It is exactly 40 years since the breakout of Yom Kippur war.
Few days after closing by Austrian authorities refugee camp for Soviet Jews on their way to Israel (after an attack by Palestinian gunman) and after the families of Soviet diplomats were evacuated from Syria (on the 4th of October) the war started on the highest Jewish holiday. The Yom Kippur war, just like the 6-days-war, was in a sense a hot episode of cold war (Syria being supported by Soviet Union). On the same day when Soviet diplomats were evacuated Syrians gathered 1,200 tanks on a 40 mile long border with Israel (for comparison: in 1941 when Germany started attack on its former ally Soviet Union they used 1,400 tanks on 1,000 mile long front line).
Israeli army was on high alert yet, in the anticipation of the highest holiday, reservists were not mobilized, though soldiers returning for a holiday to their homes were very often called back right away (it happened for example to Icchac Rabin's son).
In synagogues soldiers were often found by those delivering mobilization papers - the event with no president before. At 2 p.m. sirens sounded and at 2.30 radio broke the silence (there is no radio or TV broadcasting on Yom Kippur) to announce that the alarm was for real. An hour later another announcement made things clear: public communication was to start immediately, hospitals put on high alert and those in shape permitting such transfer were to be moved form hospitals home making place for military casualties. War has started.
The war was, of course, won, otherwise Israel would have ceased to exist (that was the goal of the attackers) but the price was heavy. In Sinai the whole 3rd Egyptian Army was held by fortifications manned by 436 soldiers, many of them new immigrants. Quite often the commanding officer was killed in early stages of war and the command was executed by corporals or even privates.
One of such forts (fort "Quay") was holding for a week before (when only 20 hand-grenades and few belts of light ammunition were left) it surrendered. Taking what was left of his men, after having washed in last drops of water, and collecting Torah scrolls, soldiers were marched to captivity. Egyptians searched for a long time for heavy machine-guns refusing to believe there were none.
Let us not forget about the events forty years ago....
And here is the link to Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood resentments :(
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