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From JPost Archives on Yom Kippur War | MORE ARTICLES

Sharon tells how he crossed the Canal

By DANIEL GOTTLIEB
Jerusalem Post Correspondent
November 13, 1973

WASHINGTON — Major General Ariel (Arik) Sharon, in a further installment of a "New York Times" interview yesterday, detailed how he made advance preparations for the Suez Canal crossing by weakening the earthen bank running along the waterway at a crucial road junction.

At the crossing point just north of the Great Bitter Lake, the general had the high earthen bank weakened at one point and ordered the spot marked by red bricks, "The Times" related.

The newspaper quoted him as saying that he did this during his 4 years as Southern Area commander, when he realized ’that it might be necessary someday to make a canal crossing.’

When Aluf Sharon outlined his plan for the Canal crossing on October 15, "The Times" said, an engineering officer said he could not quickly breach the banks with the bulldozers and other equipment available.

"I told him to look for the red bricks, and when the time came he found them I the dark and did it," the general was quoted as saying.

Sharon said the Canal crossing operation was so complicated, "It made operations like taking the Egyptian strongpoint of Abu Agelia in 1967 seem simple."

The main problem, he said was to reach the water and establish the bridgehead in the same night. The tactics involved sending one armored brigade north of the Tasa-Great Bitter Lake road in a deceptive move while the main force swept past sand dunes along the lake to the bridgehead.

The key battle, he said, was a staggeringly violent fight to protect the bridgehead corridor from Egyptian counterattacks on the eastern bank. "The Times" reporter who conducted the interview said a visit to the now quiet battlefield on the eastern bank showed 24 totally burned out Israeli Patton tanks within a short stretch of a few thousand yards, with about 100 knocked out Egyptian tanks in the same area.

JPost Features AMOTZ ASA-EL: The big one The Yom Kippur War: The epic confrontation that transformed the Middle East ABRAHAM RABINOVICH: The height of hutzpa MOTTI ASHKENAZI: Just a scared soldier MEIR RONNEN: 'Sic transit gloria' YEHEZKEL DROR: Re-engineering history MARTIN VAN CREVELD: The last conventional war YOSSI KLEIN HALEVI: War and atonement HAIM SABATO: Days of Awe PINCHAS LANDAU: The rise and fall of oil From JPost Archives 7.10.1973 - Egyptian-Syrian attacks held 10.10.1973 - Israel regroups along the Canal. Syrians halted 9.10.1973 - Israel takes offensive, bitter battles raging. Syrian armored units bid to counter-attack 9.10.1973 - Many Syrians said fleeing on foot 9.10.1973 - 13-tank Yuval tells his story 9.10.1973 - Wounded tell of battle in Sinai 9.10.1973 - Yariv: No rapid conquest; Bar-Lev line is evacuated 14.10.1973 - Thrust into Syria widens over 21-kilometer front 14.10.1973 - Last Israeli strongpoint surrenders 15.10.1973 - 656 Israelis killed in eight days of war 15.10.1973 - Egyptian forces lose 200 tanks; drive on Damascus continues. Israelis beat back Egyptians 15.10.1973 - Arabs won't accept cease-fire: Decisive battle ahead - Dayan 17.10.1973 - Israel task force crosses Canal. Syria loses 105 tanks, 10 planes 17.10.1973 - Anti-aircraft missile batteries destroyed 19.10.1973 - Heavy Egyptian tank and plane losses as counter-attack fails 21.10.1973 - Israel forces widen Canal Bridge-Head 22.10.1973 - Israel expands bridgehead, downs 32 enemy aircraft 23.10.1973 - Shooting continues at Canal despite Israel-Egypt cease-fire 26.10.1973 - Emerged from great danger, Golda says 28.10.1973 - Israel, Egypt agree to meet on supplies for 3rd army, truce Non-military convoy to be sent 4.11.1973 - Government to probe questions about war, Bar-Lev believes 13.11.1973 - Sharon tells how he crossed the Canal 25.09.1998 - Shattered Heights: Part 1 25.09.1998 - A sober look at how the war was won 25.09.1998 - A victory remembered as a defeat 27.09.1998 - History may repeat itself 29.09.1998 - EDITORIAL: The watershed war 29.09.1998 - Two wars in one, vividly relived 2.10.1998 - Shattered Heights: Part 2 7.10.1998 - Egypt marks anniversary of Yom Kippur War 9.10.1998 - A Diary from Hell 11.10.1989 - Memorial service marks 16 years since Yom Kippur War 14.09.1994 - Another fiasco like 1973? 17.09.1999 - War and Lack of Inner Peace 11.10. 2000 - Barak preaches unity sermon to families of fallen 28.09. 2001 Debunking a myth: Dayan never feared Israel's 1.10. 2001 - Security checks delay start of Yom Kippur War memorial ------------------------------------------------------ [ Click Here to Start the Photo Tour ] ------------------------------------------------------