Sinai War
| Sinai War | |||||||||
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| Part of Arab-Levantine Conflict | |||||||||
 Clockwise, from top left: A Levantine Ilyushin Il-2 on a salvo, Levantine troops digging in after the successful invasion, Levantine troops outside of Cairo, A wrecked Egyptian tank | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Support:
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Support: | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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 Ahmed al-Nikal |
 Raouf Mahfouz Zaki | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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About 60,000 infantry 4,000 tanks 1,100 planes |
About 100,000 infantry (~60,000 present) 2,000 tanks 300 planes | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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912 dead 2,104 injured 410 tanks lost 32 planes lost |
6,249 dead 17,310 injured 923 tanks lost 106 planes lost | ||||||||
The Sinai War was the invasion of Egypt by the Levantine Commune in 1954. The war came about as a result of rising Levantine-Egyptian tensions following the Gazzah Rebellion and the Egyptian blockade of Levantine shipping through the Straits of Tiran and the Suez Canal following their defeat against the Levantine Commune in the 1949 Palestine War. The tensions came to a head after the sinking of the LNV Haifa leading to the Levantine Commune invading on the 8th of December, 1954. The Levantine Army reached the Suez Canal in 2 days and fully captured the Sinai Peninsula 1 day later, at which point they attempted to negotiate with Egypt but Egypt refused. This led to the Levantine Army launching a pincer movement towards Cairo, leading to Egypt agreeing to an armistice and peace talks which were held in Istanbul from the 20th of December, 1954 until the 3rd of February, 1955.
The peace deal negotiated by the Levantine Commune and Egypt saw the Levantine Commune fully occupy the Suez Canal with full control over shipping. Egypt and other Arab nations would be guaranteed free passage through the canal. The plan for disengagement set out in the treaty was that the Levantine Commune would control the canal from 1954 until 1959, then they would relinquish control of the West Canal with joint control of the canal lasting from 1959 until 1964 ending with the Levantine Commune fully pulling out of Sinai back to the 1954 borders. This plan was accelerated after Egyptian forces won a border conflict with the Levantine Commune in 1957, persuading the Levantine Commune to give up control of the Western Canal. After Hassan Nasser's stepping down as President in 1960 the new president Yossi Ben-David Gur negotiated a new deal with Egypt which saw the Levantine Commune disengage from Sinai for a non-aggression pact wit Egypt which was set out to last for 10 years.
The conflict was an important event in Levantine and Middle-Eastern politics, showcasing the strength of the Levantine Commune and their military.
Background
Gazzah Rebellion
In 1950, following communist victory in the 1949 Palestine War and the disengagement of Arab troops from Palestine, a rebellion of Palestinian forces in the Gazzah region occurred, with some forces being Egyptian units led by General Raouf Mahfouz Zaki who stayed behind after the war. The rebellion was defeated by forces of the Levantine Commune in late 1950 at the Battle of Khan Yunis which saw an Egyptian incursion into Gazzah to evacuate the rebel forces.
After the Gazzah Rebellion, Palestinian rebel forces remained active in Sinai, equipped and trained by the Egyptian army. Numerous incidents occurred in 1951 and 1952 between Palestinian rebels and Levantine forces along the Egyptian-Levantine border, leading to increased tensions and animosity along the border.
Egyptian-Levantine Relations
Since the 1949 Palestine War and the defeat of Egyptian forces, Egypt and the Levantine Commune had no official diplomatic relations and were hostile towards each other. Following the victory of the Levantine Commune in the 1949 Palestine War, Levantine shipping was blockaded from the Suez Canal.
Following the Young Officer's Coup by Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1952 and the Levantine-Soviet Split, Egypt was emboldened against the Levantine Commune and border incidents increased in number with numerous instances of Egyptian forces attacking Levantine Forces, with 12 Levantine soldiers and 9 Egyptian soldiers dying in border incidents between 1952 and 1954.
Sinking of the LNV Haifa
On the 9th of November, 1954, Egyptian forces sunk a Levantine Commune navy vessel they claimed was in their territorial waters but which the Levantine Commune claimed was in their territorial waters. The sinking killed 42 Levantine sailors and was met by increased hostility towards Egypt by the Levantine Commune. President Hassan Nasser wanted to invade Egypt but was convinced by his advisors to seek international support first. After the death of Stalin, Levantine-Soviet relations had improved and Commissar for Foreign Affairs Barnaby Har-Zahav secured support from Nikita Khrushchev in a war against Egypt.
Prelude to war
The Levantine Commune began mobilising its armed forces on the 21st of November, 1954 and began a military buildup on its border with Egypt. As the buildup began, border incidents between Egypt and the Levantine Commune increased with over 100 on each side dying between the 21st of November and the 8th of December during the prelude.
Invasion
Day 1
On the 8th of December 1941 units of the Levantine Army launched attacks along the Egyptian border as well as bombing runs both on Sinai and targets in Northern Egypt against military and civilian targets. The Levantine Army launched a massive armored offensive in Northern Sinai, breaking through the Egyptian defenses and advancing quickly towards the Suez Canal. Levantine infantry launched supporting attacks along the border, pinning down Egyptian defenses. Additionally, the overwhelming use of artillery and ground attack planes saw Egyptian defenses completely disorganised and routed on Day 1, much faster than anticipated by the Levantine Commune. This use of overwhelming force was one of the first modern uses of the Shock and Awe tactic.
International reactions to the invasion were varied. The Soviet Union announced their full support for the Levantine Commune. The United States remained neutral, not wishing to support either side, with the United Kingdom following suite. Arab nations announced their support for Egypt and began threatening the Levantine Commune with invasion if they did not disengage from Sinai. The Egyptian representative to the UN launched a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Levantine forces from Sinai which would come to vote a day later.
By the end of Day 1, Levantine forces in the north were around 70 km away from the Suez Canal. Air attacks increased with a bombing run on Cairo between 10 and 11:30 pm destroying hundreds of buildings and killing 105.
Day 2
On Day 2 of the invasion, Levantine forces continued their offensive, having gained a significant advantage over the Egyptian forces. In the south, the Levantine forces captured over 10,000 retreating Egyptians and were advancing into Sinai faster than anticipated. In the north, Levantine forces reached the Suez Canal around noon, before turning and advancing south to encircle the remaining Egyptian divisions in Sinai. The Egyptian army was completely routed and a full retreat from the Sinai peninsula was beginning. Additionally, Egypt closed the Suez Canal, blocking any and all traffic.
The UN Security Council voted on a resolution proposed by the United States for the end of the war, but it was vetoed by the Soviet Union. Arab nations began threatening the Levantine Commune with numerous border incidents occurring between Levantine forces and Syria and Jordan.
Day 3
On Day 3, the Levantine Commune secured full control of the Sinai Peninsula and the Eastern section of the Suez Canal. Over 40,000 Egyptian forces evacuated from the Sinai Peninsula and the rest were either killed or captured by the Levantine Commune. The Egyptian army began entrenching themselves on the Western section of the Suez Canal. Levantine air attacks increased on Day 3, with numerous bombing runs occurring over Northern Egypt. Following the full Levantine capture of the Sinai Peninsula, the Soviet Union brokered an ceasefire between the two nations and the fighting paused from the 11th of December.
Ceasefire
Following the signing of the ceasefire, the Levantine Commune attempted to begin negotiations with Egypt to end the conflict and negotiations began on the 12th of December in British Cyprus. The negotiations quickly broke down and after only 2 hours the Egyptian party stormed out of the meetings, claiming the Levantine demands were 'completely outrageous'. The Levantine forces began preparing for a new attack into Egypt following the rejection of negotiations.
Egyptian units began preparing and over 30,000 troops were stationed near the canal to respond to a Levantine attack. The Levantine Commune broke the ceasefire on the 13th of December.
Day 4
The Levantine Commune began by launching massive artillery barrages and bombing salvos into Egypt to destroy their entrenchments and damage military facilities in Egypt. Egyptian anti-air was significantly damaged and the Levantine Commune enjoyed full air superiority. The Levantine forces attempted to cross the canal twice after their first attempt failed. They succeeded in crossing the canal in two places around 2 pm and began taking full control of the Suez Canal which they achieved around 10 pm.
International opinions began turning against the Levantine Commune and they were criticised for invading past the canal, with the United Kingdom deploying one of their carriers to the area to intimidate the Levantine Commune. The Soviet Union refused to pull their support and instead encouraged the renewed offensive.
Day 5
With complete control of the canal, the Levantine Commune sought to force the Egyptians to make peace by attacking Cairo. At around 10 am, Levantine forces began a two-pronged attack towards Cairo. The Egyptian army put up a good fight but many troops were annihilated on the ground by attack planes and artillery barrages. Armored units in the north began driving towards Cairo quickly, routing the Egyptian troops in the area. Armored units took control of Zagazig and advanced within 25km of Cairo, prompting Egypt to surrender at 6 pm.