From close to defeat to victory during the Yom Kippur War

 

The hill and bunkers of Tel Saki are a fitting memorial to the courage and heroism of the regular and reserve soldiers who turned a close defeat in the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War into a resounding victory.

 

On October 6 1973, on Yom Kippur day at 2.00 p.m., Syria and Egypt attacked simultaneously on the Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. Israel was unprepared. This was not because it did not know about Egyptian and Syrian war preparations, but because it chose to ignore them. There was hubris among the leadership of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and a belief, particularly in the Intelligence branch, that Egypt and Syria were not ready for war. The Chief of Military Intelligence even refused to activate sophisticated listening devices planted in the communication system of the Egyptian command lest they be exposed. This hubris prevented a preemptive air attack that could have neutralized the Egyptian army waiting to cross the Suez Canal and their deadly SAMS missiles.

 

Israeli military strategy has always relied upon having sufficient warning to mobilize its reserves. In this instance, the reserves were unable to reach the Golan Heights and Sinai before Syrian and Egyptian forces had already advanced beyond their borders. When the reserves did reach the front, they sometimes found their tanks not fully operational for battle and at other times loaned out to other units. Fortunately, the civilian population of the Golan had been evacuated prior to the war.

 

The Syrians attempted to break across the border in two places in the Golan. The northern-most attempt was at the Quneitra Gap, a pass south of Mount Hermon and overlooked by Mount Betal and Mount Avital. The second was in the central Golan close to Tel Saki.

 

The Israelis had 3,000 troops, 180 tanks and 60 artillery pieces in the Golan facing off against 28,000 Syrian troops, 800 tanks and 600 artillery pieces. The Syrians also deployed two armored divisions from the second day onwards. In both places, the Israelis elected to stay put and fight despite overwhelming odds.

 

At the Quneitra Gap, Israeli tanks were able to hold off the Syrian advance and the Syrians withdrew after 3 days of battle. During this time, the Syrians lost over 500 tanks and armored personnel carriers, while Israel lost 60 to 80 armored vehicles. One source describes what the Prime Minister Golda Meir saw through her binoculars when she viewed what would later be called the Valley of Tears: “. . . .  the distant valley strewn with the hideous debris of war: pulverized howitzers, blown-out trucks, banged up armored personnel carriers, burned-out tanks punched through with bull’s eyes, some still smoldering – and the dead. The stench of death, cordite, diesel and exhaust was overwhelming.”

 

In the area of Tel Saki, however, the Syrians did manage to overcome the tank ditches and dense minefields and advance into the southern Golan.

 

Tel Saki is one of a chain of extinct volcanic hills on the Syrian border. At first, the local commanders failed to appreciate that this was a full-scale war, and assuming it was a border skirmish they sent out a small party of soldiers to the observation post on Tel Saki on a reconnaissance mission. The soldiers soon found themselves in the middle of an artillery and air bombardment on settlements, roads and army bases over the entire Golan Heights, followed by a Syrian advance of two-thirds of their attacking army. Nevertheless, these and other soldiers who had made their way to Tel Saki, as well as nearby bases, elected to confront the Syrian army. Two rescue parties were sent out to Tel Saki from a base at El Al but both were destroyed. The paratroopers and infantry at Tel Saki soon ran out of ammunition, food and water. Holed up in the bunkers, many of the soldiers were either dead or injured.

 

The story ends well for Israel. With the arrival of the reserves in full force to the battlefront, the Syrians were pushed back to the pre-war ceasefire lines by October 8, and the soldiers in the bunkers at Tel Saki were rescued. On October 11, Israeli forces pushed into Syria, broke through Syrian defenses and were able to occupy positions deep in in the country, up to 30 Km from Damascus. A ceasefire was accepted by the Syrians on October 23.

 

In many respects this victory can be considered even more miraculous than that of the Six-Day War, in that Israel managed to turn around reverses on two fronts and advance into enemy territory in Syria and Egypt. Unlike the Six-Day War, however, this was not a joyous victory. There were many casualties. Israel is a small country and many families suffered losses or knew of families that did. Entire units had been wiped out. Israel had to rely on a huge American airlift when it ran out of supplies and equipment. There was anger throughout the country about the army’s lack of preparedness, to the extent that Golda Meir's government was forced to resign.