Sèvres Protocol

by David Lee Corley

  It was three in the morning when Harpaz stopped his column and went forward to investigate with his binoculars. His infantry had ridden in trucks and commandeered buses as far as they could before the sand of the desert became too much for the wheels. When a vehicle lost traction in the sand, the men riding in back would dismount and another vehicle with a tow cable would pull it free. It was a time-consuming process and their advance slowed to a crawl. When more vehicles were stuck than moving, Harpaz gave the order to abandon the vehicles and continue on foot. His men groaned. Many of the soldiers in his command were reservists and not accustomed to hard marching, especially in sand and rocky terrain.

  The soldiers had marched all through the night to reach this point. Harpaz figured a half hour of rest and some food would do a lot toward boosting their morale and give them the strength they would need for the coming battle.

  Hiding within a patch of boulders, Harpaz could see Al-Qusaymah was protected by an Egyptian National Guard Brigade. The Egyptians were well dug in facing the northeast toward the Israeli border. Harpaz realized that a frontal assault would be costly. His brigade had a battery of heavy mortars that they had carried with them but no armor elements. The Egyptian heavy machineguns and recoilless rifles would rip his men to shreds as they advanced across the flat desert in front of the enemy lines.

  The Israeli armored brigades had been ordered not to engage before the morning of the October 31st so that the Egyptians could not determine the seriousness of the Israeli invasion and would not commit more troops to fighting in the Sinai. If Egyptian armor showed up and attacked the Israelis, Harpaz and his men would need to face the armor with light weapons. The Israeli infantry had been taught how to defeat armor with bazookas and portable anti-tank guns but Harpaz knew it would be costly. There just weren’t that many places to hide.

  He returned to his brigade and pulled his battalion commanders together for a strategy session. He used a stick to draw in the sand and lay out the assault scenario. He elected to split his force in two and assault the town from both sides in a pincher movement. The Israeli mortars would bombard the Egyptian positions, pinning them down as the Israeli infantry units moved into position and attacked. Speed and surprise were key. They would attack in twenty minutes which left little time for preparations. The Israelis had been trained for quick actions. Everyone knew their job.

  Harpaz was concerned that over half his force was made up of reservists. Three days earlier, they were baking bread, working in construction and reading their children bedtime stories. It was jarring going from a civilian life straight into a war. Even though he knew they were well trained from dozens of weekend training sessions and practice maneuvers, he was unsure how they would perform. He hated the idea that some would just become cannon-fodder and die in the desert. He mixed the reservists in with the veteran soldiers. He knew this would make many of his units less effective but it would save lives. Before crossing the border, Harpaz had gathered his unit commanders and NCOs and instructed them to watch out for the reservists as much as possible. The lives of the reservists were in their hands. “This will not be the only war we will fight against the Arabs. We need to conserve every Israeli life we can to ensure our nation’s survival. All the weapons in the world will not save our people if we have no one behind the trigger,” he reminded them.

  The lack of cover meant the split-off Israeli element needed to stay out of range of the Egyptian guns as they moved into position at the rear of the town. They marched in a wide arc across the desert and used the remaining darkness to hide their move from the Egyptians.

  Once the Israelis were in position, the assault started with a volley of 120-mm mortar shells. Dozens of explosions sent metal shards of shrapnel across the enemy positions wounding several Egyptians in the initial volley. The Egyptians took cover and kept their heads down. A second mortar volley included smoke shells to limit the Egyptians’ view of the approaching Israelis and create confusion. The National Guardsmen fought their best in a defensive position with a trench or sandbags to protect them from the enemy’s mortars and bullets. They watched the front, expecting Israeli tanks but saw none through the smoke screen. They fought fiercely as the Israelis advanced on foot.

  Harpaz was surprised when he heard heavy engines and cannon fire coming from behind. His first thought was that the Egyptians had brought up an armored battalion without being spotted by his reconnaissance patrols and were attacking his position from the rear. He was surprised again when the tank shells exploded on the Egyptian positions and not his. He turned and saw the tanks of Colonel Uri Ben-Ari’s 7th Armored Brigade firing their cannons and machineguns as they approached the Egyptians from both sides as he had done. A lieutenant wearing a tanker’s headgear approached and identified himself as Ben-Ari’s aide. “Colonel Ben-Ari sends his regards and wonders if you need anything?” said the lieutenant.

  “Yeah. A little warning would be nice,” said Harpaz. “Tell your Colonel thank you for the support but to be careful where he shells. I have men attacking from the rear of the enemy positions. I would hate to have them massacred by our own tanks. We’ll send a signal to cease fire when our troops reach the enemy trenches.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant. He saluted and moved off to rejoin his commander.

  When he saw the tanks supporting the Israeli infantry’s advance, the Egyptian commander knew the battle was hopeless. His trenches would soon be overrun no matter how bravely his men fought. His duty was to save as many men and weapons as possible. A report that Israeli troops were approaching the rear of the town made him realize that his window of escape was limited. There was still time to flee if his men moved quickly and spiked their heavy equipment so the Israelis could not use it against them in the future. He ordered his men to retreat and make their way to the Egyptian defensive positions farther west.

  The entire battle lasted less than two hours and causalities were light on both sides. A small number of the Egyptian soldiers and their officers were rounded up and taken prisoner. They were sent back across the border where they could be held and watched without difficulty. The Israelis celebrated the victory with a quick meal, giving the men a chance to exchange stories of individual heroics of the battle. Harpaz was proud of them. Even the reservists had performed well. He knew that Abu Ageila would be a different story and not so easily taken.

  October 30, 1956 - Mitla Pass, Egypt

  Just before sunrise, Major Eitan woke from a short nap. He was curled up at the bottom of the foxhole he had dug the night before like the other men in his outfit. In the distance, he could hear the high-pitched howl of jet engines approaching. He didn’t know if they were Israeli jets sent to give his men air cover as the sun rose or Egyptian jets sent to attack. He pulled out his binoculars and scanned the horizon to the northeast where Israeli jets were most likely to appear. The sky was empty. He turned toward the west in the direction of the mountains between his men and the Egyptian airfields bordering the Suez Canal. Again, he saw nothing in the sky but he could hear the jet engines coming closer. He kept watch. A few seconds later, two British-built Gloster Meteor fighter-bombers appeared over the mountains. Eitan was hopeful. Both the Israelis and the Egyptians had Gloster Meteors in their air forces. They were still too distant to make out the insignia. They could have been Israeli jets returning from a mission against the Egyptian airfields and passing over on their way back to an Israeli airbase. His hopes were dashed when four Soviet-built MiG-15s flying escort also appeared. He didn’t need to see the insignia. He knew they were Egyptian. “Air raid,” he yelled to his men, many still asleep.

  There was little the Israeli paratroopers could do except hunker down in their foxholes and hope Israeli jets showed up. Eitan ordered his radio operator to request air support but he knew it would probably be over by the time any help could arrive.

  The Meteors swooped low hugging the desert floor while the MiG-15s flew high to watch for the Israeli jets Eitan was hoping to see. Each
Meteor launched sixteen three-inch rockets. The rockets plowed into the Israeli positions. Three jeeps exploded and flew into the air. The Israeli paratroopers kept their heads buried below the tops of their foxholes. Firing their weapons at the fast-moving jets was a waste of ammunition that would be needed for any ground attack that came their way. The paratroopers resisted the temptation to fight back. They were well trained and disciplined. One of the rockets hit a foxhole and exploded killing the two men inside. The meteors finished their run, then banked hard and came in for another pass. The Egyptian pilots unleashed the four Hispano 20-mm cannons located in the nose of each aircraft strafing the Israeli foxholes. Another Israeli was hit and torn to shreds by the large caliber projectile. It was a quick death.

  With their munitions expended and not wanting to press their luck against the possible arrival of the Israeli Air Force the Egyptian jets broke off their attack and headed back the base.

  The Israelis buried their dead and said prayers for their lost friends. Eitan knew this was just the beginning. The Egyptian military could not allow any Israeli force to remain on Egyptian soil, especially this close to the Suez Canal. The Egyptian Air Force did not worry Eitan. He would lose men to their air raids but they could not destroy his battalion outright without tangling with the Israeli Air Force at some point. Tanks, armored cars and halftracks, on the other hand, could roll right over his positions and kill ever last one of the paratroopers. It was armor that Eitan feared most. He knew the Egyptian armor would be coming in force sooner rather than later. His battalion’s survival would depend on Sharon and the rest of the brigade arriving before the Egyptians attacked in force. Sharon continued to radio reports of the brigade’s progress. It was not going well.

  October 30, 1956 – Sinai, Egypt

  In the Sinai, Sharon and the 202nd needed to cross over the Negev Desert to reach the Themed Oasis where they could intersect with Highway 55 before they hit the mountains. The Negev was a roadless wasteland of low hills. Sharon’s vehicles were forced to navigate off-road during the night to keep on schedule. The scouts did their best to find a path over the hills but sometimes their path was more fit for goats than vehicles.

  By the time the sun had risen, the convoy had lost sixty vehicles and many of the six-wheeled trucks had at least one of their wheels riding on a rim. Seventeen out of eighteen of Sharon’s precious artillery guns had fallen into sand dunes and had to be abandoned until the recovery platoon he left behind could dig them out. Four of his tanks were also lost to the desert. It had been a very hard first night. The drivers were exhausted and falling asleep at the wheel. The Negev had swallowed them whole and spit them out far worse for wear than when they had started the night before. The cavalry riding to the rescue was having a tougher time of it than the men they were trying to save.

  There was no stopping now. They were behind schedule. Those left behind would have to catch up. Everyone complained, but nobody gave up. The hills disappeared and were replaced by featureless flatlands surrounded by treeless mountains. It was all rock and sand as far as the eye could see. Perhaps I should let them rest for a few minutes once we reach the oasis, thought Sharon. But there is a battle that must be fought first.

  SIX

  October 30, 1956 – New York, USA

  America’s U.N. Ambassador, Henry Cabot Lodge, was an eloquent speaker and a strong debater. Although a diplomat and a politician, he didn’t mix words and that was why Eisenhower liked him. He was also the former senator for Massachusetts and had been a key player in the movement to draft Eisenhower into running for president. It worked, and Eisenhower was grateful.

  Lodge had arrived early in the morning to the U.N. in hopes of presenting his resolution before the Russian Ambassador arrived. The Soviets had a nasty habit of vetoing anything proposed by the United States just because they could. However, the Russian Ambassador was a heavy drinker and a late sleeper. He usually didn’t arrive at the U.N. until mid-morning. This made the opening of the daily session the best time to present controversial resolutions and hopefully vote on them before the Soviet delegation arrived.

  Lodge stood in the United Nations assembly hall and presented the resolution that he and Eisenhower had drafted, naming Israel as the aggressor in the Sinai Invasion. The resolution demanded Israeli forces stop immediately and retreat from the Sinai or the Israeli government would face the harshest of consequences. Lodge knew he would have wide support for the resolution. The Israelis were not well liked because they always seemed to act in their own self-interests and didn’t seem to give a diddly-squat about the rest of the world. While it was somewhat understandable for a nation surrounded by enemies and always on the verge of war to constantly protect its own self-interests, national self-interest was not a founding principle of the U.N.

  When it came time to vote, Lodge was stunned to see both the British and the French Ambassadors use their veto to quash the American resolution. When asked why America’s greatest allies would do such a thing, the British Ambassador explained that Britain and France were working on their own joint proposal and would submit it to the assembly shortly. Lodge was not happy and gave them both a piece of his mind. This was an embarrassment to both the U.S. and the NATO Alliance.

  October 30, 1956 – Washington D.C., USA

  Eisenhower was again livid when he was informed of the veto and spent most of the morning spitting out expletives for the British and French Prime Ministers as he paced in the oval office. Eisenhower felt trapped. He needed Britain and France to defend against Soviet aggression, but they were acting in their own interests instead of common European and global interests. He was also trying to placate the new independent Arab nations to keep them away from Soviet influence. Siding with the two largest colonial powers in the Middle East, Britain and France, did not help that effort.

  Eisenhower didn’t understand how the British and the French could possibly see this conflict in the Sinai as more important than the alliance they had formed with America to deal with the Soviets. And yet here they were stabbing America in the back at the U.N. It was insane, he thought. Completely insane. What value is there in having allies that we cannot trust? Why don’t they see that? Do they honestly think that because of our special relationship America will do nothing? Eisenhower considered for a few moments and realized that was exactly what the French and the British thought… and for the moment they were right.

  October 30, 1956 - Sinai, Egypt

  The 202nd convoy pulled to a stop on a mountain road. Another vehicle had a snapped an axle in a deep pothole. “Oh, thank god,” said Brigitte jumping out. “I need to pee so bad my back teeth are floating.”

  “Why would your back teeth be floating?” said the driver.

  “I don’t know. It’s something the Americans say,” she said.

  Brigitte looked around the treeless and flat landscape. There was no place for privacy. She moved up beside a truck, pushed the driver’s rearview mirror so it faced inward, unbuttoned her jumpsuit and squatted near the back wheel well. Several nearby soldiers whistled and howled. She flipped them off and continued to relieve herself. “Oh, my god, that’s better than sex,” she said.

  Sharon climbed from his jeep and said, “This road is ridiculous. Damn Arabs should know better.”

  He walked back to inspect the damaged vehicle and said, “How do they expect us to keep on schedule without giving us the proper spare parts.”

  “The French shipped the vehicles without spare parts to expedite their delivery before the invasion,” said Sharon’s transportation officer.

  “Can you fix it?” said Sharon, referring to the broken axle.

  “I am afraid not. We’ll have to abandon it. We will need to transfer the troops and supplies to another vehicle.”

  “How are we supposed to do that? We are already bursting at the seams.”

  “I was hoping we could load a few more troops onto your jeep.”

  “Yes. Yes. Of course. The more the merrier.”
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br />   “Colonel, if we lose another truck the men will be forced to walk.”

  “Then let’s not lose one.”

  “If we slowed down that might be…”

  “We have a schedule. We are not slowing down,” said Sharon, angry at the thought. “Tell your driver to be more careful.”

  Sharon looked out at the distant horizon. It was Dayan that had come up with this crazy plan, but it was his duty to see it executed successfully. Eitan’s paratroopers were depending on him and he felt the weight of the responsibility. It made him more short-tempered and unusually snappish when mistakes were made. Failure was not an option he could accept.

  October 30, 1956 – Abu Ageila, Egypt

  Abu Ageila was a village in northern Sinai located sixteen miles from the Israeli-Egyptian border. It was a strategic center for the entire northern Sinai with three main road crossings and a large reservoir built by the British that provided water to the local residents and the nomadic Bedouins. The village of Abu Ageila had no natural or man-made defenses beyond sandbags and trenches. On its own it could be easily taken by the Israelis and retaken by the Egyptians. To the east of the village were a series of ridges and plateaus that formed a natural defensive position paralleling the main road leading from the Israeli border. This series of ridges and plateaus overlooked Abu Ageila and allowed Egyptian artillery and anti-tank guns to rain fire down on any forces attacking the village. The Israelis nicknamed it the “Hedgehog.”