VALLEY OF TEARS

MY ISRAEL:

THE VALLEY OF TEARS: Site of a tank battle on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War.

Lulled into a false sense of security, and I must add a dash of arrogance after the 6 day war, Israel descended into a dream & consequently did not believe that they would again be attacked by her Arab neighbors. It reminds me of Winston Churchill who prior to WW2 maintained that those British parliamentarians and their supporters were dreaming if they believed that Hitler could be appeased passively and said the following, “If they are dreaming it means the’re asleep”.

In the days leading up to the Yom Kippur War, not all but the majority of those in power believed there was a low probability of war despite indications to the contrary, such as the evacuation of Soviet advisors & their families from both Egypt & Syria. Golda Meir the then prime minister of Israel wrote in her autobiography that she felt that war was eminent but was reluctant to attack lest Israel be accused of being the aggressor. She did not however call up the reserves, which as much as I respect & admire her, was a fatal mistake.

Israel has a very small permanent military force, which in the event of a conflict hold the line with soldiers doing their compulsory 3-year training, until the civilian reserve forces arrive.

On October the 6th1973, Egyptian forces from the south and Syrian forces from the north launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The northern attack by the Syrians focused on the Golan Heights, which covers an area of 1800 square kilometers. The Golan shares a 60-kilometer border with Syria & is 30 kilometers in depth. The Syrians adopted a two-pronged attack, and targeted both the northern and the southern Golan simultaneously.

Throughout the entire Golan Heights, a comparatively small Israeli force comprising of 177 tanks, 70 artillery pieces and 12 000 soldiers faced a much larger Syrian force. Also, many of 12 000 soldiers were on leave due to the Yom Kippur holiday. The Syrian force comprised of 270 000 soldiers & fielded 5 divisions made up of 3 mechanized infantry & 2 armored divisions which included 960 artillery pieces &,1600 tanks. The Syrians were further strengthened by both Iraqi & Jordanian forces. In addition, the Russians supplied the Syrian tanks with night vision capabilities & SAM’s (surface to air missiles), neither of which Israel had at the time.

The VALLEY OF TEARS is located in the northern Golan and was the site of one of many clashes between Israel & Syria. Unlike the southern Golan, which is flat and suitable for tanks, the northern Golan is uneven & comprises of hills and valleys made up of volcanic rocks. It is a difficult terrain to traverse. Our son, who was a paratrooper in the army, did some of his training in the Golan & confirmed that the terrain is not easy to negotiate. Consequently, the Syrians concentrated their attacks through valleys, thereby circumventing the rocky outcrops. The VALLEY OF TEARS was one such by-pass.

The combined Egyptian and Syrian attack on Yom Kippur was advantages for Israel in one respect. Bear in mind that cellphones and the like were not in existence in 1973, & on Yom Kippur Israel shuts down. There is no television, the radio is silent & the roads are devoid of traffic, as most of the population are in synagogues. Consequently, the reserve forces were concentrated in the houses of prayer and thus easily contacted. In addition, the empty roads allowed for faster mobilization of the reserves.

On October the 6th1973, the Syrians opened fire with an artillery barrage supported by Syrian attack aircraft that lasted for 50 minutes. Facing the Syrians was the 7th armored brigade in the northern Golan and the 188th Barak Brigade in the southern Golan. The air force, which Israel heavy relies upon, proved ineffective due to the SAM’s supplied by the Russians. The halting of the Syrian advance was thus dependent on the ground forces. During the first day of the war on the 6thOctober, the Israeli ground forces managed to contain the Syrian advance. However, with the arrival of night, the Syrians gained the upper hand due to their night vision capabilities.

Avigdor Kahalani, a 29-year-old lieutenant colonel and battalion commander, was one of the many heroes of the war & stationed in THE VALLEY OF TEARS. Kahalani’s battalion along with other elements of the 7tharmored brigade engaged in fierce defensive battles against a vastly better equipped Syrian mechanized force. Despite Israel not having tanks equipped with night vision capabilities, Kahalani & his crews confronted the Syrians head-on and used artillery flares & burning tanks to navigate during the night. On one occasion, the battle was at such close quarters that he radioed to his crews and instructed them to switch off their lights. In so doing, he and his crews were able to spot Syrian tanks whose lights were still glowing.

The battle on the Golan Heights lasted from the 6th to the 9th of October 1973 by which date the Syrians had been totally ejected from the Golan. Hundreds of destroyed & abandoned Syrian tanks littered the valley & many Israelis had lost their lives in defense of their country, hence the name VALLEY OF TEARS.

On the 25th October 1973, an armistice agreement between Israel, Egypt and Syria was signed, signifying the end of the Yom Kippur War.

Note: The site houses an array of destroyed tanks & is equipped with a voice recording of the battle, including an excerpt from the actual battle.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website: rontraub-tours.com Photo: From the Internet.