Page 147 - Airpower in 20th Century - Doctrines and Employment

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tHe military doCtrine of tHe israeli air forCe

The “Sinai Campaign” 1956 (called Mivza Kaddesh)

After the War of Independence, Israel turned to absorbing thousands of new im-
migrants, especially those survivors of the Holocaust, and also Jews persecuted in
Arab countries and in other places around the world. Within a couple of years, over 2
million Jews arrived in Israel, increasing the population of the country by three times
prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Arab countries, headed by Egypt, did not come to terms with the existence of
the State and placed Israel under an embargo and attempted an attack on the State.
They trained, supported, armed and dispatched terrorists that sowed destruction and
death among the civilian population. At the same time they threatened to go to war
again against Israel. In order to carry out their threat, they amassed vast amounts of
weapons and trained their armies for the time when they could begin their attack.
In 1955, Egypt signed an armament agreement to purchase Soviet arms from
Czechoslovakia including tanks, artillery, ships and jet aircrafts, which were hoarded
and concentrated in the Sinai desert on the border with Israel, and repeatedly de-
clared its intention and threat to go to war with Israel.
At that time, Nasser, the President of Egypt, nationalized the Suez Canal Compa-
ny forcing Britain to relinquish control, without any compensation as Egypt begins
to collect all toll fees.
Israel was left with no choice but to fight against the Egyptian forces concentrated
in Sinai. An agreement was signed between Israel, France and Great Britain – each
one for its own reasons – to make a pre-emptive strike against Egypt in October
1956 (called “Suez Campaign”). At that time, all IAF pilots were Israelis trained to
operational proficiency.
The IAF had detailed plans to destroy the Egyptian air force on the ground, how-
ever by agreement, the task was undertaken by the air forces of Britain and France.
The IAF took part in the war before the Anglo-French attacks and fought against
enemy aircrafts trying to attack Israeli ground forces in Sinai. The IAF was success-
ful in all its missions that were decided on prior to the attack with regard to ground
support and destroying enemy convoys in Sinai. During the war of the Sinai cam-
paign Egypt lost 7 jet aircrafts, all in air-to-air fire (dog-fight) between them and the
IAF. The IAF lost 15 aircrafts, all by anti-aircrafts fire.

“The Six Day War” 1967

At the end of the Sinai Campaign, Russia and the U.S.A. forced Israel to retreat
from all the conquered territories without a peace treaty with Egypt. However, Egypt
agreed to allow U.N. troops to be stationed in Sinai on the border between Israel and
Egypt; to make Sinai a demilitarized area; and to open the international water way in
the Red Sea to Israeli ships sailing to the port of Eilat in Southern Israel.