Green Island (Egypt)

Green Island or Al Jazeera Al Khadraa ( _ar. الجزيرة الخضراء) is a small 145 meters long and 50 meters wide artificial island in the Red Sea at the southern mouth of the Suez Canal. Latitude. 29.9°, Longitude. 32.5333333° [http://travelingluck.com/Africa/Egypt/As+Suways/_356472_Green+Island.html#invest]

History

Green Island, was a fortress built by British forces to protect its ultrastrategic waterway from air and sea attack during World War II. Located three kilometers south of Port Ibrahim and four kilometers south of the city of Suez and the mouth of the Suez Canal. It was built on a bed of stable corals and made out of reinforced concrete and consisted of a one-story building with a large courtyard. At the end of the island, a concrete bridge jutted out into the water toward a circular five-meter high tower supporting a radar site and two heavy anti-aircraft machine guns. A wall reinforced with thick rows of barbed wire was built at the water's edge, meant to deter "any intruder attacking by sea." In the roof heavy machine guns were emplaced, and there were over a dozen machine gun nests. it was a series of concrete bunkers sitting atop an eight-foot high seawall, ringed by razor wire three rolls deep. Only , the island contained a fort and several gun emplacements.

In 1969 the island was heavily defended. Its garrison consisted of approximately seventy Egyptian infantrymen and twelve As-Sa'iqa commandos, fourteen machine gun positions (14.5mm to 25mm), two 37mm anti-aircraft guns, and four 85mm anti-aircraft guns

During the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt, the island was fortified by Egypt, and attacked by Israeli commandos in 1969 (Operation Bulmus 6). The Egyptian facilities in the island were completely destroyed with few Israeli casualties. The raid was considered a success by the Israelis.

References

* Israeli Elite Units Since 1948 by Samuel Katz Osprey Publishing 1988
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/greenisle.html The Israeli Commando Assault on Green Island By Doron Geller]
* Ian Black and Benny Morris - Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services.
* Samuel M. Katz - The Night Raiders: Israel's Naval Commandos at War.