On 29 October, Egyptian air power was 60 per cent greater than that of Israel, with a correspondingly larger number of jet fighters (MiG-15s and Vampires) than Israel (Mystere IVs, Ouragans and Vautours). However, despite their quantitative and qualitative advantages, Egyptian aerial activity was minimal — possibly owing to the fact that, from the evening of 31 October, British and French aircraft were bombing targets in Egypt, especially air bases, leaving the Israeli Air Force free to roam at will over the Sinai.
During the first 48 hours, some 164 air encounters took place, generally involving Egyptian MiGs and Israeli Mysteres, but also Vampires and Ouragans: in these battles, five Egyptian MiGs and four Vampires were shot down. Israeli losses were caused primarily by heavy, concentrated ground fire, which succeeded in bringing down two Mysteres and nine piston-engined planes.
The Israeli Navy was quantitatively and qualitatively as inferior proportionately to the Egyptian Navy, as was the Air Force — especially after the Egyptian Navy had received two Russian Skory-class destroyers and a number of submarines. Israel had received two British ex-Second World War destroyers in 1956. The one and only spectacular naval event of the campaign occurred at the end of its second day, on the evening of 30 October, when the Egyptians despatched the 1,490-ton, 27-knot frigate Ibrahim el Awal to shell the port and oil refineries of Haifa with its four 102mm guns. The frigate reached Haifa at 03.40 hours on 31 October and, from a range of six miles, fired 160 shells. At 05.30 hours, Israeli frigates arrived on the scene, commenced pursuit and, together with the Air Force, engaged the Egyptian vessel. They succeeded in damaging its turbogenerator and rudder and, at 07.20 hours, the frigate struck its flag and surrendered to the Israeli Navy.
World History
