No Match for the 100 - Campaign Series: Middle East 1948 -1985

8 June, 1967
Bir Gifgafa Airfield, Sinai, Egypt: [SIDE A/H2H][HIS][CSL]: Although
the Egyptian 4th Armored Division was already returning to the
Suez Canal by 8 June, an armored brigade at the Canal was ordered
to return to Bir Gifgafa to support the withdrawal from the Sinai.
Shortly before midnight the brigade unexpectedly ran into the
AINX-13 tank battalion of Israeli Colonel Menachem, Aviram's
brigade, blocking the road northwest of Bir Gifgafa. The Israelis
had positioned their tanks in a semicircle facing west, with
their fuel, ammunition, and supplies on vehicles in the center
rear. They had the advantage of a readied defensive position,
but they had only 30 light tanks. The Egyptian force had between
50 and 60 T-54 and T-55 tanks with l00mm high velocity guns.
The 75mm

guns of the AMX-13s could only penetrate them at very
short range. After a desperate two hour defense, the Israeli
battalion began to withdraw. But at this moment a battalion of
Colonel Simuel Gonen's Centurions arrived to support the hard-pressed
AMCs. [ALL, No VV][NONE][1.02]