The yom kippur war elizabeth stephens examines how thirtyfive years ago this month the surprise invasion of israel by egypt and its allies started the process that led to camp david. The ambiguous threeline resolution, which was adopted unanimously with one abstention on oct. The impact of the yom kippiir war that erupted on october 6th, 1973, far outweighed its relatively short duration of twenty days of heavy fighting. The yom kippur war and the shaping of the united states.
A case of deception and misperception before the 1973 yom kippur war, the united states failed to anticipate that egypt and syria would attack israel. First of all, the world say that its the yom kippur war the holiest day in the jewish calender for more than 5 million jews. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the yom kippur war. The shock syrian attack caught the israelis by surprise and by the afternoon of 7 october a syrian brigade. On this day, egyptian and syrian military forces launched an attack knowing that the military of israel would be participating in the religious celebrations associated with yom kippur. In 1973, israel found itself fighting its fifth major war against its arab neighbors since achieving independence 25 years previously. The arab israel war october 1973 download ebook pdf, epub. The yom kippur war of october 1973 had a fundamental influence on the united states air force. The epic encounter that transformed the middle east. The yom kippur war contributed to the 1973 oil crisis and was a crucial antecedent of the camp david accords in 1978, which aimed to secure peace in the region. Naval history as no one before, abraham rabinovich recounts the whole story of the 1973 yom kippur war, that most elusive round of the arabisraeli.
The epic encounter that transformed the middle east kindle edition by rabinovich, abraham. The yom kippur war case study command and control research. On 6 october 1973, egyptian and syrian forces conducted simultaneous attacks on israeli forces in the sinai peninsula and the golan heights, respectively. The first book to approach the yom kippur war from both arab and israeli perspectives, this is an analysis of the background, planning, and preparations for the war as well as a narrative of the campaigns during. Israeli defense force video history of the yom kippur war the first case this study examines is the use of airpower in the 1973 yom kippur war between israel and the arab coalition of egypt and syria. Oct 05, 20 image caption egypt and syria caught israel offguard when they attacked on the holiest day of the jewish calendar in 1973. Abstract the yom kippur war marked the lowest ebb in the history of australias relations with the state of israel and a crisis point in the whitlam labor governments relations with the australian jewish community. The carefully coordinated attack achieved complete tactical surprise. The sinai is the first in a twovolume study of the 1973 arabisraeli war and a departure from the campaign series normal aversion to modern topics in the last years and 126 volumes, the series has had only one other title on a post1945 campaign. The egyptiansyrian attack that started in the midst of the jewish peoples holiest day of the year.
Looking through the prism of roberta wohlstetters and robert jerviss insights, the attack on yom kippur was a surprise because both american and israeli. The yom kippur war also known as the ramadan war and the october war was a war between israel and a group of arab countries led by egypt and syria. This game is a tactical simulation of combat in the middle east during the 1973 yom kippur war. At 45hrs on 6 october 1973, israeli spotters in the observation post atop mount hermon saw syrian gunners below them removing the camouflage nets from their guns. Brens division also fails to create a safe corridor for crossing between the two egyptian armies. Idf sinai counterattack 1973 yom kippur war youtube. Syrian t55 in 1973 yom kippur war ed okun modeling. Backed by arms from the soviet union, egypt and syria made significant territorial gains in sinai and the golan heights. The air raid on the syrian general command 1091973 the battle of. The sand embankments of the israeli barlev line were breached and an israeli counterattack thrown back with heavy losses. This was a war in which both sides designed their military strategies within the. I just finished the book the yom kippur war by abraham rabinovich, about the 1973 war that israel almost lost, then won, defeating egypt and syria, along with units from jordan, iraq and several other arab countries. Rabinovichs book is brilliant, sweeping and insightful. The october war of 1973 also known as the yom kippur war was a watershed moment in the history of the arabisraeli conflict and the modern middle east more broadly.
The yom kippur war, ramadan war, or october war hebrew. Careful attention was paid to opsec at the strategic level by the arabs. In just 50 minutes, you will learn about the background to the yom kippur war, the main events of the conflict and its. Get to grips with the history of the yom kippur war in next to no time with this concise guide. Eight scenarios and two campaign games which link multiple scenarios are included for play. Egyptian forces crossing the suez canal on october 7, 1973. In just three weeks, israel lost 2,600 men, a tremendous per capita rate. Effects of the 1973 yom kippur war the 1973 yom kippur war ended in an israeli victory but at great cost to many parties.
The war was initiated by egypt and syria on october 6, 1973, on the jewish holy day of yom kippur and during ramadan, the month of fasting in islam, and it continued until october 26. Egypt lost almost the exact same number of troops as israel, and it is logical and normal for the attacker to loose more than the defend. Yom kippur war simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. They could not have picked a worse day to start a war. The air raid on the syrian general command 109 1973 the battle of. When the fourth arabisraeli war began on october 6, 1973, many of israels soldiers were away from their posts observing yom kippur or day of atonement, and the. Israeli saying preoctober 1973 the war between the arabs and the israelis, which broke out in the middle east on 6 october 1973, is known to the arabs as the war of ramadan, to the israelis as the yom kippur war, and generally to nonpartisans in the west as the october war of 1973. Though actual combat did not break out between the two nations, the events surrounding the yom kippur war seriously damaged u. The yom kippur war is easily the best and most complete general history of the conflict. The syrian army positioned thousands of main battle tanks, artillery pieces, mobile antiair vehicles and armored troop carriers and were now advancing west into the israeli controlled golan heights.
Idf counter attacks in the sinai, yom kippur war 1973. The very reason why the war started on october 6, 1973 was that this was yom kippur. The war began on the jewish day of repentance of yom kippur in 1973, and it happened during the muslim month of ramadan. U the yorn kippur war of 1973 national security agency. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The yom kippur war and the shaping of the united states air force. At 1400hrs on 6 october 1973 the egyptian army launched an assault crossing of the suez canal. Cia documents reveal immediate leadup to yom kippur war. The yom kippur war brings united states and ussr to brink. Abraham rabinovichs the yom kippur war is a solid, essentially journalistic account of the 1973 war. Pdf australia and the yom kippur war of 1973 chanan reich. On october 6th, 1973 an arab army comprised of forces from nine arab nations launched a surprise attack on israel.
The ambiguous threeline resolution, which was adopted unanimously with one abstention. For on yorn kippur nearly every israeli fighting man. Ten minutes later shells began to rain down on israeli positions all along the golan heights the yom kippur war had begun. On october 6, 1973, egypt and syria launched a surprise attack against israel on the jewish holiday of yom kippur. Pdf australia and the yom kippur war of 1973 chanan.
Image caption egypt and syria caught israel offguard when they attacked on the holiest day of the jewish calendar in 1973. Well, its also the ramadan war the holiest month for more than 1. Pdf the yom kippur war download full pdf book download. Yom kippur war, egypts revenge, israels war 1973 page 2. Ospreys second title in the study of the yom kippur war 1973. The impact of the yom kippiir war that erupted on october 6th. Egypt got and kept control over the suez canal and ismailia city. Based on many formerly undisclosed intelligence and military documents, the secret protocols of. This video unpacks the events surrounding the war and how israel responded to them. Put an end to israeli aggression, an article printed in the pravda newspaper on october 12, 1973 translation at cnn a detailed account of 1973 october war yom kippur war from ariel sharons biography.
The obvious reason for choosing the jewish holiday of yom kippur for staging a surprise attack on israel was that on this specific day unlike any other holiday the country comes to a complete standstill. The 1973 middle eastern war was a watershed in israeli strategic and military thinking. The yom kippur war by elizabeth stephens published in history today volume 58 issue 10 october 2008 elizabeth stephens examines how the surprise invasion of israel by egypt and its allies started the process that led to camp david. Israel closes down for the fasting, repentance and prayer of yom kippur. When israel almost fell in the first part of a twopart series on israels yom kippur war, we delve into the various elements of this turbulent period in israeli history. Amongst the tens of thousands of cia documents put online, one can find the american intelligence assessment regarding the possibility of a war between israel and its neighbors in 1973 and how the. On sunday morning, october 7, the second day of the war, the idfs southern command had hardly any forces left who were capable of blocking. Yom kippur war, also called the october war, the ramadan war, or the fourth arabisraeli war, damaging inconclusive war and the fourth of the arabisraeli wars.
The attack by egypt and syria was a surprise to israel after israel conquered the. The 1973 yom kippur war the final war in the series of israeliarab wars, illuminates the cold war hyperpolitical tensions between the united. The 1973 yom kippur war known as the ramadan war, or the october war was a landmark event in the ofttroubled history of arabisraeli relations. Despite many indicators israel was taken by surprise. It is most frequently referred to in the west as the yom kippur war after. The middle east was the test lab of nato and warsaw pact weapons during the cold war. The 1973 yom kippur war the final war in the series of israeliarab wars, illuminates the cold war hyperpolitical tensions between the united states and the soviet union, where the middle. Israels victory in the 1967 six day war sowed the seeds of the 1973 yom kippur war. In 1973, israel found itself fighting its fifth major. May 26, 2015 the yom kippur war started with a surprise arab attack on israel on saturday 6th october 1973. When the fourth arabisraeli war began on october 6, 1973, many of israels soldiers were away from their posts observing yom kippur or. Examines how israel was caught by surprise in the opening stages of the 1973 yom kippur war.