On 6 October 1973, hundreds of thousands of Arab coalition troops launched a surprise campaign to launch the Fourth Middle East War against the Israelis who possessed the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Because of the careful planning and years of preparation in advance, he was able to break through the strategic depth of the opponent in the early stage.
But in the eastern Mediterranean, adjacent to the battlefield, the strength and weakness of the two sides have taken on a completely different look. Despite its limited size, the Israeli Navy was able to take advantage of only two skirmishes. Moreover, the revolutionary modern electronic warfare technology is used throughout the whole process to give full play to the over-the-horizon attack efficiency of anti-ship missiles to the best level, which has become a classic enlightenment case that all peers should learn from.
Origins of the Contemporary Israeli Navy 1 750-ton four-masted schooner
As an emerging nation formed before and after World War II, the IDF has been very insensitive to maritime matters since its inception. They are committed to devoting their limited budgets to air and army units in order to gain an advantage over the old Arab enemies around them, who are keen to reorganize their armies all day. Even if there are many ** ports on the west coast of the mainland, it is still the only pipeline connecting Europe and the United States that can not be disturbed by foreign enemies, and it cannot fundamentally reverse the stereotype of the high-level.
Therefore, the Israeli navy in the early days of the state was mainly composed of two major **. The first is the private community engaged in the business of transshipment of migrants. Its members, mostly Zionists with maritime experience, are very adept at carrying out irregular missions such as clandestine voyages, smuggling, raids and smuggling. The second was Jewish sailors from the navies of the United States and Britain. These people usually have rigorous training and World War II resumes, but most of the leaders are ordinary non-commissioned officers with low ranks. They always wanted Israel to expand its regular fleet, but they were often despised by their Zionist predecessors within the navy. It was not until the mid-50s that Dai was able to equip a few old destroyers, torpedo boats and small submarines.
Late 50s Israeli Navy Submarine Troops on Review
Thankfully, Israel's two great enemies are equally disappointing naval development. For example, the Egyptians, with Alexandria as the core, mainly devoted their energy to the training of a large army force, and believed that the combination of shore-based firepower + air force could cope with coastal defense. Coupled with the deterioration of relations with the former suzerain, Britain, it became conceptually closer to the Soviet Union, which emphasized land power. As for Syria, which has a weak national strength, although it has sent cadets to France to receive naval training, it has also invested funds in the construction of armored clusters. Until the joint development of the ** plan, there was no thought of blocking Israel's logistical links with the Western world from the sea.
Of course, this changed by 1967. Five months after the end of the Third Middle East War, the Egyptians sank the Israeli Navy's destroyer Eilat with 2 Komal-class missile boats supplied by the Soviet Union. The latter, as a veteran ship of the World War II class, has won many skirmishes and has a glorious record of heavy damage to 1 destroyer + destruction of 2 torpedo boats. However, it was unable to rely on the old search radar to find the torpedo boats hidden in the harbor, let alone any countermeasures against the Soviet-made SS-N-2 Styx missile, becoming the world's first ship to be destroyed by an anti-ship missile.
The destroyer USS Eilat, built in World War II, was also the world's first victim of an anti-ship missile
In fact, the Israeli defense sector tried to develop a television-guided missile back in 1954. However, the performance of several early products was not satisfactory, neither had a considerable practical range, but also required a demanding operating environment due to the complexity of the system. It was not until the sinking of the Eilat in 1967 that it made great efforts to catch up, and it took three years to complete the Gabriel I anti-ship missile with excellent performance. Even if the warhead size is less than 100 kg, and the range of 20-25 kilometers is only half of that of the River Styx, it can achieve sea-skimming flight with an autonomous guidance system. Therefore, it is far more intelligent and stealthy than its Soviet competitors of the same era, and is more suitable for playing an effective role in the intricacies of the modern battlefield.
At the same time, the Israeli Navy is also focusing on building its own family of modern light ships. Based on the 40-knots Saar-1 patrol boat, they developed the Saar-2 missile boat with a displacement of 220 tons, equipped with five Gabriel missiles and Bofors 40mm rapid-fire guns. However, a new round of upgrades was launched non-stop, and the Saar-3 missile boats equipped with 6 Gabriel missiles and 1 76mm main gun were produced. By the eve of the outbreak of the fourth Middle East war, the Saar-4 type with a displacement of 415 tons had been developed. In contrast, the missile boats of the Arab coalition camp are still 65-ton Komal-class and 171-ton Ossa-class. No matter which angle you look at, you have been completely overtaken by the Jews!
The advent of the Saar series of missile boats and Gabriel missiles
Finally, the Israeli Navy was no longer afraid of the rival Soviet Union**
The flags raised in the Golan Heights were all Syrian soldiers
On October 7, 1973, in the face of the Arab feud that frantically advanced from the southern flanksThe Israeli Navy immediately set about an active counterattack. They worked it out based on a very realistic comparison of strengths and weaknesses"First Syria and then Egypt".and aimed the first target at Latakia to the north.
Built in the Hellenistic era, Latakia remained the most important port in Syria in the 20th century. It is also the main base of the country's navy, with a number of missile boats, torpedo boats or mine units purchased from the Soviet Union. In other words, if the Israelis can impose a blockade or destroy the facilities, they can crush their opponents in both the military and commercial spheres. Even if victory or defeat at sea is never a key factor in shaping the Middle East, it can have an impact on fragile economies and distract decision-making from Damascus headquarters.
Latakia has always been the most important port on the Syrian coast
So on the night of the same day, the Israeli Navy sent a formation of five missile boats and two landing ships to attack and lurk outside the enemy's territory in the dark. The combat function of the former does not need to be mentioned, but the auxiliary value of the latter cannot be ignored either. Because each landing ship is equipped with 2 light ***, it can release a large number of chaff decoys at pitch black low altitudes, so that Soviet-style radars mistakenly believe that they are targets. At the same time, it cooperates with the implementation of electronic jamming by its own ships to cover the real attack units and calmly approach the target. Barkai, who was originally the commander of the submarine captain, adopted the tactic of flying with both wings as planned. On the one hand, the combination of landing ships + ** is used to attract firepower on the south side, and on the other hand, all missile boats are concentrated on the north side.
This deployment by the Israelis proved to be highly deceptive. For example, 4 Saar-3 and 1 Saar-4 class missile boats, located in the northern detachment, arrived at the ambush position almost without knowing it. During this time, they happened to encounter a torpedo boat cruising out of the port. Without waiting for the opponent's reaction, he slammed the 76mm main gun + 40mm rapid-fire gun, making the opponent the first victim of naval warfare in this war. Subsequently, a 560-ton T43 minesweeper was discovered, which was immediately destroyed by four whizzing Gabriel missiles.
The Saar-2 missile boat was directly modified on the basis of a speedboat
Israeli landing ships participating in the Battle of Latakia were able to carry 2 *** at a time
At this time, 3 Syrian missile boats also rushed out of Latakia. Apparently aware of the approaching threat, it rushed to the southern side of the water according to the target shown by the radar. It wasn't until there was a sudden flash of fire in the northwest that he turned around and went there to investigate the situation. However, the 4 *** simulated radar signals undoubtedly maneuvered quickly, and once again made the opponent mistakenly believe that they were 7 surface targets. As a result, as soon as the Syrian ship formation entered the maximum range of the SS-N-2, it did not hesitate to launch 8-12 Styx anti-ship missiles in a row. As a result, I naturally felt that there was a successful hit, but in fact it was just a volley due to contact with the chaff bait**. The few missiles did pose a threat to real Israeli ships, but were quickly stopped by more chaff and powerful electronic jamming.
Shortly before 12 midnight, the Israeli ship formation finally came within the effective range of the Gabriel I and quickly fired five missiles at the adversary who had relaxed its vigilance. Since the two sides were only 20 kilometers apart, the missiles flew over the sea, so they were not discovered by the Syrians until the location of the target. Of these, one Komal-class and one Osa-class were destroyed on the spot, while the other attempted to escape back to port after being heavily damaged. But the Jews were not prepared to miss any hunting opportunities, and directly accelerated forward to solve the problem with 76mm guns. This first over-the-horizon missile duel in the history of the human navy ended in a crushing defeat for the Syrian side.
The Osa-class missile boat was hit by Gabriel missiles
Egyptian troops crossing the Suez Canal
Despite the success of missile boat forces in the north, the fighting in the south, with the Sinai Peninsula as the core, is still not in Israel's favor. Relying on a large number of AT-3 anti-tank missiles with Soviet assistance, the Egyptians managed to inflict heavy losses on the armored mobile forces of the defenders. In addition, there are SA-6 and SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles, which are used for low- and medium-level defense, which have caused many aircraft to sail close to the ground to be unexpected.
As a result, the IDF is ready to launch a full-scale ** in an effort to drive the Arab coalition forces back to the west side of the Suez Canal. The Navy's mission was relatively simple: to shell Said, Egypt's second-largest port along the canal. Forcing enemy ships to withdraw to Alexandria without being able to hinder large-scale land battles on the peninsula. As a result, 10 ships were concentrated at once, including 2 of the best Saar-4, 2 Saar-3, 1 Saar-2, and 1 Saar-1 high-speed patrol boat, equipped only with guns. Three of the ships had just finished the battle of Latakia the day before, and they had not even had time to fill up their fuel before rushing into battle.
Larger Saar-4 missile boats
It was also the strongest warship of the Israeli Navy in the Yom Kippur War
The Egyptian Navy's Osa-class missile boats are smaller in tonnage
But the weight of the 4 Styx missiles is much larger than Gabriel
On the night of 8 October, the Israeli ship formation continued to set sail quietly under the cover of darkness. But before reaching the target waters, the bad news of the failure of the army's counterattack had already come from the rear headquarters. As a result, the Egyptian ships that had left the country continued to dwell in Port Said, and it was difficult for them to attack by forcing their way through the gates. This was mainly due to the fact that the early Gabriel missiles had a very limited range and could not compete with the Styx at a comparable distance. Moreover, ships in port are often protected by breakwaters, which gives them an advantage in aiming and shooting, and they do not have to endure the pain of turbulence like their opponents at sea. Therefore, the captains of the ships agreed to bombard the port of Damietta on the east side of the Nile Delta to the west, and then ambush the Egyptian navy that had arrived from Port Said.
At 9 o'clock that night, the ammunition for the 76mm main gun fell to Damietta as scheduled, which was also the Israeli army's close deterrent to Egypt after the outbreak of this war. However, the sudden radar search signal forced the fleet to pause the bombardment and instead move further west. After several hours of repeated exploration, it was discovered that this was just an accidental reflection caused by rough sea conditions. But for those missile boats that participated in the Battle of Latakia, such a drain is undoubtedly very fatal. Commander Barkai had no choice but to let the four ships return to the port of Haifa for replenishment, leaving only the remaining six ships to continue looking for opportunities. They were all grouped in groups of two ships and fanned out towards the west to maximize the scanning range of the ship's radar.
Located in the port of Baltim on the eastern side of the Nile Delta
Near midnight, two southernmost missile boats bombarded Damietta again with 76mm guns. The other 4 ships had not yet had time to complete a wide detour when they discovered that a target signal was approaching them from the port of Baltim on the western side. Based on the unwarranted attrition caused by the previous mistake, Balke let the left-wing detachment furthest forward clarify the situation. The latter then fired a large number of chaff decoys in all directions, and immediately received an aiming warning from the enemy's fire control radar. At this point, the Israelis were convinced that the real target of the hunt had appeared, and after activating the electronic defense, they advanced at high speed towards the other side.
At the same time, four Osa-class missile boats of the Egyptian Navy are sailing from west to east. Sensing the chaff signal released by the adversary, he preemptively sent several Styx missiles as soon as he came within range of the SS-N-2. Then it was 3 times in a row in just 10 minutes, but all of them went straight to the false signal. Only when it was found that the ammunition was exhausted began to withdraw to Alexandria in a zigzag maneuver. However, with a top speed of 38 knots, it is difficult to outperform the Saar series, which has a high speed of 40 knots, in a long-distance pursuit. In order to ensure the accuracy of the shooting, the Israelis were not prepared to start the attack at 20 kilometers, and kept chasing after them.
The comprehensive capabilities of the Gabriel-1 missile are also higher than those of the SS-N-2
After 25 minutes, the two Saar-class missile boats located in the northern flank detachment finally shortened the distance between themselves and their opponents to 17 kilometers. They decisively locked on the radar of the two Osa-class**, and immediately hit the first target with the first Gabriel launched. The 76mm gun was then used 2 km away to put the finishing touches on it. At the same time, the 2nd Gabriel of the middle formation also successfully hit another Saar-class missile boat, and completely destroyed the damaged target with the same artillery. Finally, the detachment located on the southern flank also gradually approached the opponent. They managed to lock onto the third Saar-class missile boat, which was depowered by the Gabriel missile attack. The two Israeli ships immediately stepped forward to replenish their swords, firing dozens of large and small shells at them in total, until they found that the target had completely run aground.
However, there was still one fish that slipped through the net and took the opportunity to speed up the escape. She took advantage of the precious time her companions had lost to get within the fire protection coverage of Alexandria's shores. The Israelis did not dare to stay too long on the shores of the enemy country and set out on the route back to their base in Haifa before dawn. However, the excellent record of 3:0 was enough to comfort the destroyer Eilat, which was killed in a sneak attack many years ago.
Sal-3 missile boats, which played an important role in the war
Formations of Israeli missile boats in the Fourth Middle East War
After the Battle of Bartim on 8 October, the navies of Egypt and Syria chose to stay behind closed doors, moving to the full defensive ahead of their army colleagues. However, the Israelis were not satisfied with the status quo and soon launched the second Battle of Latakia on the 17th. This time, they concentrated a total of 7 Saar series missile boats, hoping to attract opponents hidden in the harbor to the open sea to face off. And under the protection of powerful electronic jamming measures, the Syrian side mistakenly believes that it is playing against at least 17 ships.
However, the Syrian Navy is by no means completely at a loss, and has already formulated a "hostage strategy" of using merchant ships in the port as signal cover. Therefore, only 4 missiles were used to shuttle back and forth at a specific anchorage, and they successfully repelled the surprise attack of a strong enemy. As for the price, it was nothing more than 1 Japanese merchant ship and 1 Greek merchant ship that were hit by Gabriel missiles. The Israelis were clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and had to hurriedly shell the oil storage tanks in the nearby port of Baniyas. The outcome of this confrontation can be regarded as the Arab coalition saving some face for itself at sea.
Oil storage facilities in Syrian ports after shelling by the Israeli Navy
Of course, the decisive element of the Fourth Middle East War had little to do with these engagements between the navies of the two sides. Therefore, when contemporary readers recall the redemption that began on Yom Kippur, they will basically omit it, consciously or unconsciously. Even when many enthusiasts summarize the lessons of history, they are prone to conclude that the reference value is too low due to off-the-field factors such as small scale, insufficient types of ships, or non-naval powers.
However, the Israelis' performance in Latakia and Bartim is precisely the purest modern apocalypse of naval warfare. Prior to this, the navies of some countries have also put new types such as missiles into specific operations, but the adversaries often do not have the same countermeasures. For example, the Egyptians, who succeeded in a sneak attack in 1967, and the Indians, who defeated Pakistan in 1971, all won asymmetrical victories by overwhelming margins. The former was to attack a World War II destroyer with Styx missiles that were only defended by artillery, and the latter was to bomb ports and shore-based oil depots with the same **. There is no need to worry about the enemy's missile retaliation, and there is no need to think about electronic countermeasures. Only the Israeli Navy in the Fourth Middle East War needs to play a game without knowing the bottom of the mind.
Previously, the Egyptian and Indian navies relied on asymmetric superiority to achieve victory
It is worth noting that the early Gabriel missile was actually weaker than the Styx in many technical parameters. Therefore, from the perspective of some data memorization fans, it is not qualified to fight against the SS-N-2, which is large, powerful, long-range, and has actual combat tests. But the most realistic battlefield feedback shows that empty individual metrics are often no match for performance trade-offs that are considered comprehensively. The Israelis are clearly more concerned about hits, reliability and anti-jamming than they are about having a single dinghy on board an overly bulky **. The strategy of giving priority to electronic countermeasures and taking a step by step suspicion formation, which they took the lead in practice, is a basic principle that the contemporary navy must grasp.
Because of this, Israel, as a non-maritime power, has always been able to develop naval equipment with great characteristics and excellent performance. In addition to the ever-evolving Gabriel series of anti-ship missiles and the Saar series of light fighters armed to the teeth, there is also the Farak family series to deal with threats from the sky, and submarine-launched cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Even the revolutionary Iron Dome air defense system has a special version that can be specially integrated into small ships. Although it cannot sell as much as the ** merchants of the big countries, there is never a shortage of generous buyers who recognize its value.
A chaff generator densely packed on a missile boat
It is the most direct proof that the Israelis attach importance to electronic countermeasures
On the other hand, the Soviet-Russian style of munitions, represented by the Styx series of missiles, has so far failed to modify the kind of coarse and stupid style that has a big tail. NamelyIt is often possible to create a myth from scratch in a new field, and it is easy to fall behind when encountering competition. Behind some maverick exaggerated data, there is often a helpless shame about the weakness of the overall system. As a result, more and more users are aware of the defects and are ruthlessly abandoned after repeated practical tests.
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