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The Bar Lev Line was a chain of fortifications built by Israel along the eastern coast of the Suez Canal after it captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt during the 1967 Six-Day War.
The $500 million line named after Israeli Chief of Staff Haim Bar-Lev was the longest and strongest forward defense line in the history of warfare. It consisted of earthen rampart and a series of concrete observation posts positioned every 10-12 kilometers along the canal with extra fortifications at the more likely crossing points. The earthen rampart were constructed over a unique water barrier and had an average height of 20 to 22 meters and a 45 degree incline on the side facing the canal. Each post held about 15 men, their primary task was to give warning of an Egyptian attempt to cross the canal and direct artillery fire on them from batteries well in the rear. Behind the canal the Israelis held small armored and artillery units, and further back there were bases at which were stockpiled the weapons and equipment for reserve brigades, which could be mobilized within 24 hours of any attempt to cross the canal. The Israelis expected their artillery and air force to keep any canal crossing force busy until the reserve brigades could get moving towards the canal.
The line was divided into 20 strongholds. Some of the names of the strongholds were Tasa, Maftzach, Milano, Mezach, Chizayon, Mifreket, Orcal, Budapest (the largest), Nisan, Lituf, Chashiva.
The line was wildly popular with the Israeli public but some generals were very critical of it.
During the Yom Kippur War the Egyptians were able to easily overrun the Bar Lev Line due to the element of surprise and overwhelming material superiority. To deal with the massive earthen ramparts the Egyptians used hoses attached to dredging pumps in the canal to fire powerful jets of water; this enabled them to create 81 breaches in the line and remove three million cubic metres of packed dirt on the first day of the war.
he:קו בר לב
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