Battle of Suez
The Battle of Suez was fought on October 24–25, 1973 between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the Egyptian town of Suez. It was the last major battle of the Yom Kippur War, before a ceasefire took effect.
Battle of Suez | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Yom Kippur War | |||||||
Map of the Sinai campaign. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Egypt | Israel | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Youssef Afifi Adel Islam (garrison commandant) |
Avraham Adan Yossi Yoffe Nahum Zaken | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Anti-tank teams Numerous army units with light weapons Local police forces and militia |
1 armored brigade 1 infantry battalion | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Minimal |
At least 80 killed and 120 wounded 40 tanks destroyed |
On October 23, with the imminent arrival of UN observers to the front, Israel decided to capture Suez, assuming it would be poorly defended. An armored brigade and an infantry battalion from the Paratroopers Brigade were committed to the task, and entered the city without a battle plan.
The armored column was ambushed and severely hit, while the paratroopers came under heavy fire and many of them became trapped inside a local building. The armored column and part of the infantry force were evacuated during the day, while the main contingent of the paratrooper force eventually managed to dash out of the city and make their way back to Israeli lines.