Zanek! (Bantam Books # Q6770)

This little novel was published in 1971 and thus misses out on one of the major Arab-Israeli wars in 1973: The Yom Kippur War. The author was allowed to write an account of his experiences as a witness to the Heyl Ha'Avir (Israeli Air Force) during the War of Attrition. While I've called the book historical fiction, I only do so because Israeli security precautions precluded the author from telling everything he had seen. I would imagine that IDF censors went over the author's manuscripts many times before finding a copy they could live with.Having said that, I highly recommend "Zanek" as a novel to provide wonderful background to what Heyl Ha'Avir operations must have been like during the War of Attrition. The characters and personalities must be portrayals of actual people because their life likenesses are just too keen. Interestingly enough, Lom Nordeen's 1990 book "Fighters Over Israel" seems to verify what the author, William Stevenson, wrote back in 1971 in this little paperback. The picture insert has some great photographs of Heyl Ha'Avir aircraft and personnel.If you'd like a feel for what the Heyl Ha'Avir is like from a personal perspective, please buy "Zanek!"