This is the authoritative account of the Israeli Army's performance in the bitter Yom Kippur War of 1973 and it is being reissued on the 30th anniversary of that conflict. The origins of the war in the turbulent history of competing powers in the Middle East are fully explored, as is the build-up of Arab forces that almost caught Israel by surprise, and the realisation of the Israeli leadership that they would once again have to fight against overwhelming odds for the survival of their state. A gripping narrative of the conflict itself, punctuated by first-hand accounts and interviews with combatants, The War of Atonement is full of drama and tales of inspirational bravery. An analysis of the political implications of the conflict bring this epic tale to a close. For this edition Chaim Herzog's son, Colonel Michael Herzog, has written an Introduction which places the book in the context of his father's achievements and gives a revealing insight of the man himself. This is the most comprehensive work on a conflict that has had major implications for our own troubled times.