Friday Information in late April of 2017

We stand in a crossroads in America. Since the fall of the Soviet Union (which was over 25 years ago), we face new challenges and hope. We face the evils of terrorism and bigotry, but a new generation of Americans and others still incorporate that creed of equality and human justice into their hearts. So, we carry onward. We not only carry onward with the progressive credo of collective power and economic justice. We live out the creed of the Dream by defending immigrants, loving black people (who made an inedible mark in world history. I am Black and Beautiful), honoring women, and promoting the rights of minorities. So, we press on with the wisdom of the ancestors and the courageousness of modern times. We press on fully committed to fight for the cherished goal that humankind desires, which is about peace and social tranquility. This fight for justice won't be easy, but we are always willing to courageously sacrifice with earnest and with passion for our liberation. There is another magnificent story and it shows many lessons. First, the young twins are filled with wisdom. Akhea S. Mitchell is right to proclaim the truth that education is a vital way to achieve a great standard of living and happiness. Education is one important gateway where our community can grow and achieve monumental dreams. The twins from Georgia receiving a scholarship of $900,000 is excellent news. We all congratulate their accomplishments. Also, it is important to recognize their Black Excellence. Their glory is real and inspirational. They have a 4.5 GPA and a 3.9 GPA respectively, which is amazing. They are in high school now and these young Sisters are very blessed. They seek to go to Howard University (which is a great HBCU and it has a powerful legacy in black American culture). I wish both Sisters the best.
#Black Excellence.



Also, it is important to acknowledge the Birthday of Sister Coretta Scott King. She lived from 1927 to 2006. She lived a life as a mother, a civil rights activist, an anti-war activist, and a black woman who lived a fruitful existence. For decades, she has inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to carry onward in the tradition of nonviolence and peaceful resistance against injustice. She could write, sing songs, and she was a great organizer of various people. She was born in Heiberger, Alabama. Coretta Scott graduated valedictorian from Lincoln Normal School in 1945 where she played trumpet and piano, sang in the chorus, and participated in school musicals. She enrolled at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio during her senior year at Lincoln. June 18, 1953 was the date of her marriage. She fought for the rights of women. She opposed the Iraq War. She opposed the Vietnam War. She fought against apartheid. Her funeral was attended by some 10,000 people, including four of five living US presidents. She was temporarily buried on the grounds of the King Center until being interred next to her husband. She was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame and was the first African-American to lie in State in the Georgia State Capitol. Coretta Scott King was a hero.
Rest in Power Sister Coretta Scott King. This is a very important issue. Activism should be executed in rescuing missing black women and black girls. In the final analysis, when one person is kidnapped, it is a threat against the whole of the human family. Also, it is good that many people want to refute the evil stereotypes about kidnapped black females. Kidnapped black women and girls exist in many socioeconomic levels. People ought to realize that. The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls is doing the right thing in publicly showing information about this epidemic and establishing solutions.



So, the beginning of the war started with Israel’s preemptive, surprise attack on the Egyptian Air Force. On June 5, 1967 (on 7:45 Israeli time), civil defense sirens sounded throughout Israel. The IAF (or the Israeli Airforce) was used to execute Operation Focus (Moked). It involved all, but nearly 200 operational jets executed a mass attack against Egyptian airfields. The Egyptian defensive infrastructure was poor back then. There had no airfields. They were equipped with aircraft shelters. They tried to protect Egypt’s warplanes. Most of the Israeli warplanes headed out over the Mediterranean Sea. They flew low in order for them to avoid radar detection, before going into Egypt. Others flew over the Red Sea. Meanwhile, the Egyptians hindered their own defense by shutting down their entire air defense system. They were worried that rebel Egyptian forces would shoot down the plane carrying Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer and Lt. General Sidqui Mahmoud, who were en route from al Maza to Bir Tamada in the Sinai (to meet the commanders of the troops stationed there). It didn’t make a difference since the Israeli pilots came in below Egyptian radar cover well below the lowest point at which its SA-2 surface to air missile batteries could bring down an aircraft. Although, the powerful Jordanian radar facility in Ajloun detected waves of aircraft approaching Egypt and reported the code war for “war” up the Egyptian command chain, Egyptian command and communication problems prevented the warning from teaching the targeted airfields. The Israelis used a mixed attack strategy. They used bombing and strafing runs against planes parked on the ground. They bombed to disable runways with special tarmac shredding penetration bombs developed jointly with France. They used this action to leave surviving aircraft to be unable to take off. The runway at the Arish airfield was spared.

The Israelis expected to turn into a military airport for their transports after the war. Surviving aircraft was taken out by later attack waves. The operation was more successful than expected, catching the Egyptian Air Force on the ground, with few Israeli losses. Only 4 unarmed Egyptian training flights were in the air when the strike began. A total of 338 Egyptian aircraft were destroyed and 100 pilots were killed. Although, the number of aircraft lost by the Egyptians is disputed. Many of the Egyptian planes who were lost were all 30 Tu-16 bombers, 27 out of 40 II-28 bombers, 12 Su-17 fighter bombers, over 90 MiG-21s, 20 MiG-19s, 25 MiG-17 fighters, and around 32 assorted transport planes and helicopters. In addition, Egyptian radars and SAM missiles were also attacked and destroyed. The Israelis lost 19 planes, including two destroyed in air-to-air combat and 13 downed by anti-aircraft artillery. One Israeli plane, which was damaged and unable to break radio silence, was shot down by Israeli Hawk missiles after it strayed over the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Another was destroyed by an exploding Egyptian bomber. The attack made Israelis to have better air fire power in the war. Attacks on other Arabic air forces by Israel took place later in the day. Hostilities broke out on other fronts. The large number of Arabic aircraft destroyed by Israel at first was called “greatly exaggerated” by the Western press. Yet, the Egyptian Air Force along with other Arabic air forces attacked by Israel made practically no appearance for the remaining days of the conflict. This proved that the numbers were authentic. All over the war, Israeli aircraft continued to strafed Arabic airfield runways to prevent their return to usability. Meanwhile, Egyptian state run radio had reported an Egyptian victory. This was false and it was false to claim that 70 Israeli planes had been downed on the first day of fighting.



The War existed in the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula too. The Egyptian forces were made up of 7 divisions. They had 4 armored two infantry and one mechanized infantry. In total, Egypt had about 1000 troops. They had 900-950 tanks in the Sinai. They were backed by APCs and 1,000 artillery pieces. This arrangement was thought to be based on the Soviet doctrine. This doctrine was about mobile armor units at strategic depth provide a dynamic defense while infantry units engaged in defensive battles. Israeli forces concentrated on the border with Egypt which included six armored brigades, one infantry brigade, one mechanized infantry brigade, three paratrooper brigades, etc. This is about 70,000 men and 700 tanks. They were organized in 3 armored divisions. The Israelis were massed on the border on the night before the war. They camouflaged themselves and observed radio silence before being ordered to advance. The Israelis wanted to surprise the Egyptian forces in timing (the attack exactly coinciding with the IAF strike on Egyptian airfields). They wanted to use location in their attacks in attacks via northern and central Sinai route. They didn’t want a repeat of the 1956 war. They didn’t use IDF to attack using central and southern routes. The Israelis used a combined force flanking approach instead of direct tank assaults.  


By Timothy