Summary of Steven Pressfield's The Lion's Gate

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 Nechemiah and I had a conversation about the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, when we were both young soldiers. We knew that war would not come to the Holy City, and neither of us wanted it to.
#2 I had two brothers who were in the Israeli military: one who died in Gaza on the first day of the war, and another who died in Jerusalem on the last day. I was constantly flying throughout the war, and I didn’t know anything about what had happened to my brothers.
#3 The Arab world had a leader in Gamal Abdel Nasser, the president of Egypt. His vision was pan-Arabism: one state stretching from Central Asia across the Middle East and Africa to the Atlantic. He wanted a modern Arab world, secular, socialist, and armed with the latest weapons.
#4 The Israeli military was very pro-socialist in those days. There were no salaries, and meals were taken in the communal dining hall. The economy was struggling to absorb hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of whom had been expelled from Arab countries.

Sujets

• Jérusalem
• Général
• Military
• Israël
• Israel

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 28 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669369158
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Steven Pressfield's The Lion's Gate
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Nechemiah and I had a conversation about the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, when we were both young soldiers. We knew that war would not come to the Holy City, and neither of us wanted it to.

#2

I had two brothers who were in the Israeli military: one who died in Gaza on the first day of the war, and another who died in Jerusalem on the last day. I was constantly flying throughout the war, and I didn’t know anything about what had happened to my brothers.

#3

The Arab world had a leader in Gamal Abdel Nasser, the president of Egypt. His vision was pan-Arabism: one state stretching from Central Asia across the Middle East and Africa to the Atlantic. He wanted a modern Arab world, secular, socialist, and armed with the latest weapons.

#4

The Israeli military was very pro-socialist in those days. There were no salaries, and meals were taken in the communal dining hall. The economy was struggling to absorb hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of whom had been expelled from Arab countries.

#5

The Israeli government was constantly changing its mind about whether or not to go to war with Egypt. Every day that passed without a decision gave the Egyptian army more time to prepare, more time to bring up tanks and guns, and more time to dig in and fortify.

#6

I flew back to Israel on May 25, 1967. I had dinner with my father that night, who was visiting the fighting units at the front. Egypt now had nearly a thousand tanks in Sinai, threatening our southern border. If you were offered a post, Amit had asked my father, would you take it.

#7

The issue with Eshkol was that his intent was to preserve Israel at any cost, but the nation couldn’t be at the beck and call of the Western powers. The only way to handle a bully is to punch him in the face.

#8

Every fighter squadron, and probably every operational unit in the world, breaks down into two generations: the old guys, who are the captains and majors at the top of the food chain, and the young lieutenants at the bottom.

#9

I wanted to test myself at the military boarding school in Israel, and I wanted to be a part of the serving elite. The best of the best were not motivated by money or fame, but by the desire to serve the nation.

#10

The Israel Air Force was able to turn 202 planes into 404 by the skill of its ground crews. The only fear I felt during the waiting period was when I heard that the Egyptian 4th Armored Division had been deployed to Sinai.

#11

I was more worried about my laundry than about what Levi Eshkol had to say to the nation. I was worried that Ran’s wife would have time to get my socks and skivvies into the washing machine. I refused to lose sleep over this.

#12

The Israeli recon company, Palsar Seven, was assigned the task of crossing the border and leading the tanks of the 7th Armored Brigade into Egypt. They were full of confidence.

#13

In the Israeli army, when you turn eighteen, the army takes you and puts you wherever it needs you or wherever your tests say you will do best. But you can volunteer before then for special units like the paratroops or the Sayeret Matkal.

#14

The Israeli army is very different from the American army. In the IDF, you go straight to your actual outfit. The outfit trains you from scratch. You live rough. Camps have no cooks, no laundry, and no hot showers.

#15

In 1958, I was a medical student in Israel when the country was invaded by Egypt. The entire country was in panic, and I was assigned to help out the villages near the airport.

#16

The nation was extremely anxious about whether or not they would go to war with Egypt. The state of suspense became unbearable for the citizens.

#17

The Israel Defense Forces were created for, and have evolved to wage, a very specific type of war. They were built upon the principles of speed, aggression, and audacity. An Israeli lieutenant or captain in the field does not expect the luxury of being able to appeal for instructions to higher command.

#18

The dallying and dithering of the Israeli cabinet stems from their lack of faith in their fighting men and commanders. The question of where Israel needs to be at the end of the crisis cannot be answered by simply saving Israel for the moment.

#19

The objective of the operation should not be to seize land or swap territories of dubious value, but to destroy the Egyptian Army completely and in a straight-up fight.

#20

I was 13 when I heard the Voice of Thunder, Kol Ha’Raam, out of Cairo. The radio announcer, Ali Ahmad Said, spoke in a calm and unemotional tone, but his broadcasts were still frightening because they were delivered in a reasonable tone. He spoke as if he were reporting the news.

#21

The radio broadcast of the speech was taken by surprise. The prime minister forgot he was sitting before an open microphone, and asked his aide what the word was. It was heard by everyone.

#22

The speech was a turning point. After that, the people took over and demanded decisiveness. The need for decisiveness outweighed all other concerns.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

I was a veteran looking for a job, when I was approached by a man named Lou Lenart, who told me that the Jewish state of Israel was looking for pilots to help defend it. I went up to the Henry Hudson Hotel in Manhattan, where the Haganah and other underground organizations were recruiting volunteers.

#2

The British had given the Egyptians fifty brand-new Spitfires. I could have conquered Eastern Europe with fifty Spitfires. The Jews were isolated in a few dozen kibbutzim scattered from Galilee to the Negev. Arab bands were cutting off the roads.

#3

The plane that was supposed to take Lou and the other pilot volunteers to Palestine was overloaded with fuel, and could not get airborne. Lou was able to get a Haganah man a bouquet of flowers, and the two were able to take off anyway.

#4

The plane was nose-heavy and unbalanced. There was no trim tab on the rudder, and the flaps had to be lowered by a single, tiny hand wheel. You couldn’t slow the damn thing down.

#5

I was in New York recruiting vets to fly for Israel when the British Mandate was due to expire. The Arab armies were massing on Israel’s borders, ready to invade the minute the Tommies left. I was down to four pilots when we returned to Czechoslovakia.

#6

The Israel Air Force was led by Lou Lenart, a pilot with combat experience in fighters. He was to lead the first mission, which was going to be a surprise attack at dawn on the Egyptian air base at El Arish.