June 5–6, 1967 · Sinai Peninsula Theater
June 5–6, 1967
Ariel Sharon's night assault on Abu-Ageila was one of the most sophisticated combined-arms operations in the history of armored warfare. The Egyptian 2nd Division had fortified Abu-Ageila with three lines of trenches, minefields, 90 tanks, and 66 artillery pieces — a prepared defensive position designed to stop an armored thrust. Sharon attacked on the night of June 5–6 from multiple directions simultaneously: tanks attacked the front, paratroopers were landed by helicopter behind Egyptian artillery to silence it, infantry attacked the trenches, and engineering units bridged minefields. The entire Egyptian garrison was destroyed or captured in a single night.
Commanders