0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some scenes
0:00:04 > 0:00:08which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12The Middle East was a battlefield for most of the 20th Century.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16But one of the hardest fought wars of all was in 1973,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20when Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel
0:00:20 > 0:00:23on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30For three weeks,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33the battle swung violently from side to side.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36It brought each within sight of victory and defeat
0:00:36 > 0:00:42and it brought the superpowers - America and the Soviet Union - close to a nuclear showdown.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49The Israelis were in no doubt they were fighting for their country's very survival.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51For the soldiers of Syria and Egypt,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55it was a battle for Arab territory and Arab pride.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00In this programme, I'll be revealing how Arab and Israeli commanders
0:01:00 > 0:01:05astonished each other with the boldness of their strategy.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08And I'll be finding out how both sides
0:01:08 > 0:01:11used the latest weaponry... with shattering results.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18No 20th-century conflict has been as lasting and bitter
0:01:18 > 0:01:21as the struggle between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24This is the story of the biggest battle between them.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26It's still such a sensitive subject in Egypt
0:01:26 > 0:01:28that they wouldn't let us film there.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33This is the story of the October War of 1973.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20This concrete security barrier here runs through Jerusalem
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and hundreds of miles to the north and the south.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26On this side live predominantly Muslim Palestinian Arabs,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30on this side the largely Jewish population of Israel.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36The 8m high barrier, which the Israelis started building in 2002,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40is the most powerful symbol of the hostility between Jews and Arabs,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44which still remains after nearly a century of conflict.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49The Israelis say they built this barrier to keep out Palestinian terrorists.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The Palestinians say it's just Israel's way of grabbing more of their land.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And that's what this conflict has always been about - land.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Land known, at the beginning of the 20th century, as Palestine.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Back in 1917, the British controlled Palestine
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and they promised the Jews a homeland here.
0:03:15 > 0:03:22The problem was there were more than ten times as many Arabs as Jews already living in Palestine.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And as hundreds of thousands more Jews poured into the country,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29open fighting broke out between them.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35By 1947, things were so bad the United Nations stepped in with a plan.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38This is how Palestine looked then.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Lying on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45it was bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan and Egypt.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The United Nations suggested partition.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53The Palestinians would keep land here, here and here
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and the Jews would have the rest.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Jerusalem would be an open city shared by everyone.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02The Jews accepted the plan and, in 1948,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06they declared their independence as the State of Israel.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11But the Palestinians and the neighbouring Arab countries rejected partition.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15War followed and the borders changed once more.
0:04:15 > 0:04:22The Israelis took over Arab lands here in the north and along the Egyptian border,
0:04:22 > 0:04:28ending up with most of Palestine and most of the key city of Jerusalem.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled
0:04:36 > 0:04:39or were expelled from their homes.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43These refugees headed to neighbouring Arab countries
0:04:43 > 0:04:47creating a refugee crisis that lasts to this day.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51One night, everyone was awakened to the sound of people.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54"Go, go! The Jews, the Jews are coming."
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I can still recall the voice and the ensuing chaos.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Within a short period of time, the entire village was marching out,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05carrying bare essentials, bedding on a mule,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08some clothing, and some food.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13The Arabs refused to recognise this new state of Israel
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and their resentment at the loss of Palestinian homes and land grew.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20For their part, the Israelis felt vulnerable,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23surrounded on all sides by hostile Arab enemies.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28Over the next 20 years, there was regular fighting along the borders.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32In 1967, things finally came to a head.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41On the morning of June the 5th, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Egypt.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47It was followed hours later by attacks on Egypt's allies - Syria and Jordan.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53It would become known as the Six Day War.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Almost 200 pilots of the Israeli Air Force
0:05:59 > 0:06:03took part in an incredibly ambitious air strike.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09Their mission was to wipe out the Egyptian air force - the largest in the Arab world.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27In just under two hours, Israeli bombs destroyed almost the entire Egyptian air force
0:06:27 > 0:06:30before it had even got off the ground.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Next, Israel launched strikes on the air forces of Jordan and Syria.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39By the end of the day, Israeli pilots had won total control of the skies.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Not very far away,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46there were some military bases and, um...
0:06:46 > 0:06:51they'd been attacked early in the morning. There was nothing announced
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and we didn't know what was going on.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Defeat was unfolding right there.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Israeli ground troops stormed into Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21At the same time, other Israeli troops made a bid
0:07:21 > 0:07:24to capture Arab-held Jerusalem.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33On June the 7th, just two days into the war,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Israeli paratroopers charged through this gate into the Old City.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49But as they pushed through these narrow streets,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51they came under fire from Jordanian snipers,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55who'd taken up position in the upper storeys of the buildings on either side.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The Israelis pushed on.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It took them a few hours to clear out these last pockets of resistance
0:08:02 > 0:08:06but by early afternoon, the whole of Jerusalem was in Israeli hands.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I took out the Israeli flag,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15which I carried with me the whole time, and waved it.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I hung the flag on the fence.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22My commander, who was the toughest among us, was standing next to me.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26He burst into tears underneath his steel helmet.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Another friend was weeping, a chain of bullets wrapped around his neck.
0:08:34 > 0:08:40In the days that followed, Israeli troops drove back the soldiers of Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44In six days, the Israelis had won the war.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48The defeated nations counted the cost.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It's estimated that Egypt lost 80% of its military capacity
0:09:02 > 0:09:07and, along with Syria & Jordan, suffered over 30,000 dead and injured.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13People didn't really know what was going to happen next.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I mean, people were scared.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20The whole country was at a total loss of what to do.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28The fighting may have been over, but it hadn't created the conditions
0:09:28 > 0:09:30where the two sides could come together.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Peace was as far away as ever.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39For the Arabs, the Six Day War was an utter disaster.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Before this whirlwind campaign,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Israel had been a tiny wedge of land,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49squeezed between Arab states,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52only nine miles wide at its narrowest.
0:09:52 > 0:09:58Suddenly, it was a Middle East superpower and five times the size.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00The borders had been pushed back
0:10:00 > 0:10:04to swallow a piece of Syria up here, called the Golan Heights.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07To the east, Israel had seized the West Bank
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and, in the south, it now occupied Egypt's entire Sinai peninsula,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14a huge expanse of desert.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19From this new-found position of strength,
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Israel's leaders demanded that the Arab world recognise the State of Israel.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Arab leaders met in Sudan to formulate their response.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38They were emphatic. They would not recognise Israel
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and insisted on a total Israeli withdrawal
0:10:41 > 0:10:44from the territories it had just occupied.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Over the next few years, both sides became entrenched.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56And nowhere was this more visible than along the new border with Egypt.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01The Suez Canal.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14The canal is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes,
0:11:14 > 0:11:20allowing ships to pass between Europe and Asia without sailing round Africa.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31But after the Six Day War, this international water way was closed to shipping
0:11:31 > 0:11:35as sporadic fighting between both sides continued to flare up.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39The Israelis and the Egyptians now faced each other
0:11:39 > 0:11:42eyeball to eyeball across the canal.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The Egyptians could never accept that this was a permanent frontier.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50But the Israelis were equally determined.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Egyptians now watched in horror as the Israeli military machine went to work.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02All along the Suez canal, the Israelis built
0:12:02 > 0:12:05a massive network of walls, forts and trenches
0:12:05 > 0:12:07that became known as the Bar Lev Line.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21Israel resolved that Egypt would never force its way back into the Sinai.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But they weren't just relying on the Bar Lev Line for defence.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29The Israelis also had a system for rushing troops to the frontline.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Israel has a small population and can't afford a large standing army.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43So every male Israeli does three years national service,
0:12:43 > 0:12:48and remains a reservist into his forties or fifties, ready to be mobilised in times of war.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Today, females also do national service and they can also be called up if war breaks out.
0:12:53 > 0:12:5930 years ago, an army of 250,000 men could be mobilised within 72 hours
0:12:59 > 0:13:01if the Arabs showed signs of attacking.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But after the Six Day War, that didn't seem likely.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15The Israelis had practically destroyed Arab air power.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Israeli intelligence was now sure the Arabs wouldn't try anything
0:13:19 > 0:13:21until they'd rebuilt their air forces.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And that would take another ten years.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27The Israelis were now supremely confident
0:13:27 > 0:13:29that if their neighbours so much as twitched,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33they would batter them into submission once more.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38But in Cairo, something had happened
0:13:38 > 0:13:42that the Israelis hadn't reckoned with.
0:13:43 > 0:13:49A new Egyptian President with a new sense of purpose -
0:13:49 > 0:13:54Anwar Sadat. When Sadat came to power in 1970,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Egypt was still a demoralised country,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59smarting from the loss of the Sinai.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Sadat was considered a moderate by many,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04but one of the first things he did was appoint
0:14:04 > 0:14:09a dynamic and popular new military commander - General Saad El Shazly.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Shazly was given the job of revitalising
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Egypt's poorly-trained and under-equipped army.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22Because Sadat was determined to do what the Israelis least expected -
0:14:22 > 0:14:24fight back!
0:14:26 > 0:14:32Sadat had decided that the only way to win back the Sinai from the Israelis was to make war on them.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37His plan was to launch a spectacular crossing of the canal
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and retake a strip of land in the Sinai.
0:14:40 > 0:14:47Sadat hoped that this would force the Israelis to negotiate a withdrawal from the rest of Sinai.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51But for this plan to work, Sadat was going to need help.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00Sadat found a willing ally in the Soviet Union, as the Israeli's had with the USA.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04In the 1970s, both the United States and the Soviet Union
0:15:04 > 0:15:09were adamant that neither superpower would dominate the oil-rich Middle East.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15The Soviets provided Egypt with the latest surface-to-air missiles, called SAMs.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19These missiles, supported by thousands of conventional anti-aircraft guns,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23could effectively paralyse the Israeli Air Force.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26The Egyptian commander, General Shazly,
0:15:26 > 0:15:32would not have to rely on his weakened air force to deal with Israeli warplanes.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Nor would Sadat attack alone.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Another of his allies, President Assad of Syria, would be joining in the fight.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45The key to the Egyptian plan
0:15:45 > 0:15:49was a surprise co-ordinated ground attack on Israel.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53The Syrians would attack on the Golan, at exactly the same moment
0:15:53 > 0:15:57as the Egyptians struck along the entire length of the Canal.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02But Shazly knew that, no matter how stunned the Israelis might be by this two-pronged offensive,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07they would soon counter-attack with their most lethal weapon - their air force.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11And that was where the SAM missiles came in.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16Shazly concentrated his SAMs along the Suez Canal.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21These missiles could bring down any Israeli planes that came within 15 miles.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26The SAMs and regular artillery guns would create a protective umbrella,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31shown here in red, under which Egyptian boats and infantry could cross safely.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34They would then seize the forts of the Bar Lev Line
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and secure a strip of land a few miles deep into the Sinai.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42The date of the attack was set for October the 6th,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47when the tides would give the most favourable conditions for crossing the canal.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52But October the 6th was also the holiest day of the Jewish year -
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Yom Kippur - when Israelis would be at home or the synagogue.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02With their plans in place, the Egyptians and their Syrian allies
0:17:02 > 0:17:05set about ensuring that the Israelis had no idea
0:17:05 > 0:17:08they were about to be attacked on two fronts.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23The Egyptians put into effect a complicated deception plan
0:17:23 > 0:17:27to try and lull Israeli military intelligence into complacency.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30They had been gradually mobilising their reserves.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35But at the beginning of October, they demobilised 20,000 men and sent them home.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42From what the Israelis could see, it didn't look like the Egyptian Army was gearing up for war.
0:17:42 > 0:17:48As for the Egyptian soldiers based beside the canal - they were told to act as if nothing much was up.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50They could go swimming and bask in the sun
0:17:50 > 0:17:54in full view of the Israeli troops in the forts of the Bar Lev Line.
0:17:56 > 0:18:02Any military activity the Israeli look-outs did spot appeared to be just another regular exercise.
0:18:02 > 0:18:09By day, they watched as Egyptian troops came close to the canal to carry out manoeuvres.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23At night, they appeared to head back inland to their barracks many miles away.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35Hundreds of miles to the north, the Syrians on the Golan appeared to be doing the same.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38But in fact, these troops weren't withdrawing every evening.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44Under cover of darkness, more and more Arab soldiers were massing on both fronts.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49We started to train with real ammunition.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52We were also told we were going to Suez.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We started to take our tanks, our amphibious unit
0:18:56 > 0:19:00on the railroad at night only, so the civilians couldn't see.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Reports of all this Egyptian activity
0:19:09 > 0:19:13were given to the heads of Israel's military intelligence.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16There'd been a number of false alarms in the past
0:19:16 > 0:19:20and they were convinced that this was just another one.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26But they were wrong.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32At 4.30am on the 6th of October, the day of Yom Kippur,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36the phone rang at the home of the Israel's Military Chief.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39General David Elazar.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Elazar had been made Israeli Chief of Staff
0:19:42 > 0:19:46after a long military career and a host of victories.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50The call from Israeli military intelligence informed him
0:19:50 > 0:19:55that both Egypt and Syria would launch an attack in hours.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Elazar's immediate thought was to send his air force
0:19:58 > 0:20:01to hit the Arabs before they had a chance to strike.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07But that decision could only be taken in the halls of power by Israel's politicians
0:20:07 > 0:20:11and ultimately, that meant one person -
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Israel's Prime Minister Golda Meir.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22This 75-year-old was seen as the Iron Lady of Israeli politics.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25But she said no to air strikes.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30She argued that, if Israel was to win international support after the Six Day War,
0:20:30 > 0:20:35it had to be seen not as the aggressor but the victim.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Elazar was appalled at his leader's reaction.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43He was only given permission to mobilise a fraction of the reservists he needed.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48And yet, within a few hours, his country would face invasion on two fronts.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Egypt and Syria were poised to launch their attack.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10Just before two o'clock, the Egyptians put their part of the plan into action.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Their assault across the canal, on the forts of the Bar Lev Line,
0:21:20 > 0:21:26was such a momentous event in Egyptian history, it was later re-staged for the cameras.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Thousands of Egypt's best-trained commandos
0:21:35 > 0:21:38crossed the Suez Canal in rubber dinghies.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45They landed on the East Bank in the gaps between the forts of the Bar Lev Line.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50The Egyptian commandos then scrambled up the high sand ramparts.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56They attached rope ladders to make it easier for the soldiers following on behind them.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Behind this first wave were 100,000 Egyptian infantry
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and more than a thousand tanks waiting to cross the canal.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13But the biggest obstacle to them were the giant sand ramparts on the Israeli side.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16These were as much as 60ft in height.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21It was impossible for the Egyptian tanks and heavy artillery to climb up and over them.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25The Egyptians experimented with using dynamite to blow holes in them,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28but this was found to take far too long.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31But then, one junior engineer officer had a flash of genius.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34He suggested using high-pressure hoses
0:22:34 > 0:22:38to blast the ramparts with water from the canal.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It was an extraordinary idea, which would have to work
0:22:53 > 0:22:57if the entire Egyptian assault was to be a success.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Four hours into the attack and with fighting raging around them,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07the Egyptian engineers finally broke through the ramparts
0:23:07 > 0:23:10and the first tanks started to pour through.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I never believed I would see the day
0:23:12 > 0:23:16when I was in Sinai, but this was actually Sinai.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20I looked back at the West Bank and all the green on the other side.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25And to the East all I could see is desert.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27It was a good feeling.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33The eastern bank of the canal now became a battlefield.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39The Israelis manning the forts sprayed machine gun fire
0:23:39 > 0:23:42at their Egyptian attackers to try and stem the tide.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47But within two hours, 23,000 of Egypt's infantry
0:23:47 > 0:23:52were on the East Bank and advanced up to one mile into the Sinai.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59The fort was surrounded by Egyptian forces
0:23:59 > 0:24:04and was under constant fire. We made repeated calls for help.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08We fired from time to time and reported back what we saw.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12But mainly, we tried to keep up our morale.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20But the Israelis were sure that their air force would come to the rescue.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23The first Israeli jets were sent in at 4pm,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26flying low over the desert.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31But as they approached the canal, they found themselves under attack from the ground.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38The Egyptian SAM missiles and anti-aircraft guns caused havoc.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45As Israeli planes were shot down that afternoon, it soon became clear
0:24:45 > 0:24:50that Egypt's elaborate air defence umbrella was working.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Israel's single greatest weapon - its air force -
0:24:57 > 0:25:01was virtually powerless to hold back the Egyptian onslaught.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The most immediate hope for the Israelis surrounded in the forts
0:25:09 > 0:25:13were Israeli tanks stationed just a few miles away.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21The Israeli tanks raced towards the canal.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25They thought they'd throw the Egyptians back as easily as they had done in 1967.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28But as they got closer, they found themselves
0:25:28 > 0:25:32coming under attack from a weapon they'd never faced before.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The Sagger missile.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42This Soviet-made weapon was specifically designed
0:25:42 > 0:25:45to punch through the thick metal armour of tanks.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50Yet it was small enough to be carried onto the battlefield in a backpack.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Unlike bigger anti-tank guns, the Sagger could be set up in moments.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59This light-weight piece of kit was made all the more lethal
0:25:59 > 0:26:02because the missile could be steered onto its target.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13'Today, Dan and I have come to the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre in Devon.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16'We're going to find out why Egyptian foot soldiers
0:26:16 > 0:26:20'found the new generation of anti-tank weapons so useful.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:26'A modern-day equivalent of the Sagger is called the Javelin.
0:26:26 > 0:26:32'It costs £75,000 to fire one missile, so I'm being shown the ropes on a simulator.'
0:26:33 > 0:26:36OK, so as your looking through the eye piece now
0:26:36 > 0:26:39hopefully you're seeing exactly the same pictures
0:26:39 > 0:26:40I'll see on the computer screen.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44'Rather than firing off a real missile,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46'the Javelin trainer uses a laser system.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51'If I hit the target, it will show up on the control panel.'
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- Good scan.- There's one, up there on that ridgeline.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59So it's well-pinned, well-spotted, that one.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Another one's coming straight towards me.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- So make that your priority target, cos it's a direct threat to you.- OK.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Activate the seeker and release.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13He's going behind a few little hillocks and things, but...
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Now on seeker field of view and you can decide to engage that vehicle,
0:27:17 > 0:27:22so squeeze and hold left hand trigger. Squeeze and release right.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- Well done. - EXPLOSION EFFECT
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Let's see how we do.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Just watching him now - it's a nice time to do anything.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32OK, so that's a good hit.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- Smack centre of the top of the turret.- Right on the turret.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40'I was ready to take the simulator out into the field.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'I'm aiming at a real target.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52'That truck, fitted with a laser detector, that will register a hit.'
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Here we are now in this moving vehicle making a target for Dan,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58very like the Israelis moving forward
0:27:58 > 0:28:02to attack the Egyptians in Sinai must have made for the Egyptians.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Thank you.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09'For a novice like me, a Javelin is easier to handle than a Sagger.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13'When a Sagger was fired, it trailed a control wire behind it
0:28:13 > 0:28:15'and the operator used a joystick
0:28:15 > 0:28:19'which had to keep steering the missile until it reached its target.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:22I think I can see something now.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28'A hit required good training and a steady hand.'
0:28:31 > 0:28:33I was going to have a pop at them.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'With the Javelin, all I have to do is get the truck in the sights,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40'lock the guidance system onto it and fire.'
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- He's just popped out. I can see smoke from his exhaust.- Yeah.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- Activating the seeker.- OK.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48- OK, I'm going to go for it. - Go for it.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51'At least, that's the theory.'
0:28:56 > 0:28:58God, it's tricky with that...
0:28:58 > 0:29:03- that wobble when you try and get the track gates on the target. - Yeah.- Did I miss?
0:29:03 > 0:29:07Unfortunately, that's a no result, which means you've missed.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09'I really had no idea where Dan was.'
0:29:09 > 0:29:12This is where your speed of drill matters.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17His state-of-the-art Javelin can hit my vehicle from over 2km away,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20a similar range to the Saggers in 1973.
0:29:21 > 0:29:27No wonder the Israeli tank drivers were taken by surprise as they headed towards the Suez Canal.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31They simply couldn't see the Egyptians lying in wait with the Saggers.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43- Hit - great! - Well done.- Ah, brilliant!
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Hello, Dad.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49OK, tell me you missed us?
0:29:49 > 0:29:50I'm afraid to say...
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- I got a hit.- You didn't?
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Yeah, look right there - hit, 700 metres.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- Good grief.- Yeah, I did miss the first time.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- You have got the most modern guided missile in the world.- I know.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07Because one thing worth saying is that the Saggers were wire-guided missiles.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12You had to keep the sight on the target all the time the missile was travelling towards it.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15It had to be fixed there. Whereas you just fired it and forgot, yes?
0:30:15 > 0:30:18It's hard enough to get the sight locked onto you
0:30:18 > 0:30:23and to have to keep it there for the entire time the missile's in the air would be incredible.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25You're shaking, breathing, nervous.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30I couldn't have done it if it hadn't had been a lock on and then forget about it.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Very, very powerful form of anti-tank warfare.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35For the Israelis, quite a new ordeal.
0:30:36 > 0:30:43In 1973, the Sagger was turning the Sinai into a tank graveyard.
0:30:43 > 0:30:50The tanks, which were the pride of Israel's army, were being destroyed by Egyptian infantrymen.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Israel had begun the war with around 300 tanks in Sinai.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59By the end of the first 36 hours they'd lost approximately half of this number.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Things were critical for the Israeli soldiers in Sinai.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09But that was only half the story.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14At the same time the Egyptians launched their attack,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18the Syrians had launched their bid to retake the Golan Heights.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The fertile soil of this battlefront
0:31:46 > 0:31:51couldn't have been in greater contrast to the arid desert of the Sinai.
0:31:54 > 0:32:00The Golan Heights had been a valuable prize when the Israelis captured them in 1967.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05These Golan Heights provided Israel with more than just good farmland.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07They afforded security too.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10This is the Golan here,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15once part of Syria, occupied by Israel since 1967.
0:32:15 > 0:32:22The area is no more than 15 miles wide, and it ends with a steep slope down to the River Jordan.
0:32:24 > 0:32:30To Israelis, the Golan was a vital buffer between their heartland and Syria.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Despite this, only 170 Israeli tanks
0:32:33 > 0:32:38and 400 soldiers were stationed in the frontline on the Golan.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Most of the Israeli forces were here in the north
0:32:41 > 0:32:47because Israeli commanders felt this was the most likely place for any Syrian assault.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50But when the Syrians made their move,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53their 1,200 tanks and 60,000 men
0:32:53 > 0:32:57attacked all the way along the line.
0:32:57 > 0:32:58Six hours into the battle,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02the Syrians' overwhelming strength was beginning to tell
0:33:02 > 0:33:04and their tanks broke through,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07down here in the more lightly defended south.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11By nightfall, they'd almost reached the western edge of the heights
0:33:11 > 0:33:13where they could look down on the River Jordan.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18If Syrian tanks could now seize the vital bridges across the Jordan
0:33:18 > 0:33:22they'd be able to pour across the river into Israel's heartland.
0:33:26 > 0:33:32For Israeli soldiers in bunkers along the frontline of the Golan Heights,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35the first day of the war had been a disaster.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Their strong defensive positions had done little to halt the Syrian advance.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53This is one of the Israeli bunkers dug in to the Golan Heights
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and it's got an incredibly strong construction,
0:33:55 > 0:34:00it's deep underground, reinforced concrete, and these steel plates here as well.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05The amazing thing about 1973 is these strong points were so difficult for the Syrians to take,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07they didn't even bother trying.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12They simply by-passed them with their tanks and kept pushing forward.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15By the end of the day,
0:34:15 > 0:34:20the Syrians had taken almost the entire southern half
0:34:20 > 0:34:22of the Golan Heights.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29It was a nightmare situation for Israel.
0:34:29 > 0:34:35It had been caught unawares with far too few troops on both front lines.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38All Elazar, the Israeli Chief of Staff, could do
0:34:38 > 0:34:42was to mobilise every single reservist in the country.
0:34:43 > 0:34:50In towns, villages, and farms across Israel news filtered out that their country was under attack.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Because it was a holiday, TV and radio was off the air
0:34:53 > 0:34:58and so soldiers on motorbikes had to race through built-up areas calling up the reservists.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07I was in my kibbutz on Yom Kippur
0:35:07 > 0:35:12when I heard the planes taking off from an air force base in the area.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14I drove with another member of my kibbutz,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18who was also a company commander, to our assembly point.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21On the way, we said that whatever was happening,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25we'll probably be back home in a day or two.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Men and tanks headed out towards both fronts.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43But it would take two long days before they'd be ready to mount a counter-attack.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Then, on October the 8th, David Elazar announced to the world
0:35:52 > 0:35:55that his army had finally gone on the attack.
0:35:55 > 0:36:01This morning we started our counter-attack.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06And we shall break and destroy completely
0:36:06 > 0:36:10all the attacking forces.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Elazar's first push was in the Sinai Desert.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21The Egyptians had known that the Israelis would always counter-attack
0:36:21 > 0:36:24and they'd been lying in wait for just this moment.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26As soon as the Israeli tanks came into view
0:36:26 > 0:36:31they let rip with devastating rocket artillery and Sagger missile fire.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04The Israelis suffered heavy casualties all day.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13At least 50 of their tanks were destroyed or disabled.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18To the Israelis it was abundantly clear this was no longer
0:37:18 > 0:37:21the poorly trained Egyptian army they'd fought in the past.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29By the end of the day Israel was facing catastrophe.
0:37:30 > 0:37:36Israelis had believed that once their army was in place, they would be victorious.
0:37:36 > 0:37:42Now they had to face the shocking truth that this hadn't happened.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Prime Minister Meir sent an urgent request to the Americans
0:37:46 > 0:37:49begging them to re-supply the country.
0:37:51 > 0:37:57Under attack on two fronts, Israelis felt their country was about to be squeezed out of existence.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02It would need a bold change of strategy to save the day.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07The simple truth was that Israel did not have the strength
0:38:07 > 0:38:10to fight this war on two fronts at the same time.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Elazar had to concentrate his strength on one front
0:38:13 > 0:38:16before he tried to roll back his enemy on the other.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24In the Sinai, the Egyptians were separated from Israel by hundreds of miles of desert.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28But here on the Golan, the Syrians were perilously close
0:38:28 > 0:38:32to Israel's main villages and towns across the Jordan,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34just a few miles' drive away.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36The Golan had to be Elazar's priority,
0:38:36 > 0:38:41so he ordered the army and the air force to put everything they had
0:38:41 > 0:38:43into throwing the Syrians back.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48Some tank units would attack halfway along the Golan
0:38:48 > 0:38:53to relieve the pressure on Nafakh, the Israeli HQ on the Heights.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Other Israeli tanks had already been ordered to go to the Southern Golan
0:38:57 > 0:39:01where the Syrians were closest to Israel's heartland.
0:39:01 > 0:39:07Their commander had been told bluntly, "You are Israel's last hope."
0:39:07 > 0:39:12But one thing in their favour was that the Syrians had made an extraordinary decision -
0:39:12 > 0:39:17to halt up on the high ground rather than press on towards the River Jordan.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21It gave the Israelis vital breathing room
0:39:21 > 0:39:24to cross the river and move up towards the Golan.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33On the night of October 8th, Israeli tanks stormed the Syrian positions.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45The fighting raged around the clock.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50The Soviets had given the Syrians their latest infrared night-fighting equipment.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55The Israelis had nothing of the kind, and that meant, during the hours of darkness,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59the Syrians could identify the Israeli tanks and cause horrific casualties.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02I scanned the area with my scope
0:40:02 > 0:40:07and picked up a pair of infrared lights coming directly at me.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11I took another look. The headlamps were still approaching.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15The Syrian was targeting in on us. "Driver, back up!" I screamed,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18and the tank rocked back till we came to a stop.
0:40:23 > 0:40:29But as day broke, the Israeli ground troops got some much-needed relief from their air force.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Throughout the rest of the day, however,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41the Israelis fought desperately to hold the line.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47The Israelis knew that if they gave way here,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51their country faced a real threat of extinction.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Losses mounted on both sides, but as the battle progressed,
0:40:57 > 0:41:03it became clear that despite some Syrian technological advantages, the Israeli tanks had thicker armour
0:41:03 > 0:41:09and the Israeli crews could fire more quickly and more accurately than their Syrian counterparts.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13After four days of combat,
0:41:13 > 0:41:18I wasn't particularly worried by the Syrian tanks.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21It was enough to locate them and to have them come out to meet us
0:41:21 > 0:41:24and victory would be ours.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32By the 10th of October, four days into the war,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35there was an astonishing turnaround.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40The Syrians were in full flight from here on the Golan.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Israel's tanks chased them into Syria itself,
0:41:43 > 0:41:48and soon the Israelis were within shelling distance of the Syrian capital Damascus,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51just 30 miles off that way.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55Syrian President Assad sent a message to President Sadat,
0:41:55 > 0:42:01urging the Egyptian leader to do something to relieve the pressure on Syria.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05And now Sadat made a momentous decision.
0:42:05 > 0:42:12Down on the Suez Canal, Sadat ordered his men to thrust way beyond the strong defence line
0:42:12 > 0:42:16they'd established on the east bank of the canal.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20Their objective - strategic passes through these mountains.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24But to get there, they'd have to leave the safety
0:42:24 > 0:42:27of their SAM missile umbrella way behind them.
0:42:27 > 0:42:33It was a high-risk strategy and Shazly was appalled by the decision,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35but Sadat was immovable.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39What followed would be one of the biggest tank battles in history.
0:42:49 > 0:42:5325 miles east of the canal, Israeli tank commanders were well dug in
0:42:53 > 0:42:55on high ground, in good defensive positions.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Across the open desert,
0:42:59 > 0:43:04they could see the sand being kicked up by hundreds of advancing Egyptian tanks.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14The Egyptians were totally exposed to withering Israeli fire.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24But over the following hours, the Egyptian tank brigades
0:43:24 > 0:43:27repeatedly tried to push further east into the Sinai.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33As the Egyptians moved out beyond the protective cover of their SAMs,
0:43:33 > 0:43:38Israeli aircraft rained down bombs on the exposed Egyptian tanks.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52The Israelis' skilful use of their tank guns
0:43:52 > 0:43:55meant that they pulverised the Egyptians
0:43:55 > 0:43:57exposed down on the open ground.
0:44:03 > 0:44:08The Israelis knocked out an estimated 260 Egyptian tanks.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11They lost only 20 of their own.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17We fought hard, it was a successful tackle.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22And what made it possible was the fighting spirit of our soldiers.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26This battle was a turning point in the war.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Now the war started to swing in Israel's favour.
0:44:32 > 0:44:39By October 15th, the Americans had responded to Prime Minister Meir's request for re-supplies.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44For days, American planes arrived in Israel with huge numbers
0:44:44 > 0:44:47of tanks, shells and new planes.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Israel was in a much stronger position.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57Elazar and his commanders were determined to force the Egyptians back across the canal.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02They now planned an exceedingly ambitious and risky operation
0:45:02 > 0:45:06and a man who'd play a key part in it was General Ariel Sharon.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Sharon would later become Israel's prime minister.
0:45:10 > 0:45:16But in '73, he was one of the country's most dynamic generals and immensely charismatic.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22He'd just left the army that summer, but when war broke out, he was re-called.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29His detailed knowledge of the Sinai, where he'd fought during the Six Day War,
0:45:29 > 0:45:34would prove invaluable in framing Israel's audacious new plan.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39The Egyptians on the East Bank of the canal were split into two armies.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42One in the north and one in the south.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46100,000 men and about 1,000 tanks well dug in
0:45:46 > 0:45:49and well defended by minefields.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52They looked impregnable.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56But one of Sharon's patrols had discovered a narrow gap,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59just one mile wide, between the two armies at this spot -
0:45:59 > 0:46:04where the Suez Canal joined a large salt lake.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Sharon was ordered to push through here with his tanks,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11widen the gap and secure a corridor through to the canal.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15The Israelis would bridge the canal and hundreds of tanks would then
0:46:15 > 0:46:18pour across it and fan out north and south
0:46:18 > 0:46:21to cut off the Egyptians from behind.
0:46:21 > 0:46:27The Egyptians' positions on the eastern canal bank would then be untenable.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30For the Israelis the whole operation would be fraught with danger.
0:46:30 > 0:46:36The biggest threat was an Egyptian stronghold here, called Chinese Farm.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39It was just north of the planned Israeli corridor.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43Sharon had to neutralise the Egyptians at Chinese Farm
0:46:43 > 0:46:46if the Israeli plan was to succeed.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51But what the Israelis didn't know
0:46:51 > 0:46:56was just how big the Egyptian presence was at Chinese Farm.
0:46:56 > 0:47:01Large numbers of Egyptian tanks and infantry were gathered there.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Unaware of how outnumbered they were,
0:47:03 > 0:47:08at dusk on October 15th, the Israeli assault force moved in.
0:47:08 > 0:47:13Sharon's tank crews approached Chinese Farm to make their surprise attack.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16They moved in from three different directions,
0:47:16 > 0:47:20but the Egyptian position was a lot stronger than the Israelis had expected.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28A ferocious night battle erupted between the Israelis and the Egyptians.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30Both sides now faced the same problem.
0:47:30 > 0:47:36The fighting was at such close quarters that it was difficult to tell who was friend and who was foe.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40At one point, when my tank had stopped,
0:47:40 > 0:47:45an Egyptian soldier climbed onto it and asked me in Arabic for a cigarette.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48He thought we were Egyptians.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53I bent down and pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it at him.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58All night the Egyptians put up a stiff defence.
0:47:58 > 0:48:03They disabled Israeli tanks and killed and wounded enemy soldiers.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08The Israelis realised they faced a tough fight to secure the vital road to the canal.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13The Egyptians were spread out like a horseshoe.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16They could shoot at us from three sides.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21It was a carpet of fire, their bullets were everywhere.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25I thought, from here, we are not going to get out alive.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28This is our death place.
0:48:31 > 0:48:37Sharon decided to cross the canal before waiting for the battle of Chinese Farm to be won.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41At midnight he sent 750 paratroopers to sneak across
0:48:41 > 0:48:45and establish the vital toe-hold on the west bank.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48His men had been totally unopposed,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51but to turn this into a major breakthrough,
0:48:51 > 0:48:57the Israelis would need to get thousands more men and tanks across the canal.
0:48:58 > 0:49:05In fact, the Israelis had built a mobile bridge a year before the war for just this purpose.
0:49:07 > 0:49:12The bridge was 180 metres long, weighed 400 tonnes
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and took three days to put together.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Once assembled it was towed on metal rollers
0:49:18 > 0:49:23through the desert by 12 tanks along the only road down to the canal.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25But there was a problem.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28Because of the fighting still raging at Chinese Farm
0:49:28 > 0:49:31the road to the canal was blocked by a huge traffic jam.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35By daybreak the bridge had only travelled two miles -
0:49:35 > 0:49:37there were another 13 to go.
0:49:38 > 0:49:45Sharon needed to get tanks across the canal to reinforce his troops who'd crossed earlier.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Without the bridge in place,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52he had to float 50 tanks across on inflatable rafts.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58The sudden appearance of Israeli tanks on the west bank of the canal
0:49:58 > 0:50:00was a huge surprise for the Egyptians.
0:50:00 > 0:50:05Soldiers manning the SAM batteries reported that groups of several tanks
0:50:05 > 0:50:06would show up in the distance,
0:50:06 > 0:50:09open fire at them and then disappear.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18Later that day, on the evening of October the 16th,
0:50:18 > 0:50:23the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir triumphantly told the Israeli Parliament
0:50:23 > 0:50:26their troops had crossed the canal into Africa.
0:50:26 > 0:50:32In reality, it'd be another two days before the Israelis secured the corridor to the canal.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37It wasn't until October 19th that the bridge was finally in place.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47As Israeli tanks surged across the bridge,
0:50:47 > 0:50:53they came under heavy bombardment from Egyptian artillery and aircraft.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58But the tanks pushed on to their first objectives on the West Bank -
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Egypt's SAM missiles sites.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Once these missiles were destroyed,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Israeli warplanes swept into the attack
0:51:07 > 0:51:11in support of the tanks fanning out north and south
0:51:11 > 0:51:13on the west bank of the canal.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Egypt's Third Army, here on the east bank, was soon in danger of being surrounded.
0:51:20 > 0:51:26Shazly urged that some units should be pulled back here to the west bank to fight the Israelis.
0:51:26 > 0:51:31President Sadat replied abruptly, "No retreat!"
0:51:31 > 0:51:37He believed that reducing forces on the east bank would risk losing everything they'd fought for.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40But Sadat WAS ready for a ceasefire.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49It was announced on 22nd of October.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51The Israelis agreed to the ceasefire as well,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53but in reality ignored it,
0:51:53 > 0:51:58and pushed on south to secure more land west of the canal.
0:52:09 > 0:52:15By October 23rd, the Egyptian Third Army was surrounded.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18The supply lines of its 45,000 men were cut.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21With only four days of food and water left,
0:52:21 > 0:52:25it wouldn't be long before they were starved into submission.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Some Egyptian soldiers were so desperate they surrendered.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Others hung on.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38No food come to us.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41No munitions come to us.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44No evacuation of any injured.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46No water.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50We didn't need gas because we weren't going anywhere.
0:52:50 > 0:52:56And just when it seemed to be over, the war took a dramatic turn.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00It was at this critical moment that Egypt's most powerful ally,
0:53:00 > 0:53:05the Soviet Union, made one final bid to help the Egyptians.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09The Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev told the Americans,
0:53:09 > 0:53:15unless they agreed to send a joint US/Soviet peacekeeping force to the Middle East,
0:53:15 > 0:53:17he would send Soviet troops on their own.
0:53:21 > 0:53:26The Americans were determined that no Soviet troops would enter the Middle East.
0:53:26 > 0:53:32In a sudden escalation, America put its nuclear forces on alert.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38US nuclear missiles were readied in their silos
0:53:38 > 0:53:44and two aircraft carriers with nuclear strike forces were ordered to the eastern Mediterranean.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48The implied threat of nuclear war
0:53:48 > 0:53:54forced Brezhnev to make a choice - to escalate or to climb down.
0:53:58 > 0:54:04Brezhnev decided to climb down and no Soviet troops went to the Middle East.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07But the flurry of international pressure had made its mark.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09On October 25th,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12the Israelis finally heeded the ceasefire
0:54:12 > 0:54:16and the October War was effectively over.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46It's hard to say who was the clear victor in this war.
0:54:46 > 0:54:51The Israelis, who saw both their fronts shattered by surprise attacks,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54made an astonishing military comeback.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58But the Arabs gave Israel a real shock.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03For many Israelis, the 9,500 soldiers killed or wounded
0:55:03 > 0:55:08during the October War was an unacceptably high price to pay.
0:55:08 > 0:55:13They blamed their government for failing to heed the warnings that war was imminent.
0:55:13 > 0:55:17Israeli confidence was shattered.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22They were no longer the invincible military power that they'd thought they were.
0:55:22 > 0:55:27Despite the fact they'd suffered up to 30,000 casualties,
0:55:27 > 0:55:32perhaps, in the end, the side that gained the most from this war was Egypt.
0:55:32 > 0:55:38The Egyptian crossing of the canal was seen as a major military achievement
0:55:38 > 0:55:43that restored Arab pride and gave President Sadat the confidence
0:55:43 > 0:55:46to make a spectacular bid for peace.
0:55:52 > 0:55:59In November 1977, the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
0:55:59 > 0:56:04arrived in Israel, and in the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem itself,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06he became the first Arab leader
0:56:06 > 0:56:09to recognise the state of Israel.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23Israel and Egypt were now on the road to peace
0:56:23 > 0:56:29which culminated in 1982 with what Sadat had always wanted -
0:56:29 > 0:56:32a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43But Sadat never saw it happen.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55On October 6th, 1981, the eighth anniversary of the war,
0:56:55 > 0:57:01Anwar Sadat was assassinated by gunmen opposed to his peace treaty with Israel.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05The October War had claimed its last victim.
0:57:07 > 0:57:13The war didn't sort out the fundamental dispute between the Israelis and the Arabs.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16In fact, technically, Israel is still in a state of war with Syria.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22All the treaties and all the talking still haven't brought peace
0:57:22 > 0:57:24to this part of the Middle East.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28And this barrier is a powerful reminder
0:57:28 > 0:57:32that the conflict with the Palestinians over who owns the land
0:57:32 > 0:57:34remains unresolved to this day.
0:57:47 > 0:57:53Next week, 20th Century Battlefields brings you the Falklands War.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57In April 1982, Argentina invaded these remote islands
0:57:57 > 0:58:02and triggered one of the most ambitious military undertakings in British history.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06I look at how the British fought 8,000 miles from home.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10And I'll see how the troops tackled this hostile terrain.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14It was, in a way, one of the century's most bizarre conflicts.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17It's the story of the battle for the Falklands.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd