Remembering the Yom Kippur War

Last Saturday was the Sabbath of Sabbaths in the Jewish year, and  I turn now to the surprise attack on that day in 1973.

The attack that marked the opening of the Yom Kippur War, was launched on October 6, 1973, the Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Egypt and Syria, aided by nearly every other Arab country, plus a few others, opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel.

An attack that logically should resulted in the declared intention of the attackers to utterly destroy Israel and her people.

The combined forces of the Arabs had massive numerical superiority in armaments and men, and was the equivalent of the total forces of NATO in Europe; all these forces mobilized on Israel's borders, and poised to eliminate the tiny country, and destroy her.

The IDF (Israel Defence Force) had a scant 180 tanks to face the onslaught of 1,400 Syrian tanks on the Golan Heights.

Along the Suez Canal, IDF had 436 men, with 50 artillery pieces to defend against an attack by 100,000 Egyptians, backed by 2,000 artillery pieces, and "under the shield of one of the most extensive anti-aircraft SAM missile umbrellas in the world."

Russia had been arming Arab countries for such a war, whereas the US under President Nixon had been reluctant, and consequently the IDF was badly short of ammunitions and equipment. The French and the British chose to impose an arms embargo on Israel at the very time that Israelis were fighting for their lives. This reminds me of what happened during the lead-up to the Iraqi war, when France, Russia and Germany refused to support UN resolutions. If they had supported Bush and the coalition the war may have been averted; but those three countries cared more about being friends to the Arabs, and the economic cost of losing their lucrative contracts, or oil supplies, rather than doing what is right.

It is a sombre thought that logically Israel, should have been overrun. How they turned this devastating surprise attack from defeat is fascinating. Thank God that Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger were able to send reinforcements. But that took three weeks to arrive; the war should have been over in a few days. The streets running with the blood of Israelis as promised by the Arabs.

The attack was not limited to Syria and Egypt. At least nine Arab states, including four non-Middle Eastern nations, actively aided the Egyptian-Syrian war effort.

• Iraq transferred a squadron of Hunter jets to Egypt, a few months before the war.
• During the war, an Iraqi division of some 18,000 men and several hundred tanks was deployed in the central Golan and participated in the October 16 attack against Israeli positions.
• Iraqi MiGs began operating over the Golan Heights as early as October 8, the third day of the war.
• Besides serving as financial underwriters, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait committed men to battle. 
• A Saudi brigade of approximately 3,000 troops was dispatched to Syria, where it participated in fighting along the approaches to Damascus. 
• Also, violating Paris's ban on the transfer of French-made weapons, Libya sent Mirage fighters to Egypt 
• from 1971-­1973 President Muammar Qaddafi gave Cairo more than $1 billion in aid to rearm Egypt and to pay the Soviets for weapons they delivered.

Other North African countries responded to Arab and Soviet calls to aid the front­line states.

• Algeria sent three aircraft squadrons of fighters and bombers, an armored brigade and 150 tanks.
• Approximately 1,000 - 2,000 Tunisian soldiers were positioned in the Nile Delta. 
• Sudan stationed 3,500 troops in southern Egypt
• Morocco sent three brigades to the front lines, including 2,500 men to Syria.

Last week I mentioned the historic speech by Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Historic at the UN.

This post on the Yom Kippur War was triggered by a fascinating story on the work of Gold Meir to achieve the support from Nixon.

Yehuda Avner, who served on the personal staff of five prime ministers including Golda Meir, gives a first-hand account of this crucial episode in Israels history in Saturday's Jeruslaem Post.


"A day of wrath, onslaught and sacrifice"

Information is from

• The Jewish Virtual Library, The Yom Kippur War by Mitchell Bard
• The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HISTORY: The State of Israel