The Yom Kippur War: The epic encounter that transformed the middle east

I have finally started reading "The Yom Kippur War" by Abraham Rabinovich! I've been anticipating this book for months, and even ordered it on acmabooks.com.sg a month before its official release. Yet, when it finally arrived, it sat on my bookshelf for a whole month, 'cos I was just so busy with other stuff! I finally opened the wrapper yesterday. I was motivated to buy this book after reading "The Six Day War" by Michael Oren. That other book was really deep and analytical, so deep that most people thought I was crazy reading such stuff, but it was really good. So I opened "The Yom Kippur War" expecting another round of deep analytical reading (I'm an engineer, bring it on!). Surprisingly though, its been quite a pleasant read so far! Just the right mix of analysis and narrative, concise and precise, just the way I like it! Michael Oren critiques that it's not as analytical as most readers would like to see, but what the heck, it makes for a good bedtime story.....

The background:
Israel was formed some 50 years ago by Jewish immigrants leaving Europe for Palestine after the Holocaust. These Jewish immigrants received weapons and ammunition from the US for being an ally during the Cold War. The Arab countries, resentful of the Israelis, received military aid from the Soviet Union. In 1967, a whole bunch of Arab countries decided to attack Israel in what was known as "The Six Day War". The main culprits were Egypt to the West, Syria to the North, and Jordan to the East. Though largely outnumbered, Israel destroyed the entire Egyptian airforce on Day 1, and subsequently won the war in 6 days, capturing the Sinai in the West, Golan Heights in the North, and the West Bank and Jerusalem in the East. Small skirmishes followed in the coming years, but Israel pretty much became complacent after they established military superiority in the region.....

The setting so far:
The year is 1973. It is the week before Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days for the Jews.
Egyptian infantry, armed with water cannons, RPGs and sapper missiles are preparing to rush east across the Suez in a daring raid on the Israeli outposts at the edge of the Sinai peninsula. Anticipating an onslaught of Israeli tanks, the amount of antitank weaponry they are carrying will allow them to create a beach head with the densest antitank defences ever faced by any military. Meanwhile, SAM sites on the west of the Suez are ready to provide anti aircraft coverage, while tanks positioned on ramparts provide a barrage of fire on the incoming Israeli tanks.
On the east of the Suez, the Israeli outposts are thinly manned by reservists behind 60-ft high sand embankments. Fortified tank positions (known as "fins") are unmanned, and the Israelis are not anticipating an attack.
The story contiunes......