The Boats of Cherbourg

"The Boats of Cherbourg" by Abraham Rabinovich recounts one of the most audacious covert operations in Israeli military history: the 1969 escape of five missile boats from the French port of Cherbourg to Haifa. The book combines investigative journalism with narrative history, drawing on interviews with participants and archival research to reconstruct an episode that remained shrouded in secrecy for years after it occurred.

The background to the story lies in the arms embargo that France imposed on Israel following the Six-Day War. Charles de Gaulle's government, seeking closer ties with Arab states, halted the delivery of missile boats that Israel had already paid for and that were sitting, nearly completed, in the shipyards of Cherbourg. Rabinovich lays out the diplomatic and political context with clarity, explaining how Israel found itself in possession of vessels it had legally purchased but could not obtain through official channels. This set the stage for a plan that combined subterfuge, private commercial fronts, and careful timing to spirit the boats out of French waters without direct government involvement being detected.

What distinguishes this book is its attention to the human dimension of the operation. Rabinovich does not simply narrate a sequence of naval maneuvers; he introduces the engineers, naval officers, and intelligence operatives who orchestrated the escape, giving readers a sense of the personalities behind the mission. The Israeli Navy officers who sailed the boats out of Cherbourg during a Christmas Eve departure faced considerable uncertainty, navigating winter seas in vessels not yet fully equipped for the journey, all while maintaining the fiction that the operation was a private commercial venture unrelated to the Israeli state.

The book is particularly effective in depicting the diplomatic tightrope walked by Israeli officials in Paris and Tel Aviv. French authorities suspected that something was amiss but lacked definitive proof, and Rabinovich captures the tension of this cat-and-mouse dynamic without resorting to melodrama. He shows how the operation depended on a mixture of luck, careful planning, and the willingness of individuals to take personal risks for a mission whose success was far from guaranteed.

Rabinovich's prose is straightforward and journalistic, prioritizing clarity over stylistic flourish. This approach suits the subject matter well, since the story itself contains enough drama that it does not require embellishment. The author's background as a journalist is evident in his methodical approach to sourcing and his willingness to present multiple perspectives on ambiguous or contested details, particularly regarding the extent of official French complicity or willful blindness.

The book also situates the Cherbourg operation within the broader context of Israeli naval development. The missile boats that were smuggled out formed the nucleus of a new generation of Israeli naval power, one that would later prove decisive in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Rabinovich draws these connections without overstating them, allowing readers to appreciate the long-term significance of the episode without losing sight of the immediate drama of the escape itself.

Some readers may find the level of technical and logistical detail dense at times, particularly in sections dealing with the construction contracts and the corporate structures used to disguise Israeli ownership of the boats. However, this thoroughness also lends the book credibility, as it demonstrates the depth of research behind the narrative rather than relying on dramatic license.

Overall, "The Boats of Cherbourg" succeeds as both a historical account and a compelling story of resourcefulness under pressure. It offers valuable insight into a lesser-known chapter of Cold War-era Middle Eastern history, one that reveals how small nations navigated the constraints imposed by larger powers through ingenuity rather than confrontation. Rabinovich's careful reconstruction of events, supported by firsthand testimony, makes this a worthwhile read for those interested in naval history, intelligence operations, or the broader diplomatic maneuvering that characterized Israel's early decades. The book stands as a solid contribution to the historical record of a mission that, despite its eventual fame, still retains elements of mystery regarding the full scope of French awareness and Israeli planning.