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Osprey History
The War of Desperation: Lebanon 1982-85
- GenresMiddle East
218 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1985
About the author
John Laffin
118 books6 followersJohn Laffin was a prolific author with nearly 130 books to his name. Many of his books concerned military history.
Laffin's parents both served in WWI, his father in the 20th Battalion and his mother as a nurse. In 1940, aged 24, having worked with Smith's Weekly and The Wagga Advertiser, he enlisted in the 2nd AIF. He trained as an infantryman and later completed an officer course before serving in New Guinea. While convalescing in Sydney in 1943 he met his wife Hazelle.
After the war Laffin worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, wrote short novels and began his own feature service and editing unit. With his family he left for England in 1956 where he resided for nearly 40 years. He wrote articles for Australian newspapers and taught English, history and geography in secondary colleges.
Laffin traveled extensively in Europe, especially the Western Front areas of WWI and in the Middle East. He returned to Australia in 1995 but Hazelle developed heart problems and died in early 1997. He is survived by his two daughters, Bronwen and Pirenne, and a son, Craig.
Laffin's parents both served in WWI, his father in the 20th Battalion and his mother as a nurse. In 1940, aged 24, having worked with Smith's Weekly and The Wagga Advertiser, he enlisted in the 2nd AIF. He trained as an infantryman and later completed an officer course before serving in New Guinea. While convalescing in Sydney in 1943 he met his wife Hazelle.
After the war Laffin worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, wrote short novels and began his own feature service and editing unit. With his family he left for England in 1956 where he resided for nearly 40 years. He wrote articles for Australian newspapers and taught English, history and geography in secondary colleges.
Laffin traveled extensively in Europe, especially the Western Front areas of WWI and in the Middle East. He returned to Australia in 1995 but Hazelle developed heart problems and died in early 1997. He is survived by his two daughters, Bronwen and Pirenne, and a son, Craig.
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July 27, 2024John Laffin covered the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as a reporter and takes a granular and military focus to the conflict. I find books like this interesting because such authors have a better sense for how a war plays out on the ground, how ordinary life can co-exist alongside it, and the dubious and chilling characters who always arrive in such places. One adventurer who appears is an American jihadist and military veteran who wore a U.S. uniform while fighting on the side of Amal, but Laffin cites a local paper saying he was killed, which was not true.
The book is also strongly favorable to Israel, which Laffin believes got a bad rap from the international media. The most ludicruous example of his favoritism comes within the space of two paragraphs where he mentions that an Israeli colonel refused orders and was dismissed, and then writes that there were no morale problems within the IDF such as desertion. There are other examples where he describes an Israeli shortcoming or failure as resulting from a positive Israeli character. The book is also critical of the PLO, which he describes as a hypocritical gangster organization, but he does not dismiss their tenacity and fighting skills. My impression of the Lebanese civil war is that it was like an especially bloody mob war.
The book is also strongly favorable to Israel, which Laffin believes got a bad rap from the international media. The most ludicruous example of his favoritism comes within the space of two paragraphs where he mentions that an Israeli colonel refused orders and was dismissed, and then writes that there were no morale problems within the IDF such as desertion. There are other examples where he describes an Israeli shortcoming or failure as resulting from a positive Israeli character. The book is also critical of the PLO, which he describes as a hypocritical gangster organization, but he does not dismiss their tenacity and fighting skills. My impression of the Lebanese civil war is that it was like an especially bloody mob war.
Displaying 1 of 1 review