Forgotten Battle 10

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This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of the Chinese Farm

Intro

The battle of the Chinese Farm occurred on October 15 to October 17, during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. It was fought between the Israelis and the Egyptians. It was one of the largest tank on tank battles to ever be fought in the Middle East. One that would have far reaching consequences for the two nations involved.

Part I

On October 6, 1973, armies from the countries of Egypt and Syria launched a joint invasion of Israel. The Egyptian Army crossed the Red Sea and invaded the Sinai Peninsula while the Syrians attacked the Golan Heights. Because this short conflict began on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, it would be forever remembered as the Yom Kippur War.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was caught completely off guard. In the Golan Heights, they were able to hold off the Syrians and push them back across the border just days after the latter invaded. But in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian Army overran the Bar-Lev Line (a chain of fortifications built by the IDF on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal) after just two hours of fighting. The two-day battle cost the IDF more than 900 KIA, 2,000 wounded, an unknown number captured, and more than 400 tanks destroyed. From there, the Egyptians began advancing further into the Sinai Peninsula, threatening mainland Israel.

With the fate her country in jeopardy, the Israeli Prime Minister (Golda Meir) sent an urgent plea for help. In response, President Richard Nixon launched Operation Nickel Grass. Beginning on October 13, multiple MAC (Military Airlift Command) C-141 and C-5 cargo transport planes took off from the US bound for Israel. For the next 32 days, they delivered more than 22,300 tons of supplies to the Israeli Defence Forces. These supplies included M-60 and M-48 battle tanks, 155 mm howitzers, 175mm cannons, Sikorsky CH-53D helicopters, and fuselages for A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. This resupply operation enabled the IDF to recover from their losses in the Sinai and launch a counter-attack.

Part II

Early on the morning of October 14, the Egyptians launched an armored attack on IDF positions in the Sinai. This attack was repulsed with the Egyptians losing more than 200 tanks. Although the Israelis had also taken casualties, they were quick to follow up on their victory. They prepared launch a counter-attack the very next day. Codenamed, Operation Abirey-Halev, this attack was led by, General (further Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon.

General Sharon's plan was to drive west towards a crossing point on the Suez Canal. With support from Israeli paratroopers and with an armored division in reserve, they would use pontoons and rafts to establish a bridgehead on the canal's western bank. If they succeeded, the IDF would be able to advance north and south to threaten Cairo (the Egyptian capital) and the Egyptian Third Army around the city of Port Suez. They would also be able to destroy Egyptian SAM (surface-to-air missile) sites. This would allow the Israeli Air Force to fly close-support missions for the infantry.

The IDF's first target was the Egyptian defensive line just north of the Great Bitter Lake. Located at the lake was an Egyptian agricultural research station. Due to the lettering on the instruments, the IDF soldiers nicknamed, "Chinese Farm". Although the writing was actually Japanese the name stuck, and the battle that followed would be forever remembered as, the Battle of the Chinese Farm. Leading the attack would be the Israeli 143rd Armored Division.

Part III

Early in the morning of October 15, more than 2,000 IDF paratroopers were dropped behind Egyptian lines. They quickly ran into heavy resistance as they advanced towards the Suez Canal. But by the end of the day, they had secured one of the bridgeheads and awaited the arrival of IDF tanks. The next day, General Sharon launched Operation Abirey-Halev (Knights of the Heart), and thousands of Israeli M-60s, FV-4s, and M-48s surged forward to face Egyptian T-55s and T-62s. And the largest tank battle since World War II began.

On the northern flank, IDF tanks ran into stiff resistance from the Egyptian 21st Armored Division at the Lexicon Road. Although, they managed to pin the latter down, the Israelis were unable to dislodge them from the road. On the southern flank (the Akavish Road), the IDF's tanks also ran into stiff resistance and were unable to converge on the canal. Then the third IDF tank brigade turned north to flank the Egyptians at the Lexicon/Tirtur Crossroads. Unfortunately they too became bogged down in a stalemate. With casualties mounting for the Israelis, some of their commanders suggested calling off the operation. But upon hearing of the successful crossing of their paratroopers, General Sharon ordered the assaults to continue.

Fierce fighting continued on the Akavish Road all through the night of October 16. But by the next day, at least 30 IDF tanks had broken through the Egyptian lines and crossed the Suez Canal. They then began to destroy the Egyptian SAM missile sites. This allowed the Israeli Air Force to conduct airstrikes on the Egyptian tanks. With more Israeli tanks breaking through their defenses, the Egyptians launched a desperate counter-attack from the south. It was annihilated. By the morning of October 18, thousands of Israelis had successfully crossed the Suez Canal and the battle was over.

Epilogue

The three-day battle for the Chinese Farm had been costly for both sides. The exact number of human casualties is not known. But it is believed that both sides lost over 100 tanks. In spite of their heavy losses, the IDF had achieved a major victory against the Egyptians. With their tanks across the canal, they then advanced on Port Suez and encircled the Egyptian Third Army. This in turn left Cairo open to air-attack. On October 24, the superpowers imposed a ceasefire on Israel and Egypt. The war ended the following day (although a peace treaty would not be signed until 1978). The battle of the Chinese Farm was the largest tank battle fought in the Yom Kippur War. Today, the battle has been analyzed by many historians and military leaders. It is often used to train soldiers in the art of tank warfare. 

https://the-past.com/feature/the-battle-of-chinese-farm/

https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/Expeditions-with-MCUP-digital-journal/Crossing-under-Fire/

battle-of-the-chinese-farm-oct-15-17-1973

https://amcmuseum.org/history/operation-nickel-grass/