On the eve of the 48th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, the IDF archives at the Ministry of Defense revealed the minutes of the alleged meeting between Southern Command General Shmuel Gonen (Gorodish) and IDF soldiers and officers who had returned from Egyptian captivity.
The meeting took place on November 27, 1973, at the Mivtachim convalescent home in Zichron Yaacov, at 9:00 p.m.
During one of the tense moments in the meeting, a soldier from the Nahal Brigade named Ehud told the Commander-in-Chief: "We went down and said - we are the eyes of the state.
Three weeks before the war we saw unconventional activity.
Two weeks earlier we saw many soldiers ... we saw commando soldiers, came, measured, watched, recorded, etc.
From morning to night, tractors worked and built stations for tanks and batteries. A week and a half before the war, you came to visit.
Exchange of POWs after the War November 1973, "In the Camp" (Photographer: Avi Simchoni), courtesy of the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense
Ehud asked the commander-in-chief: "What did you know about all this? I told the commanding officer that there would be a war but they did not believe us." Gorodish replied: "I think it is worse.
The reports did not stop. "The IDF believed it was an exercise."
"How did the king become naked in one day, the best intelligence in the world," another soldier wondered, "when will these questions be answered? Where was our good intelligence?".
The commander-in-chief explained that "there is a failure in the matter of intelligence, and in this matter a commission of inquiry has been set up. We did not know of an intensification in the tanks of the Egyptians."
The meeting will be transcribed in full and opened with a handwritten memorandum that begins with the sentence: "Ask them to ask any question of their hearts."
It began with a military review by the Southern Command General in the war and then opened with questions from the soldiers and officers, who had recently been released from Egyptian captivity.
Reception of POWs after the War, November 1973, "In the Camp" (Photographer: Avi Simchoni), courtesy of the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense
"On Friday, October 5, 1973, a third alert was announced," General Gorodish told the captives.
"The Egyptian exercise continued as before, there were discussions in the General Staff about whether it was an exercise and we treated the matter as an exercise.
"There was a very low probability of war ... On Saturday at 7:00 in the morning, I was told by the General Staff that there would be a war and the fire would start at 18:00 in the evening."
"We knew about the success of the strongholds' report," Gorodish said. "Later, the air force also announced it. Air against the missiles in the south ... The Egyptians filled the area with commandos, who were placed in helicopters ... Our tanks began to approach the strongholds and many did not arrive. "
The general went on to say: "On Monday evening we learned that we were dealing with another Egyptian army. "The estimate is 20,000 minimum, over 1,000 tanks. Our casualties were about 2,000 killed and about 300-200 tanks."
Party for Prisoners Returning from Egypt, IDF Spokesman (Photographer: Ron Ilan), courtesy of the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense
A soldier from the 600th Brigade who was present at the meeting said: "We were waiting for the help of the Air Force and artillery, if there was an infantry with us it could have been overcome.
They knocked us out of ambush after we broke in. "Gorodish replied to the soldier:" I have the same questions, there was ammunition.
Why they did not shoot - I do not know.
Questions Ask me not when the day comes.
Why not attack with more force - my question as well. "
"We went to bed thinking there would be no war"
Lt. Col. Nahal from the pier stronghold told the general: "None of the three strongholds received a warning, except ten minutes before the first shell fell on us ... Leave it to me to decide whether to surrender or not, why?".
A soldier from the same stronghold said: "It was clear that continuing the fighting was suicide, why did we not receive an order?"
In response, Gorodish said that "there is something to investigate - maybe I also had misconceptions".
Party for Prisoners Returning from Egypt, IDF Spokesman (Photographer: Ron Ilan), courtesy of the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense
Another soldier said: "Our reserve brigade went to war without machine gun ammunition," and in response Gorodish replied: "Scandal."
Later, one of the fighters told the general that "on Monday morning, when the last attack began, there was no ammunition. We asked for help from the Air Force, which did not help ... We asked for fire on our post, went down to the bunker and no fire came. The Egyptians entered, threw smoke grenades, etc." "We gave instructions to go down to the bunker and no fire came. It could be that this would have saved us."
Gorodish: "On Friday we went to bed thinking there would be no war ..."
During the meeting, one of the soldiers said that "there was no mine in the 'clutch' around the stronghold - they went over fences on all sides."
Gorodish replied, "I do not know."
The soldier said that "on Saturday it was possible to give an order to leave the 'clutch'. Gorodish replied that" on Saturday we no longer thought of leaving the water line.
On Saturday evening, we did not think of evacuating any outposts. "
"All maps killed"
Another soldier who returned from captivity, from the Jerusalem Brigade, said: "Fortresses did a good job. Disregard for human life. There were hundreds of tanks. The intelligence did not work."
Gorodish replied, "The question of why there was a thought that this was an exercise is the main question."
Exchange of POWs after the War November 1973, "In the Camp" (Photographer: Avi Simchoni), courtesy of the IDF Archives at the Ministry of Defense
"We arrived at Blues without an order, where to go, by what force. All the officers were killed," said a reservist from the 113th Battalion. "They first asked why we were being slaughtered ... tank".
In conclusion, the commander-in-chief said: "There is a murky atmosphere in the country, it must not have partners. The war is not over. The Arab plans for us have not changed.