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Israel forces widen Canal Bridge-Head TEL AVIV — Armored spearheads yesterday pried the Egyptian defenses open along both banks of the Suez Canal turning what had first been cautiously termed a ’wedge’ into a full-fledged military corridor, some kilometers wide. Reinforcements are reported to be streaming across the Canal to join the forces on the west bank, visited on Friday by Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and the Chief of Staff, Rav-Aluf David Elazar. The west bank force yesterday continued to hammer away at the confines of its enclave and was last reported to be firmly in control of an area 30 kilometers deep west of the Canal. The unit is continuing its intensive sweep along the soft underside of the Egyptian defenses, mopping up complete surface-to-air missile batteries. Both Sam-2 and Sam-3 batteries are reported to have been taken intact as well as artillery pieces. The unit was till on the move at nightfall yesterday. The air force provided close covering air-to-ground support and the Egyptian infantry units, guarding the flanks of the Egyptian defenses, are reported to have suffered heavy casualties. The estimate runs into many hundreds of dead yesterday. Sam 2’s and 3’s, which are fired from permanent emplacements and the tractor drawn Egyptian artillery pieces are reported to be particularly vulnerable to the fast paced Israeli attack. Egyptian tank units are also reported to have suffered considerable losses. According to the estimate of a senior army officer here on Friday only some 600 tanks still in operational condition on the east bank of out of more than 1000 tanks which crossed over during the past fortnight. On Friday the Egyptians lost 70 tanks. There were first reports of Egyptian tanks beginning to trickle back across the Canal either to come to the aid of the hard pressed Egyptians on the west bank or as the beginning of a retreat. Egyptian prisoners are reported to have said that they had orders to shoot at units or individuals attempting to cross the Canal back into Egypt without authorization. The site of the Israeli crossing was on Friday identified as being just north of the Great Bitter Lake. By crossing at this point the expanse of the lake provided ’cover’ for one flank of the Israeli column. It was at precisely the same location (according to the opinions of some scholars) that Moses forded the ’Red Sea’ in the exodus out of Egypt, leading the Children of Israel across the marshes. The officer said that in spite of the ingenuity of the plan, the project still involved a good deal of ’Jewish chuztpah’ and that parts of it would not have been approved even by a trainee at a staff and command college course in most countries. Among the equipment the Egyptians are using are the highly mobile and accuarate Sam-6 and the modern radar controlled Soviet made AA guns. The Sam-7, also known as the ’Strella’ is an infantry category shoulder type rocket, operated like a bazooka and weighing some 15 kgs. It is a highly sophisticated weapon, said to incorporate all the latest ’know-how’ accumulated in this field. Its missile operated on the infra-red homing principle. The 1st launchers of this type were captured in Italy where an abortive attempt was made to shoot down an El Al jetliner. The rocket made its first appearance during the ’war of attrition’ and is similar to an American rocket of the same type knows as ’red eye.’ First descriptions of the area west of the Canal captured by Israeli troops say it is verdant and intensively cultivated and that it has been totally abandoned by its inhabitants.
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