1973 Arab Israeli War.

Ok fine the Goals were not to destroy Israel,but the Egyptions achieved their advance inside Sinai cause Israel gave Syrian front the priority it is closer to Israel after initial success the Syrian held back and Israeli counter attack begun to reach the capital,thank to the Iraqi tank division which reached in the injury time and save a day but with heavy losses.

then Israel turned back to egyption army Sharon besieged the 3rd egyption army and cross the Canal behind egyption back lines it was a disaster,Egypt must thank The Security Council for it's work to made the ceasefire.

now Egypt hold a small line in other side of the canal but the Israeli crossed it already.

Egypt accomplished it's goal on the table of negotiations not on the field they promised Israel in forever peace,and the last Israeli soldier withdraw from Taba(the last Island occupied by Israel)in 1982.

the one good thing in this war from Arab was they handle the fight with Israeli air force very good better than the ex-war.

and Sadat was the first one who accept the truce,cause knew the crisis of his army.

1) Egypts objectives were v limited in 1973, they were to simply move 12-15 Km inside the Sanai and nthen stay there. Syria's were to regian the Golan Heights. In '73 the aim was never to destroy Israel.

 

2) The Egyptians achieved there aim, the Syrians failed.

 

The Iraqi Army, at least before the Iran war, was always a professional army that was largely free from politicization in the egyptian way (promotions contiued to be under a merit based system and training was a priority). In Egypt, your politics were the determining factor in you staying or leaving the army, if you were a Nasser poodle everything is opened to you and if you were from his village things will easy. In Syria, the air force and much of the army became fiefdoms for communal tribes, Hafiz Al-Assad turned the air force an army reserved for his own sect kicking most of the excellent officers of other sects, Sunni, Ismaili and Christian officers, on the basis of Bathism. The army was not better, entering the army became a social previlage rather than a professional duty and training was simply non existant with the constant fear of yet another military coup by another politicised group of officers always looming.

 

Al-Jassas 

 

Well I wouldn't characterize it as a psychological problem more than a political one. Arabs Do have the stomach to fight and if you really was wondering look what has happened and is happening in Palestine and Iraq for the last 30 years, Iraq lost half a million in a war with Iran, then with considerable popular support (contrary to what is portrayed in the media) went to war in Kuwaite which turned out in a manner unexpected to the Iraqis (they thought the world will just forget) and finally the curent bloodbath which is getting worse by the minute. Same goes to the Palestinians and the Lebanese who are as I speak prepared to go to war and non of the parties even colledge educated urban elite have any remorse in doing so. The Problem in the Arab Israeli wars is that Arab regimes (which are nothing but personal fiefdoms to their rulers) are more interested in keeping their seats than ending Israel (as they claim they want to do). Whenever their egos decide that a matter is at the atmose importance to "national security" they will vigorously do anything to finish that matter (which is normally a possible threat to the regime) no matter what the cost. Israel never had the intention (at least initially) to threaten the stability of neighboring regimes or change them with force and Arab leaders knew that so they never tried to takeout Israel because in doing so, their legitimacy will be lost and people will strart to demand for their rights and the regimes will fall naturally, but keeping Israel as the boogyman gave them the legitmacy to do anything because "the strugle" needs it. That is why we see Abdul-Nasser sending his best troops into a losing war in yemen and continuing that course vigorously for 5 years at the cost of 1000's the Egyptian soldiers and when Israel was preparing day and night for the 67 war he refused to do anything because admitting defeat in Yemen will simply shatter his ego.

 

Al-Jassas

In my humble opinion the 1973 war was more of a disgrace than a victory. Syria especially had the power and the capability to destroy Israeli presence in the Golan and initiate an attack against Israeli soil if they gathered enough troops. They won the surprise factor and the initial battle especially the brilliant capture by Syria's SF�s of mount Hermon and keeping the mountain only to lose it when the soldiers were "ordered" to abandon position rather than continue the successful stance.

After taking more than 70% of the heights including all the high positions Syria kept the number of its soldiers at 60 000 men and did not mobilize the rest of the army nor move more troops to the front while the Israeli managed to gather 120 000 men at the Golan front in less than 1 day after the hostilities began. The Syrian command under Tlass (who was a failed officer and was only a Lt. colonel before the revolution that brought him). The reason was simple like all other arab wars, leaders were far more afraid from revolt with inside than any other foreign intervention. Syria deployed 100 000 men when Hama had a trivial civil disturbance resulting in the infamous massacre but only deployed 60 000 men and half its air force during the 1973 war and gave command to failures and men of no quality whatsoever. In the Egyptian front on the other hand what Egyptian commanders did was a disgrace to the name of military. Despite the legendary maneuver that destroyed the �indestructible� Bar-lev line they did mistakes a lieutenant in the Israeli army wont do. First, they did not deploy enough troops through the gap, from the three armies only one passed through.

 

Second, despite that the israelis had first priority in the Golan heights the egyptians after breaking through waited for the enemy to initiate the attack rather than taking the offensive.

 

Third and most deadly, the gap that the egyptian army left back at the western shore of the canal was not closed for 3 whole days! Now tell me how on earth can this happen especially that you can see your enemy across the canal. What was even worse when the Israelis crossed they were sandwiched by two egyptian backup armies that did absolutely nothing. They had the power to annihilate the intruders and then cross into the other side but they did not.

 

Thank You

 

Al-Jassas