Israel Seizes the Golan Heights (Uzi)

On this day in 1967 (June 10th) the Israeli Army successfully seized the Golan Heights from Syrian forces and brought an end to the short but fierce Six Day War. The conflict saw the Israelis squared off against the militaries of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq and fighting another war for national survival less than 20 years after the founding of their country.

While the seizure of the Golan Heights (and Israel’s continued claim to them, recently official recognized by the US in March) may be somewhat controversial today, it made perfect military sense at the time. In concert with other attacks, Syrian artillery had begun bombarding Israeli positions and civilian settlements. The decision was made to seize the heights, clear the Syrian fighting positions, and set up a new defensive line.

One weapon heavily used by the Israelis was the Uzi submachine gun, a tool that gave them the edge in the brutal close-in fighting that happened. Developed by Uziel Gal, and first fielded in 1954, the Uzi is a simple, effective and iconic weapon that soon found favor outside of the Middle East. In its original configuration, it fires from an open bolt and most commonly with a 32rd magazine. It comes either with a fixed wooden stock, or the pictured folding metal stock (which is much cooler IMHO, but your mileage may vary). It fires the standard 9mm cartridge and most people picking one up for the first time remark on surprisingly heavy it is. The weight, smallish cartridge and overall balance cause this to be an incredibly light recoiling gun.

I’ve included my absolute favorite picture of the Uzi in action. That beautiful mustache of a man is Secret Service agent Robert Wanko who is reacting to the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. Upon realizing there was a threat to the President he has withdrawn his Uzi from his concealment briefcase and is preparing to engage any additional threats that appear.

Because of its reliability and incredible simplicity, the Uzi has seen wide service across the globe. It soldiers on, even with more “advanced” options out there. This particular weapon is a semi-automatic clone, but is still an NFA weapon due to the 10-inch barrel making it a SBR. On a side note, the modern Uzi Pro pistol with brace I have is about as much fun as you can possibly have with your pants on.