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Loud and Clear: The Memoir of an Israeli Fighter Pilot
A recently retired Israeli Air Force general and its second-highest-scoring fighter ace, Iftach Spector is one of Israel’s living legends. He was the leader of the flight that attacked the USS Liberty in 1967. After the 1967 and 1973 wars, in which he commanded a squadron of fighter-bombers, he rose to head the IAF’s Training and War Lessons Section and later became its the Chief of Operations. He was one of the eight Israeli pilots who attacked Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor at Osirik in 1981.
In 2003, his career took an even more dramatic he was the senior signatory of the famous “Pilots’ Letter,” in which Spector and 27 other Israeli pilots stated their refusal to bomb targets in Palestine where collateral damage would likely be severe. His maverick conscience is well on display in this artfully written memoir, which is currently a 10-week-and-counting bestseller in Israel and has been licensed in Brazil as well.
The son of a family that immigrated to Palestine at the turn of the 20th century, whose father and mother served in the Palmach, Israel’s early clandestine commando force, Spector has written a rich and reflective meditation on loyalty, on what is right and wrong in war, and on his dedication to the idea and reality of the state of Israel.
The Pilots’ Letter ended Spector’s military career, but also made him one of the most compelling and celebrated defenders of the conscience of the Jewish state. In that battle, as in his previous battles against Nasser’s MiGs, his mother’s constant lesson to him sustained “All from within.”
General Spector’s first book, A DREAM IN BLACK AND AZURE (1992; never translated into English), won the Sade Literary Award, given to him personally by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He has a B.A. in history and Middle East Studies from Tel Aviv University and a masters in political science from UCLA, both with honors.
In 2003, his career took an even more dramatic he was the senior signatory of the famous “Pilots’ Letter,” in which Spector and 27 other Israeli pilots stated their refusal to bomb targets in Palestine where collateral damage would likely be severe. His maverick conscience is well on display in this artfully written memoir, which is currently a 10-week-and-counting bestseller in Israel and has been licensed in Brazil as well.
The son of a family that immigrated to Palestine at the turn of the 20th century, whose father and mother served in the Palmach, Israel’s early clandestine commando force, Spector has written a rich and reflective meditation on loyalty, on what is right and wrong in war, and on his dedication to the idea and reality of the state of Israel.
The Pilots’ Letter ended Spector’s military career, but also made him one of the most compelling and celebrated defenders of the conscience of the Jewish state. In that battle, as in his previous battles against Nasser’s MiGs, his mother’s constant lesson to him sustained “All from within.”
General Spector’s first book, A DREAM IN BLACK AND AZURE (1992; never translated into English), won the Sade Literary Award, given to him personally by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. He has a B.A. in history and Middle East Studies from Tel Aviv University and a masters in political science from UCLA, both with honors.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 23, 2011
SUPERB!! Unexpectedly brilliant! So glad I got this book on a whim during a rare mosey around Foyles. Iftach Spector has written the best military auto-biog and maybe the best auto-biog I've ever read. His writing is at once intimate and warm as he confides in his reader. The early chapters and the dominant thread is obviously about his impressive career as a fighter pilot and later expands on the fascinating events during the wars of 67, 68-70, and 73. Those sections alone would make a very good book. General Spector's originality is the way he expands on his professionalism and integrity through his evolving life-view as he ages. Integrity is the dominant trait that comes across.
His description of how he gradually fell out of step with the strategic thinking with his own radical ideas and exceptional foresight is the beginning of his self-disciplined, and self-respecting 'opposition' - which culminates where the book begins: his signing of the Pilots' Letter to the Israeli Air Force command in late 2003 following the IDF's indiscriminate bombing of a terrorist target in Gaza. I salute him for making that small but important sacrifice.
The chapters come thick and fast as the ace pilot becomes a ground-breaking squadron leader and first class leader of men. A frightening episode on the way to Damascus during the Yom Kippur war is retold breathtakingly. As are countless others - a disastrous dog-fight with the ethereal 'Hasan' over Jabal Druze is edge of your seat stuff, and a virtually fuelless getaway through the wadis of south Sinai is almost unbelievably dramatic right to the last word of the chapter. All the aircraft he flies from the Mystere to the Mirage, the Phantom to the F-16, come alive with their own personalities in the author's thoughtful words.
I was ready to give this book 5 stars before the final chapters, but they just exceeded everything up to here. The reunion evening 20 years after the raid on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor is incredibly moving, especially the passages about the personal fears and the tragedy of astronaut Ilan Ramon. And then, to finish we're taken back to the beginning and the reason he signs the Pilots' Letter. His assessment of where Israel has gone wrong, and why, is spot on, and his proposals for their remedy are exactly how I see it and would want the leaders of Israel to see it. Israel needs men of Iftach Spector's integrity and calibre right at the very top. A great book and a great man.
His description of how he gradually fell out of step with the strategic thinking with his own radical ideas and exceptional foresight is the beginning of his self-disciplined, and self-respecting 'opposition' - which culminates where the book begins: his signing of the Pilots' Letter to the Israeli Air Force command in late 2003 following the IDF's indiscriminate bombing of a terrorist target in Gaza. I salute him for making that small but important sacrifice.
The chapters come thick and fast as the ace pilot becomes a ground-breaking squadron leader and first class leader of men. A frightening episode on the way to Damascus during the Yom Kippur war is retold breathtakingly. As are countless others - a disastrous dog-fight with the ethereal 'Hasan' over Jabal Druze is edge of your seat stuff, and a virtually fuelless getaway through the wadis of south Sinai is almost unbelievably dramatic right to the last word of the chapter. All the aircraft he flies from the Mystere to the Mirage, the Phantom to the F-16, come alive with their own personalities in the author's thoughtful words.
I was ready to give this book 5 stars before the final chapters, but they just exceeded everything up to here. The reunion evening 20 years after the raid on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor is incredibly moving, especially the passages about the personal fears and the tragedy of astronaut Ilan Ramon. And then, to finish we're taken back to the beginning and the reason he signs the Pilots' Letter. His assessment of where Israel has gone wrong, and why, is spot on, and his proposals for their remedy are exactly how I see it and would want the leaders of Israel to see it. Israel needs men of Iftach Spector's integrity and calibre right at the very top. A great book and a great man.
June 14, 2015
Fascinating look at the Israeli air force from its inception to present day through the career of Iftach Spector. Not only a military memoir but a deeper look into what it means to be Israeli at a point in time of divisiveness and moral uncertainty. Solid 4 stars.
April 25, 2013
lots of good stories and a great narrative. Throughout the book, I developed issues with both Spector and the IAF, but still was entertained and moved by everything that took place.
April 16, 2026
Quando se trata do oriente, nós-os ocidentais- tendemos a construir uma visão unilateral dos fatos e fazemos afirmações com uma certeza enorme mesmo sem nenhum embasamento sobre o tema. Esse livro traz uma perspectiva de quem viveu a história nesse mundo tão distante de nós. O autor é um oficial aviador da Força Aérea Israelense que participou de todos os conflitos depois da guerra de independência e se tornou um dos grandes ases modernos, o que, por si só, já confere credibilidade ao seu livro. No entanto, essa não é a principal virtude do seu relato, a maior delas é sua sinceridade e transparência quanto aos seus erros e acertos pessoais e os erros e acertos do Estado de Israel. No decorrer do livro, Spector traz a tona questionamentos sobre métodos de comando e combate e tece críticas e elogios bastante fundamentados aos comandantes militares e aos políticos, usando sua própria história pessoal e profissional como ferramenta para a construção dessas ideias. O livro também traz relatos emocionantes e cenas de ação, o que traz um dinamismo e foge de se tornar uma obra puramente crítica e pragmática, além de presentear os amantes da aviação com muitos detalhes técnicos e histórias de vôo. Outro aspecto interessante são as lições de liderança e gestão de pessoas presentes em diversos momentos tensos da vida do autor.Em suma, a obra se prova como leitura obrigatória para aqueles que desejam enteder mais o contexto do oriente médio, para os que gostam de aviação e para aqueles que são líderes ou estão em formação, sejam militares ou civis.
August 13, 2022
One of the most honest and deeply considered books on the Middle East conflict. Spector is a remarkable leader, fighter, inventor/entrepreneur and thinker. What I found here was a self-critical approach to problems, from management to aerial combat tactics to policy, with clearly explained solutions. Refreshing, honest and brilliant!
November 15, 2017
Filled with details about IAF history to delight any military aviation enthusiast, Loud and Clear also tries to learn from these events.
Spector delves into military and political thought, giving this book extra depth beyond the thrill of tails of air combat.
Spector delves into military and political thought, giving this book extra depth beyond the thrill of tails of air combat.
May 31, 2021
A bit verbose, but a good read nonetheless.
October 27, 2021
Got to learn many things about the Israeli Air Force, their missions & most importantly some life lessons. Thank you!!
April 15, 2025
From Within!
Outstanding! If I had been able I would have considered myself fortunate had I been able to have flown with the Orange Tails! I'm for Israel all the way!
Outstanding! If I had been able I would have considered myself fortunate had I been able to have flown with the Orange Tails! I'm for Israel all the way!
February 23, 2014
Very interesting introspective look at the development of a battle-tested leader.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews