Undercurrent: Tank Commander Cadet in the Yom Kippur War

Amir Bega, a tank commander cadet, is about to leave training for Yom Kippur when a surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces throws him into an unexpected war. His battalion is annihilated, and he survives and joins a reserve unit. He faces the conflicts between war, his core beliefs, and his basic ideology and deals with the horrific losses of both those around him and his own innocence. He agrees to go on a mission to rescue an army technical unit surrounded by Egyptian commandos, conveying the heavy toll of the war and its impact on the people of Israel.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2023
Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Amir Bega, a tank commander cadet, was about to leave training for the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur when a surprise attack on Israel by Egyptian and Syrian forces upended this peaceful reprieve, throwing the teenager into an unexpected war. Believing himself well-trained and the Israeli army unstoppable, Bega struggles to accept the horrifying events surrounding him. His battalion was annihilated in one of the first combats by new anti-tank weaponry. He survived and joined a reserve unit, with which he fought to stop the Egyptian army from advancing beyond the first line of defense, all through the wars end.

In this realm of death and destruction, Bega comes face to face with the conflicts between the reality of war, his core beliefs, and his basic ideology. As the war progresses, he deals with the horrific losses of both those around him and his own innocence. Tank after tank that he joins is destroyed or damaged, and he is seen as a bad omen by those still alive. Gnawed by survivor guilt, the young soldier agrees to go on a sole perilous mission to rescue an army technical unit surrounded by Egyptian commandos.

This captivating first-hand account, as viewed through the eyes of the young soldier, conveys the heavy toll of the Yom Kippur War and its impact on the people of Israel. Ultimately, Undercurrent is a story about survival, friendship, humanity, duty, and honor.

Weight: 434g
Dimension: 161 x 238 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781636243412