26th July. President Nasser of Egypt seized the Suez Canal. Britain and France feared that they would be isolated from their possessions in the Far East. The Serves Protocol was signed by Britain, France and Isreal. The aim of this secret protocol was to enable Isreal to occupy the Sinai Peninsula and to enable Britain and France to gain control of the Suez Canal. Details of the Serves Protocol were disclosed in a documentary aired in Australia on the Discovery Channel on 19 July 2003
2nd August Royal proclamation issued calling reservists to the colours. The British Government's aim was land a force at Alexandria and head for Cairo to depose Nasser and re-establish Anglo/French control of the Suez Canal.
10th September. The objective for the seaborne assault was changed from Alexandria to Port Said. The date of the landings was postponed from 15th September to 1st October.
14th September. Assault Landing exercise on the west coast of MALTA. Work-up for the landing at Port Said continued.
26th October. Orders for the landing at Port Said arrived from London. Bomber Force in position on Malta and Cyprus.
27th October am. Commando COs gave out orders for the landings at Port Said.
27th October pm. 3 Cdo Bde embarked. The Amphibious Warfare Squadron escorted by RN ships sailed from Malta that evening heading for Port Said..
28th October. Israel mobilised.
29th October. Israel attacked Egyptian forces in Sinai. British Ultimatum to Israel and Egypt to cease fire. Egypt refused.
31st October. Hostilities commenced with night raids by Bomber forces from Malta and Cyprus.
5th November 3 Para landed on El Gamil Airfield. French airborne force landed at Port Fouad, east of Port Said.
6th November. L Day. 3 Cdo Bde assault on Port Said.
7th Novembe. Leading troops reached El Cap and prepared for the break out and advance to Cairo. Due to pressure from the USSR and the USA, the British Government ordered a cease fire to be effective from 2345 hours.
7th December. Withdrawal from Port Said started. Completed on 22nd December.
COMMENT: For many years, the British Government denied that there was any collusion between Britain, France and Israel regarding the plan to re-occupy the Suez Canal and depose President Nasser. If there was no collusion, how was it that the assault force set sail from Malta the day before Israel mobilised and two days before Israel attacked Egypt? The story that the Anglo/French assault on Port Said was designed to separate the Israeli and Egyptian forces was fiction. The real story was aired in Australia on the Discovery Channel on 19 July 2003. There can be no doubt that the attack on Egypt by Britain and France was carried out with the aim of recovering the Suez Canal and replacing Colonel Nasser as the Egyptian head of state.
Lt
Colonel (Ret) T.W. Whittaker, OBE
The
Search for HMAS SYDNEY II and HSK KORMORAN
