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(3)A story of sacrifice and heroism, Sane in Damascus tells the compelling and engaging tale of Amnon Sharon, an officer in the Israel Defense Forces who fell captive during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and was held in a Syrian prison for eight long months. In his book, Sharon details the brutal treatment and interrogations that he experienced in prison. Though Sharon was tortured, though he had no idea what was happening, he held strong through the power of prayer and faith. In his heart he believed that God could save him, that there would be some way out – he never gave up. And despite four months of solitary confinement during which the only human faces he saw were those of his torturers, he held onto sanity, living for the day when he could return to his pregnant wife and young son. The book Sane in Damascus is an unforgettable documentation of determination and willpower and the ultimate display of strength against a fearful enemy. This book is dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to save the State of Israel in one of the most difficult periods in her history.
(15)In October 1973, the State of Israel was invaded by Egyptian and Syrian forces. Despite early losses, Israel managed to outfight its opponents. The brief and bloody Yom Kippur War stands as a unique chapter in modern military history. Fought primarily by tank units, the war became a story not only of battle strategy and tactics, but also one of human discipline, endurance and sacrifice.
While many historians have chronicled the events of the Yom Kippur War, few have been seasoned by actual combat. Avigdor Kahalani, commander of a tank battalion on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War, describes this experience in The Heights of Courage. Beginning with a description of the initial Syrian offensive, he recounts the personal endeavors of his men, their fears and their ambitions, as well as their emotional and physical hardships. His stark account traces the efforts of the Israel Armored Corps as they struggle to overcome extreme difficulties and setbacks. The author describes their ultimate penetration into enemy territory and their approach to within forty kilometers of Damascus.
(8)Duel for the Golan
The 100-Hour Battle That Saved Israel
Jerry Asher with Eric Hammel
The first Saturday in October 1973: A traditional Jewish Sabbath in Israel. It is also Yom
Kippur, and the Israeli Defense Force is preparing to observe the holiest of the Jewish holy days.
Meanwhile the Syrian army, the greatest achievement of the modern Syrian state, is
massed on the Golan Heights. Together with newly arrived Soviet-made equipment,
1,200 main battle tanks, 1,000 armored personnel carriers, 1,000 artillery pieces, and
more than 100 mobile antiaircraft missile carriers are ready to strike in a lightning-swift
offensive that will drive to the sea and cut Israel in two.
Duel for the Golan, the first book to be written on this aspect of the Yom Kippur War, is
based on interviews with the participants from both sides of the fighting. As such it
remain a compelling and powerful account of one of the greatest tank battles fought
since World War II. It also provides the first in-depth analysis of exactly how and why an
inferior number of Israeli defenders was capable of inflicting one of the greatest defeats
in modern military history upon awe-inspiring Arab armored forces.
Here are the intimate details of tank-against-tank fighting, whether it be during retreats,
in ambushes, or on the attack. Here are the stories of incredible courage and individual
initiative as the Israeli defenders strive to contain the unexpected Syrian assault. During
the 100-hour battle that saved Israel, every Israeli tank that was committed to the Golan
fighting was hit by hostile fire at least once, and some commanders had five or six tanks
shot out from under them.
By the end of the war only a few days later, Israeli forces had counterattacked and
advanced to where their artillery could hit the Damascus International Airport and other
strategic targets with pinpoint accuracy. The Syrian army was virtually destroyed in the
field, as were contingents from other Arab states such as Iraq and Jordan. How these remarkable turns of battle occurred is deftly laid out. This revealing account of a battle
that changed the history of the Middle East is especially relevant today as tensions in the
region increase once again.
