'_A scrupulously researched account...the most authoritative yet to have appeared_.' **Financial Times** '_Certainly the best account of the war from the Israeli standpoint that has yet appeared or is likely to appear for some years to come_.' **Basil Collier, New York Times Book Review** This is the authoritative account of the Israeli Army s performance in the bitter Yom Kippur War of 1973\. The origins of the war in the turbulent history of competing powers in the Middle East are fully explored, as are the build-up of Arab forces that almost caught Israel by surprise, and the realisation of the Israeli leadership that they would have to fight against overwhelming odds for the survival of their state. An analysis of the political implications of the conflict brings this epic tale to a close. A gripping narrative, punctuated by first-hand accounts and interviews with combatants, _The War of Atonement_ is full of drama and tales of inspirational bravery. For this edition Chaim Herzog s son, Colonel Michael Herzog, has written an Introduction that 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.