Green Island was a fortress built by the
British Army (probably by
British Troops in Egypt or
Rear-Admiral, Alexandria, Royal Navy) to protect the
Suez Canal from air and sea attack during
World War II. This waterway was of enormous strategic significance for Britain at this time. Located three kilometers south of
Port Ibrahim and four kilometers south of the city of
Suez and the mouth of the
Suez Canal, the fortress was built on a bed of stable corals and made out of reinforced concrete. It consisted of a one-storey building with a large courtyard. At one end of the island, a concrete bridge jutted out into the water toward a circular five-metre-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, to deter attack from the sea. Heavy machine guns were emplaced in the roof, and there were over a dozen machine gun nests. A series of concrete bunkers sat atop an seawall, ringed by razor wire three rolls deep. There were several gun emplacements. In 1969, during the
War of Attrition between
Israel and
Egypt, the island was heavily defended. Its garrison consisted of approximately 70
Egyptian infantrymen and 12
special forces commandos, 14 machine gun positions (14.5 mm to 25 mm), two 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, and four 85 mm anti-aircraft guns. On the night of July 19, 1969 the island was raided by
Israeli commandos (
Operation Bulmus 6). The Egyptian facilities on the island were completely destroyed with Israeli casualties of three
Sayeret Matkal and three
Shayetet 13 commandos killed, and 11 wounded. ==See also==