Six-Day War

== Armies and weapons ==
=== Armies ===
The Israeli army had a total strength, including reservists, of {{gaps|264|000}}, though this number could not be sustained during a long conflict, as the reservists were vital to civilian life.{{Sfnp|Stone|2004|p=217}}

Against Jordan's forces on the [[West Bank]], Israel deployed about {{gaps|40|000}} troops and 200 tanks (eight brigades).{{Sfnp|Pollack|2004|p=294}} Israeli Central Command forces consisted of five brigades. The first two were permanently stationed near [[Jerusalem]] and were the [[Jerusalem Brigade]] and the mechanized [[Harel Brigade]]. [[Mordechai Gur]]'s [[55th Paratroopers Brigade]] was summoned from the Sinai front. The 10th Armored Brigade was stationed north of the West Bank. The Israeli Northern Command comprised a division of three brigades led by Major General [[Elad Peled]] which was stationed in the [[Jezreel Valley]] to the north of the West Bank.

On the eve of the war, Egypt massed approximately {{gaps|100|000}} of its {{gaps|160|000}} troops in the Sinai, including all seven of its divisions (four infantry, two armoured and one mechanized), four independent infantry brigades and four independent armoured brigades. Over a third of these soldiers were veterans of Egypt's continuing intervention into the [[North Yemen Civil War]] and another third were reservists. These forces had 950 tanks, 1100 APCs, and more than 1000 artillery pieces.{{Sfnp|Pollack|2004|p=59}}

Syria's army had a total strength of {{gaps|75|000}} and was deployed along the border with Israel.{{Sfnp|Ehteshami|Hinnebusch|1997|p=76}} Professor [[David W. Lesch]] wrote that "One would be hard-pressed to find a military less prepared for war with a clearly superior foe" since Syria's army had been decimated in the months and years prior through coups and attempted coups that had resulted in a series of purges, fracturings and uprisings within the armed forces.<ref>{{harvp|Shlaim|Louis|2012|pp=86–87}}: "Syria was severely unprepared for war. Despite the bombastic and jingoistic rhetoric, the [[Baathist]] regime viewed its actions against Israel as low-level warfare that was not meant to lead to an all-out war. The months and years prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war were filled with military purges associated with actual and attempted coups that decimated and further fractured the military and party, resulting in an inexperienced officer corps as well as a deep distrust between the rank and file and officers in the army. In addition, there were uprisings by discontented elements of the Syrian population, less than satisfactory encounters with Israeli forces, and lukewarm Soviet support... One would be hard-pressed to find a military less prepared for war with a clearly superior foe."</ref>

The [[Jordanian Armed Forces]] included 11 brigades, totalling {{gaps|55|000}} troops.{{Sfnp|Mutawi|2002|p=42}} Nine brigades ({{gaps|45|000}} troops, 270 tanks, 200 artillery pieces) were deployed in the [[West Bank]], including the elite armoured 40th, and two in the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan Valley]]. They possessed sizable numbers of [[M113 Armored Personnel Carrier|M113]] APCs and were equipped with some 300 modern Western tanks, 250 of which were U.S. [[M48 Patton]]s. They also had 12 battalions of artillery, six batteries of 81&nbsp;mm and 120&nbsp;mm mortars,{{Sfnp|Segev|1967|pp=82, 175–191}} a [[paratrooper]] battalion trained in the new U.S.-built school and a new battalion of [[mechanized infantry]]. The [[Jordanian Army]] was a long-term-service, professional army, relatively well-equipped and well-trained. Israeli post-war briefings said that the Jordanian staff acted professionally, but was always left "half a step" behind by the Israeli moves. The small [[Royal Jordanian Air Force]] consisted of only 24 British-made [[Hawker Hunter]] fighters, six [[Military transport aircraft|transport aircraft]] and two helicopters. According to the Israelis, the Hawker Hunter was essentially on par with the French-built [[Dassault Mirage III]] – the IAF's best plane.{{Sfnp|Pollack|2004|pp=293–94}}

One hundred Iraqi tanks and an infantry division were readied near the Jordanian border. Two squadrons of Iraqi fighter-aircraft, Hawker Hunters and [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG 21s]], were rebased adjacent to the Jordanian border.{{Sfnp|Segev|1967|pp=82, 175–191}}

In the weeks leading up to the Six-Day War, Saudi Arabia mobilized forces for deployment to the Jordanian front. A Saudi infantry battalion entered Jordan on 6 June 1967, followed by another on the 8th. Both were based in Jordan's southernmost city, [[Ma'an]]. By 17 June, the Saudi contingent in Jordan had grown to include a single infantry brigade, a tank company, two artillery batteries, a heavy mortar company, and a maintenance and support unit. By the end of July 1967, a second tank company and a third artillery battery had been added. These forces remained in Jordan until the end of 1977, when they were recalled for re-equipment and retraining in the Karak region near the Dead Sea.<ref>{{Cite web|title=بطولات السعوديين حاضرة.. في الحروب العربية|url=https://www.okaz.com.sa/local/na/1756574|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216061810/https://www.okaz.com.sa/local/na/1756574|archive-date=16 February 2021|work=Okaz|date=17 November 2019|access-date=13 August 2021}}</ref><ref name=sauditw>{{Cite book|author=Neil Partrick|title=Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy: Conflict and Cooperation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LeiKDwAAQBAJ|year=2016|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-0-8577-2793-0|page=183}}</ref><ref name=SAMAAI>{{Cite web|title=Saudi Arabian Military Activity Against Israel|url=http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=475577|work=CMU|date=May 1978|access-date=19 November 2021|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120001418/http://digitalcollections.library.cmu.edu/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=475577|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Arab air forces were reinforced by aircraft from Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to make up for the massive losses suffered on the first day of the war. They were also aided by volunteer pilots from the [[Pakistan Air Force]] acting in an independent capacity. PAF pilots like [[Saiful Azam]] shot down several Israeli planes.<ref name=pak>{{Cite web|title=Air Warriors |url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/air_warriors.html|website=Pakistan Air Force|access-date=15 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717050259/http://www.paf.gov.pk/air_warriors.html|archive-date=17 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=saif>{{Cite web|title=Eagle Biography – Saiful Azam|website=Air University|url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eagle_bios/2000/azam_2000.asp|access-date=15 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812085933/http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eagle_bios/2000/azam_2000.asp |archive-date=12 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Weapons ===
With the exception of Jordan, the Arabs relied principally on Soviet weaponry. Jordan's army was equipped with American weaponry, and its air force was composed of British aircraft.

Egypt had by far the largest and the most modern of all the Arab air forces, consisting of about 420 combat aircraft,{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=176}}{{Sfnp|Morris|2001|p=318}} all of them Soviet-built and with a large number of top-of-the-line [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21s]]. Of particular concern to the Israelis were the 30 [[Tupolev Tu-16|Tu-16 "Badger"]] [[medium bomber]]s, capable of inflicting heavy damage on Israeli military and civilian centres.{{Sfnp|Pollack|2004|p=58}}

Israeli weapons were mainly of Western origin. Its air force was composed principally of French aircraft, while its armoured units were mostly of British and American design and manufacture. Some light infantry weapons, including the ubiquitous [[Uzi]], were of Israeli origin.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=10% | Type
!width=40% | Arab armies
!width=40% | IDF
|-
! [[Armoured fighting vehicle|AFVs]]
| Egypt, Syria and Iraq used [[T-34/85]], [[T-54]], [[T-55]], [[PT-76]], and [[SU-100]]/[[ISU-152|152]] World War II-vintage Soviet self-propelled guns. Jordan used US [[M47 Patton|M47]], [[M48 Patton|M48]], and M48A1 Patton tanks. [[Panzer IV]], [[Sturmgeschütz III]] and [[Jagdpanzer IV]] (ex-German vehicles all used by Syria)<ref>de Mazarrasa, Javier (1994) (in Spanish). Blindados en España 2ª Parte: La Dificil Postguerra 1939–1960. Valladolid, Spain: Quiron Ediciones. p.&nbsp;50. {{ISBN|978-84-87314-10-0}}</ref><ref>Perrett, Bryan (1999). ''Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank: 1936–1945''. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey. p.&nbsp;44. {{ISBN|978-1-85532-843-3}}</ref>
|| [[M50 Super Sherman|M50]] and [[M50 Super Sherman|M51 Shermans]], [[M48 Patton|M48A3 Patton]], [[Centurion tank|Centurion]], [[AMX-13]], [[M32 Tank Recovery Vehicle]]. The Centurion was upgraded with the British [[Royal Ordnance L7|105 mm L7 gun]] prior to the war. The Sherman also underwent extensive modifications including a larger 105&nbsp;mm medium velocity, French gun, redesigned turret, wider tracks, more armour, and upgraded engine and suspension.
|-
! [[Armoured personnel carrier|APCs]]/[[infantry fighting vehicle|IFVs]]
| [[BTR-40]], [[BTR-152]], [[BTR-50]], [[BTR-60]] APCs
|| [[M2 Half Track Car|M2]], [[M3 Half-track|/ M3 Half-track]], [[Panhard AML]]
|-
! Artillery
| [[M1937 Howitzer]], [[BM-21 Grad|BM-21]], [[122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)|D-30 (2A18) Howitzer]], [[130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)|M1954 field gun]], M-52 105&nbsp;mm self-propelled howitzer (used by Jordan)
|| [[Postwar Sherman tanks#Artillery tanks|M50 self-propelled howitzer]] and [[Postwar Sherman tanks#Artillery tanks|Makmat 160&nbsp;mm self-propelled mortar]], [[M7 Priest]], [[Obusier de 155&nbsp;mm Modèle 50]], [[AMX-13#105 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer|AMX 105&nbsp;mm Self-Propelled Howitzer]]
|-
! Aircraft
| [[MiG-21]], [[MiG-19]], [[MiG-17]], [[Su-7]]B, [[Tu-16]], [[Ilyushin Il-28|Il-28]], [[Ilyushin Il-18|Il-18]], [[Ilyushin Il-14|Il-14]], [[Antonov An-12|An-12]], [[Hawker Hunter]] used by Jordan and Iraq
|| [[Dassault Mirage III]], [[Dassault Super Mystère]], [[Sud Aviation Vautour]], [[Mystere IV]], [[Dassault Ouragan]], [[Fouga Magister]] trainer outfitted for attack missions, [[Nord Noratlas|Nord 2501IS]] military cargo plane
|-
! Helicopters
| [[Mil Mi-6|Mi-6]], [[Mil Mi-4|Mi-4]]
|| [[Super Frelon]], [[Sikorsky S-58]]
|-
! [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AAW]]
| [[S-75 Dvina|SA-2 Guideline]], [[ZSU-57-2]] mobile anti-aircraft cannon
|| [[MIM-23 Hawk]], [[Bofors 40 mm]]
|-
! Infantry weapons
| [[Carl Gustav M/45#Manufacture and use|Port Said submachine gun]], [[AK-47]], [[RPK]], [[RPD (weapon)|RPD]], [[DShK]] HMG, [[B-10 recoilless rifle|B-10]] and [[B-11 recoilless rifle]]s
|| [[Uzi submachine gun|Uzi]], [[FN FAL]], [[FN MAG]], [[AK-47]], [[M2 Browning machine gun|M2 Browning]], [[Cobra (missile)|Cobra]], [[Nord SS.10]], [[Nord SS.11]], [[RL-83 Blindicide]] anti-tank infantry weapon, [[M40 recoilless rifle|Jeep-mounted 106&nbsp;mm recoilless rifle]]
|}