Military issue booklet from the Omani Civil War

[Dhofar Rebellion]. Know Your Enemy. [I'rif 'aduwak]. Apne Dushman Ko Pehchano.

€ 4.500,00

A hitherto unrecorded book issued by the Sultans Armed Forces (SAF) to its soldiers, detailing the weaponry the SAF believes are in use by its opponents in the Dhofar Rebellion (or Omani Civil War), the Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF). Published a mere six months after the 1970 Omani coup d'état which replaced Said bin Taimur (1910-72) with his son Qaboos bin Said Al Said (1940-2020) in the midst of the fighting, the book's introduction states the purpose of the SAF: "The aim of the operations about to begin is to liberate the people of Dhofar from their Communist oppressors. Our Dhofari brothers will not be able to enjoy the better life that Sultan Qaboos has promised them until we in SAF have captured or killed the Communist leaders and destroyed their weapons and ammunition".

The bulk of the book is dedicated to specifications of enemy weaponry: "This book is to show you what these enemy weapons look like and teach you the names of the principal enemy leaders who are your main target. Read this book carefully". Following are diagrams and specifications of guns, anti-tank missile launchers, and hand grenades. All are captioned in Arabic and English, with special attention paid to defining characteristics of each.

Featured weapons include the Soviet 7.62mm Assault Rifle AK (AK 47), Czechoslovakian 7.62mm Model 58 Assault Rifle (M 58), 7.62mm Simonov Semiautomatic Carbine (SKS), 7.92mm KAR 98k, 7.62mm Degtyarev Light Machine Gun (RPD), 7.62mm Goryunov Heavy Machine Gun (SG 43 or SGM), 12.7mm DShk M1938 Heavy Machine Gun (DSK), 14.5mm KPV Machine Gun (KPV), CCA 57mm Recoilless Rifle Type 36 (Type 36), CCA 75mm Recoilless Rifle Type 56, Light Anti-Tank Launcher RPG-2, and Light Anti-Tank Launcher RPG 7. Each is listed with recognition features, size, ammunition, range, and often a short note. Following are a list of names identified by the SAF as "known rebel leaders on the jebel".

Not seen in institutional holdings or in auction records. Remarkably well preserved.