At 1350 hrs, the peace and quiet of Yom Kippur was shattered by a massive Syrian artillery barrage and the exploding bombs of Syrian MIGs. Askarov immediately leapt into his tank at the Hushniyah base and drove eastwards towards the Purple Line summoning other tanks of the battalion to follow him. Once at the Purple Line, his She’t and a companion Centurian mounted the tank firing ramps of Mutzav 111, overlooking Kudne. The infantry strongpoint was defended by a platoon from the 50th Paratroop Battalion. The hillock on which Mutzav 111 was situated offered a clear view across the 1967 demarcation line. The Syrian bombardment had been underway for almost an hour when clouds of dust were clearly seen approaching from the east.
