The Lion's Gate

On the Front Lines of the Six Day War

De: Steven Pressfield

Narrado por: Malcolm Hillgartner

The bestselling author of Gates of Fire and Killing Rommel delivers his first work of military nonfiction—an epic narrative of the Six Day War.

June 5, 1967. The fearsome, Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army and its 1000 tanks are massed on Israel’s southern border. Meanwhile, the Syrian Army is shelling the much smaller nation from the north. And to the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt’s President Nasser has declared that the Arab world’s goal is no less than “the destruction of Israel.”

June 10, 1967. The combined Arab armies are in ruins, their air forces totally destroyed. Israel’s citizen-soldiers have seized the Gaza Strip and the entire Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. The land under Israeli control has tripled. The charismatic, eye-patch wearing Defense Minister Moshe Dayan has barreled through the Lion’s Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, meeting up with a gang of paratroopers who have already raised the blue and white flag that frames the Star of David.

How on earth did this happen?

Only Steven Pressfield could get the real story from the fighter jocks in the air, the tank commanders through the sand, and the infantrymen on the ground. Through more than 300 hours of interviews conducted in Israel, he has written a gripping chronicle of the six days that changed the Middle East forever. He also captures the universal experience of individual soldiers compelled to stare down mortal fear and move headlong into a firestorm.

The Lion’s Gate blends the immediacy of Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down, the esprit de corps of Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, and the soul of James Bradley’s Flags of Our Fathers. It will join the indispensable canon of military nonfiction.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A brilliant look into the psyche of combat. Where he once took us into the Spartan line of battle at Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield now takes us into the sands of the Sinai, the alleys of Old Jerusalem, and into the hearts and souls of soldiers winning a spectacularly improbable victory against daunting odds.”

—GENERAL STANLEY McCHRYSTAL, U.S. Army, ret.; author of My Share of the Task

“Pressfield is the king of military narrative, and with The Lion’s Gate he does not disappoint. It’s always amazing how hard people can fight when their backs are against the wall.”

—ERIK PRINCE, author of Civilian Warriors

“Steven Pressfield is one of the most important writers of our day. Few others so adroitly weave together the stories of war in a way that captures the human side of a conflict. The Lion’s Gate gives us a rare glimpse into the different perspectives of a single historical event and proves to us there is always more than meets the eye.”

—SIMON SINEK, author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last

“A very skillful and novel approach to one of the most significant and important conflicts in the Middle East. For those who like to have their history served with a generous dose of implied personal experience and just a dash of improvisation, I highly recommend The Lion’s Gate. Steven Pressfield commands the action effectively and from multiple perspectives. A valuable read.”

—DICK COUCH, author of Always Faithful, Always Forward and Act of Revenge

“A sweeping, thrilling story of bravery, determination, and grit. I couldn’t put it down.”

—BRIAN KILMEADE, author of George Washington’s Secret Six

“The finest military writer alive, bar none.”
—STEPHEN COONTS

“No one writes better historical fiction than Steven Pressfield.”
—VINCE FLYNN

“Rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such mastery, authority, and psychological insight.”
—NELSON DEMILLE

"Superbly researched and superbly written ... My tears flowed as the paratroopers made their way to and beyond the Western Wall, bringing that sacred spot back into the possession of the original owners ... "
—JOE GALLOWAY, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young.

Amazingly fascinating

A great production, another great Steven Pressfield book. I really Winnipeg’s the retelling of stories by actual vets, a true boots on the ground account of the Sixth Day War.

Excellent Book

This book was excellent. I was really impressed with how the author captures the experiences of soldiers and airmen who fought in the 6 Day War, as well as the National mood (if that’s a thing) during that time. I would recommend this book more to people that already know the basic history of the war but want to understand some of the internal nuances that affected Israel’s performance. Those looking for a history book of the war would likely be disappointed.

Overall Excellent Six Day War Memoirs

These are real and simulated first-person memoirs of Israeli soldiers, pilots and some of their family members from the Six Day War in 1967. The aspects I liked best about the book were the historical sketches from the 1948 and 1956 wars as well historical backgrounds of the prominent military leaders. They paint a stark picture of how alone Israel was in 1967 and how international powers had basically deserted them to be at the mercy of Soviet-supported Arab militaries. Previous good behavior by Israel in turning over the Sinai after the 1956 war to a neutral buffer zone was rewarded with betrayal and desertion by international powers. Accounts of leadership, courage and determination with intense training leading up to the 1967 war are vivid and colorfully presented. Civilian and military accounts strengthen the understanding that the 1967 war was an existential battle for the State of Israel and for the continued life of millions of Israelis.
The only negative to the book is that after the initial success and bloodiest battles, accounts drift into arrogant crowing about how brilliant, brave and superior Israelis were to opposing Arab powers. Egypt got a chance to deflate some of this bombast in 1973.
All in all, it was an excellent book that helped me better understand why the Israeli air force is considered to be one best in the world and why Israel must continue to maintain extremely strong military forces and why it is reluctant to turn over territory that has been paid for with so much of their blood.

Makes pivotal history personal

It's the interweaving of the stories. Narration terrific. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve.

Fascinating story

This book was a great glimpse into the struggle that brought about as real as we know it today… Told in small stories from different characters is the perspective