ABSTRACT
An overview of the major lessons of the October 1973 fighting between the Arabs and Israelis is an essential background to understanding the wars that have followed. Such an analysis also lays the groundwork for understanding many of the controversies which have developed around given tactics and technologies in succeeding conflicts. The 1973 war between Israel, Egypt, and Syria marked the fourth major encounter between Arab and Israeli forces. Gamal Abdel Nasser declared the formal beginning of the War of Attrition on 8 March 1969. Egypt launched a new and even more massive bombardment which went on for nearly 80 days. In general, however, Israel relied on airpower, and this led to a struggle between Israeli fighters and Egyptian ground-based air defenses. Israel concentrated on air-to-air combat and did not even develop a central staff to manage attack missions and coordinate reconnaissance data and attack mission planning.
