A 2D Illustration Showing the Aftermath of the Valley of Tears Battle in the Golan Heights During the Yom Kippur War (1973), Showcasing Israeli Centurion Tanks — by Eduardo G.
On October 6, 1973, the attack began on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, when Israel was least prepared for war. Syrian forces launched a sudden large-scale invasion of the Golan Heights in an attempt to retake territory lost in 1967.
The Syrian assault involved about 1,200 to 1,400 tanks and roughly 50,000 troops, supported by heavy artillery and air power. Their armored forces were mainly T-55 and T-62 tanks, advancing in dense formations across multiple fronts.
Israel entered the battle heavily outnumbered, with fewer than 180 tanks initially available on the Golan Heights. These included Centurion (Sho’t Kal) tanks, M48 and M60 Pattons, and Super Sherman tanks that were still in active combat service. The defense was carried mainly by the 7th and 188th Armored Brigades, which were forced to hold against overwhelming pressure.
Even under extreme numerical disadvantage, Israeli units held key positions in the Valley of Tears and surrounding sectors. Fighting from prepared defensive terrain and using accurate long-range fire, they managed to stop repeated Syrian armored assaults over several days.
By the end of the fighting, Syrian losses reached around 260–300 tanks destroyed in the Valley of Tears alone and more than 500 tanks across the Golan campaign. Israeli losses were significantly lower, estimated at about 60–80 tanks. The Syrian offensive collapsed, and the invasion was decisively repelled, ending in a major Israeli victory and the destruction of much of Syria’s armored force on the Golan front.