Born of War

I happened upon this novel at the library last year, and it was a pleasant surprise. It is an account of Wingate from his service in colonial Palestine to his death in the CIB Theater. We see him working with the Haganah, setting up ambushes of Arab terrorists, much to the hair-pulling rage of his superiors; then to his liberation of Ethiopia, leading a few hundred poorly-armed and -trained locals but with the moral and charismatic power of Selassie (an excellent portrayal) at is side; then to the Chindits and their operations in Burma. Wingate proves to be an irresistable subject: insubordinate, stubborn, reckless, fearless, and egomaniacal, yet tender to his wife and wanting nothing more than to get this damn WWII finished so he can return to fight for Israel's independence. A fascinating man; a brilliant novel.