Egyptian Order of Battle in the 1956 Arab-Israeli War

By Steven Thomas on 10 Mar 2002 | Last Updated 21 Aug 2013

During the 1956 Arab-Israeli War the Egyptian army might have been big and well equipped but it was a bit of a mess.
The Egyptian troops were poorly trained and led, and had little incentive to fight. Motivation was low as the Egyptians
used conscription but didn’t pay any allowances to the family if a soldier was killed or incapacitated. Possibly worse
still the predominantly upper class Egyptian Officers considered it beneath them to train their men. Finally
communication between the field and HQ was poor. Field commanders invented successes and/or exaggerated enemy
numbers, and then ignored orders from above as they knew these orders were based on fabricated reports like their
own.

Until 1954 the Egyptian army was largely trained and equipped by the British. However, after the disasters experienced
in 1948 the Egyptians looked elsewhere for military ideas, hence during from 1950-57 a small number of German
instructors were used to impose German doctrine on the army. For example, German instructors trained the new
parachute and commando units in the early 1950s. When the British evacuated the Suez Canal in 1954-55 the Egyptians
turned to Czechoslovakia for equipment (basically Soviet), and possible turned to military Soviet doctrine as well
although this might have occurred after the 1956 war.
Egyptian Organisation

Some general notes before looking at the distribution of forces:

Zaloga (1981) says the Egyptian Infantry in Sinai had about 300 Bren carriers.

Zaloga (1981) gives a Armoured Brigade organisation as:

1 x tank battalion
1 x motorised infantry battalion (BTR-152s)
1 x battery of SU-100s

Most Brigades given in Dayan (1965) seem to have only 2 Infantry Battalions; the only exception I’m aware of is the
86th Palestinian Brigade which had three (11th, 32nd, and 43rd Battalions). The Egyptian order of battle in Dayan
mentions that the reconnaissance company of 6th Infantry Brigade was assigned to Kusseima , which I’ve assumed is
the Jeep company that Herzog (1982) lists for Kusseima. Other Infantry Brigades may have had such jeep based
reconnaissance companies, although perhaps not for the National Guard or Reservists. A glance at the organisation
below also suggests that each Infantry Brigade had anti-tank support along with artillery or heavy mortars. All of this
suggests that a typical Infantry Brigade comprised:

2 x Infantry Battalions
0 or 1 x Reconnaissance Company in Jeeps
1 x Anti-tank battery (11 guns)
1 x Artillery or heavy mortar (8 tubes) battery

The Egyptian force in the Sinai comprised 30,000 men (Van Creveld, 1998) distributed as follows (primarily from
Dayan, 1965; Herzog, 1982):
Gaza Strip

26th * National Guard Brigade (Lt. Col. Gamal e-Din Ali)

2 x Battalions National Guards
20th Mortar Battery
8 x 120mm mortars in three troops
4 x six pounder anti-tank guns
1 x troop of coastal artillery from 4th Battalion
2 x three inch guns
2 x motorised Border platoons
8th Palestinian Division (Maj-Gen. Youssef el Agroudi)
Palestinian 86th Brigade ** (Lt. Col. Lutfi el-Burini)
11th Battalion
4 companies
32nd Battalion
4 companies
44th Battalion (attached from 87th Brigade)
4 companies
 Heavy Mortar Battery (presumably 120mm mortars)
Palestinian 87th Brigade ***

* Van Creveld (1998) says the 6th National Guard Brigade, but both Herzog (1982) and Dayan (1965) say the 26th.

** Van Creveld (1998) cites Dayan as saying the Palestinians had not been issued heavy weapons by their Egyptian
masters. I assume this refers to battalion assets, as the order of battle in Dayan (1965) also lists the Heavy Mortar
Battery shown above. Dayan also says one Battalion of the 86th Brigade was attached to the 3rd Infantry Division

*** Dayan (1965) implies that only the 44th Battalion – attached to the 86th Brigade, was combat ready as the task of
the remainder of the Brigade was “organisation and training in Rafah camps” (p.214).
Northern and Central Sinai Sector

The reinforced 3rd Infantry Division (Brigadier Anwar abd Wahab al Qadi) was responsible for the Northern and
Central Sectors of the Sinai.

Herzog (1982), says all the following, except the 4th Brigade, were under the 6th Brigade Brigadier Gaafer el Abd. This
is at odds with Dayan (1965) who gives Brigadier-General Sami Yam Boletz as the commander of the 6th.

Rafah outpost
5th Brigade ** (Col. Jafr el Majid)
1 x battalion of 25-pounder field artillery
1 x AT battery with 17 x Archer Tank Destroyers *
Czech 105mm recoilless anti-tank guns
Anti-aircraft weapons
1 x tank company of the 3rd Armoured Battalion. 16 Shermans.
2 x Frontier Force companies (presumably with armoured jeeps and troop carriers) from 1st Mortorized Border
Battalion
43rd Battalion of Palestinian 86th Brigade ***
Umm Ketef – Abu Aeila hedgehog
6th Brigade
2 x Infantry battalions
9th Reserve Brigade ****
295th Reserve battalion
297th Reserve battalion
1 x National Guard Brigade
2 x Battalions National Guards
1 x Battery field artillery
24 x 25-pounder guns
1 x jeep company (Listed separately by both Dayan and Herzog, so presumably not integral to 6th Brigade)
78th AT Battery with 14 Archer Tank Destroyers (Capt. M. D. Zohdy) *
94th AT Battery with 9 Archer Tank Destroyers *
ZiS-2 57mm AT guns
Anti-aircraft guns,
33mm cannon – might be the AA guns.
El Arish Head Quarters / Reserve
4th Infantry Brigade (Col. Saad ed-Din Mutawally)
11th Infantry Battalion (Lt. Col. Selim Makor Bashchara) – assigned to defend El Arish *******
12th Infantry Battalion
3rd Armoured Battalion
1 x tank company of 16 Sherman IIIs (M4A2s with 75mm)
1 x tank company of 16 Sherman M4/FL10s
(the other company of the 3rd was at Rafah)
1 x AT battery with Archer Tank Destroyers *
Kusseima outpost
1 x National Guards Brigade *****
2 x Battalions National Guards
1 x Infantry company *****
1 x Reconnaissance company of 6th Brigade in Jeeps ******
Archer Tank Destroyers *
Other anti-tank weapons
Archer

* Zaloga (1981) says the Egyptians had at least 4 AT batteries with Archer Tank Destroyers each with 11 vehicles. He
explicitly says the 78th stationed at Um Katef-Um Shehan crossroads in the Abu Ageila hedgehog was reinforced up to
14. Herzog (1982) states a total of 23 at Abu Ageila so I’ve assumed the 94th was under-strength. Herzog has another
17 at Rafah, and this accounts for 40 of Zaloga’s 44 possible vehicles so I suspect there were more than 4 batteries.
Anyway, assuming the reserve at El Arish was depleted to reinforce other posts, then the outpost at Kusseima had at
most 4 vehicles.

** Dayan (1965), Van Creveld (1998), and Zaloga (1981), say the 5th Brigade, however Herzog (1982), says the 6th
but then also has elements of the 6th scattered all over the place thus undermining his statement further.

*** Herzog (1982) says elements of the 87th Brigade, but the Egyptian order of battle in Dayan (1965) says an entire
battalion of the 86th Palestinian Brigade was attached to the 3rd Division and I assume they are referring to the same
guys. In either case, like the Palestinian units in the Gaza Strip, they would have lacked integral heavy weapons (Van
Creveld, 1998).

**** Dayan (1965) mentions the numbers of 3 reserve battalions attached to the 3rd Division: 289th, 295th and 297th.
The later two were in the 9th Brigade, but otherwise it isn’t clear where they were assigned. As two Reserve Battalions
were stationed Umm Ketef – Abu Aeila hedgehog I assume these were the two from the 9th Brigade.

***** Van Creveld (1998) says only 1 Battalion was at Kusseima. Dayan (1965) says a National Guard Brigade, which
given the size of the 26th National Guards Brigade in Gaza, suggests 2 battalions. Herzog (1982) gives 2 Battalions of
Egyptian Border Guards plus one Infantry company. I’ve compromised using elements of Dayan and Herzog. I assume
the additional company was from the 6th Brigade.

****** Herzog (1982) says a jeep company and Dayan (1965) says the reconnaissance company of the 6th Brigade; I
assume they are one and the same.

******* Dayan (1965) lists the 11th Battalion as the defender of El Arish, but given this was in the sector of the 4th
Brigade and Dayan only gives the 4th Brigade one other Battalion – the 12th – it seems reasonable that that 11th was
actually part of the same Brigade.
Southern Sinai Sector

The Battalion of Egyptian National Guard totaled 250 men (Dayan, 1965), so each company would have been under-
strength.

Nakhel Head Quarters (Lt. Col. Fuad Hakla Jerajes)

1 x HQ of 2nd Motorised Border Battalion
1 x motorised company of 2nd Border Guards Battalion
2 x companies Egyptian National Guard

Themed and Kuntilla positions (Maj. Mahmad Abd el-Mejid Mari)

1 x motorised company of 2nd Border Guards Battalion
1 x company Egyptian National Guard
On patrol
1 x motorised company of 2nd Border Guards Battalion

Gulf of Akaba sector

(Col. Raif Mahfouz Zaki)

21st Infantry Battalion

3 or 4 companies
2 x sections of 81 mm mortars
2 x platoons of medium machine guns
1 x National Guards Battalion
2 x 6-inch coastal guns
4 x 3-inch H.A.A. guns
6 x 30 mm L.A.A. guns
1 troops of 57 mm anti-tank guns (presumably ZiS-2)
 2 platoons of Border Guards
Motorised platoon (armoured jeeps, troop carriers)
Camel mounted platoon
30 men
45 camels

Suez Canal and Command Reserves

Reserves beyond the canal (north to south):

1st Motorised Infantry Division – based at Kantara

2nd Infantry Division – based at Ismailia
1st Armoured Brigade (Col. Talat Hassan Ali)
4th Armoured Battalion with T-34/85 tanks
1 x Tank Battalion with T-34/85 tanks (mentioned by Herzog, 1982, but not Dayan, 1965)
53rd Artillery Battery (Herzog, 1982, says 1 company)
Soviet SU-100 tank Destroyers
65th Armoured [ Infantry] Battalion on Soviet troop carriers
2nd Infantry Brigade – based at Suez *
5th Infantry Battalion
6th Infantry Battalion
2 x batteries of heavy mortars
Border Guards
Egyptian National Guards
1 light anti-aircraft regiment (54 pieces)
1 heavy anti-aircraft battery
2 troops of coastal guns

* The 5th Battalion were the boys who fought the 202nd Parachute Brigade at Mitla Pass. I assume the Brigade was
independent of the the Divisions on the Canal.
Egyptian Equipment

It is a bit trickier finding out about the Egyptians. The lists of material captured or destroyed by the Israelis gives an
indication. The Israelis captured British, American and Soviet armoured vehicles and I’ve noted how many the IDF
“got” in the list below.

Soviet T-34/85s (IDF got 27)

Shermans of various types (IDF got 46)
Self propelled guns of unknown types (IDF got 60)
APC of unknown types (IDF got 60)
Soviet 122 mm guns with 6 man crew.

Herzog (1982) mentions

Soviet T-34 Tanks

Soviet SU-100 Tank Destroyers
British Archer Tank Destroyers (WWII vintage)
Troop carriers of unknown types
Recoilless anti-tank guns
Czech 105mm recoilless anti-tank guns
25-pounder Artillery
57mm guns
33mm cannon
Anti-aircraft guns
Heavy machine guns

Zaloga (1981) mentions

3 x battalions of British Sherman IIIs (M4A2)

41 x British Centurians
200 x British Archer self-propelled 17-pdr anti-tank guns
British Sherman III
 French Sherman with FL10 turrets
Soviet T-34/85 (most of the 230 soviet vehicles acquired)
Soviet IS-3s
200 x Soviet BTR-152 armoured troop carriers
100 x Soviet SU-100 self-propelled guns
ZiS-2 57mm AT guns
25-pounders
Valentines

Dayan (1965) mentions

300 x revolvers
1,170 x sub-machine guns
4,300 x Rifles
550 x light machine guns
290 x medium machine guns
220 x Mortars (from 2-inch to 81 mm)
18 x 120 mm Mortars
260 x 85 mm Bazookas
320 x Anti-tank rifles
200 x Czech 82 mm Recoilless guns
55 x British 25 pounders
6 x Coastal guns
110 x Anti-tank guns – British 6 pounders and Soviet 57 mm
100 x Anti-aircraft guns
26 x Soviet T-34 tanks
1 x Soviet T-34 command tank
6 x Soviet SU-100
40 x Sherman tanks
12 x Sherman tanks with special turrets, presumably FL10 turrets
1 x Sherman tank recovery vehicle
1 x Sherman dozer
16 x Dummy Sherman tanks
16 x Dummy guns
15 x Valentine tanks without guns
40 x ‘archer’ anti-tank guns
60 x Soviet armoured troop carriers; Dayan says fully tracked & covered, but such vehicles didn’t exist in 1956, the
best the Egyptians/Soviets had was the BTR-152 which was an opened topped armoured truck.
260 x Bren carriers