Israeli Fortifications of the October War 1973
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- ISBN 9781846033612
- Weight: 240g
- Dimensions: 182 x 244mm
- Publication Date: 10 Nov 2008
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Following the Israel Defence Forces' success in the Six Day War of 1967, the IDF Chief of Staff, General Haim Bar-Lev, ordered the construction of a series of fortified positions named the Bar Lev Line.
Each position was surrounded by barbed wire and minefields and virtually immune to strikes by artillery shells and even 500kg bombs. On 6 October 1973, Yom Kippur, the positions were manned by just 436 reservists when the Egyptian Second and Third Armies launched a massive offensive along the Suez Canal. The positions were quickly cut off from the supporting elements, and the Israeli defenders paid a high price with a casualty rate of almost 50 per cent.
In this thorough, illustrated study, Simon Dunstan argues that despite these losses, it was not the Bar Lev Line that failed but Israel's military and political establishment, which realised Arab intentions too late. Featuring first-hand accounts and detailed coverage of the Line's operational history, this is a compact guide to an important moment in the Middle Eastern conflict that continues today.
Simon Dunstan is a well-established author, film-maker and photographer in the field of military history, and has published several books with Osprey. He specializes in armoured warfare, and has written on this subject for two decades. His books have covered topics such as helicopter and armoured warfare in Vietnam, the Challenger main battle tank, the British Guards and armoured warfare in Korea. Simon lives and works in London.
Steve Noon was born in Kent, UK, and attended art college in Cornwall. He has had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked as a professional artist. Steve has provided award-winning illustrations for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where his interest in historical illustration began.
