The golden jubilee celebrations to commemorate the glorious October victories still point to latent capabilities in the Egyptian’s personality, shedding their bright lights on the night of crises and obstacles that may stand in his life, but he wipes them away, writing new pages in history.
The Egyptians presented a pioneering model in achieving victory when they proudly looked forward to crossing of the Suez Canal. They overstepped the barrier of time, burning with an overwhelming desire to destroy the myth of the Bar Lev Line, with rare courage that stems from determination that defied the defeat, and perseverance that overcame all obstacles to achieve the impossible. Here I recall the words of Writer Jean-Claude Gibouh in his book “The Days Counted in Israel”: “Did Anwar Sadat imagine, when he launched his tanks and soldiers at two in the afternoon on October 6th to cross the Suez Canal, that he was unleashing a powerful, terrible force that would change this world?! Everything from Europe to America, and from Asia to Africa, has not returned the same as it had been before the “Yom Kippur War.”
Amidst our celebrations, we should not turn a blind eye to the genius Egyptians who were competent in managing the war. Major General Farrah Hockley, Director of Combat Development in the British Army, said: “The lessons learned from the October War relate more to the men and their abilities than to the machines they operate. The tremendous achievement achieved by the Egyptians lies in the genius skillful leaders and officers who trained and carried out an offensive operation, that presented a complete surprise to the other party, despite being carried out at its glare, and in addition to this, the soldiers showed high morale, which was considered impossible.” The Bar Lev Line with its earthen rampart hindered the Egyptian forces crossing into Sinai, as it was considered the strongest defensive fortification line in our modern era at that time, which made the enemy exploit it as a powerful factor in spreading a spirit of despair in the souls of the Egyptians, declaring to the world the impossibility of destroying such a rampart. Nonetheless, the Egyptian did not take those claims as granted, but rather began studying how to overcome this problem. Here the Egyptian ingenuity emerged when Major General Baqi Zaki asked to speak, after listening to an explanation given by Major General Talaat about the possibility of blowing up the Bar Lev Line using explosives, which would take nearly 12 to 15 hours, with human losses estimated at 20%! He said: “The solution lies in the water hose! We need small compressive suction water pumps carried by light boats; the pumps will suck water from the canal, compress it, and powerfully aim water cannons with great determination at the earthen rampart causing the sand to move. The tilt of the rampart will allow the sand to collapse at the bottom of the canal. With the continuous flow of water, gaps in the rampart will open at the necessary depth and width, through these gaps, vehicles and armored vehicles will cross into the depths of Sinai.” Thus, the Egyptian destroyed the myth of the Bar Lev Line with the water cannons pumping into their earthen rampart, in preparation for the crossing of the Egyptian forces into Sinai.
The efficiency of the Egyptian fighter stood out uniquely in the battle, that it attracted the attention of the world and even the enemy. George Leslie, Head of the Jewish organization in Strasbourg, said on October 29, 1973: “The fourth round resulted in a complete disaster for Israel! The results of the battles and the repercussions that began to appear in Israel assert the importance of the victories that abolished the feeling of Israeli superiority and destroyed the concept of an invincible army. The victories achieved confirmed the competence and determination of the Arab fighter and the effectiveness of weapon in his hand.” The first lieutenant, the Israeli pilot, Uri Youssef Awar, was shocked by the Egyptian efficiency, expressing: “We were amazed by the excellent level of the Egyptian pilots… and their high combat efficiency.” This efficiency was not a spur of the moment, it rather was the result of non-stop work of planning and training that lasted for years and years, so victory was achieved and the impossible was attained!
And… stories about beautiful Egypt never end!
The General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
