The Yom Kippur War: 1973
Israeli
troops rotated in and out of the defensive positions on their new borders of
the Sinai and the Golan heights for six years prior to October of 1973. On
Saturday, October 6, 1973, Yom Kippur, Syrian and Egyptian forces launched
massive offensives to regain territory they had lost in the Six Day War. The
Golan Heights, now Israel’s Northeastern border, overlooked much of the Israeli
heartland, and their possession was seen as a key part of Israel’s security.
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| Israeli M48's knocked out in the Sinai Public Domain via USN |
Artillery fire and the minefields
laid by the IDF did slow the Syrian onslaught, but the weight of numbers, often
at a ten to one advantage, simply overwhelmed the Israeli Centurions. Still,
the Israelis were causing massive casualties, especially when two IDF
Centurions flanked an oncoming Syrian detachment of tanks. The small number of
IDF Centurions struggled to contain each puncture to their lines. Here, the
technical superiority of the Centurion came into play. Each tank could carry
over twenty more rounds than the Syrian T-55’s and T-62’s.[3]
Also,
the Centurion’s main gun tended to be more accurate at a longer distance.
Although taller, given the defensive nature of the IDF’s fight, the Centurion
also possessed the advantage of greater gun depression over the Russian
vehicles. At the Southern end of the Golan, the Israelis, at the end of the
first day had claimed sixty Syrian tanks, but had lost most of their own force,
including key officers.[4]
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| Syrian T-55 Knocked out at an IDF defensive position. Public Domain via IDF |
Syrian numbers and improved weaponry
was still having a noticeable effect. The Syrians, through tank fire and
infantry weapons, had eliminated the Israeli tanks in the Tel Saki area.
Israeli troops were forced to fall back towards the center of the Golan.
Confusion in the Israeli high command under Defense Minister Moshe Dayan,
caught off guard by the attack, only hampered the IDF’s response with
reinforcements.[5]
It was left to junior commanders to take advantage of Syrian timidity, as the
Syrians, having suffered heavy losses, were now having to conduct
reconnaissance in force.
The Syrian’s although equipped in
many cases with the new T-62, were finding that despite its outgrowth from the
T-55, it was a different vehicle that did not handle as well over the rough
terrain, slowing their advance.[6] Around
Naffach, however, the IDF and the Syrians exchanged body blows, inflicting
severe casualties on each other in what was becoming a serious tank brawl, with
infantry on both sides knocking out tanks with anti-tank weapons, outlining how
far shaped charge munitions were now affecting armored warfare. It was only
when down to a few surviving Centurions that the IDF successfully drove back
the Syrians at nightfall on the 7th.[7]
Having contained and blocked the
furthest Syrian thrusts, the IDF counterattacked, trading tanks with the
Syrians over the successive days. The deciding factor’s in the Israeli’s favor
was their utter tenacity and their training. In many cases, they were able to
get the first shot off. However, at Tel Saki, combined arms tactics were
required to overcome the Syrian resistance. As the Syrians fell back into the
Hushniya Pocket, the Israelis prepared to encircle and sweep through the
defensive position. However, the Syrians offered heavy resistance until they
finally withdrew.[8]
By the time the Syrians withdrew in
full, almost 900 tanks had been knocked out or
abandoned. Hundreds upon
hundreds of vehicles. On October 23, 1973, the Syrian government accepted the
terms of a U.N. ceasefire and the Israeli forces withdrew from Syria. The IDF
had lost over 250 tanks in the Golan. The Israelis had been able to hold their
own, despite nearly overwhelming numbers due to their own training and
tenacity. The overall superiority of the British and American tanks was given a
greater edge by the superior training and positioning of the IDF tanks.
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| IDF Centurion on the Golan Public domain via CIA |
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