A Watershed in Retrospect (The Yom Kippur War Twenty Years On - RAK REKA No. 18)

Chronology of the War

I. BEFORE

12th September '73: Cairo tripartite summit (Egypt, Iraq, Syria).
Beginning of October: Egyptian & Syrian armies amassing along ceasefire lines.
5th October, Yom Kippur eve: Israel notes indisputable signs of future attack.

ll. DAY of 6th. October 1973 - SHABBAT YOM KIPPUR

• 04.00: David Elazar, IDF Chief of Staff, notifies Prime Minister Golda Meir of imminent multilatera1 Arab attack and proposes defensive air strike; Golda Meir rejects this for political reasons.
• 08.00: Moshe Dayan, Minister of Defense, and David Elazar meet Golda Meir; decision to initiate partial mobilization.
• 14.00: Simultaneous Arab attack on both Golan and Suez Canal fronts:

  # Egyptian artillery and air force bombard Israeli army installations in the Sinai. 70,000 troops, 13 infantry divisions and 1,000 tanks cross the Suez. Despite Israeli air response. most of the Israeli positions along the Canal (the "Bar Lev" line) fell in the first two days.

# After a violent artillery bombardment, two Syrian armored divisions attacked along the frontline, with air support at several points. 40,000 Syrian troops with tanks entered the Golan Heights.

• 14.00: Air raid sirens sound throughout Israel. Radio broadcasts, suspended for Yom Kippur, resume. Beginning of total mobilization of reserves: men leave synagogues to rush to their bases. By the following morning, most of reserves, complete with equipment, have reached the frontlines.

III. 6-9th October: ISRAEL COUNTERS THE SURPRISE ARAB ATTACK WITH DIFFICULTY AND GREAT LOSS OF LIFE

7th. October

# 5 Egyptian infantry divisions crossed to the Eastern side of the Canal via bridges thrown over during the night.

# The Syrian attack contained in the north of the Golan, but the situation in the southern Golan remains critical for Israel.

8th. October

• The first large-scale Israeli armored counter-attack against the Egyptian bridgehead fails, with considerable human loses for Israel. The Israeli air force destroys the Egyptian bridges over the Canal and their Red Sea Navy.
• Priority accorded to the northern front. where there is a threat to the civilian population. At 23.00, the situation seems desperate, but by midnight the Syrian armored advance has been halted.

9th. October

• After the Syrian attack on civilians on the northern front, the Israeli air force bombs the Syrian Ministry of Defence in Damascus and other military targets in the country.
• An Iraqi force of 16,000 troops and 200 tanks is on standby.

IV. 10th. October: ARMAMENTS AIRLIFTS TO BOTH SIDES BEGIN

The USSR, which encouraged other Arab states to come to Egypt's and Syria's assistance, began a gigantic airlift of heavy weapons to them.

The Americans counter with their own airlift to Israel only from the 14th, in order to replace munitions stocks, armoured vehicles and planes.

V. 10-15th. October: ISRAELI BREAKTHROUGH INTO SYRIA

11th. October

• Broad Israeli armored counter-attack on the Golan; by late evening, they are 38km from Damascus.

12th. October

• Israeli and Iraqi tank battles on the Golan; Israel wins.
• Israeli artillery pin down Damascus airport.

14th. October

• The biggest tank battle of all time in Sinai. The Egyptians have between 800-1,000 tanks, but lose out.

15th. October

• Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia announce they will send contingents to fight.

VI. 16th October: TURNING-POINT OF THE WAR - CROSSING THE SUEZ CANAL

• President Sadat proclaims that Egypt will continue to fight until it regains all territories lost by the Arabs in 1967 and "Palestinian rights are restored".
• Next day, aOPEC, meeting in Kuwait, announces Arab petrol production will be gradually reduced by 5% monthly, until Israel withdraws from all the occupied territories (making Israel's cause particularly unpopular in the West).

Night of 15-16th October

• An Israeli paratroop unit. under the command of General Ariel Sharon, crosses the Canal and establishes a bridgehead on its western bank.
  Next evening, after heavy battle, 36 Israeli tanks cross the Canal.

17th October

• While terrible tank battles still rage on the Israeli side of the Canal, the expeditionary force attacks Egyptian missile bases and other emplacements on the western side.

VII. 18th-21st. October: ISRAELI ADVANCES

For the next three days, while Israel's inroad into Syria reaches some 38km from Damascus, the Canal expeditionary force is reinforced and reaches a depth of 25 km.

20th October .

• Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, leaves for Moscow to try to negotiate a cease-fire.

From the 21st. October

• The Egyptian Third Army, holding the southern half of the East bank of the Canal, is cut off from the Second Army in the North, while the Israelis over the Canal continue advancing northwards, southwards and westwards, reaching the Kilometre 101 point from Cairo on the route from Suez.

VIII. 22ND October: UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION #338

Until now, the Council had been paralyzed by the Soviet refusal to pressure for a cease-fire with the USA. With the Arab armies, especially Egypt, are threatened by defeat; the USSR changes its attitude. The Council adopts a joint American-Soviet resolution (No.338) calling for all parties to cease all military action within 12 hours. For the first time in the history of the Arab-Israel conflict, there is a stipulation about direct peace negotiations, accepted by Israel, Egypt and Syria a few days later.

The Egyptians nevertheless violate the cease-fire; fighting continues and on 23rd October, their Third Army is entirely surrounded, but with heavy loss of life to Israel as she reaches the Canal.

IX. 24th October: END OF THE WAR

The USSR seems likely to favor direct military intervention in the Middle East.

The USA responds by putting the US Army worldwide on alert. The Soviets back down.

X. LOSSES

• Israel incurred very heavy losses: over 2,500 dead and thousands of war invalids; hundreds of Israeli POWs held in Egypt and Syria.
• Egypt lost over 15,000 men and Syria almost 5,000.
• In international terms, most African countries broke off diplomatic relations with Israel, in solidarity with Arab states.
• Israel evaluates internally and externally:
  On 18th November, Judge Agranat appointed to head a Commission of Inquiry to study the circumstances surrounding the war and "negligence" with respect to the first day. General Elazar, singled out for criticism, resigns.

XI. DOCUMENTS ENDING THE WAR

• 11th November1973: The cease-fire with Egypt is officially signed.
• 21st December1973: The Geneva Peace Conference opens.
• 18th January 1974: The first Israeli-Egyptian disengagement accord is signed at Kilometer 101.
• 31st May 1974: Signature of Israeli-Syrian Golan disengagement accord at Geneva.

Editor: Gila Ansell Brauner
Developed by: Barbara Weill, Dov Goldflam, Gila Ansell Brauner

Print Edition 1993: Typesetting & Layout -Astronel Press - Maor Wallach
Internet Edition 2003: Igal Lapidus, Serah Beiser. Gila Ansell Brauner, Esther Carciente

©AUGUST 1993, WZO © OCTOBER 2003, JAFI