Today is the 37th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War waged on Israel by Egypt and Syria who were heavily supported by the Soviet Union and armed with the latest Soviet equipment. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez canal and advanced some 6 miles into the Sinai backed by 80k troops. Syrian forces advanced into the Golan heights and over the next 4 days several IDF brigades would fight to annihilation hold the Syrians while reserve forces assembled.
The Israelis were warned that arab forces would attack but their political, military and intelligence services didn't take the warnings seriously enough. Cabinet records published today give an indication of the disarray in the Israeli cabinet. This was pretty much known already but its interesting to have it confirmed and see what the individuals involved said.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/newly-released-documents-division-and-disarray-on-eve-of-yom-kippur-war-1.317381
October 6, 1973, Yom Kippur, 8:05 A.M.
Meir convened an emergency meeting in Tel Aviv with senior defense officials. Six hours before the outbreak of the war, Israeli preparations for a general offensive by Arab armies finally began. The warnings of the intelligence source were being taken seriously, as was the fact that the Russians were pulling families out of Egypt and Syria, a sign of approaching war. But U.S. intelligence was not predicting war.
Minister Yisrael Galili said a source had suggested the war could be prevented by leaking information that would reach the Egyptians and Syrians, so they would knew their plans for attack had been discovered.
Jordan also preoccupied those in attendance, because it wasn't clear if the kingdom would join in the assault on Israel.
Initially, Meir deliberated between Elazar's call for a full mobilization of the reserves and Dayan's request for a limited call-up.
"If you approve a major mobilization of the reserves, I won't resign," Dayan said. But with an eye to international reaction, he added, "A full mobilization before even one shot is fired - they will say right away that we are the aggressors."
At 9:20 A.M., a full mobilization was approved.
October 7, 1973
A discussion at the Prime Minister's Office centered on how to enlist American support at the United Nations and head off a cease-fire that would hurt Israel. Meir suggested putting together a list of requests.
The forum considered presenting U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger with a partial, distorted picture exaggerating Israel's poor situation to win the Nixon administration's support. Meir rejected the suggestion out of hand.
"We should telegraph him the details; he should get the real picture," she said. "We can't play hide and seek with him."
Minister Yisrael Galili asked in response, "Do we sell him the fact that we've moved out of the populated areas?" Meir replied, "I don't object to us saying, there's also risk to populated areas ... I want to give him the real picture. I'm not under the impression the
situation is doomed ... We should tell it to him convincingly. Tonight was a bad night."
11:50 P.M.
A meeting of the ministers with senior defense officials. Yitzhak Rabin returned from a tour of the southern front and told the meeting, "The whole issue of the dead and wounded is complicated. There are 400 wounded and 80 killed. [GOC Southern Command Shmuel] Gorodish estimates there will be 150 to 200 killed before the counteroffensive." Rabin said he had no information on Egyptian losses.
October 8, 7:50 P.M.
Maj. Gen. Haim Bar-Lev and minister Yigal Allon report to the prime minister after a tour of both fronts. The Israeli forces' situation is beginning to improve, while the enemy forces are beginning to suffer serious damage.
"What they achieved today as compared to yesterday is enormous," Allon said. "The front was breached yesterday. If the Syrians had been more daring, they'd have made significant gains."
Bar-Lev explained the Egyptian and Syrian successes as being partly due to technological superiority. "Both have the new Soviet tank plus infrared," he said. "They have an advantage there. On the first night we were surprised; we only knew they had it in theory ... Today we know about it and take it into account."
