2 PHANTOMS vs 28 MiGs: The Epic First Dogfight Of The Yom Kippur War Analysed

The Air Battle Of Ophir is a classic dogfighting tale. The surprise attack. The insurmountable odds. The outrageous kill ratio. It has the lot. Curiously it has somehow avoided the same kind of detailed scrutiny that similar tales from other wars have attracted. In this video I tell the story of the battle with as much cross referencing of sources as I can. I then analyse the claims and counter-claims about what happened 50 years ago in the early afternoon of the 6th of October 1973. I hope you enjoy this one. Given the lack of accurate accounts of the action it took me a long while to get to a view on the action that I believed in. Sources/ Notes: Amir Nachumi is a funny and very engaging speaker. He has been interviewed on numerous occasions about the battle. There are variations on the story each time - to be expected with the passing of history. What is notable is that he has little recollection of most of the actions in the battle. See what you make of these: 'How The War Fell on Me' (2013)    • Amir Nachumi's Story - How the War Fell Up...   Eagle 2016 interview:    • Eagle 2016: Amir Nachumi   Arab MiGs Volume 5 was a great source of Egyptian testimony on the battle: https://www.harpia-publishing.com/nod... IDF account of the battle: https://www.iaf.org.il/9559-55861-en/... The maps in the battle were based on my assessment of the speed of the aircraft, testimony from pilot interviews and by looking at the few pictures of the action. I am not an expert on the local geography of Sharm El Sheik and there are few pictures of it from the time. What I would say is that the other popular video on this story has the action happening far too close to the runway. Lovely animations though.

THE EVE OF BATTLE: The Opposing Air Forces In The 1973 War
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THE EVE OF BATTLE: The Opposing Air Forces In The 1973 War

FINAL RECKONING: Winners And Losers In The Yom Kippur Air War
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FINAL RECKONING: Winners And Losers In The Yom Kippur Air War

German Pilot Tested A Captured Spitfire... His Words Shocked The Luftwaffe
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German Pilot Tested A Captured Spitfire... His Words Shocked The Luftwaffe

مستند «آخرین اسکادران» - قسمت دوم - چشم در چشم با میگ-25
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مستند «آخرین اسکادران» - قسمت دوم - چشم در چشم با میگ-25

Why Japanese Pilots Couldn't Explain How the Hellcat Climbed Faster Than the Zero?
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Why Japanese Pilots Couldn't Explain How the Hellcat Climbed Faster Than the Zero?

Inside the T-34-85
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Inside the T-34-85

R60 APHID: The USSR's Radioactive Dogfight Missile Was The Right Missile At The Wrong Time
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R60 APHID: The USSR's Radioactive Dogfight Missile Was The Right Missile At The Wrong Time

Why MiG Pilots Were Terrified of the F-4 Phantom's Missiles
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Why MiG Pilots Were Terrified of the F-4 Phantom's Missiles

Why Speer Said One US Invention Erased Two Years Of Atlantic Wall Concrete
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Why Speer Said One US Invention Erased Two Years Of Atlantic Wall Concrete

How The US Navy Could Have Intervened In The Yom Kippur War; And How They'd Have Tackled The Soviets
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How The US Navy Could Have Intervened In The Yom Kippur War; And How They'd Have Tackled The Soviets

The Mysterious Fargo Wasn't As Bad As We Think. And It Could Fire Its Guns (Sometimes)
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The Mysterious Fargo Wasn't As Bad As We Think. And It Could Fire Its Guns (Sometimes)

Battle of the Philippine Sea - Hellcat Ascendancy
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Battle of the Philippine Sea - Hellcat Ascendancy

German Test Pilots Flew The Mosquito Once — Then Filed A 40 Page Emergency Report
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German Test Pilots Flew The Mosquito Once — Then Filed A 40 Page Emergency Report

SHAHAK! The Mirage III Was The Most Successful Supersonic Fighter Of The Cold War
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SHAHAK! The Mirage III Was The Most Successful Supersonic Fighter Of The Cold War

The Real Reason Why The AK-47 Is INDESTRUCTIBLE
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The Real Reason Why The AK-47 Is INDESTRUCTIBLE

600 Viet Cong Followed One Patrol Into the Jungle... and Never Came Out
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600 Viet Cong Followed One Patrol Into the Jungle... and Never Came Out

The Brief But Controversial Battle Of The Aegean, 1974
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The Brief But Controversial Battle Of The Aegean, 1974

How One Sherman Crew Killed Wittmann — The Tank Ace Hitler Couldn't Replace
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How One Sherman Crew Killed Wittmann — The Tank Ace Hitler Couldn't Replace

Why Germany's Deadliest Tank Killer at Kursk Was an Obsolete Dive Bomber
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Why Germany's Deadliest Tank Killer at Kursk Was an Obsolete Dive Bomber

Why NVA Soldiers Couldn't Understand How American Door Gunners Hit Targets While Flying at 100mph
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Why NVA Soldiers Couldn't Understand How American Door Gunners Hit Targets While Flying at 100mph