115:
41:
514:
western side of the compound, hitting Kotler and leaving the force leaderless. Hasdai instructed one of Kotler's squad's to flank the structure and clear it out using grenades. By 12:57 these managed to secure the building, which was found to be defended by only a pair of
Egyptian soldiers, one of which was killed and the other injured. An Israeli helicopter soon arrived to ferry both the Egyptian officer and Kotler to hospital, though the latter died of his wounds.
498:. Landing at 09:15, the forces disembarked a mile north of the lighthouse and broke up into various elements. Hasdai's battalion moved to capture the outposts on the island's eastern side and those leading to the lighthouse, fighting Egyptian soldiers who refused Israeli calls to surrender. Within an hour after landing, all but three outposts had fallen to the paratroops. One Israeli soldier, corporal Haim Isrovich, was killed by sniper fire.
538:
466:
103:
505:
the
Egyptian forces from the west, met with resistance on the defensive perimeter's western side, only to enter a minefield. One officer, Lt. Israel Bat-Lev, was killed and several injured, and the force withdrew, leaving the posts codenamed "Dafna" and "Dvora" in Egyptian hands. At 10:30 the reserve
590:
Egypt admitted to 80 soldiers killed, wounded or missing, but attempted to paint the
Israeli raid in the best possible light. It initially reported that Israelis "attempted to land" on the island and had suffered 30 casualties and lost 2 aircraft, and later claimed Israeli forces failed to remain on
513:
A force led by Lt. Yitzhak Kotler, meanwhile, arrived at the lighthouse. Despite expecting significant resistance, little movement was spotted at the site, and at 12:00 the
Israeli troops stormed the building. A few rooms were initially found to be empty, but fire soon erupted from a building on the
417:
strikes against targets in the
Egyptian heartland, while its ground forces were tasked with a strike at the isolated and lightly garrisoned Shadwan. The aim of the raid was to capture Egyptian POWs to be exchanged for Israeli prisoners in Egypt, and to sabotage a local radar post which was deemed a
517:
Landing on the island at 11:30, Amos Yaron was dispatched by Nadal to overcome remaining resistance at the western edge of the island's defensive perimeter. Leading a three-pronged assault, Yaron, aided by a pair of
Israeli Air Force strike aircraft, secured the post codenamed "Dafna" by 14:15.
622:
573:
set. The last helicopter, bearing Haim Nadal, departed the island at 17:40. 3 Israelis had been killed and 7 injured, while
Israeli spokesmen put the number of Egyptian fatalities at 70, including both soldiers on Shadwan and on the sunk torpedo boats.
568:
Holding the island throughout the night, Israeli forces received the order to evacuate at 11:50 on the morning of
January 23. All structures save for the lighthouse were demolished and the forces withdrew with 62 Egyptian POWs and a captured British
408:
that it could strike anywhere in Egypt and by presenting the
Egyptian leadership with the prospect of an all out conflict for which Egypt was likely ill-prepared. Refusing to limit the war to the canal front, in January 1970 Israel launched
591:
the island "due to stiff resistance on land and massive air strikes". The
Egyptian press focused on the actions of Captain Hosni Hamad, who had lost his life leading the torpedo boats to the island under his own initiative.
448:
The Egyptian garrison on Shadwan was headquartered in the island's lighthouse, at its southern tip. The lighthouse was defended by a fortified perimeter consisting of 9 outlying outposts and manned by a company of Egyptian
485:
which killed a number of Egyptian soldiers, including the officer commanding of the local garrison. With the defenders thus engaged, Israeli ground forces started landing on Shadwan, ferried to the island by a pair of
582:
Despite the operation's successful outcome, its aftermath was not as laudable. On January 24, two days after the operation, a truck carrying ammunition captured on Shadwan exploded while it was brought ashore at
518:
Nearby "Dvora" was soon secured as well and by 15:30 fighting had ceased. 14 Egyptians had been captured and 17 killed. Several dozen more POWs were found in subsequent scouring of the island.
553:. The aircraft attacked the boats with air-to-ground rockets, sinking both. A slightly more successful attempt at intervention took place shortly after midnight on January 23, when a single
1051:
1046:
530:
to the forces on the ground, while Israeli Air Force fighters patrolled the airspace around the island to prevent Egyptian reinforcement. The operation also saw Israeli A-4s debut as
236:
1041:
437:), commanded by Captain Motti Paz, were to land on the island. These were to be assisted Shayetet-13 operators, while additional paratroops were to be at hand at
594:
Operation Rhodes had taken place a few days after the launch of Operation Priha, which had underscored Egypt's inability to counter Israeli aerial supremacy.
1061:
229:
613:
for a series of clandestine talks. Within weeks, Soviet hardware and personnel began arriving in Egypt, signalling a new phase in the War of Attrition.
735:
979:
928:
903:
222:
1056:
795:
960:
862:
769:
835:
587:. 21 people were killed in the accident, although Palestinian militants attempted to claim responsibility for the explosion.
560:
bomber managed to evade Israeli aircraft on patrol. The aircraft made a single bombing pass but failed to cause any damage.
992:
893:
545:
As the battle was underway, a mixed formation of two 109 Squadron and two 115 squadron Skyhawks spotted a pair of Egyptian
374:
naval commandos, who took control of the island for over a day before leaving with 62 captured Egyptian soldiers and
1031:
920:
The albatross of decisive victory: war and policy between Egypt and Israel in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars
495:
433:. Its 202nd Battalion, commanded by Lt. Colonel Ya'acov Hasdai, and the brigade's elite reconnaissance company (
1036:
453:
commandos. In all, 100 Egyptian soldiers were present on Shadwan, of which 60 were commandos and the rest
260:
491:
478:
474:
422:
187:
952:
426:
367:
306:
154:
119:
392:
Egypt had launched the War of Attrition in order to weaken Israel's hold on the territories in the
40:
598:
595:
554:
487:
327:
285:
430:
135:
975:
956:
924:
899:
531:
527:
502:
434:
414:
273:
181:
160:
45:
526:
After their initial support of the landings, Israeli Air Force aircraft provided continuous
387:
363:
265:
246:
32:
438:
410:
393:
347:
313:
299:
292:
278:
450:
534:, with 109 squadron providing inflight refueling for other Israeli aircraft on station.
557:
537:
473:
Operation Rhodes commenced on the morning of January 22, 1970, with a strike by twelve
140:
71:
1025:
454:
194:
465:
949:
Air War on the Edge – A History of the Israel Air Force and its Aircraft since 1947
605:
for military assistance. On the same day as Operation Rhodes, Nasser secretly left
602:
546:
442:
169:
131:
75:
48:
918:
909:
570:
482:
397:
371:
175:
507:
401:
1007:
994:
355:
972:
Phantoms over Cairo - Israeli Air Force in the War of Attrition (1967–1970)
550:
469:
Israeli paratroopers boarding a helicopter for the incursion on Shadwan
359:
610:
107:
102:
214:
606:
584:
536:
464:
405:
375:
114:
218:
623:
Operation Rhodes on the Sayeret Tsanhanim website (Hebrew)
16:
Israeli raid on Shadwan Island as part of War of Attrition
812:
Three additional deaths occurred in the following days.
974:(in Hebrew). Bavir Aviation & Space Publications.
601:, rather than opting for a ceasefire, turned to the
863:"Egyptians Bomb in Sinai, Israelis Quit Spy Island"
770:"Israeli Commandos remove radar from Egyptian isle"
776:. Associated Press. January 23, 1970. p. 2A
418:threat to Israeli shipping in the Gulf of Suez.
404:, Israel hoped to secure a ceasefire by showing
421:The task of taking Shadwan was assigned to the
25:
1052:Battles and operations of the War of Attrition
1047:Aerial operations and battles involving Israel
506:force at Sharm el-Sheikh, led by Lt. Colonel
230:
8:
678:
676:
1042:Operations involving Israeli special forces
942:(in Hebrew). Vol. 3. Tel Aviv: Shilgi.
644:
642:
640:
638:
736:"Operation Rhodes - The Island of Shadwan"
237:
223:
215:
22:
663:
661:
659:
657:
738:(in Hebrew). Paratrooper Brigade website
510:was therefore dispatched to the island.
634:
400:. While the war raged mainly along the
730:
728:
726:
724:
722:
836:"Israeli Units Seize Egyptian Island"
709:
707:
705:
703:
701:
699:
697:
695:
693:
691:
7:
834:Aliason, Marcus (January 23, 1970).
358:raid against the Egyptian island of
1062:Military operations involving Egypt
895:Israeli A-4 Skyhawk Units in Combat
351:
14:
861:McClure, Hal (January 24, 1970).
796:"Truck explodes at Eilat, 18 die"
396:it had captured during the 1967
366:. It was carried out by Israeli
113:
101:
39:
917:Gawrych, George Walter (2000).
898:. Combat Aircraft. UK: Osprey.
362:on 22 January 1970, during the
923:. Greenwood Publishing Group.
869:. Associated Press. p. 1A
842:. Associated Press. p. 2A
667:
1:
802:. January 25, 1970. p. 3
713:
682:
648:
549:heading for the island from
501:Paz's troops, attempting to
1057:January 1970 events in Asia
940:History of the Paratroopers
821:
756:
1078:
496:Aerospatiale Super Frelons
385:
457:and technical personnel.
256:
200:
146:
125:
94:
54:
38:
30:
541:Egyptian Air Force Il-28
1008:27.453751°N 34.031439°E
522:Air Force participation
970:Shalom, Danny (2007).
938:Milstein, Uri (1985).
892:Aloni, Shlomo (2009).
542:
470:
126:Commanders and leaders
947:Norton, Bill (2004).
912:on February 25, 2012.
800:The Milwaukee Journal
774:Eugene Register-Guard
540:
468:
429:under the command of
423:Israel Defense Forces
201:Casualties and losses
1013:27.453751; 34.031439
427:Paratroopers Brigade
155:Paratroopers Brigade
1004: /
206:3 killed, 7 injured
953:Midland Publishing
599:Gamal Abdel Nasser
596:Egyptian President
555:Egyptian Air Force
543:
471:
209:70 killed, 62 POWs
1032:Conflicts in 1970
981:978-965-90455-2-5
930:978-0-313-31302-8
905:978-1-84603-430-5
528:close air support
435:Sayeret Tzanhanim
415:Israeli Air Force
354:) was an Israeli
338:
337:
213:
212:
182:Israeli Air Force
161:Sayeret Tzanhanim
90:
89:
46:Israeli Air Force
1069:
1019:
1018:
1016:
1015:
1014:
1009:
1005:
1002:
1001:
1000:
997:
985:
966:
943:
934:
913:
908:. Archived from
879:
878:
876:
874:
867:The Evening News
858:
852:
851:
849:
847:
840:The Evening News
831:
825:
819:
813:
811:
809:
807:
792:
786:
785:
783:
781:
766:
760:
754:
748:
747:
745:
743:
732:
717:
711:
686:
680:
671:
665:
652:
646:
388:War of Attrition
364:War of Attrition
353:
344:Operation Rhodes
251:
249:
248:War of Attrition
239:
232:
225:
216:
118:
117:
106:
105:
62:January 22, 1970
56:
55:
43:
33:War of Attrition
26:Operation Rhodes
23:
1077:
1076:
1072:
1071:
1070:
1068:
1067:
1066:
1022:
1021:
1012:
1010:
1006:
1003:
998:
995:
993:
991:
990:
989:
982:
969:
963:
955:. p. 310.
946:
937:
931:
916:
906:
891:
888:
883:
882:
872:
870:
860:
859:
855:
845:
843:
833:
832:
828:
820:
816:
805:
803:
794:
793:
789:
779:
777:
768:
767:
763:
755:
751:
741:
739:
734:
733:
720:
716:, pp. 1315-1323
712:
689:
681:
674:
666:
655:
647:
636:
631:
619:
580:
566:
524:
463:
439:Sharm el-Sheikh
411:Operation Priha
390:
384:
341:
340:
339:
334:
252:
247:
245:
243:
165:202nd Battalion
134:
112:
100:
86:Israeli victory
78:
44:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1075:
1073:
1065:
1064:
1059:
1054:
1049:
1044:
1039:
1034:
1024:
1023:
987:
986:
980:
967:
961:
944:
935:
929:
914:
904:
887:
884:
881:
880:
853:
826:
814:
787:
761:
749:
718:
687:
672:
653:
633:
632:
630:
627:
626:
625:
618:
617:External links
615:
579:
576:
565:
562:
558:Ilyushin Il-28
532:aerial tankers
523:
520:
492:114 Squadron's
462:
459:
441:and on nearby
413:, a series of
386:Main article:
383:
380:
336:
335:
333:
332:
325:
318:
311:
304:
297:
290:
283:
276:
271:
263:
257:
254:
253:
244:
242:
241:
234:
227:
219:
211:
210:
207:
203:
202:
198:
197:
192:
191:
190:
179:
178:
167:
166:
163:
149:
148:
147:Units involved
144:
143:
141:Saad El Shazly
138:
128:
127:
123:
122:
110:
97:
96:
92:
91:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
72:Shadwan Island
70:
68:
64:
63:
60:
52:
51:
36:
35:
28:
27:
21:
20:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1074:
1063:
1060:
1058:
1055:
1053:
1050:
1048:
1045:
1043:
1040:
1038:
1037:1970 in Egypt
1035:
1033:
1030:
1029:
1027:
1020:
1017:
983:
977:
973:
968:
964:
962:1-85780-088-5
958:
954:
950:
945:
941:
936:
932:
926:
922:
921:
915:
911:
907:
901:
897:
896:
890:
889:
885:
868:
864:
857:
854:
841:
837:
830:
827:
823:
818:
815:
801:
797:
791:
788:
775:
771:
765:
762:
758:
753:
750:
737:
731:
729:
727:
725:
723:
719:
715:
714:Milstein 1985
710:
708:
706:
704:
702:
700:
698:
696:
694:
692:
688:
684:
679:
677:
673:
669:
664:
662:
660:
658:
654:
651:, pp. 115-116
650:
645:
643:
641:
639:
635:
628:
624:
621:
620:
616:
614:
612:
608:
604:
600:
597:
592:
588:
586:
577:
575:
572:
563:
561:
559:
556:
552:
548:
547:torpedo boats
539:
535:
533:
529:
521:
519:
515:
511:
509:
504:
499:
497:
493:
489:
484:
480:
476:
467:
460:
458:
456:
455:Egyptian Navy
452:
446:
444:
440:
436:
432:
428:
424:
419:
416:
412:
407:
403:
399:
395:
389:
381:
379:
377:
373:
369:
365:
361:
357:
349:
345:
331:
330:
326:
324:
323:
319:
317:
316:
312:
310:
309:
305:
303:
302:
298:
296:
295:
291:
289:
288:
284:
282:
281:
277:
275:
272:
270:
269:
264:
262:
259:
258:
255:
250:
240:
235:
233:
228:
226:
221:
220:
217:
208:
205:
204:
199:
196:
195:Egyptian Navy
193:
189:
186:
185:
184:
183:
177:
174:
173:
172:
171:
164:
162:
159:
158:
157:
156:
151:
150:
145:
142:
139:
137:
133:
130:
129:
124:
121:
116:
111:
109:
104:
99:
98:
93:
85:
82:
81:
77:
73:
69:
66:
65:
61:
58:
57:
53:
50:
47:
42:
37:
34:
29:
24:
19:
988:
971:
948:
939:
919:
910:the original
894:
871:. Retrieved
866:
856:
844:. Retrieved
839:
829:
817:
804:. Retrieved
799:
790:
778:. Retrieved
773:
764:
752:
740:. Retrieved
683:Gawrych 2000
649:Gawrych 2000
603:Soviet Union
593:
589:
581:
567:
544:
525:
516:
512:
500:
483:A-4 Skyhawks
472:
451:Sa'ka Forces
447:
443:Israeli Navy
420:
391:
368:paratroopers
343:
342:
328:
321:
320:
314:
307:
300:
293:
286:
279:
267:
188:114 Squadron
180:
170:Israeli Navy
168:
152:
132:Haim Bar Lev
95:Belligerents
76:Gulf of Suez
49:Super Frelon
31:Part of the
18:
1011: /
822:Norton 2004
757:Shalom 2007
571:Decca radar
398:Six-Day War
378:equipment.
372:Shayetet 13
176:Shayetet 13
1026:Categories
999:34°01′53″E
996:27°27′14″N
886:References
668:Aloni 2009
564:Evacuation
508:Amos Yaron
481:Squadrons
431:Haim Nadal
402:Suez Canal
382:Background
352:מבצע רודוס
308:Rooster 53
136:Haim Nadal
873:April 16,
846:April 16,
806:April 23,
780:April 16,
742:April 23,
629:Footnotes
578:Aftermath
494:fleet of
488:Bell 205s
445:vessels.
356:heliborne
824:, p. 214
759:, p. 600
685:, p. 114
551:Hurghada
329:Rimon 20
287:Bulmus 6
67:Location
670:, p. 24
360:Shadwan
274:Karameh
978:
959:
927:
902:
611:Moscow
461:Battle
348:Hebrew
322:Rhodes
261:Rumani
108:Israel
83:Result
607:Cairo
585:Eilat
503:flank
406:Cairo
394:Sinai
376:radar
315:Priha
301:Raviv
294:Boxer
280:Shock
268:Eilat
153:35th
120:Egypt
976:ISBN
957:ISBN
925:ISBN
900:ISBN
875:2011
848:2011
808:2011
782:2011
744:2011
609:for
490:and
477:and
370:and
266:INS
59:Date
479:115
475:109
1028::
951:.
865:.
838:.
798:.
772:.
721:^
690:^
675:^
656:^
637:^
425:'
350::
74:,
984:.
965:.
933:.
877:.
850:.
810:.
784:.
746:.
346:(
238:e
231:t
224:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
