Fifty years ago, on October 6, 1973, Egypt launched a surprise attack against Israel from the south on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. In a coordinated strike, the Syrian army simultaneously attacked from the north. The Arabs sought revenge and the recovery of territory lost to Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel’s army took control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Yom Kippur War, which lasted until October 24, was not the rout Egypt and Syria had hoped for. Instead, after many initial missteps, Israel was able to repulse the invading armies. One key to Israel’s advance in the south was getting across the Suez Canal into Egypt. The excerpt below from Uri Kaufman’s book EIGHTEEN DAYS IN OCTOBER: THE YOM KIPPUR WAR AND HOW IT CREATED THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST (St. Martin’s Press, August) details how amphibious boats—the least likely of Israel’s options to bring troops and artillery across the canal—moved 120 vehicles in 30 hours and made the ceasefire which ended the conflict
