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The Heights of Courage: A Tank Leader's War On the Golan
In October 1973, the State of Israel was invaded by Egyptian and Syrian forces. Despite early losses, Israel managed to outfight its opponents. The brief and bloody Yom Kippur War stands as a unique chapter in modern military history. Fought primarily by tank units, the war became a story not only of battle strategy and tactics, but also one of human discipline, endurance and sacrifice.
While many historians have chronicled the events of the Yom Kippur War, few have been seasoned by actual combat. Avigdor Kahalani, commander of a tank battalion on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War, describes this experience in The Heights of Courage. Beginning with a description of the initial Syrian offensive, he recounts the personal endeavors of his men, their fears and their ambitions, as well as their emotional and physical hardships. His stark account traces the efforts of the Israel Armored Corps as they struggle to overcome extreme difficulties and setbacks. The author describes their ultimate penetration into enemy territory and their approach to within forty kilometers of Damascus.
While many historians have chronicled the events of the Yom Kippur War, few have been seasoned by actual combat. Avigdor Kahalani, commander of a tank battalion on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War, describes this experience in The Heights of Courage. Beginning with a description of the initial Syrian offensive, he recounts the personal endeavors of his men, their fears and their ambitions, as well as their emotional and physical hardships. His stark account traces the efforts of the Israel Armored Corps as they struggle to overcome extreme difficulties and setbacks. The author describes their ultimate penetration into enemy territory and their approach to within forty kilometers of Damascus.
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Avigdor Kahalani
7 books5 followersAvigdor Kahalani was a career officer in the Israel Defense Forces, ultimately reaching the rank of Brigadier General. He is a veteran of the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War and the Lebanon War; also he is one of the most decorated Israeli soldiers. After leaving active service he entered politics and was elected to be a Member of the Knesset.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 5, 2015
Brilliant study of the Vale of Tears battle on the Golan Heights at the start of the 1973 Arab Israeli War. Then Lt. Col. Kahalani commanded a Centurion battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade, IDF. The sheer courage of the encounter stands out on every page. Tank battles were fought at ranges from 1.5K to 5m. Outnumbered enormously the Israelis fought to the last man and the last shell. There was no other option. Their homes and families were 30K behind them. It was truly win or die. The Syrians would not have stopped at the frontiers. They would have killed all of the Isaraeli civilians they could have gotten their hands on; had they broken through at the Vale of Tears. The elder Assad made it clear that it was to be a war of extermination if Syrian armor broke through into Northern Israel. The story of those days on the Heights leap from Kahalani's pages. The book was written only a few years after the event. Tactical detail is sketchy for security reasons but the main narrative is clear. This volume is required reading at West Point and in the Armored School of the United States Army. The language, originally Hebrew, is simple, even understated. The officers and men of 7th Armor redefined honor and duty for the ages.
December 2, 2014
When I read this I was in the army and Avigdor Kahalani was something of a legend.
I read it in Hebrew.
The book, gives you an insider view of a tank battalion commander in the Golan Heights during the 1973 war. Kahalani got a Medal of Valor (highest Israeli military decoration) for his part in stopping the Syrian army during the war.
I read it in Hebrew.
The book, gives you an insider view of a tank battalion commander in the Golan Heights during the 1973 war. Kahalani got a Medal of Valor (highest Israeli military decoration) for his part in stopping the Syrian army during the war.
June 27, 2017
The Heights of Courage: A Tank Leader's War on the Golan is one of the best books around about tank warfare. Avigdor Kahalani was the commander of a battalion of Israeli Centurions during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. That war was basically a tank war, and it was fought under very adverse conditions. Kahalani and his men were in the thick of the action all the way. It is a compelling true story.
August 17, 2012
This is the book that anyone interested in tank warfare should read. It's the impressive recount and tale of the Yom Kippur war on the Golan, as witnessed through the eyes of a tank batallion commander who was there. And who was probably way too modest to put his own outstanding performance and personal bravery into the right perespective.
April 30, 2012
This was pretty much a diary of the action between the Syrians and Israelite forces from the viewpoint of one of the Tank leaders. It's rather matter of fact. He records his actions and how his orders helped shape the battle. You don't get the big picture of the war and will be confined to the action that Kahalani witnessed.
July 18, 2016
I wish there would have been on information on what was happening at a higher level. While most war books don't get down into the actual tanks like this books, this books keeps you in the tank and you are at a loss at what is happening outside what is heard over the radio. I guess that is the theme of the book but I wanted more. I'm now on a search for a good book on the whole war.
June 11, 2019
Great depiction of the brutal reality of modern armed conflict. Also highlights the importance and difficulty of maintaining communication with units at a distance and with maintaining supply and maintenance lines.
July 4, 2023
Before picking up this book, I was told that it is a must-read for tankers around the world. I was reluctant to start it, as I presumed the reader would need to invest attention to details and meticulous study of maps and battle diagrams. I was wrong. Finished it in a couple of days of relaxed and pleasant reading. The author provides a 1st person POV of the action and the book feels more like a personal diary than a battle study.
Kahalani was the commander of a brigade of Centurion tanks on the Golan in '73. One of the largest and most epic tank battles of post-WWII times took place there. That alone, makes this book unique. However, the writing is surprisingly and effortlessly good. Kahalani is able to convey the feelings of the men who were there through the chaos of battle, the challenges of communications and command, the loss of comrades and friends, the fear of sudden death. The author describes the experience of his own unit, not a bird's eye view of the whole war. What information we learn about what is happening in other units or fronts, is provided only when and if it was made known to Kahalani himself at the time. This adds to the realism of the book.
If you are interested in seeing what a modern war between peer adversaries actually feels like for the men doing the fighting, this book is a must read.
Kahalani was the commander of a brigade of Centurion tanks on the Golan in '73. One of the largest and most epic tank battles of post-WWII times took place there. That alone, makes this book unique. However, the writing is surprisingly and effortlessly good. Kahalani is able to convey the feelings of the men who were there through the chaos of battle, the challenges of communications and command, the loss of comrades and friends, the fear of sudden death. The author describes the experience of his own unit, not a bird's eye view of the whole war. What information we learn about what is happening in other units or fronts, is provided only when and if it was made known to Kahalani himself at the time. This adds to the realism of the book.
If you are interested in seeing what a modern war between peer adversaries actually feels like for the men doing the fighting, this book is a must read.
September 2, 2024
I read this as a scanned copy on the Internet Archive. I had been wanting to read about the battle of the "Valley of Tears" in the 1973 Yom Kippur War after visiting the memorial to Oz 77 in Israel in May 2023. This book was written by an Israeli tank commander who fought against the Syrians in that decisive battle. The book provides very much a ground-level perspective on the battle and reads almost like a transcript of radio transmissions between Kahalani and his superiors and soldiers. Kahalani experienced tank combat at first hand and lost friends in the conflict, but the book is written in a very dry and almost detached style. There is a lot of information but it didn't add up to a compelling narrative for me. I guess I will have to seek out a book that gives a wider history of the war. Three out of five stars.
January 1, 2025
Avigdor Kahalani led an armored battalion in brutal fighting on the Golan Heights in the Yom Kippur War of October, 1973, a battle in which he won the Israeli Medal of Valor. Kahalani is well known for this battle and has appeared in multiple written and video accounts of his battles.
While Kahalani does convey what he and his battalion did, he doesn’t have the natural storytelling ability of somebody like Clint Romesha, Eugene Sledge, or Ernst Junger. Also, although the book had two somewhat hard to read maps, this book could have used more and better maps.
The Israeli tankers fought like lions on the Golan Heights. It would be good to see an account that better honors their efforts. 3.5 stars.
While Kahalani does convey what he and his battalion did, he doesn’t have the natural storytelling ability of somebody like Clint Romesha, Eugene Sledge, or Ernst Junger. Also, although the book had two somewhat hard to read maps, this book could have used more and better maps.
The Israeli tankers fought like lions on the Golan Heights. It would be good to see an account that better honors their efforts. 3.5 stars.
March 5, 2023
Easy read with some chunky military details
Many people do not understand what I means to serve in the military and even more so in a country that is under constant threat of attack, as Israel is. This first hand account by a tank commander during the Yum Kippur War in 1974 will shed some light on the realness of war as well as how it is intertwined with personal life.
This is a short read and should be considered by anyone that wants to learn from a first hand account of a short but costly war in the middle east. No additional political or worldwide view of the events, merely a detailed first account by someone considered as one of the great heroes of this war.
Many people do not understand what I means to serve in the military and even more so in a country that is under constant threat of attack, as Israel is. This first hand account by a tank commander during the Yum Kippur War in 1974 will shed some light on the realness of war as well as how it is intertwined with personal life.
This is a short read and should be considered by anyone that wants to learn from a first hand account of a short but costly war in the middle east. No additional political or worldwide view of the events, merely a detailed first account by someone considered as one of the great heroes of this war.
October 8, 2018
Avigdor Kahalani's fist-hand account of the Battle for the Golan Heights during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. "I remember all of them ... who fought like lions till morning dawned. I stand here alone and my heart is filled with a silent prayer: Let there be no more war."
March 16, 2021
Interesting personal account.
August 20, 2021
Breath taking account of the Yom Kippour war from à tankers perspective
November 12, 2022
A stirring story of determination and bravery by all involved. The translation could have been better but worth it for the saga.
September 28, 2025
compelling read
A moment by moment re-telling the experience of a tank commander under grueling conditions . The bravery of these men is breathtaking . Detailed, poetic, well told.
A moment by moment re-telling the experience of a tank commander under grueling conditions . The bravery of these men is breathtaking . Detailed, poetic, well told.
April 13, 2025
En mycket underhållande bok. Läsvärd om man är intresserad av militärhistoria och militärtaktik.
October 2, 2007
Narrative of the Yom Kippur War on Golan Heights by an Israli tank commander. Day by day details of the war as he saw it. This was a little hard to follow because he refered to units by the first names of their commanders, so it was difficult to know if an engagement was by one tank, a squad, company, or battalion - more so after commanders started to be killed and men moved up.
his was one of the books that inspired Harold Coyle to write Team Yankee, which is a much better description of modern tank warfare.
his was one of the books that inspired Harold Coyle to write Team Yankee, which is a much better description of modern tank warfare.
November 9, 2008
What a few brave men can do when faced with overwhelming odds.
March 13, 2009
of interest to tank grogs
July 12, 2013
Was this the Battle of Armageddon as mentioned in the Bible in The Book of Revelation, Chapter 16, verse 16?
April 25, 2016
A gritty, honest, compelling account of one of the most savage tank battles since 1945. A must-read for anyone interested in history or leadership.
June 6, 2016
Ranks alongside "We Were Soldiers Once and Young" for having some of the most harrowing accounts of combat I can remember ever reading -
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews