The Battle of El Ferdan Bridge (October 8, 1973) is a major tank battle at the initial stage of the October 1973 war .
| Battle at El Ferdan Bridge | |||
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| Main conflict: Doomsday War | |||
 Israeli tanks are preparing to attack in Sinai | |||
| date | October 8, 1973 | ||
| Total | Egypt's decisive victory | ||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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| Losses | |||
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Background
For a counterattack of the Egyptian troops that crossed the Suez Canal, the Israeli command prepared 200 tanks from among several brigades. They included 50 new M60 tanks from the number of Gabi Amir’s 460th Tank Brigade. The brigade was divided into two battalions of 25 tanks. She was given the task to attack the bridgehead of the 2nd division. On the way, one of the battalions ran out of fuel. At 11.00 the second battalion launched an attack. Having broken the resistance of the first line of the Egyptian infantry, the Israelis advanced 800 meters. At this point, they came under fire from Egyptian tanks and artillery. In a matter of minutes, the battalion lost 18 tanks and retreated, most of its commanders were killed or wounded.
The course of the fighting
The second battalion, together with the 50th tanks of the 217th Brigade, Natke Nira, was assigned to attack the Egyptian positions at the Ferdan Bridge. They were joined by reinforcements in the form of a battalion of 25 tanks under the command of Elyashiv Shemshi. At 1.00 pm, Egyptian scouts from the 2nd Division noticed a concentration of Israeli tanks. Ten minutes later, the Egyptians intercepted radio messages in Hebrew. The commander of the Egyptians, Abu Sa'ad, ordered the Israelites to be allowed to the bridgehead to surround them. At 13.30, Israeli tanks launched an offensive and were trapped. T-54 / 55 tanks of the 24th Egyptian Brigade opened fire on the advancing troops. From the other flank they were supported by infantry. In minutes, most of the Israeli troops were lost, four battalions were almost completely defeated. Among the prisoners was Israeli Colonel Asaf Yaguri. At the end of the attack, Nir had only 4 of the 50 tanks left, including his own. Amir's battalion, the attacker on the right, suffered losses and stopped the offensive. Amir requested air support several times, but he never received it.
The exact losses of the Egyptian tanks in the battle are unknown. On October 10, Israeli reconnaissance aircraft photographed the combat zone and in the area of the Egyptian 2nd Infantry Division identified 24 padded Egyptian tanks (it should be clarified that these were losses since the beginning of the war and not just the 8th) [1] .
Notes
Literature
- October war 1973. Mohamed Abdel Ghany Al Gamasy. The second edition of 1998.
- Gawrych, Dr. George W. (1996). The 1973 Arab-Israeli War: The Albatross of Decisive Victory. Combat Studies Institute, US Army Command and General Staff College. pp. 43-50
- Hammad, Gamal (2002). Military Battles on the Egyptian Front (First ed.). Dār al-Shurūq. pp. 176-177
- O'Ballance, Edgar (1997). No Victor, No Vanquished: The Arab-Israeli War, 1973. Presidio. p. 104
- el-Shazly, Saad (2003). The Crossing of the Suez, Revised Edition (Revised ed.). American Mideast Research. p. 233