ABSTRACT
Dawn, and the Egyptians neither open fire, nor repeat yesterday’s attempt at an armored breakthrough. During the night, their hopes of smashing through to the Gulf of Suez and its oilfields were dashed. The Egyptian plan was for an armored column to thrust along the coastline, while helicopter-borne commandos would land in the IDF rear. Both the armor and commandos would receive their equipment and ammunition by sea. For this purpose, the Egyptians loaded a large fleet of fishing vessels, and installed machine guns. The Egyptian armor and commandos were blocked yesterday by IDF tank crews, air force and paratroops. The rest of the job is done during the night by the Navy. The tiny Israeli boats encounter the loaded fishing vessels in the Ras A’reb basin of the Bay of Suez. The battle is short and sharp, and 18 Egyptian ships are set ablaze.
