The Israelis started their assault as the sun set. The assault consisted of three spearheads. Speed was the key. The battle plan was to overrun the Egyptian positions with a blitzkrieg-style assault and mop up later with follow on forces. Dayan knew that if the Israeli forces could get the Egyptians to break and abandon their positions there was little chance of them forming any viable counterattack. He didn’t worry about chasing after them and reducing their forces. That would come later.
To the south of the Egyptian salient outside of Rafah, an Israeli engineering company was charged with clearing a path through the minefields paralleling the dunes. Once cleared, two infantry battalions would make their way through the minefield and over the dunes to attack the Egyptians in the Rafah salient from their southern flank. An Israeli battery of 120-mm mortars and 12 anti-tank guns firing from the top of the dunes would support their attack.
A battalion of Sherman tanks from the 27th Armored Brigade would attack the salient from the north. Colonel Barlev’s biggest fear for his men was the Egyptian Archer anti-tank guns. They were deadly accurate in the hands of a well-trained fire team and capable of penetrating the armor on all the Israeli tanks and half-tracks. Barlev was depending heavily on the Egyptians’ lack of training and poor leadership to prevent the annihilation of his battalion during the assault.
Two more infantry battalions would attack the center of the salient from the east. By hitting the Egyptians from three sides simultaneously, the Egyptian commander would be obliged to divide his forces. If any of the three spearheads achieved a breakthrough it could be exploited with a mechanized battalion of riflemen in half-tracks held in reserve.
The engineers were the first to approach the Egyptian positions using the cover of darkness. They used American-made WWII mine sweepers to identify the positions of the minefields. They marked the borders of the minefield with small flags. Their goal was to find the access path in one of the minefields created by the Egyptians. The access path was a highly-held secret that gave Egyptian units approaching from the south safe passage through the minefields and into the Egyptian defensive positions inside the salient. The other option was to clear a path by finding and removing the mines. The Israelis needed a path wide enough for their tanks and half-tracks. The Israeli engineers discovered that the Egyptians had laid out their minefields three deep. The engineers used the access paths they found in two of the minefields and removed the mines in a third minefield to make their own path.
The engineers worked all night undetected. When the sun rose, the pathways were marked. The pathways wound like snakes through all three minefields. They were tricky to navigate in the dark, and even trickier under fire. A squad of engineers kept guard to ensure the Egyptians didn’t move the marker stakes. The Engineers drew maps of the paths by hand for each platoon leader. It wasn’t enough. One wrong step would not only result in the death of several soldiers from an exploding mine, it would give away the Israeli positions, inviting Egyptian artillery strikes. Colonel Givli ordered that two engineers, one in the front and one in the rear, would accompany each Israeli platoon through the minefields during the assault.
October 30, 1956 – Sinai Desert, Egypt
Coyle stared at the black smoke rising into the sky at the mouth of the canyon. He didn’t like the look of it. It would attract attention and they were in a war zone. There was no way to put the fire from the ruptured wing tanks out until the fuel was exhausted. It was bad enough he was shot down by an Israeli, now he had to worry about Egyptian patrols. He wasn’t sure what would happen if the Egyptians found him and his Spanish crew members. Technically, America and Spain were not at war with Egypt but if they were captured with the Israelis they might be seen as spies or sympathizers. Somehow, he thought that might be worse than being an actual Israeli soldier in uniform. He didn’t want to find out.
The medic tended to the wound on his forehead. “How much water do we have?” said the medic.
“Three liters, I figure. We lost most of the water in our emergency tank to a couple of bullet holes,” said Coyle.
“That won’t last long. The wounded men need more than the rest of us. Their bodies need fluids to rebuild their blood supply. Dehydration will kill them as sure as a bullet.”
“Alright. But I am going to need some water if I’m going to cross that desert and get help.”
“You’re going out there?”
“We don’t have much choice. If we stay here we’re likely to die of thirst or get picked up by an Egyptian patrol. I’m not sure how kindly they’re going to treat you Israelis.”
“At least we won’t die of thirst and the men will get the medical treatment they need.”
“You sure about that? I bet they’re pretty pissed off right about now. You know… the Israelis invading their country and all.”
“The Fedayeen invade our country almost daily. At some point you have to fight back.”
“Is that what all this is about? Showing the Arabs the Israelis can’t be pushed around?”
“Part of it, I suppose. It’s worked in the past. They attack us. We bloody their nose. They go off and pout until they attack us again. It’s a vicious circle. But it’s the only way we can survive.”
“Hell of a way to live.”
“I agree. We all hope to live in peace one day.”
“Good luck with that.”
“I could happen. It’s got to happen. We can’t keep hating each other forever.”
“I suppose. Well, I better get going. I’ll send help as soon as I get picked up.”
“What about them?” said the medic motioning to the Spaniards.
“I don’t know,” said Coyle. “I’ll ask ’em.”
Coyle walked over to the Spaniards and said, “I’m heading out. Do you wanna go with me or stay here?”
The Spaniards looked confused. Coyle walked through the whole thing again but with hand motions. The Spaniards discussed it between themselves and then the navigator motioned that he and the cargo assistant would go with Coyle. “Alright. You’re with me I guess.”
Coyle grabbed a map and the survival kit from the cockpit. There were no firearms on board, but he took the flare gun with three flares and placed them in his rucksack. The knife in the survival kit had matches hidden in a compartment in the handle and a compass at the end of the hilt. He used the compass to determine their current location and marked it on the map. He studied the surrounding area on the map and determined the safest and quickest path was to head for the Egyptian city of Arish along the coast. While he was sure there would be Egyptian soldiers in the city, he was also sure there would be some civilians who might be willing to offer assistance. It was a chance he had to take. He needed to get help back to the surviving Israelis as soon as possible. Coyle also figured the coast would be safer than heading back toward the border. The Israelis were advancing and the Egyptians were retreating. Both sides were trigger-happy and Coyle wanted no part of it. His options were limited. Arish seemed like the best bet.
Coyle and the Spaniards set out across the desert and headed north toward the coast. The only visible life was the occasional bird flying over, agama lizards and yellow scorpions, nicknamed the Deathstalker by the Arabs. Coyle knew there were also snakes in the Sinai but he hadn’t seen one. He was not a big fan of any kind of snake. They were fast and liked to slither up the dark hole formed between a man’s leg and his trousers while the victim was sleeping. It gave him the shivers just thinking about it.
The terrain was rough, covered with rocks and uneven. The air was dry. It was the end of October so the temperature was more bearable than the summer but still hot by Coyle’s standards. It didn’t take long before he took off his flight jacket and slung it over his shoulder. The map didn’t show any wells or natural springs along the path they were taking. They would need to stretch their meager water supply as long as possible if they were going to survive. It was big if.
October 30, 1956 – Themed, Egypt
Sha
ron laid on his belly on a small hill and surveyed the area with his binoculars. Themed was a well-guarded oasis in the center of the Sinai. It was the only water in hundreds of square miles of barren desert. It was also a crossroads for a major road through the Sinai. The Egyptians saw it as a key strategic point. The Israelis agreed. The entire oasis was surrounded by barbed wire and minefields. Five machinegun positions guarded the road and the entry to the oasis. The Egyptians were in no mood to share.
The convoy was running low on vehicles and tanks. Sharon did not want to risk an attack through the minefields. They would attack the main gate and enter the oasis on the road which they knew would be safe. He elected not to use his artillery but had his mortar teams set up their weapons. With luck, they might be able to take out one or two of the machinegun positions. At the very least, they would force the Egyptians to keep their heads down while the Israelis advanced.
Sharon insisted that Brigitte stay back from the fighting. When she protested, he gave her a pair of binoculars so she could watch and threatened to leave her behind when the convoy moved out if she didn’t obey his orders. After only one day of traveling with the Israeli colonel, Brigitte had learnt that Sharon was not a man to be taken lightly. She settled on the binoculars.
It was still early in the morning and the sun was once again at the Israelis’ backs. There was a slight breeze out of the west making the smoke mortar rounds that usually covered any advancing troops little more than useless. Three AMX light tanks and ten halftracks would lead the attack into the oasis. The rest of the battalion would follow on foot.
It was a narrow road giving the Egyptians an ideal killing zone if the Israelis chose to stay away from the barbed wire and minefields. Captain Dane Salomon, a company commander, rode in the lead halftrack following the three tanks.
The attack opened with an Israeli mortar barrage on the Egyptian machinegun positions. As Sharon had hoped, a mortar round exploded inside one of the sandbagged positions killing the machine gun crew. As the tanks came within range of the machineguns, the Egyptians opened fire. The machine gunners concentrated their fire on the driver and gunner portholes. It was a long shot but occasionally a bullet would find its way through one of the small openings ricocheting inside the vehicle with deadly effect. The tanks fired back against the well-fortified machinegun positions. To fire accurately, the tanks stopped on the road bringing the entire battalion to a halt.
One of the Egyptian machine gunners switched his target to the Israeli troops on foot. The raking machinegun barrage was devastating against the unprotected foot soldiers. There was no place for them to hide. They could only lie as flat as possible on the road and hope a stream of bullets did not find them and that the tanks or halftracks didn’t back up and run over them.
The driver of the lead halftrack pulled off the road to go around the tanks and continue the attack. “No. Stay on the road,” said Salomon but it was too late.
The halftrack only made it ten feet off the road before it hit a mine. The explosion knocked the halftrack on its side, killing the driver and the machine gunner. Salomon was badly wounded in the leg. He could see the blood pumping out through the gash created by the mine’s shrapnel. He knew he didn’t have much time before he fell unconscious from loss of blood. “God, give me a fair wind for three minutes,” he prayed.
To his amazement, God listened and the breeze calmed. The air was still. Salomon grabbed a rucksack filled with smoke grenades. He was protected from the machinegun fire from the belly of the tipped over halftrack. He climbed to his feet. The pain in his leg was intense. He needed to be standing to give his throw any distance. He pulled the pin on the first grenade and threw it over the side of the halftrack towards the Egyptian machinegun positions.
The grenade landed short and started spewing out smoke. The breeze kicked up again but this time out of the east and it carried the smoke right over the Egyptian positions. The machine gunners were blinded by the smoke and could only see a few feet in front of their positions.
Salomon looked to the sky and said, “Thank you.”
He threw more grenade in different directions until there was a cloud of thick smoke around the oasis.
The Israeli commanders saw their chance. They ordered their tanks to cease fire and ordered their men on foot forward. The soldiers ran down the road toward the main gate.
The Egyptians continued to fire blindly in the direction of the road but with little effect. Israelis jumped over the sandbags and overran the Egyptian positions. They fought hand to hand using their knives and pistols.
As the smoke cleared, the Egyptian positions were silent and the Israelis were streaming into the oasis through the main gate.
Captain Salomon smiled and fainted, collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, a soldier saw him fall and called for a medic. His war was over, but he survived.
Sharon counted the dead and wounded. Four Israelis lost their lives and six were seriously wounded. Over fifty Egyptians lay dead on the battlefield. The rest had run off through a secret path through the minefield at the back of the oasis.
Seeing that the battle was over, Brigitte emerged from her hidden observation position and approached the oasis. She asked the names of the dead and wounded. She made notations in her notebook and took photos of the aftermath of battle.
Sharon let his men rest for thirty minutes while three DC-3s dropped fuel and ammunition onto the desert floor. The DC-3s turned and flew back toward the border. The platoon in charge of the motor pool refueled the Israeli vehicles.
Halfway through the refueling process a squadron of Egyptian MIG-15s and Il-28 twin-engine bombers jets flew over the mountains and into the valley.
The Israelis ran for cover. There wasn’t much. The MIG-15s swooped down and strafed the defenseless Israeli soldiers with their 23-mm autocannons while the bombers went after the convoy of vehicles stretched out along the desert floor. The Israelis were lucky. The Soviet jets were new and the Egyptian crews had only a minimum amount of training in them before the invasion had started. Even with their lousy aim, the Egyptian jet crews were able to kill four more Israelis soldiers and destroy six more vehicles including one of the tanks. Satisfied with the damage they had done to the convoy and out of ammunition, the Soviet-made jets flew off.
The time the Israelis could have used to rest and relax was used instead to tend to the wounded and transfer supplies from the damaged vehicles. Sharon knew it would take time to get the convoy organized after the aerial attack. It was time he didn’t have. There were a number of vehicles that had been refueled before the attack and were ready to leave.
Sharon pulled Major Mordechai “Motta” Gur aside and ordered him to take whatever was available and attack Qalaat el-Nakhl, the last village the convoy would encounter before reaching Eitan’s battalion of paratroopers at the mouth of the Mitla Pass. Sharon knew Motta was smart and aggressive. He trusted him to take the objectives assigned to him. Motta listened carefully to Sharon’s instructions and went to work. Twenty minutes later, Motta and his battalion were on the road heading west. He took Sharon’s only remaining artillery gun plus another that had been rescued and caught up with the convoy just after the aerial attack. He left the tanks behind because they were too slow but took all the halftracks that had enough fuel to reach Nakhl.
October 30, 1956 – Qalaat el-Nakhl, Egypt
Qalaat el-Nakhl was nicknamed Fortress of the Palms which was curious because the entire area lacked any visible vegetation. It was a valley in the middle of a mountain range and the crossroads between two major highways. Whoever controlled Nakhl controlled the western Sinai.
It was home to the Egyptian 2nd Motorized Border Battalion. The ranks were made up of both Egyptian and Sudanese troops. Two companies from the battalion had been destroyed by the Israelis at Themed and the remaining companies knew the Israelis were heading their way.
Just before the mouth of the mountain pass, Motta ordered his column to stop. He and his commanders crept
over a hilltop and spied on the garrison below.
The Egyptian garrison at Nakhl was well prepared to receive them with both artillery and heavy machineguns dug in deep and surrounded by sandbags. “Shit,” said Motta. “Anybody got any bright ideas?”
“We could pull back and use the mountains for cover to reposition our forces. That would allow us to approach more from the side or back of the garrison,” said one of the commanders.
“There is no time to reposition our forces. Besides, the longer we wait the more chance of being attacked by their air force. We attack from this point. We attack now,” said Motta.
His commanders kept quiet.
“Great. It’s settled then,” said Motta. “We go straight at them. Once we exit the mountain pass, we’ll spread our vehicles out in a line. On my order… we charge. Speed will be the deciding factor. We need to overrun their positions before they tear us to shreds.”
“And if there is a minefield?” said one of the commanders.
“Simple. We’re fucked,” said Motta. “I want our two artillery pieces placed on this hilltop. It should give them a clear shot at the Egyptian positions. They should target the artillery first and keep firing until our forces overrun the Egyptian positions. Our mortars will lay down smoke in front of the Egyptian machineguns then hit them with anti-personnel rounds until our forces intermingle. Lastly, have our four heavy machine guns take up position on both sides of the line. When the attack begins, they should target the enemy machineguns and lock down their guns so that they can keep firing accurately on the enemy positions even after the smoke obscures their vision. They are to break off their firing once our troops reach the enemy positions. At that point, our mortars, artillery and heavy machineguns are to target any Egyptian reinforcements. If everything goes to shit, our mortars, artillery and heavy machineguns will cover our retreat. Any questions?”
Sèvres Protocol Page 14
