Chaim Herzog's The War of Atonement is a classic of military history, and is now being restored to print in the twenty-fifth anniversary year of the war. The War of Atonement will be published on the anniversary of the death of Chaim Herzog, formerly President of the State of Israel, whose son Colonel Michael Herzog has contributed a new Introduction for this edition. Colonel Herzog is a serving officer in the Israeli Army, and to quote from his Introduction: 'This book was written soon after the War, in 1974, and was published in 1975. The author, my late father, relied on all the relevant evidence that was then available. He conducted comprehensive interviews with Israeli leaders, army officers and ordinary soldiers; he toured the battlefields; and studied a large number of books and articles that had already been published. In writing the book, he gave expression to his vast experience as a soldier, general and intelligence expert as well as a military and political analyst and commentator. Twenty-five years have now passed since the War and the political environment in which we live has undergone great change. The world is no longer polarised as it was during the Cold War; Israel and Egypt, the largest and most important of the Arab states, have been party to a peace agreement for almost two decades; and Israel and its other neighbours have embarked upon a brittle peace process, fraught with crises and violent upheaval. Most of the then leaders have climbed down from the stage, and the technology and art of war have meanwhile taken on a somewhat different face. Nevertheless, in hindsight it seems that the book has lost none of its validity. On the contrary, on reading it again, it seems like a wine that has improved with age. A huge quantity of material on the War of Atonement has been published in the interceding years, including the memoirs of some of the leaders who were involved (such as Saddat, Golda Meir and Dayan), the versions of senior military commanders (such as the book by Saad-A-Din Shazali, the Egyptian Chief of Staff during the War) and other first-hand material. This has added details that were previously unknown, and testimony of historical weight. Nevertheless, in the final analysis this does not impair the validity of the picture painted in this book, but rather reinforces it. The book has withstood the tests of time and continues to excel in its ability to portray a comprehensive, yet sharp and accurate, picture.' After reviewing various aspects of the War, ranging from Egyptian and Syrian planning, security and military intelligence, air supremacy and superpower politics, missiles and the significance of strategic depth, Colonel Herzog comments: 'However, beyond all this, the story of the War demonstrates the extent to which man is the key to the outcome of war. This is perhaps the main message of the book. The training and skill of the soldier, his motivation, the quality of the chain of command, initiative, courage and perseverance all underlie the War's result far more than any weapons. Even in the era of technology, man still stands at the centre of the picture. In conclusion, despite all the changes that the Middle East has witnessed in the last twenty-five years, the threat of war has not yet passed. The story of this War, as told in the book, is a story not only of the wisdom of war but also of its folly. This book should be of interest not only to those seeking to increase their knowledge of the history and theory of war, but also to the layman seeking to broaden his knowledge of history in general and of the history of the Middle East in particular. This preface should have been written by the author himself but he sadly passed away before being able to embark upon it. I have assumed the task, having personally fought in the War as an infantry soldier on the Egyptian front and having continued serving in the military, but in the knowledge that nobody can really take his place. He was a unique man and gave expression to his uniqueness during a rich life, reaching the pinnacle of being President of the State of Israel. He recorded a fascinating military career as a soldier and officer in the ranks of the British Army in the war against the Nazis, in the ranks of the IDF after its establishment and as a general and head of Israeli military intelligence. In his autobiography, Living History, which he managed to publish before his death, he said of himself: I have been many things - a statesman, diplomat, businessman, commentator, lawyer, family man - but perhaps more than anything, I consider myself a soldier. If one has a great cause, I believe nothing is so noble as the willingness to fight and sacrifice for it. These pages are devoted with love and esteem to my late father, who was all these and far more.' Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 82 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com