When the Sky was Ours
A Fighter Pilot’s Odyssey
Ze’ev Raz
- Nonfiction
- Military Memoir
- Aviation
- Israeli History
The Book
Enter the cockpit of decorated Israeli Air Force fighter pilot Ze’ev Raz, commander of the legendary Operation Opera that destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor.
“Five hundred meters. The gunsight is unlocked, sitting perfectly on his exhaust nozzle. Suddenly, he breaks left and up. He saw me, or someone warned him. That’s when I see them… I was this close to shooting down one of our own. To this day, I don’t know who it was that I almost shot down. It’s a strange feeling being proud of something you didn’t do.”
With powerful narrative prose, When the Sky Was Ours walks the line between the heroic and the everyday as it follows the personal story of retired IAF Colonel Ze’ev “Zevik” Raz: decorated war veteran, wing commander, pioneer F-16 pilot, and graduate of the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, better known as TOPGUN. From a sickly boy on Kibbutz Geva in the Jezreel Valley to a Phantom pilot in the Yom Kippur War, from TOPGUN training in California to leading eight F-16s on the 1981 strike on the Osirak reactor in Baghdad, and to commanding the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy, Raz recounts a riveting pilot’s odyssey.
But this is no ordinary military memoir. Beneath the flight suit lies an introspective soul, carrying the weight of the friends he lost and the burden of command, and searching, like his literary hero Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, for meaning in the sky.
Why This Book Matters
When the Sky Was Ours combines the commercial appeal of high-stakes military history with the depth of literary memoir. Operation Opera, the 1981 Israeli airstrike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, remains one of the most daring and consequential missions of the twentieth century, and this book tells it from the cockpit of the man who led it.
Yet Raz writes without military bravado. His voice is lyrical, intimate, and sharply observant, layered with references to Saint-Exupéry, Kafka, the Bible, and Israeli poetry, and touched with subtle strokes of magical realism. He brings readers through dogfights over the Golan Heights and missile barrages over the Suez Canal, but also through the hardest duty of all: visiting the parents of fallen comrades. The result is a meditation on survivor’s guilt, brotherhood, and the moral weight of command.
The memoir also traces the arc of Israel itself, from the idealism of the kibbutz in the 1950s to the complexities of the modern state, ending with a moving pilgrimage to France in the footsteps of Saint-Exupéry, the pilot-writer who shaped Raz’s life.
About the Book
Genre: Literary Memoir / Military Aviation / Israeli History
Published Title | 63,800 Words
For readers of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Wind, Sand and Stars and Rodger Claire’s Raid on the Sun, When the Sky Was Ours is the inside story of an Israeli fighter pilot who led one of history’s most daring air missions.
Author
Ze’ev Raz
Born in 1947, Ze’ev Raz is a retired Israeli Air Force colonel, fighter pilot, and former commander of the IAF Flight Academy. Raised on Kibbutz Geva, he earned his wings in 1967 and served as a lead Phantom pilot during the Yom Kippur War.
Raz trained with the US Navy’s elite TOPGUN program and was part of Israel’s first F-16 delegation in 1980. He played a pivotal role in establishing Israel’s first F-16 squadron and commanded it in Operation Opera, the 1981 airstrike that destroyed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor, for which he was awarded the IDF Chief of Staff Citation. From 1987 to 1989 he commanded the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy, shaping the next generation of combat pilots.
After retiring from the military, he moved to the private sector, directing a telecommunications college in the 1990s and founding a technology startup in 2000.
Literary Credentials: Raz brings a unique voice to military memoir writing, channeling the philosophical tradition of pilot-writers like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. His narrative style combines technical precision with profound introspection, offering readers both thrilling operational details and deep emotional resonance.
Rights Status
Publishing Rights Available
Translation Rights Available: World excluding English and Hebrew
Film Rights: Available
Audio Rights: Available
Comparable Titles
This book is suitable for readers who enjoyed:
- Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Raid on the Sun by Rodger Claire
- Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
BISAC Categories
- BIO008000 – BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military
- HIS026000 – HISTORY / Middle East / General
- HIS027000 – HISTORY / Military / General
Themes
- Survivor’s Guilt and the Toll of War
- Brotherhood Among Pilots
- The Burden of Command
- Courage, Fear, and Vulnerability
- Operation Opera and Israeli History
- The Kibbutz and Lost Ideals
- Literature as a Way to Make Sense of Loss
- Searching for Peace After the Sky
Keywords
For readers interested in:
- Fighter pilot memoirs and aviation history
- Operation Opera and the Osirak raid
- The Israeli Air Force and the F-16
- TOPGUN and military aviation
- The Yom Kippur War
- Literary memoirs and narrative nonfiction
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Israeli history and kibbutz life
FAQ
Who is the author?
Retired IAF Colonel Ze’ev Raz, a TOPGUN graduate and the commander who led Operation Opera, the 1981 strike on Iraq’s nuclear reactor.
Is this a typical military memoir?
No. It is a literary memoir that combines combat and history with a lyrical, introspective voice and reflections on loss, guilt, and meaning.
What period does the book cover?
From the author’s kibbutz childhood in the 1950s, through the Yom Kippur War and Operation Opera, to his years after the Air Force in the early 2000s.
Has this book been published before?
Yes, the book is published in English.
What is the word count?
Approximately 63,800 words.
Who will enjoy this book?
Readers of aviation and military memoirs, fans of Saint-Exupéry and literary nonfiction, and anyone interested in Israeli history and the inside story of Operation Opera.
Rights Agent's Notes
When the Sky Was Ours offers publishers a rare combination: a first-hand account of one of the most famous air operations in modern history, told by the man who led it, written with genuine literary depth. Ze’ev Raz’s credentials, from TOPGUN to command of Israel’s first F-16 squadron and the IAF Flight Academy, give the book unquestionable authority.
Its lyrical voice and universal themes of loss, brotherhood, and survival lift it above the standard military memoir and broaden its appeal to readers of literary nonfiction. We see strong potential in markets with a deep interest in aviation and military history, including the US, UK, France, and Germany, where Saint-Exupéry’s legacy adds a natural point of connection.