Mirage III vs MiG-21: Six Day War 1967 (Duel Book 28) Kindle Edition

I've been a fan of the 'Duel' series for quite a while now. Unfortunately, the quality of the books has been uneven. Some are good, while others are quite bad. This particular book belong to one of the better ones. The development of the two fighters (particularly the Mirage III), their technical aspects, their use in combat, were concise but well written. I learnt quite a few new details about the Mirage III and the Six-Day War in this book, which I had not come across in thicker tomes about the air war in the Middle East. For example, I did not know about the avionics problem the Mirage III had, which affected its combat performance. Only the training of the Israeli pilots and the use of manual over-ride helped to solve the problem. In short, it manages to pack quite a fair amount of information into such a compact format, more than I expected, frankly.This is a worthwhile book to get even if your shelves are already filled with books on the Israeli-Arab conflicts, the Six-Day War, or the Israeli airforce.

A very good description of the Six-Day War in 1967, and the Mirage jets flown by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the MiG-21s flown by Egyptian and Syrian Air Forces. This book has great photos of the air battle fought in the skies over the Middle East in this short conflict, which eventually resulted in Israel controlling the skies. The pilots from both sides were well-trained and bravely enduring difficult conditions, and sought out the enemy air bases and engaged each other above Sinai, Golan and the West Bank. It is really interesting to note that Israel's main supplier of aircraft at this time was France, and both Egypt and Syria's were Soviet-manufactured MiGs. This volume is paperbound and under 100 pages, and is a very good read. Highly recommended.

The French Mirage III and Soviet MiG-21 were both designed and built almost along the exact same time lines. Given the engine technology of the time and the intended uses of these planes as interceptors, it's no real surprise both have very similar size and performance. Which then, is the better plane? That is what the Duel Series is supposed to identify.What I liked - if you read carefully, the author states the Mirage was better in the horizontal battle, the MiG-21 had a greater thrust to weight ratio, so it was better suited to the vertical battle. The French designed computer and radar were extremely unreliable and both fighters had to rely on manual means of aiming cannon. The Air to Air missiles of both sides were very primitive and virtually useless. Almost all of the Mirage kills came with the cannon. And here is the largest single difference of the two planes - the Mirage had 2x30mm cannon with 250 rounds. The MiG -21 had 1x30mm cannon with 30 rounds.I really liked the color diagrams of the cockpits. There are some color photos; the B&W are clear & crisp. Brief history of both planes design, technical facts, some narratives of Israeli pilot's combat experiences. It certainly helped the Israelis that they were able to acquire a MiG-21 and test fly it prior to the 1967 war.Downsides to the book - objectivity of the author lurks in the background, as well as very few narratives or perspectives from the Arab side. Why did the author chose to limit the comparison of these two planes by stopping at 1967? You may also want to read Osprey's Arab MiG- 19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat. That gives the Arab view of these combats. Later versions of the MiG-21 had better cannon and more successes against the Mirage III.I would prefer the book address how each plane performed against the other throughout the entire career. Since this was largely a collection of stories from Israeli fighter pilots, it makes it look as if the Mirage III were vastly superior. These omissions are why I rated the book three stars. Superior training, tactics and aggressive pilots will always trump your opponent. What we're looking for here is an answer as to which is the better weapon. Ultimately, I think the authors are correct, but they overlook a lot of factors in arriving at the conclusion.

If you want know how a plane fight, this is the book. In this case, how two planes fight! Not only tactics, but how technical details impacted on combat results. I really liked the description on how IAF overcame the gunsight. I will not repeat what other top reviews already said.

Another entry in the Osprey Publishing "Duel" series. Here, we see the French-made Mirages of Israel versus the MIG-21s of the Soviet Union engaged against one another in the Six-Day War of 1967. It ended up a mismatch, with the Israeli pilots doing a far better job than their Arab opponents.As with others in the series, there is a structure to this book. First, it describes characteristics of the two jet planes. For one thing, the developmental history of the two--one Russian designed and the other French designed. Both--especially the Mirage--went through a lengthy evolution. Then, technical specifications of the two aircraft (there's a useful comparison in table format on page 31). The strategic situation is outlined, considering the runup to the six day war of 1967 and actual beginning of hostilities. Also, the training and readiness ofr pilots of the Israeli and Arab air forces is discussed. Then, the combat, where Israelis had by far the best of it. Finally, an analysis of the combat and statistical assessment of the outcome.A brief but informative volume. . . .

Great Series, you will not be disappointed.

This book is well illustrated and at times provides illuminating information about the Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It is a little thin on technical details about the aircraft and the training of the pilots.

The maps were poor, but otherwise the book is great.

Pertenece a la serie duel, con esquemas de la cabina, armamento y enfrentamientos entre ambos aviones en la guerra del Yonkipur, muy buen análisis de la performace de ambos aviones. El mig posee el control del plano vertical y e mirage el del horizontal. Con los apartados de la serie y con la calidad de Osprey military. Muy bueno y único en su género.

Mi primer contacto con la serie "Duel" de Osprey. Bién editado y profusamente ilustrado, tanto con dibujo/ilustración en 3D, cómo con fotografías en ByN y en color. Buena comparativa entre ambos contendientes, dentro y fuera del contexto de la Guerra de los Seis Días. Buena relación calidad/precio.

Sehr zu Empfehlen! Zwar sind fast nur Israelische Quellen verwendet worden, aber der Autor hat sich viel Mühe gegeben, das zu kompensieren!

Very good book for story of pilots and profiles of planes and rares pictures.very good book, very good story and rares pictures.

Wie nahezu alle Bücher dieser Serie interessant geschrieben, mit für mich neuen Infos, guten Bildern und sinvoller Gliederung. Nur in diesem Fall hätte ich mir für mein Geld quantitativ schlicht mehr erwartet. Daher Punktabzug!