Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Biography & Autobiography General

Undercurrent

Tank Commander Cadet in the Yom Kippur War

by (author) Amir Bega

Publisher
Casemate Ipm
Initial publish date
Aug 2023
Category
General, General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781636243412
    Publish Date
    Aug 2023
    List Price
    $51.5

Add it to your shelf

Where to buy it

Description

The harrowing memoir of a teenage tanker who served on active duty in the Armored Corps on the front line during the Yom Kippur War. Tank commander cadet Amir Bega is about to leave training for the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur when a surprise attack on Israel by Egyptian and Syrian forces upends this peaceful reprieve, throwing the teenager into an unexpected war. A war in which the confidence and complacency of the Israeli army led to disaster. 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 war's 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.

About the author

Contributor Notes

Amir Bega was born in an Israeli kibbutz to devout Zionist parents. From a young age, he was taught patriotism, duty, honour, and love for his country. They were true believers, and for many decades of my life, he felt the same. Today, he is a retired engineer from the aerospace industry in Israel and Canada. He is married, a father of two, and lives in Toronto, Canada.