For any serious scholar of the Bible, Middle East, or military history, this book is a must-have! It hits the trifecta of excellent research, modern relevence, and an exciting read. While the authors tend to be a bit skeptical of divine influence, they still illustrate how the Bible remains a truthful historical account.

The authors take the reader on a detailed look of the history of the ancient Israelites from the days following the Exodus to the gripping accounts of the war of the Maccabees. They regularly use not only the Bible, but extra historical accounts to make their case in detail. It becomes all the more interesting when they demonstrate how other armies used similar tactics in the same area, be they Israelites, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks, or the British.

Again, I highly recommend this book for wishing to learn a more complete picture of the wonderful book, the Bible.

my interest in this book was as a military historian. it satisfied that interest very well. details of battles and campaigns is readily understandable and extremely professional. the authors amplify discussions of tactics and strategy with authoratative discussions of social, economic, and political factors affecting the military events. herein is the enormous bonus of this book: as a practising but not particularly academic christian i was provided with a profound grasp of the historical time-line of the bible; fleshed out anthropologicly as never before. a rabbi friend borrowed my first copy and won't give it back!

Dr. Werner Keller ended his Introduction to the 2nd revised edition of his landmark "The Bible as History" by concluding, "The Bible is right after all!" What "The Bible as History" did for the historicity of the Bible, this book does for the Bible's narrative of military history. It is outstanding in every way and the only work which puts it all together so accessibly and logically. The authors draw on all available sources and the work is therefore copiously footnoted and illustrated. It is a "must have" for any person interested in Biblical history. The other customers reviews posted below describe the book in deserving detail.

Until this book, the value of the Bible as a handbook of military tactics has not been remotely plumbed in appropriate depth. It is a great loss both to any soldier and to the general public because the Old Testament's accounts of battles contain a treasure trove of military strategies. In several places in the Bible, God explicitly tells the Israelites how to negotiate the terrain He created to defeat an enemy. When the Israelites follow God's instructions, they always win. This is remarkable given the Israelites' lack of heavy weapons, armor and equipment in the face of enemies with superior numbers and armament. This book explains the great geographical significance of the terrain, roads and cities of Palestine that are so vital to the land but mean so little to us. Place names of little towns is Israel that we skim over in the narrative from Joshua to II Chronicles suddenly become real and alive.

A little known fact: In 1917, during the First World War, the British Army in Palestine under General Allenby found themselves arrayed against the Turks in an obscure little place called Micmash in the Judean highlands. The name "Micmash" sounded vaguely familiar to a major in the British Army. By candlelight that night, he searched through the Bible he brought with him until he found the reference in I Samuel 14. It turned out that the Israelites had found themselves similarly disposed against the Philistines at the same location at Micmash almost three thousand years earlier. By copying the successful tactics of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, the British achieved the same results against the Turks the next morning.

There would be more stories like this one if the Biblical narratives were taken to heart today. Chariots, siegecraft, wadis, ambushes, night marches, trumpets blasts which crumble ancient walls, the day when the sun stood still, Assyrian brutality . . . at its worst, this book is an entertaining read. At its best, it deserves a place alongside Werner Keller's "The Bible as History" echoing the same thesis--"The Bible is right after all!"

Chaim Herzog will always be remembered in my heart as the man who defended Israel's rights on and against the world's stage; the United Nations. I would like to transcribe for you a direct quote from his speech on October 17, 1975, when the UN was about to formally vote on institutionalizing the notion of "Zionism is racism":

__________

"We have listened to the most unbelievable nonsense on the issue of Zionism and from whom? From countries who are the archetypes of racism.

...How dare you talk of racism to us, we who suffered more than any other nation in the world from racist theories and practices, a nation which has suffered the most terrifying holocaust in the history of mankind.

...This is a sad day for the United Nations. The Jewish people will not forget this scene nor this vote.

We are a small people with a proud history. We have lived through much in our history.

We shall survive this shameful exhibition, . . . and I thank the delegations who have expressed themselves against this pernicious resolution. We shall not forget those who voted to attack our religion and our faith. We shall never forget."

__________

Of course, his entire memoir is not written out as angry as he was when his role was as Israel's ambassador to the UN, but his writings are just as passionate.

For anyone interested in the history of the modern state of Israel, this is a must read. He was there at just about every important turn and twist; (British intelligence officer in) World War II, Israel's War of Independence, at David Ben-Gurion's side, the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, the "Zionism is Racism" debate, and as the president of Israel for ten years -- through a national unity government and the Intifada.

Simply an amazing life.

I met Chaim Herzog in 1996, after the publication of his book and just before his death. I knew that he was one of Israel's formost warriors/statesmen, but of his life in between, well, I realized that I knew nothing indeed about him until I began to read his memoir.

The title "Living History" is perfect in all its sense. It's a fascinating account of his and modern Israel's story.

I read this book a few years ago. I've read probably 100+ books on the Holocaust, for all ages and different topics. This is, the most powerful book I have ever read on this subject matter.
The last letters speak for themselves--some are so horrifying that I wish I never read them. I am haunted by the despair and terrible things written in these letters. One letter, in particular, outlining the abuse of little girls by the SS, makes one think that Germany will--and should--be forever stained by its past deeds. I am surprised that few people know about this book.
The letters were hidden, dropped from trains, left with others--most of the writers died and this is their last testament.
This book is the reality, the truth of this time. People with young children should be warned about this book: when you read about the despair of these young parents you won't be able to sleep.

This book gives a comprehensive account of the war through the IDF's eyes. The author gives us the overall tactical history of the war, in addition to many stirring accounts of individual acts of bravery. Highly recommended for those who are interested in historical accounts of warfare.

The Yom Kippur War is the greatest war fought by the Israeli Army. The same brigade that was badly mauled in the initial onslaught, was also the brigade that cleared the Chinese Farm, in preparation for Arik Sharon's counterattack. However, up to this day, Herzog is still hiding the mistakes made by his fellow generals, i.e. Bar-Lev, Gonen, Hofi. Herzog, claimed that Gonen, was just unlucky in being GOC Southern Command, when war broke out. If he had been a division commander, he would hv emerged victorious, like Arik Sharon. Question is: isn't that what leadership is all about? Exercising good judgements as a leader in times of disorientation? In this, Bar-lev & Gonen, has failed miserable. The failure to evacuate the Bar-lev strongholds at the onset of the war, has costed hundreds of Israeli lives, trying to rescue the survivors. Instead of consolidating its forces, Gonen sent Ammon, Dan, Natke brigades in piece-meals attacks, even though the size of the Sinai is an excellent buffer, wiping out more than half of Israeli frontline forces before the reserves arrive. The Bar-lev Line has been a disaster and only Arik Sharon, Israel Tal & Avraham Tamir, managed to forsee the damage that it will bring, in the event of a war. Herzog called the failed attack on the 8th Oct, as An Opportunity Lost. I would rather termed it a major disaster. Only Arik understood, that the main objective, has to be to cross the Canal, and undermine the Egytians, without the costly battle of taking on the Egytians on the east bank, head on. On the Northern front, i can't see any reason why Hofi should be given credit for the fine performance. When the whole Golan was swarmed by Syrians, it was only Raful Eitan, who is there on the Golan, calmly controlling the battle, while the rest are in their war-room. The war was won, when the Israelis maanged to hold off the attack, while the reservists were streaming in. IDF can only improve if it learns from its mistakes.

October 1973. The Yom Kippur War. Few people will be ignorant of this conflict when Egypt and Syria carried out their surprise attack upon the Israelis at the most Holy time in the Jewish calendar, when the Israeli forces were at their most vulnerable due to religious observance.

As I had just begun my own military training in my own country, I remember wondering if the conflict would expand and include our own military due to the sabre-rattling of the super-powers as the Israelis turned initial defeat into eventual victory.

I have read a number of accounts of that historic conflict since then, but few come close to this account by Major General Chaim Herzog.

It's recent re-release is most welcome. The author's articulate and extremely well written record and analysis is a worthy addition to anyone's library. Some might find it controversial and expect it to be biased due to the author's own nationality. I did not find this.

Instead I found this to be a brilliant account of unbelievable bravery in the face of heavily outnumbered forces, self-sacrifice and incredible counter-attacks. The author describes how early Egyptian and Syrian advances which threatened the very existence of the Jewish state, were thwarted and repulsed. Advances that subsequently turned into a retreat which saw Israeli forces within artillery range of the Syrian capital Damascus and well on the road to the Egyptian capital Cairo.

This is not all about the 'glamour and glory' of an Israeli victory. Far from it. It endeavours to tell the real story, as much as possible the full story of the war with all it's successes, omissions and failures. It is also the story of a people in possibly their greatest hour of challenge in present day history.

The Arab media had promised it's masses that the entire Israeli population, men, women and children, would be subject to destruction and annihilation in the most brutal manner. With the horrors of the holocaust being only recent memories, those Israelis who took these threats seriously must have been horrified.

The outset of the war and initial Israeli losses have been subject to a variety of claims surrounding poor intelligence etc.. The impotence of the UN and the super-powers in preventing this conflict is there for all to see, as is the shadow of a potential nuclear catastrophe resulting from the super-powers' involvement towards the end. Notable is the fact that whilst the Egyptian and Syrian attacks were in full swing, there was little movement towards enforcing any ceasefire. Yet when the roles were reversed, the world bent over backwards to ensure a ceasefire was adhered to.

It is also notable that Chaim Herzog, even a quarter of a century ago, makes reference in this book to the phased plan of the Arab nations towards destroying Israel involving an initial withdrawal by the Jewish state to the 1967 borders.

(Ring any bells pertaining to present day politics ?)

Notably also is the authors remarks of that time to the effect that the civilian populations in the region will become exposed to no less a degree than the military forces in any future war. We need only look around us now to see the veracity in his remarks.

Read this book to see what, if any lessons have been learnt by either side, and how the world reacted at different stages of the conflict. It is a sobering read and will open your eyes, not only to the military situation in the Middle East in 1973, but to the attitude of the nations and a present day scenario which threatens similar conflicts in the future.

Arab-Israeli Wars is the story of the military conflicts between Israel and her Arab neighbors from the 1948 War of Independence to the operations in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Although author Chaim Herzog was personally involved in the events he describes, this work is not a memoir. Herzog seems to go out of his way, in fact, to avoid mentioning himself or his role. Instead, the book is a narrative of the military actions and an analysis of the causes of victory and defeat.

Herzog does his best to be impartial, though his pride in his country's military accomplishments is unconcealed. Using rather simplistic logic, he initially blames the Arabs themselves for causing the Palestinian problem, but Herzog largely steers clear of the political side of the conflict. His narrative covers only the wars themselves, skipping over the interwar periods. This approach avoids many of the more controversial diplomatic and social issues, but it also neglects to summarize peacetime military developments.

The text is clear, concise, and easy to follow using the excellent maps provided. Most of the action is described at the high command level, so we miss the occasional "view from the trenches" that other military histories often provide. And there are few clues to the actual makeup and character of the Israeli or Arab forces.

The great strength of the book is that military actions and outcomes are always related back to the big strategic picture. We always know what the Arabs and Israelis were out to accomplish militarily and how the outcome of an engagement favored or thwarted these goals.

The greatest compliment that can be paid to this book is that both arabs and Israeli scholars consider it a reasonably authoritiative text. That is even more amazing, given that Herzog was the President of Israel.

The text is very readble, though it sometimes gets bogged down in very minor detail. That said, Herzog brings the story to life by introducing us to many of the front line commanders whose decisions often dramatically effected the tide of battle.

In many ways, the history of the modern middle east is written by wars. This book provides a wonderful introduction to a most important aspect of this area of study.

Chaim Herzog, a former Isreali president is suprisingly impartial in his detailed analysis of the Arab Isreali wars. His descriptions of battles and strategies are at times confusing for someone without a military background but it is an interesting read throughout and Herzog sheds a lot of light on the cause and effect of each war including the Palestinian problem.It includes moving accounts of extreme bravery and self sacrifice in battle and saddening accounts of the trajedy of war. You do not have to be a history or military scholar to enjoy this book. I would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the turbulent history of Middle Eastern affairs.