Kadesh crept in unnoticed
Exactly 60 years ago, 29 in October 1956, the sudden attack of the Israeli army on the Egyptian troops and the landing of an airborne assault force began a second Arab-Israeli war in the rear, which in Israeli historiography is called “Operation Kadesh.” As a result of this war, the Israelis have only in a few days, they defeated the Egyptian army and seized the Sinai Peninsula, that is, they took control of the territory several times larger than Israel’s area. The official pretext for the invasion was an Arab FIR fedayeen guerrillas who committed the attack on the Sinai border areas of the Jewish state.
The success of the first Middle East “blitzkrieg” was accompanied by the fact that a day after it started, England and France entered the war on the side of Israel, first destroying the Egyptian Air Force at the airfields, and then landing in the Suez Canal zone and seizing the city of Port Said. Upon learning of this, the Egyptian command ordered the withdrawal of troops from Sinai to counter the Anglo-French invaders. But under the blows of the Jewish aviation the retreat quickly turned into an erratic escape, in which the Egyptians threw a large number weapons and military equipment.
However, the military victory soon turned into a diplomatic fiasco for Israel, Britain and France. Under pressure from the international community (it is interesting that in this case, the United States and the USSR acted as a united front) in a few months they were forced to withdraw troops from the territory of Egypt. Israel’s next strike on Egypt, as well as on Syria and Jordan, was known to have been inflicted in the 1967 year, during the so-called Six-Day War. In this case, the US was already entirely on its side, so the second occupation of Sinai, despite numerous resolutions of the UN General Assembly, lasted almost 15 years. But this is another story.
On the headband - Israeli motorized infantry supported by tanks advances along the Sinai desert in the direction of the Suez Canal.
Broken Egyptian technology in Sinai. In the foreground is the Sherman tank. Both sides used them in this war.
Israeli light tanks made in France AMX-13.
Israeli fighters "Meteor".
Abandoned Egyptian anti-tank self-propelled gun "Archer". During Operation Kadesh, the Israelis captured 40 of these self-propelled guns.
The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Moshe Dayan, conducts a review of the troops involved in the war with Egypt.
Trophy "Archers" at the parade in honor of the independence of Israel, 1957 year.
Next up are the Egyptian and Israeli planes that participated in the 1956 Sinai war of the year.
Top down:
Egyptian fighter "Meteor" Mk.4.
Egyptian Meteor fighter Mk.8.
Egyptian MiG-15 fighter.
Egyptian Vampire fighter bomber FB.5.
Egyptian fighter "Vampire" T.55.
Egyptian Sea Fury fighter.
Israeli fighter-bomber F-84F "Thunderstrike", obtained from France. Note that the French flag remains on the keel.
Israeli fighter F-51D "Mustang", this aircraft was shot down by Egyptian air defense 1 November 1956.
Israeli fighter-bomber MD-454 "Mister".
Israeli fighter "Meteor" Mk.8
Israeli light bomber "Mosquito".
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