The first English edition of the first English edition of the only eyewitness account ever published on the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. This memoir of a young Israeli soldier became an instant bestseller on publication (in Hebrew) in 1949, and is still recognized as the outstanding book of that war, in the tradition of All Quiet on the Western Front. Direct from the trenches, and from a military hospital bed, we see every detail of the war. We witness fast-paced battles, and acts of extreme bravery, as well as the camaraderie and off-duty exploits of young men and women thrust into the front line. A gripping, sensitive, and deeply poignant account of the day-to-day brutalities of one of the most significant wars of our time.