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The Walls Of Israel
Surrounded on all borders but its western coastline by hostile and aggressive neighbors, the state of Israel resembles the walled city of the Middle Ages. But its walls are not stone and mortar, they are flesh and blood—they are the soldiers, both men and women—the airmen, the intelligence, the tankscorpsmen and the paratroops. These young people—from the old ghettos of Europe, from the cities of North Africa and Asia, native-born Sabras—are the protecting wall that keeps Israel free.
The Walls of Israel is Jean Lartéguy’s fascinating 1968 study of the Israeli armed forces. Talking with them, living with them, joining in their operations (he was taken along on a nighttime ambush set up to catch Syrian infiltrators), Lartéguy got to know the Israeli soldier as few could. From this book, wide ranging and filled with lively anecdotes, emerges a picture of an army, tough and determined, yet intelligent and realistic enough to foresee a long and dangerous road ahead before a peace is won.
The Walls of Israel is Jean Lartéguy’s fascinating 1968 study of the Israeli armed forces. Talking with them, living with them, joining in their operations (he was taken along on a nighttime ambush set up to catch Syrian infiltrators), Lartéguy got to know the Israeli soldier as few could. From this book, wide ranging and filled with lively anecdotes, emerges a picture of an army, tough and determined, yet intelligent and realistic enough to foresee a long and dangerous road ahead before a peace is won.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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86 people want to read
About the author
Jean Lartéguy
115 books58 followersLartéguy was born into what he called "one of those families of poor mountain peasants whose names are found inscribed on war memorials, but not in history books." Both his father and uncle had served in the First World War. With his country conquered by the Germans, Lartéguy escaped from France into Spain in March 1942. He remained there for nine months and spent time in a Francoist jail before joining the Free French Forces as an officer in the 1st Commando Group (1er groupe de commandos). During the war, he fought in Italy; Vosges and Belfort, France; and Germany. He remained on active duty for seven years until becoming a captain in the reserves in order to enter the field of journalism. Lartéguy received numerous military awards, to include: Légion d'honneur, Croix de guerre 1939-1945, and the Croix de guerre T.O.E.
After his military service, Lartéguy worked as a war correspondent, particularly for the magazine Paris Match. He covered conflicts in Azerbaijan, Korea, Palestine, Indochina, Algeria, and Vietnam. In pursuit of a story at the start of the Korean War, Lartéguy volunteered for the French Battalion and was wounded by an enemy hand grenade during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. In Latin America, he reported on various revolutions and insurgencies, and in 1967 encountered Che Guevara shortly before his capture and execution. In the July 1967 issue of Paris Match, Lartéguy wrote a major article entitled "Les Guerilleros", where he wrote: "At a time when Cuban revolutionaries want to create Vietnam's all over the world, the Americans run the risk of finding their own Algeria in Latin America."
In 1955, he received the Albert Londres Prize for journalism
His experiences as a soldier and war correspondent influenced his writing. Some of the most emphasized topics in his writing are decolonization, nationalism, the expansion of Communism, the state of post-war French society, and the unglamorous nature of war. His novel Les chimères noires evokes the role played by Roger Trinquier during the Katanga Crisis. Published in 1963 it portrays vividly the chaos of civil war in the Congo after the murder of Patrice Lumumba and the conflict between Moise Tshombe secessionist government and the United Nations Forces. The novel is very critical of Belgian colonialism and is also a reliable expression of European views of Central Africa after independence. Several of his book titles were translated into English, with the most successful being his Algerian War series: The Centurions and The Praetorians. The former was adapted into a major motion picture in 1966, entitled Lost Command and starred Anthony Quinn.
Also, with his novel The Centurions, Lartéguy is credited with being the first to envision the 'ticking time bomb' scenario, which has regained relevance in recent debates on the use of torture in a counter-terrorism role. His novels have been read by military professionals, including General David Petraeus, in the new context of modern terrorism.
After his military service, Lartéguy worked as a war correspondent, particularly for the magazine Paris Match. He covered conflicts in Azerbaijan, Korea, Palestine, Indochina, Algeria, and Vietnam. In pursuit of a story at the start of the Korean War, Lartéguy volunteered for the French Battalion and was wounded by an enemy hand grenade during the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. In Latin America, he reported on various revolutions and insurgencies, and in 1967 encountered Che Guevara shortly before his capture and execution. In the July 1967 issue of Paris Match, Lartéguy wrote a major article entitled "Les Guerilleros", where he wrote: "At a time when Cuban revolutionaries want to create Vietnam's all over the world, the Americans run the risk of finding their own Algeria in Latin America."
In 1955, he received the Albert Londres Prize for journalism
His experiences as a soldier and war correspondent influenced his writing. Some of the most emphasized topics in his writing are decolonization, nationalism, the expansion of Communism, the state of post-war French society, and the unglamorous nature of war. His novel Les chimères noires evokes the role played by Roger Trinquier during the Katanga Crisis. Published in 1963 it portrays vividly the chaos of civil war in the Congo after the murder of Patrice Lumumba and the conflict between Moise Tshombe secessionist government and the United Nations Forces. The novel is very critical of Belgian colonialism and is also a reliable expression of European views of Central Africa after independence. Several of his book titles were translated into English, with the most successful being his Algerian War series: The Centurions and The Praetorians. The former was adapted into a major motion picture in 1966, entitled Lost Command and starred Anthony Quinn.
Also, with his novel The Centurions, Lartéguy is credited with being the first to envision the 'ticking time bomb' scenario, which has regained relevance in recent debates on the use of torture in a counter-terrorism role. His novels have been read by military professionals, including General David Petraeus, in the new context of modern terrorism.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 25, 2016
Jean Larteguy was enamored with "unconventional warfare" and the cult of the military elite.
His novel "The Centurions" was a love letter to the Paratroopers of the French Army who disdained the trappings and mindset of the conventional military and fought a dirty war to achieve their objectives.
My conjecture is, this is part of the reason why Larteguy was enamored by the Israelis. In 1968 they were an Army that had just overcome incredible odds to maintain the survival of their state. They adapted themselves strategically, operationally and tactically to beat an onslaught of more numerous, better equipped enemies, all the while eschewing the formal imperial culture of the European armies that Larteguy disdained as archaic. The IDF was an informal people's army, where even the highest ranking officers literally led from the front- and Larteguy was all about normal, common citizens having an interest and stake in their nation's military endeavors, and an officer class that took the same risks as their subordinates.
When Larteguy visited them, they were a people who had finally shrugged off the image of the weak, craven ghetto Jew of Europe and emerged as cocky, lean wolves of the desert. The nation of Israel was at its highpoint. From anecdotal evidence, it seems to me that French people either love or hate Jews, Larteguy is among the former group.
This book, is a puff-piece. Though Larteguy does ask difficult questions of everyone from Ben-Gurion on down (he asks several notables about the potential problems of acquiring the West Bank and Gaza- to which the reply is more or less that they will just have to accept the fact of perpetual war as a result), and does not shy away from making gentle criticisms, by and large, he does not spend too much time looking at the warts. It is a brief review of the principle arms of the Israeli military at the time (Air, Armor, Intelligence, Paratroopers) and their respective doctrines, while also looking at smaller pieces of the military picture (Nahal, Women in the IDF, Gadna). While some of his findings are very dated (he neglects the Israeli Navy because it was inconsequential at the time), some of the strategic principles are unchanged (Israel has virtually no strategic depth, they are oriented to the offensive, etc). There are also appendices at the end which examine the various Palestinian resistance movements.
In a way, as a Jewish person, it's a disheartening book to read. Though Israel has the benefit of nuclear deterrence, the existence of the state is still as tenuous now as it was then. Surely, the Arab armies that attacked Israel have advanced in doctrine and capability, and still pose a conventional threat- not to mention the fact that Israel has lost the psychological war of international public opinion. Reading Larteguy's book about the zenith of Israeli strength and popularity only seems to underscore the hopelessness of the conflict. The Palestinians and surrounding Arab countries will never give up and devote their energies towards stabilizing the immediate region (I can't bring myself to say the word "peace"), and the Israelis know they have nowhere to go- which continues to aggressively drive their foreign, domestic and military policies in an orientation of offense.
If you aren't interested in reading military doctrine, I'd give this one a pass as you may find it dry.
His novel "The Centurions" was a love letter to the Paratroopers of the French Army who disdained the trappings and mindset of the conventional military and fought a dirty war to achieve their objectives.
My conjecture is, this is part of the reason why Larteguy was enamored by the Israelis. In 1968 they were an Army that had just overcome incredible odds to maintain the survival of their state. They adapted themselves strategically, operationally and tactically to beat an onslaught of more numerous, better equipped enemies, all the while eschewing the formal imperial culture of the European armies that Larteguy disdained as archaic. The IDF was an informal people's army, where even the highest ranking officers literally led from the front- and Larteguy was all about normal, common citizens having an interest and stake in their nation's military endeavors, and an officer class that took the same risks as their subordinates.
When Larteguy visited them, they were a people who had finally shrugged off the image of the weak, craven ghetto Jew of Europe and emerged as cocky, lean wolves of the desert. The nation of Israel was at its highpoint. From anecdotal evidence, it seems to me that French people either love or hate Jews, Larteguy is among the former group.
This book, is a puff-piece. Though Larteguy does ask difficult questions of everyone from Ben-Gurion on down (he asks several notables about the potential problems of acquiring the West Bank and Gaza- to which the reply is more or less that they will just have to accept the fact of perpetual war as a result), and does not shy away from making gentle criticisms, by and large, he does not spend too much time looking at the warts. It is a brief review of the principle arms of the Israeli military at the time (Air, Armor, Intelligence, Paratroopers) and their respective doctrines, while also looking at smaller pieces of the military picture (Nahal, Women in the IDF, Gadna). While some of his findings are very dated (he neglects the Israeli Navy because it was inconsequential at the time), some of the strategic principles are unchanged (Israel has virtually no strategic depth, they are oriented to the offensive, etc). There are also appendices at the end which examine the various Palestinian resistance movements.
In a way, as a Jewish person, it's a disheartening book to read. Though Israel has the benefit of nuclear deterrence, the existence of the state is still as tenuous now as it was then. Surely, the Arab armies that attacked Israel have advanced in doctrine and capability, and still pose a conventional threat- not to mention the fact that Israel has lost the psychological war of international public opinion. Reading Larteguy's book about the zenith of Israeli strength and popularity only seems to underscore the hopelessness of the conflict. The Palestinians and surrounding Arab countries will never give up and devote their energies towards stabilizing the immediate region (I can't bring myself to say the word "peace"), and the Israelis know they have nowhere to go- which continues to aggressively drive their foreign, domestic and military policies in an orientation of offense.
If you aren't interested in reading military doctrine, I'd give this one a pass as you may find it dry.
August 16, 2023
good detailed look at the Israeli soldier
The author provides a detailed analysis of the Israeli soldier, his training and motivation. Most of his sources are interviews, some written works and personal observations. While he discusses some specific batlles they are more examples than his main point. The work is well worth reading and if you liked his other works I think you will like this as well.
The author provides a detailed analysis of the Israeli soldier, his training and motivation. Most of his sources are interviews, some written works and personal observations. While he discusses some specific batlles they are more examples than his main point. The work is well worth reading and if you liked his other works I think you will like this as well.
September 28, 2024
This book appeared about a year about the six days war, a stunning Israeli victory, and focuses on the organisation, doctrine, and culture of the Israeli army, trying to explain why it had been so successful in its various engagements (this also includes the 1956 Suez crises and the independence war of 1948). The author embeds himself in the army and interviews a variety of military and political leaders. The result is highly insightful. For example, it becomes clear why the army needs (and is typically able) to be successful in a short amount of time (notably economic and political pressures, the ability of the soldiers to go with little sleep). Interestingly, engagements since have not always been of that nature.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews