Why Did General Sharon Cross The Suez Canal

General Sharon planned to cross the Suez Canal with his Armored Brigade and cut the supply routes to the advancing Egyptian Armies. The only problem was that the Third and Second Egyptian Armies remained on the West side of the Suez Canal, crossing the Suez would have been devastating to the Israelis. On the other battle front, Israeli forces had pushed the Syrians back to the pre-war ceasefire lines. The IDF then launched a four-day counter-offensive deep into Syria. Within a week, Israeli artillery began to shell the outskirts of Damascus.9 Egyptian President Sadat began to worry about the integrity of his major ally. He believed that capturing two strategic passes located deeper in the Sinai would make his position stronger during post-war negotiations and force Israel to move more military unit to the Sinai Peninsula from the Golan Heights.10 He ordered his reserve units, the Second and Third Egyptian Armies, to cross the Suez Canal into the Sinai Peninsula.
Going against higher orders, General Sharon sent a reconnaissance unit to gather intel on the defenses along the Suez Canal and asses the enemies strength along the canal. The Recon unit uncovered a narrow 1-mile gap between the two well dug in Egyptian Armies. General Sharon order an assault force to secure a fortified Egyptian fighting position at Chinese Farm, to facilitate the movement across the Suez Canal. He exercised disciplined initiative and created the opportunity to develop the situation to strategically win the war. General Sharon knew existing orders no longer fit the situation and accepted the risk in crossing the Suez Canal. General Sharon’s willingness to accept prudent risk was the key to exposing the Egyptian’s weaknesses, the 1-mile gap between its