The Suez-Hungary Crisis:50 years ago today (October 31,1956)

10/31/2006 | Self

[Nextrush]

As Soviet forces moved away from Budapest on October 31st there was great hope for the future.

Imre Nagy addressed a crowd from the Parliament Building and said: "we are living in the first days of our independence..." Nagy told some foreign reporters that negotiations with the Soviets would include the idea of Hungary withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact and becoming neutral territory.

While Soviet forces pulled out of the city airports around it were under Soviet control.

One area the Soviet troops abandoned was western Hungary around the Austrian border. Aid moved in and refugees moved out over this route. Also news reports including film of the earlier fighting got out.

On this day NBC showed a film of the fighting to American TV viewers. The film was flown to the United States because at this time no direct video links were available between continents.

Some 200 Hungarian aircraft were at western Hungarian airfields not under Soviet control but they only flew reconaissance missions to watch Soviet troop movements.

A Revolutionary Council for defense was established to direct the activities of military forces, police forces and freedom fighters..............

Meanwhile in Sinai Colonel Ariel Sharon was arguing with his superiors over the idea of an attack into Mitla Pass and was eventually given permission for reconaissance.

He sent a large force in with that permission of several hundred men riding in half tracks supported by tanks and mortars.

At 12:30 the attack began with the lead two half-tracks taking hits. Egyptian Migs also strafed the Israelis but eventually Israeli aircraft drove the Egyptian planes off.

By nightfall a bloody battle was underway on the ridges and caves at the eastern end of the pass. Hand to hand combat lasted for two and half hours with the Israelis killing some 200 Egyptians but losing 38 or their own with 120 injured.

Then both sides withdrew from battle.

At sunset on October 31st around 12 hours after the Anglo-French ultimatum to clear the canal area had expired, the RAF began bombing Egyptian airfields.

Egyptian leader Nasser had decided not to attack the British and to withdrawl his troops from Sinai because of the British air raids.....

President Eisenhower made a televised speech at 7 P.M.... He said the United States opposed the use of force by its Allies and stated his intention to use the United Nations and its processes as "the soundest hope for peace in the world.."

Eisnehower said "There can be no peace without law" and added "And there can be no law if we were to invoke one code of international conduct for those who oppose us and another for our friends...."

[Nextrush]

All these posts are under keyword "1956."

For more on the air war in the Suez Crisis, try this link: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_256.shtml

[massgopguy]

"Bloody" Yuri Andropov was the architect who put down the Hungarian Revolution and Fatboy Ted Kennedy collaborated with him in 1983 to defeat Ronald Reagan.
The only good Kennedy...................