The Crossing of the Suez Summary and Reviews

The Crossing of the Suez
by Saad El Shazly

The Crossing of the Suez
Our Price: $80.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $13.13 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Saad El Shazly
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1980-10-01
ISBN: 0960456201
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Amer Mideast Research

Book Reviews of The Crossing of the Suez

Book Review: The amateur studies tactics--the professional logistics
Summary: 4 Stars

Regardless of one's sympathies, it is easy to appreciate the brilliance of the 1973 assault on Israel's Bar Lev line--this book is as succinct as a combat unit diary in its description of the planning, preparation and execution of an operation that will be studied by military staff officers for many years to come. Amazingly, the Egyptians under General Saad El Shazly were able to pull off the feat of surprising the Israelis when the Israelis knew they were coming.

The main appeal is the precise operations briefing feel of the bulk of the book. The author falters only when he addresses the period following Egyptian deep penetration into the Sinai. It was at this point that political factors and personal agendas began to conflict with tactical objectives. When it occurred that the Egyptians might be able to achieve even greater success than their plan envisioned both the plan and Egyptian senior leadership reached their limits.

The narrative not-too subtly shifts to an extended argument explaining why it was everyone else's fault that tactical and ultimately strategic gains realized by brilliant and faithful execution of an almost faultless plan were lost. Even this portion is valuable though, providing as it does, insight into the non-military challenges facing any military planner. The General's sometimes plaintive comments about the political in-fighting that interfered with and ultimately, in his view, cost Egypt the victory ring true.

In summary, this is a book that is valuable for the professional and amateur military strategist alike. It will be treasured for its detailed description of one of history's most successful large scale special operations as well as its insight into the manifest difficulty inherent in managing the tension between military and political objectives.

Political Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Political Books
Peter the Great ImagePeter the Great
by Robert K. Massie
Ballantine Books; Published: 1986-01-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $45.26
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance ImageDreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama
Crown; Published: 2007-01-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops: $25.95
Mussolini's Shadow: The Double Life of Count Galeazzo Ciano ImageMussolini's Shadow: The Double Life of Count Galeazzo Ciano
by Mr. Ray Moseley
Yale University Press; Published: 2000-02-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $30.00
Price in other shops: $52.00
Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography ImageTheodore Roosevelt: A Biography
by Henry F. Pringle
Mariner Books; Published: 1956-02-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.20
Price in other shops: $17.00
Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism ImageGodfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism
by Paul Klebnikov
Mariner Books; Published: 2001-09-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.91
Price in other shops: $23.95
Chasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World ImageChasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World
by Samantha Power
Penguin Books; Published: 2008-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.44
Price in other shops: $17.00
Autobiography (Penguin Classics) ImageAutobiography (Penguin Classics)
by John Stuart Mill
Penguin Classics; Published: 1990-04-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.84
Price in other shops: $16.00
Going Rogue ImageGoing Rogue
by Sarah Palin
HarperAudio; Published: 2009-11-24; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.83
Price in other shops: $29.99
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.) ImageFirst They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.)
by Loung Ung
Harper Perennial; Published: 2006-04-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $13.99
Trusted Mole ImageTrusted Mole
by Milos Stankovic
Harpercollins Pub Ltd; Published: 2001-03; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $35.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Israeli Fortifications of the October War 1973 (Fortress) ImageIsraeli Fortifications of the October War 1973 (Fortress)
by Simon Dunstan
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2008-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops: $18.95
WAR OF ATONEMENT: The Inside Story of the Yom Kippur War ImageWAR OF ATONEMENT: The Inside Story of the Yom Kippur War
by Chaim Herzog
Casemate / Greenhill; Published: 2010-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.99
Price in other shops: $32.95
The Eve of Destruction: The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War ImageThe Eve of Destruction: The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War
by Howard Blum
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.08
Price in other shops: $13.99
Campaign 118: The Yom Kippur War 1973 (1) The Golan Heights ImageCampaign 118: The Yom Kippur War 1973 (1) The Golan Heights
by Simon Dunstan
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2003-08-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.17
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Yom Kippur War: The Arab-Israeli War of 1973 (General Military) ImageThe Yom Kippur War: The Arab-Israeli War of 1973 (General Military)
by Simon Dunstan
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2007-09-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Eve of Destruction : The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War ImageThe Eve of Destruction : The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War
by Howard Blum
Published: 2004-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.58
Price in other shops: $13.95
Duel for the Golan: The 100-Hour Battle That Saved Israel ImageDuel for the Golan: The 100-Hour Battle That Saved Israel
by Jerry Asher
Pacifica Press (CA); Published: 1987-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.97
Price in other shops: $27.50
The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East ImageThe Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East
by Abraham Rabinovich
Schocken; Published: 2005-10-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.77
Price in other shops: $18.95
The Arab Military Option ImageThe Arab Military Option
by Saad El Shazly
Amer Mideast Research; Published: 1986-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $27.00
October War, Arabic Edition ImageOctober War, Arabic Edition
by Saad El Shazly
American Mideast Research; Published: 2004-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.19
Price in other shops: $30.00