Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 Volume 10 continues the story of the men and machines of the first half-century of military aviation in the Arab world. It tells the story of the first two weeks of the first of the Arab-Israeli Wars - also known as the Palestine War - in May 1948. Whilst part of an ongoing series, this volume stands alone as a history of the period covered. By that time, in Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, newly-independent Syria, Lebanon, and, to a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia, significant efforts had already been made to strengthen these countries' armed forces. Where Egypt, Iraq and Syria were concerned, these efforts included a determination to improve or, in the case of Syria, to establish their air forces. All three air forces were thrown into the First Phase of the Palestine War and, in the view of most subsequent commentators or historians, they had failed to perform as well as their government and populations had expected. However, closer investigation and the removal of layers of propaganda which have obscured the realities of this first Arab-Israeli War show that the Arab air forces performed better than is generally realized. Arguably, they had their limitations and weaknesses, and these had also become apparent as the fighting intensified and losses began to mount. All this was always clearly pointed out in Arabic sources, both official and unofficial, unpublished, or published only with limited circulation. Volume 10 of Air Power and the Arab World focuses on day-to-day events on the ground, in the air and at sea during this hard-fought phase. It does so in remarkable detail because the authors have accessed previously unpublished Arab official military documents supplemented by translations from Arabic books and articles containing official and personal accounts by those involved. Perhaps the most remarkable such source is the Operational Diary of the Royal Egyptian Air Force's Tactical Air Force based at al-Arish in north-eastern Sinai. Air Power and the Arab World, 1909-1955 Volume 10 is illustrated by abundant photographs from previously unused, or very rarely used, private and official sources, and includes specially commissioned color artworks. AUTHORS: Dr. David C Nicolle is a British historian specializing in the military history of the Middle Ages, with special interest in the Middle East and Arab countries. After working for BBC Arabic Service, he obtained his MA at SOAS, University of London, followed by a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. He then lectured in art history at Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan. Dr. Nicolle has published over 100 books about warfare ranging from Roman times to the twentieth century, mostly as sole author. He also co-authored the Arab MiGs series of books which covered the history of the Arab air forces at war with Israel from 1955 to 1973. Furthermore, he has appeared in several TV-documentaries, and has published numerous articles in the specialized press. The late Air Vice Marshal Gabr Ali Gabr, PhD (EAF), served as a pilot in a De Havilland Vampire fighter jet during the Suez War of 1956. After concluding his higher military education at the Air Warfare Institute in 1960, he served as Instructor in Air Tactics at the Air Warfare Institute from 1962-1964 and 1966-1967, as Staff Officer during the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Chief of Operational Training Branch in the period 1968-1973, and as Chief of Operations Group during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Following a tour as Instructor in the Art of Operations and Chief of the Air Force, the Chair at High War College from 1977 until 1982, and receiving his PhD at the Nasser High Academy in 1989, he moved into writing and published several books and dozens of articles on the history of air warfare in Egypt and abroad. 93 b/w photos, 17 colour profiles, 5 b/w maps, 2 colour maps, 2 diagrams, 4 tables
