FM 100-5 Operations - Survival Ebooks Military Manuals Survival ...

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMOPERATIONSadvantages enjoyed by the attacker are the initialchoices of when and where to strike and when andwhere to mass; these give him the initiative. The majorchallenge of the defense is to overcome this initialoffensive advantage and look for and create early optionsto transition to the offense.The defender uses prepared positions and knowledgeof the ground to slow the attacker’s momentumand strike him repeatedly and unexpectedly. The defenderdisrupts the attacker’s synchronization, degradeshis strength and ability to concentrate, and defeatshis force with effective use of combined arms.The defender simultaneously attacks the enemythroughout the full depth of his formations. He neednot kill every enemy tank, squad, or fieldpiece; he needonly destroy the ability of the enemy force to sustainand coordinate his forward movement.A successful defense consists of reactive and offensiveelements existing together to deprive the enemyof the initiative. An effective defense is rarelypassive. The defender resists and contains the enemywhere he must but seeks every opportunity to conductoffensive operations such as local counterattacks. Suchopportunities may be limited early in the defensive; asthe situation develops they become more numerous.This is especially true when the defender takes stepsto uncover enemy vulnerabilities or confuse or disorganizeenemy forces. When the attacker exposes himself,the defender’s reserves or uncommitted forcescounterattack. The defense that successfully destroysthe coherence of enemy operations can more easilydefeat him after the defender transitions to the offense.Historical PerspectiveThe Yom Kuppur War, 6-24 October 1973, exemplifies the relationship between offensive and defensiveactions as the operational level of war. On 6 October 1973, at 1504 hours, the Egyptians launchedmassive air and artillery stikes against Israeli positions in the Bar Lev Line (Figure 6- 4). At precisely thesame time, Syrian forces opened a second operational axis against Israeli positions on the Golan Heights.The Israeli High Command soon determined that the critical theater of operations would develop alongthe Suez front and devised plans to begin decisive offensive operations there against the Egyptians. Butto ensure the ultimate success of these operations, Israeli troops had to maintain a strong defense in theGolan region, securing the strategic rear of the Israeli forces operating in the Sinai.By the end of 6 October, Syrian commandos in a heliborne assault seized the key observation post onMount Hermon that overlooked the Golan Plateau and the Damasucs Plain. The next day, the Israeli 7thArmored Birgade defeated the Syrian 7th Infantry Division north of Juneitra. The 3d Tank Division,operating in the second echelon of the Syrian attack, then sought a breakthrough on its own further to thesouth. This thrust was defeated in a fierce tank battle west of Amadiye.On 6-7 October, Syrian forces achieved greater success across the more favorable terrain to the southnear the town of Rafid. Here, the 5th Mechanized Division broke the defenses of the Israeli 188th ArmoredBrigade. Although virtually destroyed (90 percent of the unit’s officers were killed or wounded),the unit’s two-day struggle bought time of the Israeli defense, led by Major General Rafael Eitan. By theend of 7 October, the initial Syrian attack, reinforced by the 1st Tank Division, had reach offensive culminationnear the western escarpment of the Golan.During 8-9 October, General Eitan redeployed the 7th Armored Brigade from the north for a counterattackagainst the newly won Syrian positions. Catching the Syrians in the midst of6-20