The Making Of Israel's Army (1970) By Yigal Allon
 
Since its creation in 1948, the State of Israel has survived three major military confrontations with its Arab neighbors, and the lightning counterstrikes of its forces in the face of attacks and constant guerrilla harassment continue to guarantee the State's security. Yet at the turn of the century, the Jewish community of Palestine could count for its defense on only a few groups of ill~armed watchmen, mostly farmers. General Allon, Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, was one of the architects of the modern citizens' army that evolved from these makeshift beginnings.
 
In The Making at Israel's Army, he traces each stage in the story, analyzing the thinking behind the army's make~up and methods of training ~ before and after statehood ~ the principles of its leadership, and (not uncritically) the causes, strategies, and aftermaths of the three wars and major campaigns.
 
The first part of the book is devoted to the main story. The second comprises an anthology of authentic contemporary statements, documents, and first~hand accounts of battles and campaigns~selected by General Allon and introduced by him in each instance. These complement the main narrative, adding a further, creative dimension to the book as a whole. The result is a study that will prove as fascinating to the general reader as to the student of military history and Middle Eastern politics.
 
YIGAL ALLON, now Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, is one of his country's outstanding military commanders. Born at Kfar Tabor in Lower Galilee in 1918, he was educated in his native village and at the Kaduri Agricultural School. Later he took a degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and spent two years at St. Antony's College, Oxford. In 1954, he became a Member of the Israeli Parliament, serving from 1961 to 1968 as Minister of Labor. Allon's activities in underground defense began during the Arab riots of 1936~39, when he served in the Haganah, rapidly rising to officer rank. He was one of the founders of the Palmach, the striking arm of the Haganah, and its Commander from 1945 to 1948. During Israel's War of Independence, which broke out in 1948, he was Commander of the Southern Front which occupied the Negev Desert, including Eilat and part of the Sinai Peninsula. He came to be regarded as the most experienced field commander in the Israel Army, and personally influenced the molding of the mentality of the Israeli officer. At the time of the Six~Day War, he belonged to the Prime Minister's special inner advisory body, which formulated strategic and political policy.
 
Hard Cover with Dust Cover
273 Pages
In Good Condition