THE SUEZ CRISES - 1956 - How the Armies of Israel, Britain and France stood firm in the face of Nassers fury

The catalyst for the joint Israeli-British-French attack on Egypt was the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader General Gamal Abdel Nasser in July 1956. The situation had been brewing for some time. Two years earlier, the Egyptian military had begun pressuring the British to end its military presence (which had been granted in the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty) in the canal zone. Nasser's armed forces also engaged in sporadic battles with Israeli soldiers along the border between the two nations, and the Egyptian leader did nothing to conceal his antipathy toward the Israeli nation. 

Supported by Soviet arms and money Nasser ordered the Suez Canal seized and nationalized. The British were angry with the move and sought the support of Israel and France as it was also believed that Nasser was using the canal to help rebels ferry weapons.

On November 3^rd1956, Anthony Eden prepared to address the British nation.

In that same speech, Eden went on to explain how we should stand firm, united against Nasser and take action to undo what Nasser had done with regards to the Suez Canal.

In Egypt, civilians were given rifles in an effort to produce a makeshift militia that would support the army. The military in Cairo fully expected a full-scale Anglo-French invasion and wanted as many to help as was physically possible.

When the decision was finally made to go to war, more than 100,000 Israeli soldiers were mobilized in less than 72 hours and the Israeli air force was fully operational within 43 hours. Israeli Paratroopers landed in the Sinai and Israeli forces quickly advanced unopposed toward the Suez Canal before halting in compliance with Britain and France.      



Israeli troops advance

On November 5^th, Britain began its attack as men from the 3^rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment took off for El Gamil airfield, to the west of Port Said. At 05.00, the first men landed at the airfield – 668 British paratroopers were to parachute into El Gamil in total. The paratroopers faced a mixture of civilians and army fighters.


French paratroopers, with some British in support, landed to the west of Port Said. At El Gamil, the resistance put up by the Egyptians was greater than expected and 3 Para took more casualties than had been anticipated. From El Gamil, 3 Para moved on Port Said itself at the mouth of the Suez Canal. The Royal Air Force gave the men fighter cover as they moved. Despite fierce resistance in a cemetery near Port Said, the allied forces had a successful first day.

However, on that day a letter was received in London – but not shown to the sleeping Eden until the following day – from Bulganin, the Soviet Union’s Prime Minister. As Suez was played out in the background of the Soviet invasion of Hungary, seeming Soviet involvement was a worrying occurrence. Bulganin made it clear that the Soviet Union would take action against any aggressors in Egypt.

In the era of the Cold War and with the world reeling from the Soviet invasion of Hungary, it would have been expected that Britain’s  and Israel's primary ally at the time – the United States of America – would have rallied to support Great Britain and Israel. This did not happen – in fact, the opposite happened.

Dwight Eisenhower, America’s president, was campaigning to be re-elected as President of America. The global image of an American ally acting like an imperial bully against a nation that probably could not protect itself against such a force was unacceptable to Eisenhower. He had already told Eden that the use of force was unacceptable to the Americans. In a letter to Eisenhower, Eden wrote:

“History alone can judge whether we have made the right decision.”

Militarily, Day One went as well as could have been expected. Diplomatically, things were not going well for Eden.

So With America refusing to back Israel, Britain and France on November 6^th, the sea landings took place in support of the paratroopers on the ground. At 04.00, guns from Royal Navy ships started to pound known defences in Port Said. At 04.45, men from 40 and 42 British Commandos, Royal Marines, started their assault on Port Said.

45 Commando Royal Marines went in via helicopters. Faced with a combination of British and French paratroopers, British commandos and the newly powerful Israeli Army in Sinai, it seemed obvious to many that the Egyptian forces would not last for long.

However, on the same day, politics started to take its toll. The Chancellor of the British Exchequer, Harold McMillan, told a cabinet meeting that there was a run on sterling, especially in New York and the Britain faced the real prospect of having to devalue sterling and also face the possibility of an Arab oil embargo due to Arab feeling of strength due to Americas lack of support for the military operation.

Both would have a major negative impact on the British economy. This was also coupled with the prospect of United Nation sanctions against Britain, Israel and France, surprisingly with American approval.

US President Eisenhower had also made it clear to his cabinet that America would not do anything to prop up sterling until Britain Israel and France had started to withdraw their forces from Egypt.

America persistently pressed against British, Israeli and French forces involvement and pressed for the military action to stop.  

By the end of November 6^th, Port Said had been taken and the military estimated that full control of the Suez Canal would only take another 24 hours. Victory was in sight, but with American backed UN pressure, however, they were ordered to stop fighting at midnight on the same day.

By November 7^th, casualty figures could be assessed. It is believed that about 650 Egyptians were killed including civilians, with 2,000 wounded.

The Anglo-French forces lost 26 men killed and 129 wounded – included in these figures were Royal Marines killed and wounded in a friendly-fire incident involving the RAF.

Britain and Israel together with France made the following statement through their governments

“We make no apology and will never make one for the actions which our nations took. We believed then and now that it was the right course of action and future generations will see fit our involvement and bare the consequences of its outcome”

British, Israeli and French troops started to withdraw on December 23^rd.