On October 6, 1973, as Israel’s leaders observed the solemn rituals of Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a coordinated surprise assault across the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights. Within hours, Israel’s much-vaunted military machine was reeling. Entire tank divisions were decimated, forward positions were collapsing, and for the first time since 1948, the survival of the Jewish state seemed genuinely in doubt. Israel’s vaunted aura of invincibility—built on its swift victories in 1948 and 1967—was shattered as Arab armies inflicted staggering losses and threatened to break...















