The Yom Kippur War pitted Israel against Syria in the north and Egypt in the south in October 1973. Caught by surprise and surrounded by enemies, Israel relied on the flexibility and creative ...thinking of its senior field commanders. After Israeli forces halted the Egyptian troops on the Sinai Peninsula, Major General Ariel Sharon seized the opportunity to counterattack. He split the Egyptian army and cut off its supply lines in a maneuver known as Operation Stouthearted Men. Sharon's audacious, controversial decision defied his superiors and produced a major victory, which many believe helped win the war for Israel. At the Decisive Point in the Sinai is a firsthand account of the Yom Kippur War's most intense engagement by key leaders in Sharon's division. Jacob Even, deputy division commander of the 143rd Division, and Simcha Maoz, a staff officer, recount the initial stages of the Suez crossing, examine the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) response to Egypt's surprise attack, and explain Sharon's role in the transition from defense to offense. They detail Sharon's struggle to convince his superiors of his plan and argue that an effective division commander is revealed not only by his leadership of subordinates, but also by his ability to influence his senior officers. The strategic failure of the Israeli high command during the Yom Kippur War has been widely studied, but At the Decisive Point in the Sinai is one of the few works to examine the experiences of field-level commanders. Even and Maoz challenge students of military leadership by offering a case study on effective generalship.
The Order and the Division Jacob Even; Simcha B. Maoz
At the Decisive Point in the Sinai,
09/2017
Book Chapter
In the first week of October 1973, despite wishful thinking, fear was rising in the highest political and military levels that war was about to erupt on the Golan Heights and Suez Canal. By the end ...of the week, the IDF took critical steps, such as declaring a “C”-level alert (preparing for the mobilization of the reservists), calling up auxiliary air force units, reinforcing the northern front with armor and artillery, and issuing warnings at various levels to prepare for blocking battles and a general mobilization. These steps were carried out under the fading hope that the approaching war was
The Crossing Battle, Part 1 Jacob Even; Simcha B. Maoz
At the Decisive Point in the Sinai,
09/2017
Book Chapter
Operation Stouthearted Men was forced on Israel just as the hand that, owing to the CoGS’s pressure, the IDF extended in surrender (a cease-fire in situ) was rejected by Egyptian president Sadat with ...a blend of arrogance and folly. As the saying goes, “He who Jupiter wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.” Sadat’s response left Israel with no choice but to continue fighting. It also illustrates the degree of error of those who saw an immediate cease-fire in situ as the quintessence of Israel’s security and how propitious Sadat’s grace was that saved us from ourselves.
The defense minister,
The Crossing Battle, Part 4 Jacob Even; Simcha B. Maoz
At the Decisive Point in the Sinai,
09/2017
Book Chapter
The roller bridge was still lying north of Akavish Road waiting for Tirtur Road to be opened. The Unifloat raft convoy set out from Matzmed at 0400 and reached Sharon at Lakekan at 0600. Tamari ...escorted it to Matzmed on the orders of Ben-Ari (Gonen’s deputy), and the convoy arrived there at 0630. Three Crocodile rafts were in the water. A number of 421st Brigade tanks crossed on them the day before. At 0730, Egyptian artillery fire sank a one-directional raft.
On the morning of October 17, the 14th Brigade was deployed on Lexicon Road and west of it in
Much of contemporary academic writing on national security issues deals with the clarification of terms that until now seemed clear. A vast number of books and articles have been written on the ...nature of war compared to the character of war, what sets victory apart from triumph, what is the very meaning of victory, and so forth. All this being nothing but semantics in the guise of analysis, and even though we will not get involved in such issues in this chapter, we still cannot ignore their subject matter. Accordingly, we will tackle the outcome of the Yom Kippur War
The six days beginning on October 9 that the Southern Command was on the defensive can be divided into three periods:
October 9. A pseudodefensive; exceptionally violent defense in the 143rd ...Division’s sector.
October 10–13. Restive dormancy.
October 14. Role change and reversal of fortune.
On the surface, this stage of the war was characterized by low-intensity combat interspersed with sporadic bursts of furious fire at key points. But, far from the war zone and under the surface, the drama roiled. In war cabinet meetings with the General Staff, the lights burned long into the night as military and
