A Test of Faith: The Arab-Israeli War of 1973 – An OSS Game

On October 6, 1973, the Arab forces of Syria and Egypt attacked Israel.  The attack took place on the most holy of days for Jews in an attempt to catch the Israelis as unprepared as possible.  At first, it was a massive success.  Syrian forces marched through the weak and scattered forces in the Golan Heights while Egyptian forces easily crossed the great Suez Canal and set up a strong defensive line along the east bank of the Canal and, under their strong umbrella of Surface-to-Air missile support, awaited the inevitable Israeli counterattack.  And counterattack the Israelis did – only to be shocked at the effectiveness of new Soviet weapons and surprising Arab resolve. The battle would take unexpected turns as the Israelis finally found answers to the new technology of the Arab army and fought off the challenge – even attacking into Syria and Egypt in the final stages of the battle. But both sides could claim victory in this war.  The Israelis were still king of the battlefield, but