sharon for, he concludes with the statement that Sharon is the kinda guy you want fighting with you and not against you. It is kinda a "can't live with em...can't live without em..." situation. The book is worth the read and the Epilouge itself is worth the price of the book. I thought that Boyne made too much about the US going to DEFCON III. It seemed a bit over the top! Buy it, read it, learn from it! Four Stars (He could have had much more about the US Airlift from the perspective of the USAF).

How Close We Came

Retired Air Force Colonel Walter Boyne's book on the 1973 War reveals much new information. Perhaps the most important of which is the fact that the world came to the brink of nuclear war not once but twice during the conflict. Boyne begins by exploring how Israel was ill-prepared for the well-planned and well-executed Arab surprise attack on October 6, 1973, the holiest day in the Jewish year. Following the stunning initial gains by the Egyptians in the Sinai, and the Syrians in the Golan, Israeli political leaders began to discuss what was known as the "Sampson Option." That is, if Israel was going to be destroyed, it was going to take down its enemies with it. Israel had no way of knowing that it was not the Arab goal to destroy the state. Sadat's aim was simply to capture territory on the east bank of the Suez Canal, an objective he achieved in three days. Meanwhile, the Syrians had also made impressive gains, but failed to press their advantage, for reasons that are unclear. This, coupled with the Egyptian army's halt in the Sinai allowed Israel to regroup and press the offensive in the North. Egypt foolishly decided to press to the Mitla and Gidi passes in the Sinai, and its armor was torn to shreds in the largest tank battles since World War Two. The war may have shifted to Israel's advantage, but supplies were running critically low, with only a few days ammunition left. The US, led by Henry Kissinger, decided to airlift supplies into Israel, allowing Israel to continue its offensive operations, crossing the Suez Canal, and choking off the Egyptian forces, while pushing back the Syrians, along with their Iraqi and Jordanian allies. Yet the massive airlift barely was able to begin, since no European country would allow the US an airbase to transfer its supplies, fearing the wrath of the Arab oil weapon. Finally, Portugal, in need of arms for its own wars, allowed the US a base in the Atlantic. The airlift was on, and it landed a huge number of supplies in a round the clock effort. With Israel advancing, the Soviets advocated inserting a unilateral force in the region, leading the US to place its armed forces on high alert, known as Def Con 3. The panicked Soviets quickly backed down from their demands, but nuclear tensions reached their highest point in years. Boyne's own Air Force background shines in his explanation of all events related to the air war and the airlift; He also has an impressive understanding of events in the diplomatic arena. Overall, this an excellent book, well-written impeccably researched, and a gripping read.

An outstanding book

Walt Boyne has done an excellent job of telling the story of the Yom Kipper War and the American airlift. As a crewmember on one of the first C-5s into Lod, the story is very personal to me but Walt has answered a lot of questions and provided much background information that I was not previously aware of. This book is very pertinent in view of the current Administration's attempts at starting a war with Iraq. Boyne's narrative illustrates that the Arab armies are not the paper tigers that most Americans seem to think they are. Few Americans are aware of how close Israel came to defeat in October 1973 and few Israelis will admit that if it hadn't been for the airlift, Israel may have ceased to exist. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!Sam McGowanUSAF veteran and author, THE CAVE, a novel of the Vietnam War

Objective look

A very informed look at the Yom Kippur War, with brand new information on the manner in which the American airlift saved Israel from defeat and the world from a possible nuclear exchange. One of the most interesting facets is how the leaders of every country were almost always wrong, while the troops in the field, Arab and Israeli alike, did a magnificent job, and none more so than the American aircrews flying the C-5s and C-141s.

The Untold Story of American Support to Israel

Walter Boyne has struck gold again! He has expertly re-told the largely forgotten tale of the American aerial epic that sustained Israel during its time of greatest peril. This book fills a very visible gap in addressing the history of conflict in the Middle East. Col. Boyne expertly weaves and recreates the battlefield situation, international politics, and internal Arab-Israeli politics to illustrate the difficulties in establishing the largest airborne airlift since the Berlin Blockade. He skillfully intertwines the efforts of the lone, heretofore, unknown hero's with the actions of such renown personalities as Henry Kissinger and Golda Meir into a concise story that shows how close Israel came to defeat and how the American airlift staved off total disaster. Col. Boyne's greatest contribution is pointing out how the efforts of a largely unknown USAF TALCE Commander established an efficient distribution system that eliminated chaos and increased efficiency. These actions ensured that ammunition and material supplies were offloaded from airlift aircraft and sent to the battlefield with minimum delay. Once again, Col. Boyne shows that it isn't necessarily the actions of the famous that ensures victory on the battlefield but it is usually the exploits of the unknown "little-people" that make the necessary sacrifices that determine the survival of nations....