Yum Kippur War

[GB_FXST]

I've scaned some pictures of my dad from the war. in 1973 he was in the paratrooper's reserve, 120mm mortar support company. these are from the Syrian side of the Hermon(click on the pictures to enlarge):

... snip ...

Thanks for sharing.

Interesting pictures. It looks cold.

An older cousin who served in Golani on the Golan during the war told lots and lots of stories about the cold. These pictures definitely corroborate what he said.

[tanks_alot]

Thanks for sharing.

Interesting pictures. It looks cold.

An older cousin who served in Golani on the Golan during the war told lots and lots of stories about the cold. These pictures definitely corroborate what he said.

My dad's unit went up the Syrian Hermon towards the end of the war in order to provide fire support from the high altitude and when the war ended, they remained there for a number of weeks. at some point a very serious storm started and the tents were completely coverd by snow. my dad said that there was zero visibility, so he simply sat down, without being able to see anyone until the fog cleared out a bit and then he saw the rest of the soldiers all sitting a few meters around him, spread out. however, because contact was lost with them during the storm, Sayeret Matkal troops were sent to climb up to their position. unfortuantly, they never made it there and two Matkal soldiers died on the way.


On a more funny note, since this was the highest point the IDF held, after the war every big time officer wanted to get a good look at Syria from there. and since apparently they were very bored up there, my dad and some other guys from his squad used to tell the officers that one of the Arab speaking soldiers was a Syrian prisoner and asked them to take him down to the HQ. since high up officers don't see much action themselvs, they were very excited about it and took it very seriously and when they would get to the HQ, they would get yelled at for bringing him there, yet again.

[FrankBooth]

Great stuff TA, thanks for posting that.

[shelata]

On a more funny note, since this was the highest point the IDF held, after the war every big time officer wanted to get a good look at Syria from there.

The above statement may lead to a conclusion that this site was occupied by IDF for the first time during 1973 War. This would be a mistake. Hermon mountain (Gebel Al shiekh) was occupied by IDF since 1967 war. IDF built a strategic monitoring site on its topmost point. This site was called the Eyes of Israel. It was functioning since 1967 till the start of Yum kippor war. On the 6th of October the Syrian Special forces raided the site via Helicopter landing. The site felt in thier hands in one of the most exciting battles of the War which lasted for 2 Hours. Golani could restore it with a heavy price on the 23rd of Oct after fierce battles with the Syrian commandoes. The 6th of Oct Hermon battle was a subject of IDF post war investigation. Questions were raised regarding the quick surrender of its IDF gaurding unit during the respective battle.

[RoyB]

Shelata - The Human Encyclopedia.

But Israel doesn't have control anymore of the highest point in the Hermon, and almost never had hold it for enough time to establish its presence on that peak.

[GiladS]

The above statement may lead to a conclusion that this site was occupied by IDF for the first time during 1973 War. This would be a mistake.

Actually you are the one who is mistaken.

The "Syrian Hermon" (the highest point of the mountain) was captured by the IDF only during the Yom Kippur War. In the months following the end of the war there were several skirmishes between the IDF and Syrian commandos over this point until the IDF finally handed it over to UNDOF in May 1974.

This site was called the Eyes of Israel.

The nickname was coined only following the bloody battles of the Yom Kippur War.

[Fat Lazy American]

The site felt in thier hands in one of the most exciting battles of the War which lasted for 2 Hours.

But the MOST exciting battle was the Battle of Chinese Farm, when the Israelis defeated the Egyptians, allowing them to cross the Suez, encircle the entire Egyptian 3rd Army, and forcing Egypt to BEG their Soviet allies to get a cease fire resolution through the Security Council.

Yeah, that was way more exciting.

PS: I was just annoyed by the use of the word "exciting". This is not meant to be taken entirely seriously.

[shelata]

The "Syrian Hermon" (the highest point of the mountain) was captured by the IDF only during the Yom Kippur War.

I recommend you to read the brief story in the encyclopedia

At a height of about 6,600 feet, Mount Hermon has a commanding view of the Galilee. After Israels capture of it in the Six-Day War, it was used as a radar outpost, housing some of the IDF's most sensitive and secret electronic equipment. Israel also constructed an approach road and a ski lift.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_B...f_Mount_Hermon

[Fat Lazy American]

i recommend you to read the brief story in the encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/first_b...f_mount_hermon

Stand Back Everyone! He's Using Wikipedia!

[GiladS]

I recommend you to read the brief story in the encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_B...f_Mount_Hermon

And your point is?

Nothing in this article contradicts what I wrote.

Since you seem to rely on Wikipedia, I recommend you read up on the Third Battle of Mount Hermon (Operation Dessert).


P.S
I was stationed at the Hermon for a while so trust me that I know one or two things about this place.

[malioni91]

But the MOST exciting battle was the Battle of Chinese Farm, when the Israelis defeated the Egyptians, allowing them to cross the Suez, encircle the entire Egyptian 3rd Army, and forcing Egypt to BEG their Soviet allies to get a cease fire resolution through the Security Council.

Yeah, that was way more exciting.
PS: I was just annoyed by the use of the word "exciting". This is not meant to be taken entirely seriously.

Totally Agree. In the battle of the Chinese Farm the IDF showed that had "balls of steal". I'm not sure, but somewhere I read that almost every IDF guy that took part in it, was wounded. In a pic posted in this thread, Ariel Sharon as well can be seen with bandages covering his head. IDF is just great!

P.S. Love how most of the Arabs think that they achieved a GREAT victory against Israel!

[shelata]

The battle of Hermon is famously known for the Syrian capture of the Israeli site on the 6th of Oct. This site was under IDF seizture since 1967 War. IDF troops evacuated the highly equipped site in panic. They did not even destroy its equiments nor its high tech devices. All of these were collected by the Syrians in good condition. Soviet expirts visited the site to check the equipments & the gained devices. Parts were transfrered to USSR for further exploration. IDF succeded in recapturing the site in the latest 1973 war stages with a very high price. The 1973 Hermon batlles were never viewed in IDF records as sound success.

The Syrians captured the outpost, the lower ski lift and the entire Hermon mountainside.[25]
Soviet advisers arrived at the outpost a few days later to dismantle the electronic equipment, they were pleased to find most of it intact. Syrian interrogators were also able to extract valuable information from the captured Israelis.[12] The electronic equipment was sent to the Soviet Union for analysis, the documents captured compromised Israeli military codes.[26] With the fall of the Hermon, AMAN lost its "eyes on the Golan", the loss of the antennas on the listening posts damaged its ability to collect information.[27]
Author Abraham Rabinovich wrote that "the fall of the Hermon was for Israel the single most humiliating episode of the Yom Kippur War".[12] Author Walter J. Boyne commented that this was the first time in Israel's history that a commander had abandoned a position while his troops were still fighting.[26] Funk was believed by many Israelis to be at fault for the defeat, as summarized by one soldier: "The officers ran away".[28] The Israelis made a failed attempt to recapture the Hermon on October 8, but finally succeeded on October 21, in Operation Dessert.[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_B...f_Mount_Hermon

[GiladS]

The 1973 Hermon batlles were never viewed in IDF records as sound success.

The IDF recaptured the Hermon and it has remained in Israeli hands ever since... that's pretty much the bottom line.

And with all due respect, Egypt had only caputred a sliver of land on the east bank of the Suez Canal at the cost of thousands of lives with the IDF eventually crossing into Egypt itself and yet to this day a lot (if not most) of you boast some sort of "great victory".

I don't wish to get into some sort of **** mesuring contest and especially when considering that this is a conflict where thousands had lost their lives but I just find your posts to be rather ridiculous and inflammatory.

[shelata]

In the battle of the Chinese Farm the IDF showed that had "balls of steal". I'm not sure, but somewhere I read that almost every IDF guy that took part in it, was wounded.

In the chineese farm, the 16th Div troops killed 300 IDF troops in one night. IDF losses were huge. Although IDF could shift DIV 16 partly to the north, they failed to conquer the Missori site. It remained till the war end under DIV 16 control. This site supervised IDF routes to the west & permitted the continuous threat to these routes upon restoring of the hostilities. Here is parts of what IDF soldiers faced against DIV 16 in the chinjeese farm:-

The whole battalion was moving like

they lost something in the base, not any combat formation youshould muve in front of well orgenized giant enemy military forcea straight horizontal line like a comb.Kaiser and one sergeant was moving parallel to them about an half a mile from them from the south knowing from the advance what theythemselves didn't knew and Kaiser knew and didn't knew they don't know.Suddenly an hell fire was opened from all kind of possible weaponA lot, but a lot of personal weapon, A lot of heavy machine guns of all kindA lot of missiles and a lot of explosions, Hell fire all over....Kaiser and the sargent duck behind some desert dune,something not so high, more like send fold wonderindwhat the hell just hads happened...Kaiser said:" I wonder what got into them, it's looks like the halfof the Egyption Army fall in love with us.. All this for just us two?..OK, Let sit here a little until they will calm down a little, I wonder what got into them, Crazy demons..".In the first strike of fire not less than half of the Paratroopers battalion was hitted...Over 150 people was dead or badly wounded...Chezi Dachbash's commander, Yaki Levy R.I.P. sign Chezi to do the outflankingjust before he died....What is this outflanking?When a Paratroopers force caught by surprise by powerful enemy,the routine is to make the outflanking,Normaly, How do you do the outflanking? Normaly you do the outflanking not just like that, You must do thatbehind something, you must do that behund a hill or down a ravine or something,but here is a desert, All flat, No place to hide...So Dachbash take his force and find him self running parallel to the gaintEygiption force that were shooting at him like is no tommorowSo Dachbash take his force and find him self running parallel to the gaint Eygiption forceand the Eygiption was shooting at him with all what they've got,like is no tommorow,Chezi Dachbash was hitted in his helmet, A bullet enter from one side and went off from the other side,Another bullet hit his water canteen, Another was smashing his compass,His substitute officer, Jacky Chakim has killed, fighters from his force start falling... He run and run, You know, the S.O.B. got excellent physical abilitybut every thing got it's limit, I's a desert soil, Chezi start running out of air...So Place yourself instade of Chezi Dachbash and think, What would you do insuch a situation?...I don't know what What you could do inin such a situation...But I can tell you what Chezi Dachbash has done.....the crazy bastard turned towards the Egyption and charged them with...less than 20 people, Part of them wounded...Findind himself in a very bad situation...Got protected only by less than two feet of desert send from a bomb shell he foundand the Egyption was trying to fish him and his people down...

http://www.kaisernet.com/story1/

[tanks_alot]

The above statement may lead to a conclusion that this site was occupied by IDF for the first time during 1973 War. This would be a mistake. Hermon mountain (Gebel Al shiekh) was occupied by IDF since 1967 war. IDF built a strategic monitoring site on its topmost point. This site was called the Eyes of Israel. It was functioning since 1967 till the start of Yum kippor war. On the 6th of October the Syrian Special forces raided the site via Helicopter landing. The site felt in thier hands in one of the most exciting battles of the War which lasted for 2 Hours. Golani could restore it with a heavy price on the 23rd of Oct after fierce battles with the Syrian commandoes. The 6th of Oct Hermon battle was a subject of IDF post war investigation. Questions were raised regarding the quick surrender of its IDF gaurding unit during the respective battle.

From Wikipedia:

The Israeli controlled sector was captured by Israel, along with much of the Golan Heights, in the Six-Day War of June 1967. It was captured by Syria on October 6, 1973, the first day of the Yom Kippur War, following the First Battle of Mount Hermon. Israel recaptured both the formerly Israeli controlled sector and Syrian sectors on October 21, during Operation Dessert.[2] The Syrian sector was returned to Syria after the war.[3]

Perheps i was wrong about it being the highest point, however the Syrian side of the Hermon was conquerd and later returned to Syria, following the cease fire and the pictures which i've posted, are from the syrian part of the Hermon.