Yom Kippur War and the Memory of Brave Men
Ismail Imadudeen
October 04, 2008
It was a sunny day on the 6th of October, 1973. Nothing was unusual in the air, but the bizarre replay of patriotic songs and Quranic verses on the radio. It was ´Ramadan 10th,´ in the Islamic calendar, and people were just fasting and busy on their daily routines and gossips about war. Nothing seemed exciting or worth mentioning, on the front lines between the Egyptian and the Israeli armies, as people knew that the Israeli army had been occupying the Sinai Peninsula for 6 years, and that the Israelis seemed to ´enjoy´ their stay there! People never believed that the then President of Egypt, Sadat, will do anything, as Israel was growing stronger and stronger militarily and economically, and even politically, in the international phenomenon.
Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula and some other Arab territories in June, 1967. Israel was driven by ´self-defense;´ a reaction to the late President Naser´s suspicious moves against it. For the Arabs, the essence of the problem was the way that Israel could defeat the Arab armies in Egypt, Syria and the administered territories- the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was a no-sweat attack for the Israelis, who proved to be clever in their planning and timing.
The Israelis were supported by the latest American arms and the most advanced warplanes of the time, while the Egyptians were equipped with many outdated weapons. The Egyptian arms were ´Eastern´ and the Russians never gave their latest technology to a foreign nation [it was the Soviet Union that time]. However, I wouldn´t deny the great help that the Russians gave to Egypt either in military training or politically, in the international community, but Russia wasn´t interested in any involvement in a conflict with America triggered by the Middle Eastern problem. The late President ´Sadat,´ decided to deport all the Russian military advisors in a surprising and shocking move, leaving Egypt alone, confronting Israel with its advanced Western technology!
Shortly after 2:00 p.m. of 6th October, 1973, the Egyptian people were overwhelmed and nearly manic when they heard the sudden bulletin that interrupted the patriotic songs on the radio, announcing the successful crossing of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian Army, and the ability of the infantry to capture safe positions on the Israeli side. The bulletin assured also the successful endeavors by the Syrian army in the Golan Heights. People started shouting and jumping of excitement, and rushed to hospitals and civil defense centers volunteering their service.
The Egyptian and Syrian attacks were a complete shock to the Israelis and their allies in the West, who never believed that the Egyptians or the Arabs can carry out any thing like that. The attack, on the Egyptian-Israeli front, started with more than 200, outdated Egyptian war plans dropping hundreds of tons of bombs, at one time, sharply at 2.00 p.m. on the Israeli side of the Suez Canal. The then Air Force Commander, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, used all the capabilities available for him, engaging in the battle, even the small training planes.
The Egyptian infantry, who were ordered to be in state of high alert at that time, without knowing exactly why they should do so, got tremendous enthusiasm, when they saw the Egyptian war planes roaring the air and hitting the Israeli locations extensively. The artillery started shelling in a systematic manner leaving no second for the Israelis to breathe in the other side of Suez Canal. The great Egyptian infantry were then ordered to cross the Suez Canal using specially made boats. On the eve of the attack, the Egyptian intelligence and commando elements have already accomplished their task, disabling the defensive systems that the Israelis installed under the Suez Canal waters in case that the Egyptians would lose their minds and decide to cross!
The Egyptian infantry started crossing, chanting the words ´God is the Greatest,´ with incredible guts and heroism, under all the bombs and shells. At that time, one wouldn´t know who was a Muslim or who was a Christian; they were all courageous Egyptian men. When the infantry got to the other bank, they had to climb the very high sandy barrier, created by the Israelis. To get into the other side; they used strong pumps to move the soft sand and make it climbable. The Egyptian engineers designed truck- loadable and foldable overpasses that were installed so fast and used for the Egyptian tanks and military carriers to cross to the other side, in a record time.
The Russian anti-warplane missiles proved to be so efficient, as the Israeli planes were hit one after the other which made the Israelis scared of sacrificing more pilots and planes.
This war proved that the Egyptians, in particular, and the Arabs, in general, could do miracles when time necessitates so. Egypt got many aids from her Arab brothers; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria and many others. It can´t be stated that the Arabs had achieved victory over Israel, but it can be strongly confirmed that the Arabs could retaliate their humiliating defeat on June, 1967. The planning, the training and the preparation for the war proved that the Egyptians, specifically, can innovate and responsibly act when the circumstances dictate that.
´Sadat´ was a brave man, who courageously took the decision of war, and afterwards, willingly initiated peace with Israel. For the Egyptians, the main objective of the Yom Kippur war was to open a door for peace. ´Sadat´ realized that the Israeli-Arab conflict has no military solution, and that peace is the only possible and strategic solution for the people of the Middle East. Two brave men could enter history, i.e. ´Sadat,´ and the then prime minister of Israel ´Menachem Begin,´ in 1979, when they went beyond their fears and reluctance and signed the ´Camp David Accords,´ based on which Egypt could gradually regain its territories in Sinai, and peace took place between Egypt and Israel.
Though the Arabs antagonized that treaty that time; today the Arabs are united again in the form of the ´King Abdula´s Initiative,´ which became an ´Arab Initiative´ later, that trades peace for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all the occupied lands in June, 1967. However, the Arabs are waiting for another brave Menachem Begin to come forward and take the right move for all the people of the Middle East.
But how long are they going to wait?
Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula and some other Arab territories in June, 1967. Israel was driven by ´self-defense;´ a reaction to the late President Naser´s suspicious moves against it. For the Arabs, the essence of the problem was the way that Israel could defeat the Arab armies in Egypt, Syria and the administered territories- the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was a no-sweat attack for the Israelis, who proved to be clever in their planning and timing.
The Israelis were supported by the latest American arms and the most advanced warplanes of the time, while the Egyptians were equipped with many outdated weapons. The Egyptian arms were ´Eastern´ and the Russians never gave their latest technology to a foreign nation [it was the Soviet Union that time]. However, I wouldn´t deny the great help that the Russians gave to Egypt either in military training or politically, in the international community, but Russia wasn´t interested in any involvement in a conflict with America triggered by the Middle Eastern problem. The late President ´Sadat,´ decided to deport all the Russian military advisors in a surprising and shocking move, leaving Egypt alone, confronting Israel with its advanced Western technology!
Shortly after 2:00 p.m. of 6th October, 1973, the Egyptian people were overwhelmed and nearly manic when they heard the sudden bulletin that interrupted the patriotic songs on the radio, announcing the successful crossing of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian Army, and the ability of the infantry to capture safe positions on the Israeli side. The bulletin assured also the successful endeavors by the Syrian army in the Golan Heights. People started shouting and jumping of excitement, and rushed to hospitals and civil defense centers volunteering their service.
The Egyptian and Syrian attacks were a complete shock to the Israelis and their allies in the West, who never believed that the Egyptians or the Arabs can carry out any thing like that. The attack, on the Egyptian-Israeli front, started with more than 200, outdated Egyptian war plans dropping hundreds of tons of bombs, at one time, sharply at 2.00 p.m. on the Israeli side of the Suez Canal. The then Air Force Commander, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, used all the capabilities available for him, engaging in the battle, even the small training planes.
The Egyptian infantry, who were ordered to be in state of high alert at that time, without knowing exactly why they should do so, got tremendous enthusiasm, when they saw the Egyptian war planes roaring the air and hitting the Israeli locations extensively. The artillery started shelling in a systematic manner leaving no second for the Israelis to breathe in the other side of Suez Canal. The great Egyptian infantry were then ordered to cross the Suez Canal using specially made boats. On the eve of the attack, the Egyptian intelligence and commando elements have already accomplished their task, disabling the defensive systems that the Israelis installed under the Suez Canal waters in case that the Egyptians would lose their minds and decide to cross!
The Egyptian infantry started crossing, chanting the words ´God is the Greatest,´ with incredible guts and heroism, under all the bombs and shells. At that time, one wouldn´t know who was a Muslim or who was a Christian; they were all courageous Egyptian men. When the infantry got to the other bank, they had to climb the very high sandy barrier, created by the Israelis. To get into the other side; they used strong pumps to move the soft sand and make it climbable. The Egyptian engineers designed truck- loadable and foldable overpasses that were installed so fast and used for the Egyptian tanks and military carriers to cross to the other side, in a record time.
The Russian anti-warplane missiles proved to be so efficient, as the Israeli planes were hit one after the other which made the Israelis scared of sacrificing more pilots and planes.
This war proved that the Egyptians, in particular, and the Arabs, in general, could do miracles when time necessitates so. Egypt got many aids from her Arab brothers; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria and many others. It can´t be stated that the Arabs had achieved victory over Israel, but it can be strongly confirmed that the Arabs could retaliate their humiliating defeat on June, 1967. The planning, the training and the preparation for the war proved that the Egyptians, specifically, can innovate and responsibly act when the circumstances dictate that.
´Sadat´ was a brave man, who courageously took the decision of war, and afterwards, willingly initiated peace with Israel. For the Egyptians, the main objective of the Yom Kippur war was to open a door for peace. ´Sadat´ realized that the Israeli-Arab conflict has no military solution, and that peace is the only possible and strategic solution for the people of the Middle East. Two brave men could enter history, i.e. ´Sadat,´ and the then prime minister of Israel ´Menachem Begin,´ in 1979, when they went beyond their fears and reluctance and signed the ´Camp David Accords,´ based on which Egypt could gradually regain its territories in Sinai, and peace took place between Egypt and Israel.
Though the Arabs antagonized that treaty that time; today the Arabs are united again in the form of the ´King Abdula´s Initiative,´ which became an ´Arab Initiative´ later, that trades peace for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all the occupied lands in June, 1967. However, the Arabs are waiting for another brave Menachem Begin to come forward and take the right move for all the people of the Middle East.
But how long are they going to wait?
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