Sèvres Protocol

by David Lee Corley

  “I am not here to argue the merits of actions however foolish I may see them. I am here to protect American lives.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There are twenty-five hundred Americans in Cairo waiting to be evacuated. President Eisenhower would not look kindly on any British bombs or artillery shells that injure or kill American citizens. You have a responsibility to protect foreign civilians if you choose to continue with your actions.”

  “You can assure President Eisenhower that every precaution has been taken to ensure that civilians, especially American civilians, will not be harmed from any British military action.”

  “Very well. I shall forward your assurances to my president. I am sure he will hold Britain to them.”

  Eden just smiled at the veiled threat and said, “Is there anything else? As you can imagine, it is a very busy day.”

  “No. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” said Aldrich rising from his chair.

  “I always have time for our American friends,” said Eden walking Aldrich to the door.

  Eden watched as Aldrich left, then turned to his secretary and said, “Get me the Air Marshal on the phone.”

  Eden retreated into his office. The phone rang. “Air Marshal Dickson, I know you are very busy, but I had some more thoughts on the revised bombing schedule,” said Eden. “I don’t think it would be prudent to bomb civilian targets at this point. We should switch to military targets, especially around Cairo.”

  October 31, 1956 – Mediterranean Sea

  On the islands of Cyprus and Malta, RAF English Electric Canberra and Vickers Valiant bombers took off from four airfields. The English Electric Canberra was a two-engine jet built for bombing runs where precision was required. The Vickers Valiant was a four-engine strategic bomber jet capable of delivering a massive payload from a medium or high altitude. The British squadrons headed out over the Mediterranean.

  The French had seven aircraft carriers sailing in the eastern Mediterranean. The French navy had only piston-driven Corsairs and Skyraiders. The slower prop planes could not keep up with the British bombers and fighters, so they were assigned sea patrol and searched for Egyptian warships in the Mediterranean. The Corsairs and Skyraiders were also scheduled to provide air cover for ground troops during the invasion landings.

  Hawker Sea Hawks and de Havilland Sea Venoms were launched from the British aircraft carriers sailing fifty miles off the coast of Egypt and Israel. The fighters would act as escorts for the bombers as they crossed into Egyptian airspace. The British squadron formed an air armada off the coast of Egypt as the sun set.

  The first targets for the British bombers were the Egyptian airfields protecting the canal. The British had built most of the airfields around the Suez Canal during their original occupation. Most had been modernized to endure the fast and heavy landing of jet fighters and bombers. The British Royal Air Force was reluctant to abandon the well-constructed airfields when the time came to leave Egypt. Now it was the job of the British military to destroy what they had so carefully created.

  The largest airfield was Abu Sueir, ten miles west of Ismailia, smack in the middle of the canal zone. French intelligence estimated that thirty-five MiG-15s were based at Abu Suier all of which could be used to repel any invasion from the Mediterranean.

  Kabrit was another large airfield located at Great Bitter Lake in the southern end of the canal zone. Two squadrons of a combined thirty-one MiGs were based at Kabrit. Both Kabrit and Abu Suier were protected by Czech-built, 20-mm anti-aircraft batteries.

  Fayid and Kasfareet airfields were located further to the northwest. Fayid was home to a squadron of fifteen Vampire jets, a squadron of twelve Meteors and a mixed squadron of twenty Vampires and ten Meteors. Kasfareet held all the remaining nine Vampires in the Egyptian Air Force. While the Meteors used two jet engines for propulsion, the Vampires had only one jet engine with a twin-tail boom. Both could carry either bombs or rockets along with their four Hispano 20-mm cannons.

  Further inland, the Egyptian bombers were based at the military airfield of Cairo West. Sixteen I1-28 jet bombers were deployed between two squadrons. Ten more of the Soviet-built bombers were based at Almaza airfield just outside of Cairo and another twenty-two bombers were stationed at Luxor airfield in the southern Nile valley.

  Although the Egyptian Air Force commanders were making strides toward building an esprit de corps within the squadron, morale was generally low. There was still a serious confidence deficit brought about by the disastrous defeats dealt by the Israeli Air Force during the Arab-Israeli War. Combined with the poor training, the Egyptian Air Force was questionable as a fighting force. There were however individual pilots that fought and flew well.

  October 31, 1956 – Suez Canal Zone, Egypt

  The Egyptian soldiers at Port Said and in positions along the mouth of the Suez Canal watched in awe as wave after wave of British bombers and fighter jets passed overhead. No Egyptian had ever seen such a fearsome display of air power. As the British and French aircraft moved down the canal zone, squadrons would peel off the armada to attack their selected targets.

  Each Valiant dropped twenty-one one thousand pound bombs on its targeted airfield. The resulting explosions created thirty-foot wide bomb craters as deep as the height of a man. While the crater could be filled in within a matter of hours, the Egyptian MIG-15 fighters were heavy and required high speeds to take off. The days of filling in runways and paving over them after a bombing raid were over. Modern runways needed to be stable, durable launch and landing platforms. The earth beneath the runways needed to be compacted and in many cases, concrete needed to be poured and cured-dry before a jet fighter or bomber could land on it. A well-placed bomb crater on the center of a runway could take days, or even weeks, to repair. A dozen bomb craters could put an airstrip out of commission for an entire war.

  Putting the runways and airfields out of commission was the main objective of the first mission. The British and French planned on advancing up the Canal Zone quickly and capturing the airfields before they could be repaired and made operational. Even if a few aircraft survived the strafing and bombing attacks, the planes stationed at the airfields would be useless to the Egyptians.

  Destroying Egyptian aircraft still on the ground was a bonus for the British bomber crews. The Egyptians left their aircraft in the open instead of parking them in fortified hangers which were expensive to build. They kept them lined up, fully fueled and ready for takeoff at the first sign of trouble. This made the British bombers’ job easy. A single bomb that destroyed a fully fueled and armed jet fighter could set off a chain reaction that destroyed an entire squadron.

  With the change of target late in the mission, the British sent their squadrons to bomb the military airfield outside of Cairo. The navigators had little time to recalculate their flight paths and one squadron ended up bombing Cairo International Airport and caused significant damage to the buildings and runways.

  The Canberra bombers packed a smaller punch with only eight thousand pounds of bombs as their payload. But they were deadly accurate and used to take out strategic targets such as highways and bridges cutting off the Egyptian ground forces.

  Before the night was over, the British had bombed the airfields at Almaza, Kabrit, Abu Sueir and Inchas. All four runways were destroyed, and dozens of the Egyptian Air Force’s prized jets went up in flames. The casualties were surprisingly light because when the bombs started detonating, the pilots and ground crews ran for cover rather than running to save their planes. They weren’t cowards. They just weren’t stupid.

  October 31, 1956 – Jerusalem, Israel

  It was late at night. Dayan once again entered Ben-Gurion’s office. “Ah, Moshe. Thank you for coming,” said Ben-Gurion.

  “Of course, David. How can I help you?” said Dayan.

  “The British and French have begun their bombing campaign. Perhaps I was too rash in ordering a general retreat.”

  “Really?
”

  “How far have our men progressed?”

  “These things take time, as you know. They are just starting their withdrawal as we speak.”

  “Good. I think we should stay the course and continue our campaign as before. The British and French will deal with the Egyptian Air Force while our jets deal with the Egyptian Armor.”

  “Alright, David. If you think that is wise.”

  “I do. I do. Please see to it, Moshe,” said Ben-Gurion.

  “As you command,” said Dayan and exited. He hadn’t done a damn thing.

  TEN

  October 31, 1956 – Rafah, Egypt

  Israeli aircraft pounded the Egyptian positions in preparation for the assault on the Rafah salient. French destroyers sailing off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea also shelled the Egyptian positions.

  The Egyptians were protected by their extensive network of trenches and bunkers. They took the beating of the bombs and rockets in stride and waited for the attack they knew was coming. The Egyptians were not known for their offense but they knew how to defend a well-built firing position. Their losses were few. Only a direct hit on a position did any real damage. The rest was superficial. Smoke and dust. The Egyptians kept a sharp eye out for the Israelis, but their commanders imagined they would wait until dark before beginning their assault. They were right.

  As the sun set on the second day, the French naval bombardment ceased and the Israeli Air Force flew back across the border. Dayan didn’t like to combine aircraft with ground forces. The aggressive Israeli pilots were just as likely to attack an Israeli unit as an Egyptian one. The Israeli infantry and armor moved into their final pre-assault positions and waited for their commander’s signal.

  As darkness fell on the desert, the Israelis advanced on the Rafah salient. The three spearheads moved in unison as Dayan had planned.

  The Egyptians opened fire with a thunderous artillery barrage. The Israeli mortars and artillery countered, hoping to take out some of the artillery. The Egyptian Archer anti-tank guns and the Israeli tanks exchanged fire. When the Egyptians fired, they gave away their positions. The Archer gunners could count on heavy machinegun fire and multiple Israeli tank shells slamming into sandbag-protected walls. Explosions and streams of tracer rounds lit up the night sky. The Israelis kept moving forward and the Egyptians kept pouring down fire upon them.

  To the Egyptians it seemed like they were being attacked from all sides at the same time. There was confusion in their ranks, with all of their commanders calling for reinforcements to meet the approaching threat. It was the veteran sergeants and small unit commanders that kept the Egyptian soldiers from panicking. The confidence of the platoon sergeant set the tone for the entire unit.

  A company of Israeli infantry moved through the middle minefield accompanied by two engineers. In the distance, they could see the battle raging on the hilltops to their front. Flashes from the explosions lit up the pathway and guided their steps. The Egyptians were still unaware of their position and the Israelis wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. A private carrying a light machinegun tripped over a stone outcropping at the edge of the pathway and fell. The machinegun hit the outcropping and rolled off the pathway. Everyone around the private held their breath as the machinegun came to a stop. Nothing happened. The corporal in charge of the fire team scolded the private for being a clumsy idiot and told him to retrieve the machinegun. The private stepped off the pathway slowly. He carefully placed each of his feet near the markings in the sand where machinegun had rolled. He reached down and picked up the machinegun. He grinned at his corporal and said, “Got it.” He lifted his foot and heard a small click under his boot. A mine exploded killing him instantly.

  Everyone looked toward the explosion with trepidation. It wasn’t the loss of one man that horrified them. It was the giving away of their position. Their eyes shifted back to the hilltops. Nothing changed. It was possible that the Egyptians were too occupied to notice the lone explosion. The Israeli company commander ordered his men to keep moving. Ten steps further down the pathway all hell broke loose. Streams of heavy machinegun fire from the hilltop rained down on the Israelis. They instinctively hit the ground. Their commander ordered them up and moving. He knew staying in the minefield without any cover was death for sure. No sooner had they risen to their feet than artillery shells crashed into the ground around them. The Israeli position was bracketed by the Egyptian gunners. Men were hurled into the air, their bodies crushed and shredded. Some Israelis jumped off the pathway seeking cover and were killed by the mines. The Egyptian shells were terribly accurate. The gunners knew the precise location of the pathway through the minefields and had pre-targeted their artillery and mortars. The bombardment was focused and furious. Those Israelis that were brave enough to push forward were mown down by the Egyptians’ heavy machineguns. One hundred Israelis died in the minefield that night including their company commander and the two engineers. The Israelis’ southern spearhead had stalled.

  October 31, 1956 – Sinai Desert, Egypt

  It was night in the mountains. Coyle and his navigator were exhausted and dehydrated. They didn’t even have the strength to light a fire. They had spent most of the day and evening searching the canyons and valleys within the mountain range for any sign of vegetation that might indicate water. There was nothing. It was just a big dry rock in the middle of a big dry desert. Their water bottle was empty, and that meant death. It was just a matter of time and pain. They had even looked for signs of a passing Egyptian patrol that they could surrender to but there was none. I am going to die in this god-forsaken land and there is not a damn thing I can do about it, thought Coyle. I’m glad Brigitte is not here to see it.

  Coyle was leaning against a boulder in a small level space on a slope when he heard a long grunt in the distance like someone or something was in pain. The navigator heard it too and they exchanged a glance like what the hell was that? They both climbed to their feet and moved in the direction of the noise.

  They came to the edge of a cliff and looked down at a canyon below. There was a Bedouin caravan with twelve camels and a small herd of goats. The Bedouins were on foot guiding the camels and goats through the narrow canyon. Several women trailed behind the camels. They were covered head to toe in burqas. Coyle found it strange. He had seen Bedouins before, and while he remembered them having their hair covered with scarves and decorative caps he didn’t remember the women wearing full burqas.

  The navigator silently motioned that Coyle and he should ask for help from the Bedouins. Coyle motioned back that they should be cautious and follow the caravan to see where they were going. The navigator nodded agreement.

  Once the caravan had passed below and was out of sight, Coyle and the navigator climbed down the cliff and entered the narrow canyon. They kept their distance and stayed hidden as they followed the Bedouins.

  The Bedouins came to a wide canyon within the cliff walls. To one side of the canyon was a natural spring trickling down the side of a cliff. Coyle once again cautioned the navigator not to make contact yet. They would watch for a while longer.

  One of the Bedouin men filled a goat-skin water bag and walked back with it to the women. He handed one of them the water bag. The woman lifted up her hands from beneath her burqa and took the bag. Her hands were tied together with a leather strap. The women drank and shared the bag. The man scolded one of the women for revealing too much of her face when she pulled back her head scarf to drink. He smacked her with the same stick he used on his camel. The woman yelped and pulled the scarf back down covering her face. “Esclavos,” whispered the navigator.

  “Yeah. If that means slaves,” said Coyle. “We gotta be careful. That kinda gang will turn us into the Egyptians for a reward sure as shooting.”

  “Necesitan libertad.”

  “You going hero on me? Don’t we got enough problems? You do realize there are eight of those guys? And I bet they’ve got guns or swords or something.”

&n
bsp; “Las audamos, si?”

  “I don’t like the sound of that. But I guess you’re right. It may not be the smartest move, but yeah… Audamos.”

  The navigator smiled with a nod. “We’ll wait until they are asleep,” said Coyle.

  “Ellos duermen?”

  “Yeah, Duermen bad guys.”

  Coyle and the navigator waited and watched as the Bedouins set up their camp and prepared their evening meal. The Bedouins slaughtered one of the goats and slide its carcass on a metal spit to barbeque over the fire. The smell of goat cooking over a fire made Coyle and the navigator’s stomachs growl so loud Coyle was worried it might give away their hidden position. It had been a full day since they had eaten. The Bedouins talked amongst themselves. Coyle and the navigator didn’t understand anything they were saying but by the motions of their hands, their tone and expressions they gathered that they were arguing what to do with the women they had taken captive.

  Coyle had no idea where the women were from or what he and the navigator would do with them once they were free. He doubted they spoke English or Spanish. He wasn’t sure what the Bedouin men planned on doing with the women but he imagined that it wasn’t good whatever the case. But Coyle’s biggest concern was the location. They were in a box canyon as far as he could tell. There was only one way in and one way out.

  Strategically it was a very bad layout. The camels were on the opposite end of the canyon as far away from the natural spring as possible. They were dirty animals and the Bedouin knew better than to let them anywhere near their water supply. The camel’s feet were hobbled with cotton rope to keep them from wandering off in the middle of the night.