October 6th, 1973 and after Trivia Quiz

Answer: Moshe Dayan

Henry Kissinger, in the days leading up to the war, conducted much shuttle diplomacy between the two sides, and tried to moderate the situation. Henry even sent Golda Meir a message saying, "Don't pre-empt," after Golda Meir contacted the United States saying that it would not attack the Arabs first.

At 8:05 AM, the meeting began, and Moshe Dayan began to argue that war was avoidable. An Israeli General, David Elazar, then presented his viewpoint that Golda should allow a pre-emptive strike against Syria, which would include the bombing of Syrian airfields, missiles, and infantry. Golda Meir decided that Israel would not attack first, because they would receive no help if they started the war.

Answer: Operation Badr

The operation was a victory for the Egyptians, they achieved surprise and achieved all their objectives, which included taking an Israeli-controlled line on the east bank of the Suez Canal, called the Bar Lev Line. They took it, fortified it, and held it.

The Bar Lev Line was basically a sitting duck, only 18 Israeli fortifications were fully manned and two partially. The air strike was aimed to destroy some radar stations, military batteries, command centers, and three Israeli air bases, and was supported by artillery. Israeli resistance was crushed, and the Arabs had beaten the Israelis in a major attack for the first time in ages. October 8th was the day it ended.

Answer: Mount Hermon

Casualties included 30 Israelis and 15 Syrians dead, 23 Israelis and 3 Syrians wounded, 31 Israelis were taken as POWs, and two of the prisoners were executed. Syria lost 1 helicopter during the battle. Mount Hermon, which is 9,232 feet above sea level at its peak, had been captured by the Israelis in the 6-day war of 1967. Taking the mountain was important to the Syrians, as it has a good view of Galilee.

Much radar equipment was housed there. On October 6th, 1973 a group of Syrian commandos, around 300 soldiers, attacked the outpost.

They captured it the next day.

Answer: Battle of Latakia

Little is known about Syrian losses during this battle, because it is unknown how many Syrians were on the 5 ships sunk by the Israelis. No Israelis were harmed during the battle. The battle, which took place on October 7th in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Latakia, Syria, also was the first naval battle to use electronic deception. Israel was aiming to weaken the Syrian navy, which had superb, Soviet-made missile boats. Israeli ships attacked the Syrian ships, and electronic deception meant that the Syrian ships were completely unaware of the approaching enemy. Gabriel missiles then took out the five ships that Israel attacked.

Answer: Soviet Union

Warsaw Pact countries also aided considerably, and air and sea transport were used to supply the two Arab belligerents. Syria received more than half of the Soviet Union's aid during the war. On October 9th alone, 14,000 tons of supplies were delivered.

Answer: Henry Kissinger

A prediction that the Arabs would lose quickly was part of US intelligence at the beginning of the war, but the war lasted 20 days. Many high-ranking intelligence officials in the US government didn't support aiding Israel. Henry Kissinger didn't share that viewpoint, and he learned of it on the first day of the war in a meeting that he convened. Kissinger believed that if Israel won without US aid, that the US wouldn't get much out of the peace treaty at the end of the war.

Answer: Both of these

Since the war began on Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur War is an appropriate name. The war was fought during October, which gives the name October War name validity. The war was also fought during the 1973 Ramadan, an Islamic holiday lasting a month. The war is also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli conflict.

Answer: October 22nd

The resolution failed to work. It called for a ceasefire within 12 hours of the 14-0 passing in the UN Security Council, among Egypt, Syria, and Israel. That did not happen. The People's Republic of China did not vote. The US and the USSR were the main countries responsible for it. Resolution 338 was passed on October 22nd.

Answer: Saudi Arabia

The production of oil in the OPEC was slashed by 5% on October 17th. Richard Nixon, two days later, authorized $2.2 billion in aid and weapons to Israel. An embargo was then declared by the Islamic Kingdom against the US, more OPEC countries later participated.

The embargo would later be extended to more western countries. The 1973 energy crisis was a direct result of this blocking of trade.

Answer: Armed Forces Day

The same holiday, on the same day, is also celebrated in Syria. The crossing of the Suez Canal during Operation Badr, which led to the Bar Lev Line being captured by Egyptian forces, is mainly honored by the holiday. During the war, both sides suffered badly. Israel won, at least tactically, but their sense of invincibility was shattered.

The Arabs gained confidence, and Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, acquired a new image.