Flotilla 13: Israeli Naval Commandos in the Red Sea, 1967-1973

Flotilla 13 is the elite naval commando unit of the Israeli Defense Forces that specializes in maritime hostage rescue and counter-terrorist missions. To maintain secrecy, few of its missions have, until now, been made public. With this book, the unit's commander, Rear Adm. Ze've Almog, unveils the amazing story of Flotilla 13. For the first time, he offers details of many of the unit's operations during the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War (1968-1973), including the raids on the Adabiya coast post and the Green Island fortress that resulted in heavy casualties, and the unit's dramatic sinking of two Egyptian torpedo boats in the Gulf of Suez. The author provides memorable first-person accounts of the unit's complex and courageous operations that destroyed or captured numerous Egyptian vessels in the Red Sea, including the raid on the port of Hurgada, which forced the Egyptians to evacuate. Along with the successes, Almog also candidly discusses his unit's despair following the losses at Green Island and threats to limit its involvement in future operations, and he then describes how Flotilla 13 was transformed into a unit of high morale and performance. First published in Hebrew in 2007, this revealing account of what went on is now available in English.

Rear Adm. Ze’ev Almog, born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to parents who had emigrated from Poland in 1933, served in the Israeli Navy for 33 years, participating in five wars and hundreds of combat operations and rising through the ranks to become Commander in Chief of the Israeli Navy in 1979. After being certified a Naval Commando Warrior in 1955, he trained to become a naval officer and then earned degrees at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI. In 1968 he was appointed Commander of the Naval Commando Unit and carried out eighty operations. After his service as head of the Israeli Navy, he retired, and in 1992 was named the first USO President in Israel. Among his many awards is the Legion of Merit, presented in 1981 by United States Secretary of Defense. Currently, he is involved with voluntary public activities.