A complete history of one of the world's most admired-and most mythologized-fighting forces. AUTHOR COMMENT: "He who fights the weak will end up by becoming weak. He who, fighting the weak, behaves like a coward, will end up by turning into one. This is the central message of The Sword and the Olive; and one which, while using the Israeli Army as its case in point, also applies to the other armed forces of this world and, indeed, to human life in general. . . . This book then, takes a fresh look at the factors which will make men (and women, since Israel is the only country in history to conscript them for military service) either want to or refuse to fight. At the same time, it tells the story of one of the twentieth century's best known, and most admired, armed forces."
Renowned defense expert Martin Van Creveld (author of Command in War) offers a comprehensive 20th-century military history of Israel, starting in 1907 with the organization of Jewish settler groups and concluding with the modern day. Much of the focus is on the Israeli Defense Force's glory years, roughly the quarter century from when Israel secured its independence in 1949, through the Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria (and their Soviet advisors) in 1967, to the October War against Egypt and Syria in 1973. Despite being massively outnumbered, Israel won smashing victories each time--and allowed many experts to claim that man for man, no army in the world was tougher than the one Israel put in the field. Van Creveld (himself an Israeli) celebrates these accomplishments, but is extremely critical of what has happened since: He compares Israel's bungled invasion of Lebanon in 1982 to the American experience in the Vietnam War and cites the Israeli military's various shortcomings in confronting the Palestinian Intifada. Morale in the armed forces is now at a low point, writes van Creveld, who disturbingly suggests that his country's apparent military invincibility may be a thing of the past. Whatever one thinks of this claim, few can doubt that The Sword and the Olive is an inspiring portrayal of courage and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. --John J. Miller
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
An unfair survey:
Van Creveld 's knowledgeable account of the early years of the Israeli Defense Forces degenerates in its post- Yom Kippur War phase to a sad insulting polemic. Here it should be noted that Van Creveld is the person who upon the US invasion of Iraq predicted that the Israeli Army in a coordinated move would expel all Palestinians from the West Bank. Of course this loudly made prediction as many of Van Creveld's claims in this book proved to be nothing but the empty product of his very disturbed imagination.... more info
The Arms of Zion:
Detailing the evolution of the Israeli Defence Force from its pre -world war one beginning as a private company of guards (Ha-shomer), through its War of Independence and its "finest hour" in the 1967 Six Day War, and up to the 1990s with its failure to act during the 1991 first Gulf War and first Intifada (1986-1993), "The Sword and the Olive" is a compelling portrait of Israel's army, and, as the IDF is one of Israel's central institution, of the Israeli State and of Israeli society in the 20th... more info
By Jerusalem-based military expert Martin van Creveld:
Written by Jerusalem-based military expert Martin van Creveld (the only non-American author on the U.S. Army's required reading list for officers), The Sword And The Olive: A Critical History Of The Israeli Defense Force is a straightforward accounting of the history of Israel's army, beginning with its origins in the early 1900's when Jews fleeing Russian pogroms banded together for defense against hostile Arabs, down to modern day Israeli military clashes in Lebanon and against Intifada uprisings. The... more info
Critical is the key word:
Reading this book is like watching bloopers after a good program. The only problem is... there is no good program here, only the bloopers. The fact that the author is biased is not the big issue (all authors are), but Mr. Van Creveld doesn't even attempt to disguise it. As far as the writing is concerned, the book is boring and repetitious and the constant comparisons of Israeli tactics with those of the Nazis are utterly sickening. If you're interested in the History of the IDF, avoid this book. There... more info
