[.ca] History of Israel's War of Independence - Volume I: A ... (ISBN 0761803726)

Ben-Gurion: shrewd politician/amateur military leader:
Uri Milstein's History of the War of Independence (volumes 1-3 have been translated into English from Hebrew) reveals that while the Yishuv was prepared to defend itself against Arab riots and disturbances, the Hagana was forced to re-organize itself for conventional war even as the war was beginning. A reader can derive from this that the Yishuv won the war mainly because the Palestinian Arabs and Arab states were even less prepared and less organized than the Yishuv's military forces. Milstein explains that Ben-Gurion had expected to have another few years to train and arm the Yishuv before the war began, and had not wanted to rely on the Haganah (trying to set up a "shadow staff" of British-trained officers). Upon taking the defence portfolio, Ben-Gurion sought to come to an understanding of the Haganah's inner workings by conducting one-one-one interviews with Haganah leaders in a six-month "seminar." These books are very helpful for understanding the events of the war, Ben-Gurion's personality as a politician and military leader (strengths and weaknesses) and the relationship Ben-Gurion had with the Haganah and Palmah leaders. I would suggest that these books be read in conjunction with Benny Morris's "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem" and "Israel's Border Wars", Avi Shlaim's "Collusion Across the Jordan," and Tom Segev's "1949: The New Israelis."