Suez campaign (1956). Anglo-French interests in Egypt dated back beyond their financial support and construction of the Suez Canal, completed in 1869. After the death of Muhammad Ali in 1848, European control over Egypt increased and following the country's bankruptcy in 1876 an Anglo-French commission took over Egypt's finances. Then in 1882, following a failed attempt by the Egyptian army to end foreign interference, British troops occupied the country.
Egypt remained under British control, as the Suez Canal became an integral part of Britain's strategic policy in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, providing as it did a short route to India. Britain, with French connivance, remained in illegal occupation until Nasser took control of the country in 1956. He had been involved in the abolition of the monarchy and in the negotiated withdrawal of British troops, but his dream was to build the high Aswan Dam, and he wanted the revenues from the canal to pay for it. In pursuing a policy of nationalization and negotiations with the USSR, he gave the British government what it thought was an opportunity to recover lost ground. Attempts to prevent him nationalizing the canal failed and Britain conspired with both France and Israel to repossess it. On 29 October 1956 Israeli forces under the command of Dayan, citing the need to destroy guerrilla camps in the Sinai desert, crossed the frontier and drove back four Egyptian divisions before them.
The invasion of Egyptian territory permitted London and Paris to issue a twelve-hour ultimatum, calling for the cessation of hostilities. While Israel agreed, the Egyptian refusal to compromise provided the excuse for Anglo-French action. This came in the form of air attacks from 31 October, which effectively destroyed the Egyptian air force on the ground.
There followed a delay of four days, resulting from poor planning, allowing for a consolidation of world (and domestic) opinion against the Anglo-French response, with the USSR and the USA leading the protests. Unwisely ignoring these, the British and French governments launched an invasion, mounted from Cyprus. The airborne operation, code-named MUSKETEER, began on 5 November and was conducted in conjunction with an amphibious assault by Royal Marine Commandos, under cover of a naval bombardment.
The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, carried out an operational parachute descent onto El Gamil airfield. The Egyptian defenders, although supported by light armour, assault guns, machine guns, and mortars, were unable to prevent the lightly equipped paratroop battalion from reaching all its objectives within hours of landing. By 6 November both Port Said and the airfield were under Anglo-French control, but amid the rattling of the nuclear sabre by the USSR and economic threats from the USA, on 7 November they acceded to UN demands for a ceasefire.
Suez is an episode the British would rather forget. It effectively ended Anthony Eden's tenure as PM, causing such controversy that he resigned the following January. Egypt had lost some 3, 000 troops killed and a further 7, 000 were taken prisoner, compared to Anglo-French losses of 33 dead and 129 wounded, with the Israelis losing only some 180 killed in an advance to within 30 miles (48 km) of the canal. Nasser had sunk blockships in the canal and it did not reopen until March 1957, under UN control.
— Peter MacDonald
