Operation Nickel Grass [Yom Kippur war supply airlift]

Excerpt: The Arab states had trained well and Moscow had supplied equipment on a colossal scale, including 600 advanced surface-to-air missiles, 300 MiG-21 fighters, 1,200 tanks, and hundreds of thousands of tons of consumable war materiel. By Monday, the Israelis were reeling as missiles supplied by the Soviet Union took a heavy toll on aircraft and tanks. The IDF was running out of artillery shells and the Israeli Air Force warned that its capability to sustain combat would be exhausted within the week... On 12 October, Nixon decided that no more delays could be allowed, and ordered the air force to "send everything that can fly." Within nine hours, C-141s and C-5s were en route to Israel.

The following compilation describes one of the most profound “rescue” operations in U.S. military history, Operation Nickel Grass, both in terms of providence and size. This compilation is that of excerpts from from multiple copyrighted (color coded) sources.

Just as the United States was ending its massive involvement in Vietnam and reducing its force structure, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) was called upon to conduct a major wartime airlift in support of Israel . At approximately 2 p.m. on the afternoon of 6 October 1973, (the day of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement), Egypt and Syria simultaneously attacked Israel in violation of the tenuous cease-fire that had existed between the three countries since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. https://amcmuseum.org/history/operation-nickel-grass/

Operation Nickel Grass was a strategic airlift operation conducted by the United States to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In a series of events that took place over 32 days, the U.S. Air Force's Military Airlift Command shipped 22,325 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and supplies in C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft between 14 October and 14 November 1973.[1][2]:88 The U.S. support helped ensure that Israel survived a coordinated and surprise attack from the Soviet-backed Arab Republic of Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nickel_Gras

The Arab states had trained well and Moscow had supplied equipment on a colossal scale, including 600 advanced surface-to-air missiles, 300 MiG-21 fighters, 1,200 tanks, and hundreds of thousands of tons of consumable war materiel. On paper, the Arabs held a huge advantage in troops, tanks, artillery, and aircraft. This was offset, in Israeli minds, by the Jewish state’s superior technology, advanced mobilization capability, and interior lines of communication. Despite unmistakable signs of increasing Arab military capability, Israeli leaders remained unworried, even complacent, confident in Israel’s ability to repel any attack. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

European nations, under threat of an Arab oil embargo and trade boycott, had stopped supplying Israel with munitions. As a result, Israel was totally dependent on the United States to resupply its army, and was particularly sensitive to anything that might endanger that relationship.

Some claim that in retrospect the decision not to strike first was actually a sound one. While Operation Nickel Grass, the American airlift of supplies during the war which began October 13, did not immediately replace Israel's losses in equipment, it did allow Israel to expend what it did have more freely.[5] Had they struck first, according to Henry Kissinger, they would not have received "so much as a nail." https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yom_Kippur_War

Between them, Egypt and Syria had about 800,000 combat troops, 700 combat aircraft, and 3,800 tanks. Israel had 375,000 troops, 360 combat aircraft, and 2,100 tanks. However, less than half of the Israeli forces were mobilized. The frontiers were defended mostly by short-term conscripts who were supposed to hang on until the experienced reservists got there.

At 2 p.m. on Oct. 6, a Saturday, hundreds of Egyptian fighters and fighter-bombers streamed across the Suez Canal, followed by 100,000 soldiers and 1,350 tanks. They promptly overran the string of small, isolated Israeli fortifications manned by fewer than 500 troops. Most of the Israeli tanks were posted well back into the Sinai.

In the north, Syria had an eight-to-one advantage in tanks and even greater superiority in numbers of infantry and artillery. By the middle of the day on Sunday, the Syrians held half of the Golan Heights and were a few kilometers from the Jordan River and the Israeli population centers in Galilee. All of Israel’s defensive positions along the Suez Canal had been captured or abandoned.

By Monday, the Israelis were reeling as missiles supplied by the Soviet Union took a heavy toll on aircraft and tanks. The IDF was running out of artillery shells and the Israeli Air Force warned that its capability to sustain combat would be exhausted within the week. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/the-yom-kippur-airlift/

Grievously heavy on both sides were the losses in armored vehicles and combat aircraft. Israeli airpower was hard hit by a combination of mobile SA-6 and the man-portable SA-7 air-defense missiles expertly wielded by the Arabs. The attacking forces were also plentifully supplied with radar-controlled ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns. Israeli estimates of consumption of ammunition and fuel were seen to be totally inadequate. However, it was the high casualty rate that stunned Israel, shocking not only Meir but also the legendary Gen. Moshe Dayan, minister of defense.

The shock was accompanied by sheer disbelief at America’s failure to comprehend that the situation was critical. Voracious consumption of ammunition and huge losses in tanks and aircraft brought Israel to the brink of defeat, forcing the Israelis to think the formerly unthinkable as they pondered their options.

Half a world away, the United States was in a funk, unable or unwilling to act decisively. Washington was in the throes of not only post-Vietnam moralizing on Capitol Hill but also the agony of Watergate, both of which impaired the leadership of President Richard M. Nixon. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

In the Golan Heights, the Syrians attacked the Israeli defenses of two brigades and eleven artillery batteries with five divisions and 188 batteries. At the onset of the battle, 188 Israeli tanks faced off against approximately 2,000 Syrian tanks. Every Israeli tank deployed on the Golan Heights was engaged during the initial attacks. Syrian commandos dropped by helicopter also took the most important Israeli stronghold at Jabal al Shaikh (Mount Hermon), which had a variety of surveillance equipment.

In the Sinai....Anticipating a swift Israeli armored counterattack, the Egyptians had armed their first wave with unprecedented numbers of man-portable anti-tank weapons—Rocket propelled grenades and the more devastating Sagger missiles. One in every three Egyptian soldiers had an anti-tank weapon. "Never before had such intensive anti-tank fire been brought to bear on the battlefield." In addition, the ramp on the Egyptian side of the canal had been increased to twice the height of the Israeli ramp, giving them an excellent vantage point from which to fire down on the Israelis, as well as any approaching tanks.

The Egyptian army put great effort into finding a quick and effective way of breaching the Israeli defenses. The Israelis had built large barricades made primarily from sand. Egyptian engineers initially used explosive charges to clear the obstacles, before a junior officer proposed using high pressure water cannons. The idea was tested and found to be a sound one, and several high pressure water cannons were imported from Germany. The Egyptian forces used these water-cannons loaded with water from the Suez Canal. The water-cannons effectively blasted away the barricades. Troops then crossed the Suez Canal in small personnel-carrier boats and inflatable rafts, in what became known as The Crossing, capturing or destroying all but one of the Bar-Lev forts.

In a meticulously rehearsed operation, the Egyptian forces advanced approximately 15 km into the Sinai desert with the combined forces of two army corps. The Israeli battalion garrisoning the Bar-Lev forts was vastly outnumbered, and was overwhelmed. Only one fortification, code named Budapest (the northernmost Bar-Lev fort), would remain in Israeli control through the end of the war...

Iraq also sent an expeditionary force to the Golan, consisting of some 30,000 men, 500 tanks, and 700 APCs (Rabinovich, 314). The Iraqi divisions were actually a strategic surprise for the IDF, which expected a 24-hour-plus advance intelligence of such moves. This turned into an operational surprise, as the Iraqis attacked the exposed southern flank of the advancing Israeli armor, forcing its advance units to retreat a few kilometers, in order to prevent encirclement.

Combined Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian counterattacks prevented any further Israeli gains. However, they were also unable to push the Israelis back from the Bashan salient. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yom_Kippur_War

As the situation deteriorated, Meir, having duly refrained from a pre-emptive attack, bombarded the United States with appeals for help. At her insistence, the Israeli ambassador in Washington called Henry Kissinger every few hours.

Kissinger had been Secretary of State for less than a month but he had kept his old job as national security advisor as well. Responsibility for response to the Yom Kippur War would fall largely on Kissinger because President Richard M. Nixon was engulfed in a political crisis.

The Watergate scandal and calls for Nixon’s impeachment were at their peak. This was also the week that Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned following charges of bribery, tax fraud, and other crimes committed while he was governor of Maryland. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/the-yom-kippur-airlift/

Seeing Israel's vulnerable position, Henry Kissinger, the United States Secretary of State and President Richard Nixon's National Security Adviser, made arrangements for El Al to pick up some items, including ammunition, "high technology products" and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles at a US naval base in Virginia. A modest effort soon began, but Kissinger still hoped to keep any visible involvement at a minimum.[3]:108

On 8 October, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir authorized the assembly of thirteen 20-kiloton nuclear warheads on Jericho missiles and F-4s, which were prepared for action against Syrian and Egyptian targets; their preparation was made easily detectable, likely as a signal to the United States. Kissinger learned of this threatening nuclear escalation on the morning of 9 October. On that same day, Meir issued a personal appeal for military assistance, which European nations declined. U.S. President Richard Nixon, however, ordered the commencement of Operation Nickel Grass, to replace all of Israel's materiel losses. Wikipedia, Operation Nickel Grass

Nixon, in response to a personal plea from Meir, had made the crucial decision Oct. 9 to re-supply Israel. However, four days would pass before the executive office could make a final decision on how the re-supply would be executed. Initially, planners proposed that Israel be given the responsibility for carrying out the entire airlift. (Israel did use eight of its El Al commercial airliners to carry 5,500 tons of materiel from the US to Israel.) https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

Still wanting to avoid direct US involvement, starting 10 October, the use of commercial carriers was explored to provide 10–20 flights a day. None of these were willing to accept the job for fear of being refused entry to Arab nations after the war. only the Israeli national airline, El Al, provided transport, and supplies began to arrive in Israel on 10 October, the same day the first Soviet resupply by air arrived in Damascus. Nonetheless, it was soon clear that El Al's limited supply of ill-configured passenger aircraft were insufficient.

On 12 October, Nixon decided that no more delays could be allowed, and ordered the air force to "send everything that can fly." Within nine hours, C-141s and C-5s were en route to Israel. Wikipedia, Operation Nickel Grass

US commercial carriers, wary of Arab reprisal, refused to participate unless the US declared an emergency and activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. That left Military Airlift Command, which was now expected to produce an instant airlift, even though its aircraft and crews were committed to other purposes. It would have taken longer except Gen. George S. Brown, the Air Force Chief of Staff, and Gen. P. K. Carlton, the MAC commander, saw the requirement coming and began preparations on Oct. 7, the day the war started. Brown also had Air Force Logistics Command move munitions, spare parts, and equipment for Israel from its warehouses to MAC pickup points around the country.

In 1973, MAC had two strategic airlifters, the C-141 StarLifter and the huge C-5A Galaxy. Configured for the Middle East run, the C-141 could carry about 25 tons, but the forthcoming airlift would depend critically on the C-5, carrying 80 tons and capable of handling outsize cargo such as main battle tanks.

The Air Force liked the C-5 but it was constantly assailed by defense critics and whistleblowers for cost overruns and technical deficiencies. “The C-5A is a joke,” said an article in the New York Times.

The European members of NATO, intimidated by Arab threats to cut off oil supplies, would not allow the airlifters to fly over their territory or use their bases. There was one exception. With some arm-twisting by Kissinger, Portugal agreed to let the airlifters refuel at Lajes Field in the Azores islands, some 800 miles west of Europe and 3,163 miles from Lod airport near Tel Aviv. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/the-yom-kippur-airlift/

Portugal permitted the United States to use a leased base in the Azores,[390] and the defence minister of the Netherlands, apparently acting without consulting his cabinet colleagues, secretly authorised the use of Dutch airfields. (Wikipedia, Yom Kippur War)

The complex nature of Nickel Grass required a flexible chain of command. Within MAC, 21st Air Force, commanded by Maj. Gen. Lester T. Kearney Jr., was designated as the controlling Air Force. The vice commander of 21st, Brig. Gen. Kelton M. Farris, was named MAC mission commander. The prime airlift director was Col. Edward J. Nash.

When Nixon flashed the decision Oct. 12, top American officials instantly applied pressure for immediate results. MAC’s complex machinery sprang into action, but it took some hours to establish a steady, regulated flow of aircraft and crews. Initial flights were delayed because of high winds at Lajes, generating White House fury that supplies had not magically reached Israel.

Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Carlton about this, saying, “We’ll have to get them moving, or we’ll lose our jobs.”

Carlton knew the airlift business. He knew that he had an adequate number of aircraft, crews, and required equipment. The fleet consisted of 268 C-141s and 77 C-5As, and Carlton knew that he could sustain a steady flow of three C-141s every two hours and four C-5s every four hours-indefinitely. He also knew that MAC could orchestrate the operation, establishing a rational flow of aircraft matching the cargo to be carried with off-loading equipment at the destination. In his plan, MAC would essentially become a conduit through which materiel would flow in a well-adjusted stream.

At first, however, he could not convey either his concept or his confidence to the White House, State Department, or Pentagon.

Carlton had already begun to expedite things, taking extraordinary actions in the interest of saving time. These steps included waiving crew rest requirements, weight limitations, daily utilization restrictions, and routine maintenance demands. He had to fight a continuing change of orders streaming out of the White House and State and Defense departments. There was continuing pressure to enlist the help of commercial airlines, despite their universal reluctance. At one point, late in the game, officials threatened to remove MAC entirely from the operation.

Even so, Carlton was confident he could establish a flow that not only would let MAC handle the initial requirement of 4,000 tons of materiel but also continue to handle all of MAC’s other assignments. He asked for patience, stating that “once this flow starts, it [the materiel] is going to come like a bushel basket of oranges just being dumped.” https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

The Stratotankers had left Pease AFB, New Hampshire, the night of Saturday, 13 October (one of the bases El Al was using to re-supply the war effort); the tankers were ferrying factory-fresh Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft flying non-stop from the factory in St. Louis, Missouri to Ben Gurion Airport.

To comply with the demands of other European nations, even U.S. supplies already stationed in Europe were routed through Lajes, and soon over thirty aircraft per day were moving through Lajes. To accommodate this, the base grew to house an extra 1,300 people who were billeted in improvised housing and hastily reactivated World War II barracks, rooms that would normally accommodate one or two enlisted men were expanded to four (2 bunk-beds).

Between Portugal and Israel, the aircraft had to follow an extremely precise route. Flying exactly along the airspace border between hostile Arab nations to the south and European nations to the north, the transport craft flew down the middle of the Mediterranean Sea to Israel.

Fighter escort was deemed necessary for this leg of the journey, so American fighters from the U.S. 6th Fleet escorted the transports to within 150 miles (240 km) of Israel, where Israeli Air Force Phantoms and Mirages escorted them into Ben Gurion Airport. Along the Mediterranean route, American ships were stationed every 300 miles (480 km), and an aircraft carrier every 600 miles (970 km). These precautions appeared justified when unidentified Arab fighters made threats over the radio, but no conflict ensued.

Airlifted supplies were not all that was delivered under Nickel Grass. In the opening days of the war, Arab forces destroyed significant numbers of Israeli Air Force aircraft, surprising the Israelis with aggressive use of the new Soviet SA-6 Gainful surface-to-air missile. Consequently, at least 100 F-4 Phantom II fighters were sent to Israel under Nickel Grass, coming from the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing and the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing. They were flown to Lod, where American pilots were swapped for their Israeli counterparts. After the replacement of USAF insignia with IAF insignia, if needed, the planes were refueled and ordered to the front, often taking to the air within hours of having arrived.

Thirty-six A-4 Skyhawks from U.S. stocks, staging from Lajes were refueled by SAC KC-135A tankers from Pease Air Force Base and U.S. Navy tankers from the USS John F. Kennedy west of the Strait of Gibraltar. They then flew on to the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt southeast of Sicily where they stayed overnight, then continued to Israel refueling once more from tankers launched from the USS Independence south of Crete. Twelve C-130E Hercules transports were also transferred to Israel, the first of the type to be delivered to the IDF/AF. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/operation-nickel-grass

Because it eliminated the need to husband ammunition and other consumable items, the continuous flood of US war materiel enabled Israeli forces to go on the offensive in the latter stages of the war. In the north, Israel’s ground forces recovered all territory that had been lost and began to march on Damascus. In the Sinai, tank forces led by Maj. Gen. Ariel Sharon smashed back across the Suez, encircled the Egyptian Third Army on the western side of the canal, and threatened Ismailia, Suez City, and even Cairo itself. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

From October 11, to October 14, the Israeli forces pushed into Syria, conquering a further twenty-square-mile box of territory in the Bashan. From there they were able to shell the outskirts of Damascus, only 40 km away, using heavy artillery...

After several days of waiting, Sadat, wanting to ease pressure on the Syrians, ordered his chief generals (Saad El Shazly and Ahmad Ismail Ali chief among them) to attack. The Egyptian forces brought across their reserves and began their counterattack on October 14.

The following day, October 15, the Israelis launched Operation Abiray-Lev ("Valiant" or "Stouthearted Men")—the counterattack against the Egyptians and crossing of the Suez Canal. The attack was a tremendous change of tactics for the Israelis, who had previously relied on air and tank support—support that had been decimated by the well-prepared Egyptian forces. Instead, the Israelis used infantry to infiltrate the positions of the Egyptian SAM and anti-tank batteries, which were unable to cope as well with forces on foot.

A division led by Major General Ariel Sharon attacked the Egyptian line just north of Bitter Lake, in the vicinity of Ismailiya. The Israelis struck at a weak point in the Egyptian line, the "seam" between the Egyptian Second Army in the north and the Egyptian Third Army in the south.

In some of the most brutal fighting of the war in and around the Chinese Farm (an irrigation project east of the canal and north of the crossing point), the Israelis opened a hole in the Egyptian line and reached the Suez Canal. A small force crossed the canal and created a bridgehead on the other side. For over 24 hours, troops were ferried across the canal in light inflatable boats, with no armor support of their own.

They were well supplied with American-made M72 LAW rockets, negating the threat of Egyptian armor. Once the anti-aircraft and anti-tank defenses of the Egyptians had been neutralized, the infantry once again was able to rely on overwhelming tank and air support.

Prior to the war, fearing an Israeli crossing of the canal, no Western nation would supply the Israelis with bridging equipment. They were able to purchase and refurbish obsolete modular pontoon bridging equipment from a French WWII scrap lot. The Israelis also constructed a rather sophisticated indigenous "roller bridge" but logistical delays involving heavy congestion on the roads leading to the crossing point delayed its arrival to the canal for several days.

Deploying the pontoon bridge on the night of October 16/17, Abraham "Bren" Adan's division crossed and raced south, intent on cutting off the Egyptian third Army before it could retreat west back into Egypt. At the same time, it sent out raiding forces to destroy Egyptian SAM missile batteries east of the canal. By October 19, the Israelis managed to construct four separate bridges just north of the Great Bitter Lake under heavy Egyptian bombardment. By the end of the war the Israelis were well within Egypt, reaching a point 101 kilometers from its capital, Cairo.

On October 22, the Golani Brigade and Sayeret Matkal commandos recaptured the outpost on Mount Hermon, after sustaining very heavy casualties from entrenched Syrian snipers strategically positioned on the mountain. An attack two weeks before had cost 25 dead and 67 wounded, while this second attack cost an additional 55 dead and 79 wounded (Rabinovich, 450). An Israeli D9 bulldozer with Israeli infantry breached a way to the peak, preventing the peak from falling into Syrian hands after the war. A paratrooper brigade took the corresponding Syrian outposts on the mountain. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yom_Kippur_War

Egypt and Syria, which had previously rejected the idea of a negotiated settlement, now felt compelled on Oct. 22 to agree to the arrangement hammered out by Washington and Moscow with the goal of preventing the total destruction of the trapped Egyptian army. Israel was reluctant to comply immediately, wishing to gain as much as possible before a cease-fire.

The Soviet Union, faced with Israel’s continuing offensive, raised the stakes. Moscow declared to the United States that, if the US could not bring Israel to heel, it would take unilateral action to dictate a settlement. On Oct. 24, the United States, in order to intensify the image of risk in Soviet minds and keep Soviet forces out of the crisis, responded by taking its armed forces to a worldwide DEFCON III alert, implying readiness for nuclear operations, if necessary.

Fortunately, after several abortive efforts, an effective cease-fire finally took hold Oct. 28. Israel suffered 10,800 killed and wounded-a traumatic loss for a nation of some 3 million persons-plus 100 aircraft and 800 tanks. The Arab nations suffered 17,000 killed or wounded and 8,000 prisoners, and lost 500 aircraft and 1,800 tanks.

The airlift officially ended Nov. 14. By then, the Air Force had delivered 22,395 tons of cargo-145 missions by C-5 Galaxy and 422 missions by C-141 Starlifter. The C-5s delivered about 48 percent of the tonnage but consumed 24 percent less fuel than the C-141s. Included in the gross cargo tonnage was a total of 2,264.5 tons of “outsize” materiel, equipment that could be delivered only by a C-5. Among these items were M-60 tanks, 155 mm howitzers, ground radar systems, mobile tractor units, CH-53 helicopters, and A-4E components.

The airlift had been a key to the victory. It had not only brought about the timely resupply of the flagging Israeli force but also provided a series of deadly new weapons put to good use in the latter part of the war. These included Maverick and TOW anti-tank weapons and extensive new electronic countermeasures equipment that warded off successful attacks on Israeli fighters. Reflecting on the operation’s vital contribution to the war effort, Reader’s Digest would call it “The Airlift That Saved Israel.”

Both US transport types distinguished themselves by performing reliably and economically. The C-5A had an 81 percent reliability while the C-141 registered a 93 percent reliability. No accidents occurred. The abort rate of all planned flights came in under 2 percent. https://www.airforcemag.com/article/1298nickel/

In the end, the military airlift shipped 22,325 tons of materiel to Israel. Additionally, the United States conducted its own seaborne re-supply operation, delivering 33,210 tons to Israel by 30 October.[16] During the same general time, the Soviets airlifted 12,500–15,000 tons of supplies, more than half of which went to Syria; they also supplied another 63,000 tons mainly to Syria by means of a sealift. Wikipedia, Operation Nickel Grass The airlift continued after the war until November 14. The United States delivered approximately 90,000 tons of materiel to Israel by sealift by the beginning of December, using 16 ships.[394] 33,210 tons of it arrived by November. The airlift continued after the war until November 14. The United States delivered approximately 90,000 tons of materiel to Israel by sealift by the beginning of December, using 16 ships. 33,210 tons of it arrived by November. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War

In addition, while in accredited accounts as the above we read that in the hour of Israel's need for armaments Golda Meir called President Richard M. Nixon or help, an anecdotal story is also told (in Bill McKay’s “Against All Odds”) that in response to a 3:00 AM call for help, as Nixon sat on the side of his bed, listening to Golda Meir’s request over the phone, then he heard (or remembered?) the voice of his mother. Who told him as a young boy growing up, that one day he would be in a powerful position, and a situation would arise where Israel and the Jews needed his help. When it did, he was to help them. Which resulted in his eventual order to the Air Force to "send everything that can fly."

Which response was certainly Providential, by the grace of God, and another example of His purposes, as is the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. And which results in the only war of the devil to attempt to thwart the plans of God. Thus the modern wars of Islam against the Jewish state is nothing new. Thus the prayer of David:

For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; (Psalms 83:2-7)

O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. (Psalms 83:13-18)

And “May God peradventure grant all "repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." (2 Timothy 2:25)

Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him

I was an infantry company commander in Germany. We had recently received the TOW missile system mounted on M113 armored vehicles. We loaded all of our missiles, our launchers, and our missile control boxes and delivered them to Ramstein Air Base. We weren’t told where they were going, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were going to Israel.

The Persians would like to take on the sons of Abraham but they are weak and becoming weaker; their plans are frustrated by a wise president. Barack Obama sent them pallets of cash to try to appease them. This president, knowing their designs, puts sanctions to a fare-thee-well on their pitiful economy.

Thank you, Mr. President, for fulfilling your role in providence.

In my opinion, saving Israel was Richard Nixon’s greatest accomplishment as president.

And a mom who is said to have prophesied his purpose in this case. Reminds me of,

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

In 1973 our class at Troy University took a field trip to Mobile. We did a lot of things but we also visited the state docks.

When we got there, we saw hundreds, maybe even thousands of tanks and armored vehicles being loaded on ships. Our professor sent me and a guy named Barry Diamond to ask at one of the ships what was going on. (Diamond later became a slightly well known comedian).

We found out they were going to Israel but decided to play a joke on our professor. We told him they were going to the Irish Republican Army. It was the stupidest thing we could think of. Our professor who was really intelligent, believed us.

Something doesn’t agree with the timeline tho as this was in the Spring of 1973, before that war but I sure do recall something going on over there at the time.

"it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were going to Israel." Is that a pun?:) Thank you for your service, and thank God for America's part in Israel's hour of need.

What I sees as especially of note is that "tankers were ferrying factory-fresh Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft flying non-stop from the factory in St. Louis, Missouri to Ben Gurion Airport."

That is what you call fast shipping.

Note that "The Stratotankers had left Pease AFB, New Hampshire, the night of Saturday, 13 October (one of the bases El Al was using to re-supply the war effort)

That has been reduced to a Air National Guard Base

What a contrast. And the article also attests to the proxy war we still see going on. I believe we should have help Russia with humanitarian aid (the loved the Spam) but not so much that they became an advancing army, even getting to Berlin (and so many of the spoils) first. By shortening the war thusly the USA fostered decades of proxy wars which still cost us. Of course, Russia still would have recovered if they stayed in their borders in a stalemate war with Hitler until the West defeated him, but it would have been much slower. "Uncle Joe" was a monster.

I know the adage about fighting yesterday’s wars, but does anyone believe that today’s America could move that much material in such a short time frame?

Which also deals with the character of today's force, and is a good question, as is how much is the contrast btwn today's military production capability and that of WW2, as detailed in the FR thread: How ridiculous was American production in World War 2

In 1973 our class at Troy University took a field trip to Mobile. We did a lot of things but we also visited the state docks. When we got there, we saw hundreds, maybe even thousands of tanks and armored vehicles being loaded on ships. Our professor sent me and a guy named Barry Diamond to ask at one of the ships what was going on. (Diamond later became a slightly well known comedian). We found out they were going to Israel but decided to play a joke on our professor. We told him they were going to the Irish Republican Army. It was the stupidest thing we could think of. Our professor who was really intelligent, believed us.

At least you did not say Costa Rica!

We first thought of the last thing they would import into Alabama and peanuts made sense. We then told him they were importing peanuts from Ireland in exchange for weapons.

The story was a little better than we realized as Ireland does grow peanuts which we did not know.

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