On October 30, 1956, Israeli paratroops penetrated deep into the Sinai Peninsula. In this book, General Moshe Dayan, who masterminded the invasion and commanded the Israeli troops in the field, gives his personal account of the campaign and examines the events leading up it.
The Sinai Campaign, for those with short memories, was the Israel part in what is usually referred to as the Suez Crisis. And General Dayan was the man who carried it to a successful conclusion, ending Egypt's terrorist raids and blockade of Israel's shipping, and gaining for his young country a healthy respect from friends and enemies alike. This operation was really a classic example of a new kind of war which, strictly limited in scope and objectives, takes place beneath a ""political sword of Damocles."" Israel had to act swiftly, while world attention was focused on the activities of England and France, and she had to achieve tangible results before the UN could stop her. And General Dayan is a new kind of military man: youngish, dashing, with a black patch over one eye, he had the agility of mind and the delicate flexibility of character to lead an eager but ill-prepared army which faced political and military realities. His book, based on the 1955-57 official diary of the Chief of Staff, has been trimmed in some ways, filled out in others, to provide an excellent straightforward account. It is the first to come close to giving a complete version of a little-known but important episode.
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