Bombers at Suez

In October 1956 the British government, together with the French and Israelis, launched an attack on Egypt in response to President Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Canal. The agreement between these three governments, the Sèvres Protocol, was a low point in British diplomacy and a factor in the ending of Prime Minister Eden’s political career. The military commanders had to plan for and launch Operation Musketeer, some 2,000 miles from the UK, while their political masters gave them only limited information on the arrangement made with France and Israel.

The RAF squadrons allocated to the operation came from the UK and Germany where their jet bombers, Canberras and Valiants, were intended for nuclear war against the Warsaw Pact countries rather than conventional war with Second World War bombs in a desert environment.

When Anthony Eden took the decision to launch Operation Musketeer the RAF did not have the forces required in the Mediterranean. At short notice, squadrons had to train for high level, visual bombing using techniques that would have been familiar to Lancaster crews in the Second World War. Also, the navigation aids fitted in the bombers were those required for the European theatre, not the Egyptian desert.

This account uses Cabinet Minutes, Squadron Operation Record Books, reports written by the Commander-in-Chief and personal accounts by aircrew who flew over Egypt, to detail the involvement of the RAF and is richly illustrated with photographs from the conflict and original colour artworks.

“The author has done a superb job of researching this aspect of the Suez war, using both first hand accounts as well as squadron logs to make sense of the sequence of events. ....In all, it adds to what is a superb series of histories and is a book that I can highly recommend to you.” Modelingmadness.com, Nov 21

"I enjoyed this book and it gave me some insight into Operation Musketeer as while I had heard about air strikes conducted by tactical aircraft of Israel, France, and England, I was unaware that the RAF also employed its Canberras and Valiants as well. Highly recommended." IPMS USA

"This extensively researched text is buttressed by archival photos and color profiles. Highly recommended for those interested in Mideast air warfare." Aviation History, Mar 2022

"Dillon details errors, anomalies, and conundrums in official records and memoirs to offer as accurate account as possible of Operation Musketeer." The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"Richly illustrated with black & white photographs from the conflict, including those of some of the aircraft that participated and the targets attacked, along with original colour artwork of a selection of the aircraft involved. The book is a useful reference for modellers and students of aircraft of that period. " IPMS Magazine, No 3, 2024