20th century military history book – “Saving Israel” (Stackpole Books, 2020) – Boaz Dvir interview

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2ZnM73r

Boaz Dvir is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He spent ten years researching the creation of the Israeli Air Force in 1948. He produced a documentary on the subject titled “A Wing and a Prayer” which was shown on PBS. He then wrote a book on the subject. We spoke about the Israeli Air Force of 1948, the secret methods needed to create it, the writing of the book, and what it took to research it.

(THE AUDIO PLAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.)

0:51 – Boaz talks about why he wrote this book.

3:41 – Boaz talks about how the Israelis were armed with Nazi weapons in 1948.

4:25 – Boaz summarizes what led up to the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.

7:35 – Boaz talks about what he focuses on in the book.

12:32 – Boaz talks about how the Arab were threatening to annihilate the Israelis.

14:41 – Boaz talks about the US Army flight engineer who started the operation to arm Israel.

19:59 – Boaz talks about how the Jewish-American underground set up an airline to fly people into Israel.

23:05 – Boaz talks about how Adolf became an international arms smuggler.

26:54 – Boaz talks about military resistance to the smuggling of weapons.

31:41 – Boaz talks about what the Israeli Air Force consisted of before the 1948 war and what had been created by the end of the war.

32:58 – Boaz talks in detail about the planes they brought into Israel.

35:35 – Boaz talks about the initial operations on both sides during the 1948 war.

39:22 – Boaz talks about the air war during the 1948 war and the initial Arab advantage.

41:54 – Boaz talks about how Israel used Nazi weapons in the 1948 war.

45:14 – Boaz talks about the research he did for the book.

49:10 – Boaz talks about coming across one of the old C-47s used in the 1948 war.

51:19 – Boaz talks about how amazing it was to talk to the US WWII veterans.

54:26 – Boaz talks about the emotional responses to this subject matter.

54:53 – Boaz talked about his surprise at US antagonism towards Israel in 1948.

59:10 – Boaz talks about how the USSR indirectly armed Israel.

1:04:01 – Boaz talks about influence of Jewish Russians on Israel.

1:05:22 – Boaz talks about the British pilots who flew against Israel and the shoot-down of a British reconnaissance plane.

1:08:21 – Boaz talks about the two types of Egyptian pilots that the Israeli pilots faced in 1948.

1:09:52 – Boaz talks about the victims of the war.

1:17:14 – Boaz talks about how the people in his book were innovative.

1:22:30 – Boaz can be found on facebook at Boaz Dvir and on twitter @BoazDvir.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2ZnM73r

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780811737265/Saving-Israel-The-Unknown-Story-of-Smuggling-Weapons-and-Winning-a-Nation%E2%80%99s-Independence

https://twitter.com/boazdvir?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

 

Guests: Boaz Dvir

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, tags: Israel, Holocaust, Arab-Israeli war, Nazi, Palestine, Jewish, United Nations, US Army Air Force, aviation, neutrality act, WWII, world war two, Britain, Trans-Jordan, ATC, concentration camp, RAF, Royal Navy, arms smuggling, arms embargo, Egypt, Iraq, Hawaii, US Navy, FBI, Czechoslovakia, California, New Jersey, 1948 war, dogfighting, pilots, Negev, B-17, El Al, Tel Aviv, Messerschmitts, Nazi, Spitfires, Syria, flight logs, Israeli Air Force museum, greatest generation, Soviet Union, Stalin, Ben Gurion, Cairo, P-51, Panama, Wing and a Prayer, PBS

 

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2ZnM73r

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ancient Warfare – “Ancient Rome: Facts and Fictions” (ABC-CLIO, 2020) – Monica Bontty interview

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2B0MNTC

Dr. Monica Bontty is a professor of archaeological studies and ancient history. She teaches at the University of Louisiana-Monroe and she wrote a book on misconceptions about Ancient Rome. We spoke about the ancient Roman military from the Republic to the Empire and the research she did for the book. (The audio player is at the bottom of the post.)

1:11 – Monica talks about why she wrote a book on misconceptions about Ancient Rome.

2:26 – Monica talks about how the Roman Army changed over time.

5:15 – Monica talks about phalanx style fighting.

6:26 – Monica talks about the maniple system.

7:45 – Monica talks about the reforms of Marius.

10:45 – Monica talks about Julius Caesar and the establishment of the empire.

12:04 – Monica talks about Octavian, Anthony, and Lepidus.

17:00 – Monica talks about military life and benefits.

28:00 – Monica talks about military pride but also the trouble that soldiers got into and abuse of power.

30:22 – Monica talks about military courts.

32:34 – Monica talks about soldier complaints about centurions.

33:10 – Monica talks about where the money came from Rome to hire so many more soldiers during the time of Marius.

34:34 – Monica talks about the abruptness of the reforms of Marius.

35:10 – Monica talks about Hannibal and the Punic Wars.

38:43 – Monica talks about the Praetorian Guard auctioning off the imperial office.

40:56 – Monica talks about where the term barbarian came from.

41:52 – Monica talks about how she researched the book. Livius.org and Penelope are useful resources.

45:21 – Monica talks about the myth of the vomitoria.

48:38 – Monica talks about learning surprising things about Augustus.

50:09 – Monica talks about Nero’s popularity.

51:02 – Monica talks about Roman hygiene.

54:06 – Monica talks about the hygiene standards of the Roman Army and “bad air”.

57:25 – Monica can be found on ulm.edu.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2B0MNTC

https://products.abc-clio.com/abc-cliocorporate/product.aspx?pc=A5404C

https://webservices.ulm.edu/facultyactivities/profile/bontty

https://www.livius.org/

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/home.html

 

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Monica Bontty

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, Nero, Caligula, Rome, Italy, Roman Army, legio, cavalry, phalanx, maniple, Marius, Julius Caesar, Augustus, military camp, barbarian, Hannibal, Pax Romana, Gauls, Egypt, auxiliary troops, Arminius, proscription, Golden Ass, centurions, Punic Wars, Praetorian Guard, Vomitoria, Nero, Hollywood

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2B0MNTC

Ancient warfare military history book – “Soldier, Priest, and God” (Oxford University Press, 2018) – Fred Naiden interview

Dr. Fred Naiden studies ancient Greek law, religion, and warfare, including Near-Eastern parallels.  He teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and we spoke about his latest book on Alexander the Great.

0:52 – Fred talks about how he became interested in writing on this.

3:15 – Fred talks about how the book is laid out.  It covers Alexander’s military career from start to finish.

6:56 – Fred talks about how the Egyptians and Persians viewed the Greeks and Macedonians. 

11:33 – Fred talks about Alexander’s upbringing. He also touches on Alexander’s relationship with Aristotle.

15:21 – Fred talks about Alexander’s effects on native religions.

19:48 – Fred talks about how Alexander performed religious ceremonies.

22:09 – Fred talks about Alexander in India.

25:05 – Fred talks about Alexander as a man on a mission to learn about different cultures and with an ambitious curiosity.

34:00 – Fred talks about the resources he used for his research.

53:46 – Fred has a page on the University of North Carolina website.

Links of interest

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/soldier-priest-and-god-9780190875343?cc=us&lang=en&

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: Fred Naiden

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, Alexander the Great, Egypt, Persia, Islam, Quran, Hebrews, Macedonia, Greece, Muslims, India, Afghanistan