Operation Musketeer (french: Opération Mousquetaire) was the Anglo-French plan for the invasion of the Suez canal zone to capture the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

in 1956. The operation had initially been given the codename Operation Hamilcar, but this name was quickly dropped when it was found that the British were painting an air recognition letter H on their vehicles, while the French, who spelled Hamilcar differently, were painting an A. Musketeer was chosen as a replacement because it started with M in both languages. Israel, which invaded the

Sinai peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...

, had the additional objectives of opening the

Straits of Tiran The straits of Tiran ( ar, مضيق تيران ') are the narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas that connect the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. The distance between the two peninsulas is about . The Multinational Force an ...

and halting fedayeen incursions into Israel. The Anglo-French military operation was originally planned for early September, but the necessity of coordination with Israel delayed it until early November. However, on 10 September British and French politicians and Chiefs of the General Staff agreed to adopt General Charles Keightley's alterations to the military plans with the intention of reducing Egyptian civilian casualties. The new plan, renamed ''Musketeer Revise'', provided the basis of the actual Suez operation.

The operation

Troops of 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment escort a captured Egyptian soldier on the beach at Port Said

Headed by

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

General

Charles Keightley General Sir Charles Frederic Keightley, (24 June 1901 – 17 June 1974) was a senior British Army officer who served during and following the Second World War. After serving with distinction during the Second World War – becoming, in 1944, th ...

, it was conducted in November 1956 in close coordination with the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i armoured thrust into the Sinai, which was called

Operation Kadesh The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

. Egypt's government, led by Colonel

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...

, was seeking political control over the canal, an effort resisted by the Europeans. The army was originally to land at Alexandria, but the location was later switched to Port Said since a landing at Alexandria would have been opposed by most of the Egyptian army, necessitating the deployment of an armoured division. Furthermore, a preliminary bombardment of a densely populated area would have involved tens of thousands of civilian casualties. The naval bombardment of Port Said was rendered less effective by the decision to only use 4.5-inch guns instead of large caliber guns, in order to minimise the number of civilian casualties. The final land order of battle involved the Royal Marine Commando Brigade, the 16th Parachute Brigade, and the 3rd Infantry Division. To bring these formations to war establishment, the regular army reserve and selected national service reservists were mobilised. Most of the latter were sent to units in home stations (Britain and Germany) to replace regulars posted to the Musketeer force. Lieutenant General Sir

Hugh Stockwell General Sir Hugh Charles Stockwell, (16 June 1903 – 27 November 1986) was a senior British Army officer most remembered for commanding the Anglo-French ground forces during the Suez Crisis and his service as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander ...

was appointed to command the landing force. A French parachute brigade joined 16th Parachute Brigade as it returned to Cyprus. The Commando Brigade completed refresher training in shore landings from helicopters, in association with the Mediterranean fleet, which was preparing to support the amphibious operation. Over the summer the Royal Air Force selected a range of targets whose loss would cripple Egyptian resistance. Details of the secret plan for Israeli forces to invade the Sinai desert were revealed to the Chiefs of the Defence staff in October. On 29 October Israeli armour, preceded by parachute drops on two key passes, thrust south into the Sinai, routing local Egyptian forces within five days. Affecting to be alarmed by the threat of fighting along the Suez Canal, the UK and France issued a twelve-hour ultimatum on 30 October to the Israelis and the Egyptians to cease fighting. When, as expected, no response was given, Operation Musketeer was launched. The air offensive began. The 3rd Division, minus the Guards Brigade, embarked on 1 November. The 45th Commando and 16th Parachute Brigade landed by sea and air on 5 November. Although

landing forces A landing operation is a military action during which a landing force, usually utilizing landing craft, is transferred to land with the purpose of power projection ashore. With the proliferation of aircraft, a landing may refer to amphibious forc ...

quickly established control over major canal facilities, the Egyptians were able to sink obstacles in the canal, rendering it unusable. The Anglo-French air offensive suppressed Egyptian airfields not already attacked by the Israelis, but failed to destroy oil stocks or cripple the Egyptian army.''The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Army'' (1994) p. 349 Cairo Radio continued to broadcast. The 3rd Battalion Parachute group captured El Cap airfield by airborne assault. The remaining units, held back initially for deep airborne targets, travelled by sea to Port Said. The Commando Brigade captured all its objectives. The French parachutists took Port Fuad, opposite Port Said. Elements of the 16th Parachute Brigade led by Brigadier M.A.H. Butler and a contingent of the Royal Tank Regiment set off south along the canal bank on 6 November to capture Ismailia.

Reaction

Worldwide reaction against Musketeer was massive and negative. The United States unexpectedly led condemnations of the action at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and in other forums, marking a sharp break in the "

special relationship The Special Relationship is a term that is often used to describe the politics, political, social, diplomacy, diplomatic, culture, cultural, economics, economic, law, legal, Biophysical environment, environmental, religion, religious, military ...

" between the United States and the United Kingdom. Of the countries in the Commonwealth, only Australia, South Africa and New Zealand supported the military operation, with Canada strongly opposing it. Just before midnight Brigadier Mervyn Butler was ordered to stop on the hour, when a ceasefire would come into effect. This raised a difficulty. There were Egyptian forces ahead; the British column was in open desert with no defensible feature to hand. Butler compromised, advancing until 0:15 a.m. to reach El Cap, where he sited the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, with supporting detachments. While the military operation itself had been completely successful, political pressure from the United States obliged the British and French governments to accept the ceasefire terms drawn up by the United Nations. The 3rd Division landed to relieve the parachutists. While accepting a United Nations Emergency Force to replace the Anglo-French presence, Nasser nevertheless ensured the Canal could not be used by sinking or otherwise disabling 49 ships in the channel. Anglo-French forces were withdrawn by 22 December.

End of operation

When the United States threatened to devalue the British currency (the

Pound Sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and t ...

), the British cabinet was divided. Prime Minister Sir

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid promo ...

called a ceasefire, without Israeli or French officials being notified. This caused France to doubt the reliability of its allies. A few months later, French president

René Coty Jules Gustave René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...

ordered the creation of the brand new military experiments facility C.S.E.M. in the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. It was used by his successor

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

to develop an autonomous nuclear deterrent against potential threats. The French atomic bomb

Gerboise Bleue ''Gerboise Bleue'' (; ) was the codename of the first French nuclear test. It was conducted by the Nuclear Experiments Operational Group (GOEN), a unit of the Joint Special Weapons Command on 13 February 1960, at the Saharan Military Experimen ...

was tested in February 1960. In 1966, de Gaulle further loosened his ties with the Western Allies by leaving

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's peacetime command structure.

Naval support

Britain had a treaty with Jordan, and had a plan (Cordage) to give assistance to Jordan in the event of an attack by Israel. This led to the First Lord of the Admiralty (

Hailsham Hailsham is a town, a civil parish and the administrative centre of the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Da ...

) sending a memo to Eden on 2 October 1956 proposing the use of the light cruiser HMS ''Royalist'' for Cordage as well as Musketeer. HMS ''Royalist'' had just been modernised as an anti-aircraft radar picket ship, and was regarded as the most suitable ship for protection against the Mystère fighter-bombers supplied by France to Israel. But HMS ''Royalist'' had just been transferred to the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

, and New Zealand's Prime Minister Sidney Holland did not in the end allow the ''Royalist'' to be used with the British fleet in the Mediterranean for Cordage or Musketeer (where her presence would indicate support by New Zealand). The memo indicates that Hailsham did not know of the negotiations of Eden and Lloyd with France and Israel for concerted moves against Egypt.

Aftermath

Operation Musketeer was a failure in strategic terms. By mischance it covered the Soviet Union's military intervention in Hungary on 4 November. On this issue and, more generally, on the principle of premature military action against Egypt, the operation divided public opinion in both the UK and France. It demonstrated the limitations of British as well as French military capacity, and exposed errors in several staff functions, notably intelligence and movement control. It was tactically successful for both countries, both in the sea and airborne assaults and the subsequent brief occupation.

French order of battle

French Navy

* French battleship ''Jean Bart'' (1940) * French aircraft carrier ''La Fayette'' * French aircraft carrier ''Arromanches'' ** Between them, 36

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

s. * a cruiser * a number of ''escorteurs'' and destroyers. * Submarine (search and rescue): ''Créole''

Ground forces

Most French units involved came from the 10th Parachute Division (10e DP). * 2nd Colonial Infantry Parachute Regiment (2e RPC). * 11th Shock Parachute Regiment (11e Choc). *

1st Foreign Parachute Regiment The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was an airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army which dated its origins to 1948. The regiment fought in the First Indochina War as th ...

(1er REP). * 4

Commandos Marine The Commandos Marine are the special operation forces, Special Operation Forces (SOF) of the French Navy. The Commandos Marine are nicknamed ''Bérets Verts'' (Green beret, Green Berets). They operate under the FORFUSCO, Sailor Riflemen and S ...

: ** Commando Jaubert ** Commando de Montfort ** Commando de Penfentenyo ** Commando Hubert * Two squadrons of the

2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment () was a cavalry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. the regiment was dissolved twice in 1946 and 1962; the regimental colors have been entrusted by the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte since 19 ...

(2e REC) comprising

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...

tanks. * Two squadrons of

M47 Patton The M47 Patton was an American main battle tank, a development of the M46 Patton mounting an updated turret, and was in turn further developed as the M48 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, command ...

tanks. * One

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

company.

United Kingdom order of battle

Sea Hawk 899 NAS on cat HMS Eagle (R05) Suez 1956

Royal Air Force

No. 1 Squadron RAF Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. Th ...

with

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...

F.5's. *

No. 6 Squadron RAF Number 6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 at RAF Lossiemouth. It was previously equipped with the SEPECAT Jaguar, SEPECAT Jaguar GR.3 in the close air support and tactical reconnaissance roles, and was post ...

with

de Havilland Venom The de Havilland DH 112 Venom is a British post-war single-engined jet aircraft developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Much of its design was derived from the de Havilland Vampire, the firm's first jet-powered combat ...

FB.4's. *

No. 8 Squadron RAF Number 8 Squadron (sometimes written as No. VIII Squadron) of the Royal Air Force last operated the E-3 Sentry, Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 (Airborne Early Warning and Control, AWACS) from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. As of 2020, the RAF AWACS fl ...

with Venom FB.4's. *

No. 9 Squadron RAF Number 9 Squadron (otherwise known as No. IX (Bomber) Squadron or No. IX (B) Squadron) is the oldest dedicated Bomber Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Formed in December 1914, it saw service throughout the First World War, including at the Somm ...

with

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

B.6's. * No. 10 Squadron RAF with Canberra B.2's. *

No. 12 Squadron RAF Number 12 Squadron, also known as No. 12 (Bomber) Squadron and occasionally as No. XII Squadron, is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The squadron reformed in July 2018 as a joint RAF/Qatar Emiri Air Force squadron. It is currently ...

with Canberra B.6's. *

No. 13 Squadron RAF Number 13 Squadron, also written as XIII Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which operate the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle from RAF Waddington since reforming on 26 October 2012. The unit first formed as par ...

with Canberra PR.7's. *

No. 15 Squadron RAF Number 15 Squadron, sometimes written as No. XV Squadron, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently operated the Panavia Tornado, Panavia Tornado GR4 from RAF Lossiemouth as No. XV (Reserve) Squadron. It was the RAF's Operational ...

with Canberra B.2's. *

No. 18 Squadron RAF No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook (UK variants), Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron. History First World War The squadron was fo ...

with Canberra B.2's. *

No. 27 Squadron RAF No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. History First World War 27 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on , being split off from 24 Squadron. Initially using air ...

with Canberra B.2's. * No. 30 Squadron RAF with

Vickers Valetta The Vickers Valetta is a twin-engine military transport aircraft developed and produced by the British manufacturing company Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. Developed from the Vickers VC.1 Viking compact civil airliner, it was an all-metal mid-wing m ...

C.1's. *

No. 34 Squadron RAF ("Wolf wishes, wolf flies") , dates=7 Jan 1916 – 25 Sept 19193 Dec 1935 – Feb 19421 Apr 1942 – 15 Oct 19451 Aug 1946 – 31 July 194711 Feb 1949 – 24 June 19521 Aug 1954 – 10 Jan 19581 Oct 1960 – 31 Dec 1967 , country= United ...

with Hunter F.5's. * No. 35 Squadron RAF with Canberra B.2's *

No. 37 Squadron RAF No. 37 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron of the First and Second World Wars. History First World War No. 37 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at RFC Orfordness, Suffolk, on 15 April 1916 as an experimental squadron, but it wa ...

with Shackleton MR.2's *

No. 39 Squadron RAF Number 39 Squadron is an inactive squadron of the Royal Air Force. It last operated the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper from Creech AFB, Nevada, between January 2007 and August 2022. It had previously operated the English Electric Canberra PR.7 ...

with

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...

NF.13's. *

No. 44 Squadron RAF Number 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron was an aviation unit of the Royal Air Force. It was active between 1917 and 1982. For most of its history it served as a heavy bomber squadron. History The World Wars (1917–1945) No. 44 Squadron was formed on 24 Ju ...

with Canberra B.2's. *

No. 53 Squadron RAF No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History No. 53 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadr ...

with Handley Page Hastings * No. 58 Squadron RAF with Canberra PR.7's *

No. 61 Squadron RAF No. 61 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was first formed as a fighter squadron of the British Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. It was reformed in 1937 as a bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force and served in t ...

with Canberra B.2's. * No. 70 Squadron RAF with Hastings C.1 and C.2's *

No. 84 Squadron RAF No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, using the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently one of the two operational parts of the RAF Search and Rescue Force left in serv ...

Valetta C.1's *

No. 99 Squadron RAF Number 99 Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force which operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic/tactical transport aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. The squadron conducts global deployments on behalf of the B ...

with

Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, ...

C.1 & C.2's. *

No. 101 Squadron RAF No. 101 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Airbus Voyager in the air-to-air refuelling and transport roles from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. History Formation and early years 101 Squadron RFC was formed at Farnborough on 12 July 1 ...

with Canberra B.6's. * No. 109 Squadron RAF with Canberra B.6's. * No. 114 Squadron RAF with Valetta C.1's * No. 115 Squadron RAF with Canberra B.2's *

No. 138 Squadron RAF No. 138 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force that served in a variety of roles during its career, last disbanded in 1962. It was the first 'V-bomber' squadron of the RAF, flying the Vickers Valiant between 1955 and 1962. History ...

with

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...

B.1's, B(PR) 1's, B(PR)K 1's and B(K) 1's. * No. 139 Squadron RAF with Canberra B.6's. *

No. 148 Squadron RAF No. 148 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has been part of the RAF since the First World War. History First World War The squadron was formed at Andover Aerodrome on 10 February 1918, it moved to Ford Junction Aerodrome on 1 March 1918 where ...

with Valiant B.1's, B(PR) 1's, B(PR)K 1's and B(K) 1's. *

No. 207 Squadron RAF ("Always prepared")Halley 1988, p. 268. , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning , equipment_label = Aircraft , battles = , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = ...

with Valiant B.1's, B(PR) 1's and B(K) 1's. *

No. 208 Squadron RAF No 208 (Reserve) Squadron was a reserve unit of the Royal Air Force, most recently based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. It operated the BAe Hawk aircraft, as a part of No. 4 Flying Training School. Due to obsolescence of its Hawk T.1 aircraft ...

with Meteor FR.9's *

No. 214 Squadron RAF No. 214 Squadron is a former unit of the Royal Air Force. History World War I No 214 Squadron was formed from No. 14 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), itself formerly ''No. 7A Squadron RNAS'' only taking on the new number on 9 December ...

with Valiant B.1's, B(PR) 1's, B(PR)K 1's and B(K) 1's. *

No. 249 Squadron RAF No. 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron, active in the sea-patrol, fighter and bomber roles during its existence. It was one of the top scoring fighter squadrons of the RAF in World War II. History First formation No. ...

with Venom FB.4's *

No. 511 Squadron RAF No. 511 Squadron was a Royal Air Force transport squadron, active during World War II, the Berlin Airlift and during the sixties and early seventies. It operated, during its three periods of existence, aircraft such as the C-47 Skytrain, Douglas ...

with Hastings C.1 & C.2's. * No. 48 (Field) Squadron,

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

, to defend

El Gamil El Gamil ( ar, الجميل; also called Gamil or El Gamīl; Romanized Arabic: Ṭâbiyet el-Gamîl) is a fortress with an airfield in Port Said Governorate, Egypt. It was the landing site of British paratroopers in the 1956 Suez Crisis. Suez Cr ...

airfield from Egyptian ground attack.

British Army

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. T ...

* The Parachute Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions * Guards Independent Parachute Company *

6th Royal Tank Regiment The 6th Royal Tank Regiment (6 RTR) was a regiment of the Royal Tank Regiment, of the British Army, until 1959. It originally saw action as 6th Battalion Tank Corps in 1917. First World War When tanks were first used in action in 1916, they wer ...

* 1st

Royal Dragoons The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgam ...

* 1st Battalion

Royal West Kent Regiment The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Quee ...

* 1st Battalion,

the Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

* 1st Battalion

The Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

(City of London Regt.) *

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of ...

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

* 1st Battalion

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by ...

- anti-tank platoon only * 3rd Battalion

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

- one machine gun platoon only *

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, units from ** 20th Field Regiment, ** 23rd Field Regiment ** 32nd Medium Regiment ** 33rd Airborne ** 33rd Parachute Regiment ***

97 Battery (Lawson's Company) Royal Artillery 97 Battery (Lawson's Company) Royal Artillery was formed on 13 September 1803 as Captain H. Douglas's Company, 8th Battalion Royal Artillery and is currently a tac battery within 4th Regiment Royal Artillery based in Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcl ...

** 34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment ** 41st Field Regiment ** 80th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment These were supported by units from: *

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

* Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers *

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...

Royal Pioneer Corps The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks. It was formed in 1939, and amalgamated into the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993. Pioneer units performed a wide variety of tasks in all theatres of war, inc ...

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

* Intelligence Corps

Royal Marines

* 3rd Commando Brigade Royal Marines

Royal Navy

* 1st Destroyer Squadron; HMS ''Chieftain'', HMS ''Chevron'', HMS ''Chaplet'' * 2nd Destroyer Squadron; HMS ''Daring'' * 3rd Destroyer Squadron; HMS ''Armada'', HMS ''Barfleur'', HMS ''Gravelines'', HMS ''St. Kitts'' * 4th Destroyer Squadron; HMS ''Alamein'', HMS ''Corunna'', HMS ''Barrosa'', HMS ''Agincourt'' * 6th Destroyer Squadron: HMS ''Cavendish'' * 5th Frigate Squadron: HMS ''Wakeful'', HMS ''Whirlwind'', HMS ''Wizard'' * 6th Frigate Squadron: HMS ''Undine'', HMS ''Urania'', HMS ''Ulysses'', HMS ''Ursa'' * Aircraft carriers: HMS ''Albion, HMS ''Bulwark'', HMS ''Eagle'', HMS ''Ocean'', HMS ''Theseus'' * Tank landing ships: HMS ''Anzio'', HMS ''Bastion'', HMS ''Buttress'', HMS ''Citadel'', HMS ''Counterguard'', HMS ''Evan Gibb'', HMS ''Empire Cymric'', HMS ''Empire Cedric'', HMS ''Empire Celtic'', HMS ''Empire Doric'', HMS ''Lofoten'', HMS ''Loftus'', HMS ''Empire Baltic'', HMS ''Portcullis'', HMS ''Parapet'', HMS ''Puncher'', HMS ''Rampart'', HMS ''Ravager'', HMS ''Redoubt'', HMS ''Striker'', HMS ''Reggio'', HMS ''Sallyport'', HMS ''Salerno'', HMS ''Sulva'' * Minesweepers: HMS ''Appleton'', HMS ''Darlaston'', HMS ''Letterson'', HMS ''Leverton'', HMS ''Penstone'' * Net-layers: HMS ''Barnstone'', HMS ''Barhill'' * Cruisers: , , HMS ''Jamaica'', HMS ''Newfoundland'' * HMS ''Childers'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Comet'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Contest'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Decoy'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Defender'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Delight'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Diana'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Diamond'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Duchess'' (destroyer) * HMS ''Crane'' (sloop) * HMS ''Modeste'' (sloop) * HMS ''Meon'' (frigate) * HMS ''Dalrymple'' (survey vessel) * Submarine depot ships: HMS ''Forth'', HMS ''Rampura'' * (Minelayer) * HMS ''Tyne'' (Headquarters ship) * (Depot ship) * ''HMMRC1097'' (Landing craft repair ship) * Submarines: HMS ''Sea Devil'', HMS ''Sentinel'', HMS ''Totem'', (Believed to be in area at the time) * Submarine (search and rescue): HMS ''Tudor''

Fleet Air Arm

800 Naval Air Squadron () , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , battles_label = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , flying_hours = , website = , cur ...

with

Hawker Sea Hawk The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design origina ...

s. *

802 Naval Air Squadron 802 Naval Air Squadron (802 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Early history 802 Squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 aboard by the merger of two independent Royal Air Force naval units, 408 (Fleet Fighter) Flight ...

with Hawker Sea Hawks. *

804 Naval Air Squadron 804 Naval Air Squadron (804 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy, formed in November 1939 from part of 769 NAS Sea Gladiators which had been detached to RNAS Hatston. The squadron was merged into 800 NAS in June 1944 and subsequent ...

with Hawker Sea Hawks. *

809 Naval Air Squadron 809 Naval Air Squadron (809 NAS) is a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was first formed in 1941 and flew in the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean and the Far East during the Second World War. After active service during the S ...

with

de Havilland Sea Venom The de Havilland Sea Venom is a British postwar carrier-capable jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Venom. It served with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and with the Royal Australian Navy. The French Navy operated the Aquilon, develo ...

s. *

810 Naval Air Squadron 810 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the amalgamation of the 12 Blackburn Dart aircraft from 463 and 44 Flight (Fleet Torpedo) Flights Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm. The ...

with Hawker Sea Hawks. * 830 Naval Air Squadron with

Westland Wyvern The Westland Wyvern was a British single-seat carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft built by Westland Aircraft that served in the 1950s, seeing active service in the 1956 Suez Crisis. Production Wyverns were powered by a turboprop engine dr ...

s. *

831 Naval Air Squadron 831 Naval Air Squadron (831 NAS) was a List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons, Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The squadron was reformed twice: firstly from 21 November 1955 - 10 December 1957 and then from 1 May 1958 - 26 ...

with Westland Wyverns. *

845 Naval Air Squadron 845 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Part of the Commando Helicopter Force, it is a specialist amphibious unit operating the AgustaWestland Commando Merlin HC4 helicopter and provides troop transport and load ...

with Westland Whirlwinds. * 'A' Flight of

849 Naval Air Squadron 849 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, the Air Arm of the British Royal Navy. It was formed during the Second World War as a carrier based torpedo-bomber, unit, flying missions against Japanese targets in the Far East. Its ...

with Douglas Skyraiders. * 'B' Flight of 849 Naval Air Squadron with Douglas Skyraiders. *

891 Naval Air Squadron 891 Naval Air Squadron was a fighter squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II. In August 1942 the squadron transferred from RNAS Lee-on-Solent where it had been formed in July to RNAS Charlton Horethorne with six Sea Hurri ...

with de Havilland Sea Venoms. * 893 Naval Air Squadron with de Havilland Sea Venoms. *

894 Naval Air Squadron 894 Naval Air Squadron (894 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land a ...

with de Havilland Sea Venoms. *

895 Naval Air Squadron 895 Naval Air Squadron (895 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land a ...

with de Havilland Sea Venoms. *

897 Naval Air Squadron 897 Naval Air Squadron (897 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land a ...

with Hawker Sea Hawks. *

899 Naval Air Squadron 899 Naval Air Squadron (899 NAS) was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was most recently based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) as the British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 training squadron until it was decommissioned in March ...

with Hawker Sea Hawks. *

Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

with Westland Whirlwinds and

Bristol Sycamore The Bristol Type 171 Sycamore was an early helicopter developed and built by the helicopter division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The name refers to the seeds of the sycamore tree, '' Acer pseudoplatanus'', which fall with a rotating moti ...

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

* RFA ''Blue Ranger'' (tanker) * RFA ''Brown Ranger'' (tanker) * RFA ''Fort Sandusky'' (stores ship) * RFA Kinbrace (A281) (coastal salvage vessel) * RFA ''Spapool'' (water carrier) * RFA ''Tideflow'' (tanker) * RFA ''Tidereach'' (tanker) * RFA ''Tiderace'' (tanker) * RFA ''Wave Knight'' (tanker) *

RFA Wave Master RFA ''Wave Master'' (A193) was a Wave-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was built as ''Empire Salisbury'' by Sir J. Laing & Sons Ltd, and transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1946. She was laid up at Singapor ...

(tanker) * RFA ''Wave Sovereign'' (tanker) * RFA ''Swin'' (salvage vessel) * RFA ''Uplifter '' (salvage vessel) * RFA Retainer (A329) (ammunition and stores)

Civilian auxiliary ships

* ''Ascania'' (troopship) * ''Asturias'' (troopship) * ''Ausdauer'' (chartered heavy-lifting vessel) * M/V ''Dispenser'' (salvage lifting vessel) * ''Dilwara'' (troopship) * ''Dunera'' (troopship) * ''Empire Fowey'' (troopship) * ''Empire Gaelic'' (troopship) * ''Empire Ken'' (troopship) * '' Empire Parkeston'' (troopship) * ''Energie'' (chartered heavy-lifting vessel) * SS ''Kingsbury'' (troopship) * ''New Australia'' (troopship) * MV ''Salinas'' (cargo ship)

Royal New Zealand Navy

* HMNZS ''Royalist'' (cruiser), with the carrier group as a radar picket until 2 November, "but was ordered not to take part in any operations".

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Carter, Geoffrey 006- Crises Do Happen: The Royal Navy And Operation Musketeer, Suez 1956. Maritime Books, Cornwall. * * *

External links

Britain's Small Wars - Suez
{{Suez Canal Suez Crisis Amphibious operations

The operation

Reaction

End of operation

Naval support

Aftermath

French order of battle

French Navy

Ground forces

United Kingdom order of battle

Royal Air Force

British Army

Royal Marines

Royal Navy

Fleet Air Arm

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Civilian auxiliary ships

Royal New Zealand Navy

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links