S 2,
I think you are mistaking my critique for a J'Acuse.
However, compare the Lebanon episode with the Yom Kippur War.
In the Lebanon episode, the Israelis had the initiative, were opposed by only ragamuffins and NOT by Arab armies en mass. In the Yom Kippur War, the Israelis faced the Arab conventional armies in all its might and were totally surprised, with more than half their forces away from the units and at home!
And yet, they not only snatched the initiative back, but gave the Arabs the hiding of their lives.
Just to recapitulate the Yom Kippur War. In the early days of the war, the IDF suffered heavy losses as Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and overran Israeli strongholds, while Syrians marched deep into the Golan Heights. Israel launched its counteroffensive first against the Syrian front, and only when it had pushed the Syrians back well east of the 1967 cease-fire line (by October 15) did Israel turn its attention to the Egyptian front. In ten days of fighting, Israel pushed the Egyptian army back across the canal, and the IDF made deep incursions into Egypt. On October 24, with Israeli soldiers about one kilometer from the main Cairo-Ismailia highway and the Soviet Union threatening direct military intervention, the UN imposed a cease-fire.
Much that my earlier post does appear a bit rough, but I prefer a pragmatic analysis to one which tends to nibble around the periphery or which obfuscates the reality.
Most of the after action reports are not available in the open forum and to that extent I am handicapped, but prima facie, the Lebanon war has badly tarnished the image and is a little short of being a fiasco. It is unbelievable that the redoubtable IDF can be halted by rag tag tuchkus. I still can't believe it!
Much that I find the IDF formidable and am enthralled by some of their campaigns, you will agree that one should not cloud one's critique because of extraneous reasons. Don't you think that one rather face the unpleasant truth and prepare, than perish because one is afraid to face the truth?!
The Israelis are already finding out what went wrong and will surely come out better the next round.
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...........their battalion being used to run water into rifle platoons that had exhausted themselves.
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Honestly, I find this unbelievable and unusual way to conduct a war! Very unusual.
The Indian Army has gone in deep into the desert and into enemy territory in the wars they have conducted and never faced such poor planning in logistics. Interestingly, we do not take water from enemy sources or their dead since there is a good possibility that the water is poisoned since water is a precious commodity in the deserts and poisoning it is the best way to slow down the advancing columns.
Also, it is a rare thing if any army has fought wars at full strength and with full equipment as per the TOE or WET (as we call it).