Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In October 1968, a carefully planned Egyptian ambush over the Sinai desert allegedly resulted in one of the most remarkable air combat claims of the War of Attrition: four Israeli Mirage IIIs shot down in less than 80 seconds.
Egyptian pilots described a perfectly executed trap—bait aircraft, low-level attackers, and a sudden, devastating strike. Missiles hit their targets, Mirages exploded, and the engagement was over almost as quickly as it began.
But there’s a problem.
Israeli records show no losses. No wreckage. No confirmation that the battle even took place.
So what really happened over the Suez Canal that day? Was this a rare and flawless execution of MiG-21 tactics—or a case of overclaiming amplified by the fog of war?
In this video, we examine the events, compare Egyptian and Israeli accounts, and analyze whether such an outcome was even technically possible.
Watch the introduction video if you missed it:
youtu.be/6fdzNv5XCME
Main Sources:
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967-1973: Volume 1: Six-Day War Aftermath, Renewed Combat, Air Forces
amzn.to/3Lrvi3H
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967-1973: Volume 2: Fighting Across the Suez
amzn.to/4pEvzOA
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967–1973: Volume 3: Gaza, Jordanian Civil War, Golan and Lebanon Fighting, Continuing Conflict and Summary
amzn.to/4aWnYY8
- Israeli A-4 Skyhawk Units in Combat
amzn.to/3Nv4ksp
- The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967-1973: The USSR's Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict
amzn.to/4qSVFP1
- Arab MiGs. Volume 4: Attrition War, 1967-1973
amzn.to/4sH2Awh
- Israeli Mirage and Nesher Aces
amzn.to/49mb2to
- Israeli F-4 Phantom II Aces
amzn.to/3Nv0waC
Purchasing these books on Amazon using the links given in this description will result in a small commission to the channel without extra cost to you. This will used to purchase more books and help create new videos.
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/showtime112
Donate via Paypal:
paypal.com/paypalme/showtime112
Join our Discord server:
discord.gg/c56q7tUNCP
Echoes of Time by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300029
Artist: incompetech.com
In October 1968, a carefully planned Egyptian ambush over the Sinai desert allegedly resulted in one of the most remarkable air combat claims of the War of Attrition: four Israeli Mirage IIIs shot down in less than 80 seconds.
Egyptian pilots described a perfectly executed trap—bait aircraft, low-level attackers, and a sudden, devastating strike. Missiles hit their targets, Mirages exploded, and the engagement was over almost as quickly as it began.
But there’s a problem.
Israeli records show no losses. No wreckage. No confirmation that the battle even took place.
So what really happened over the Suez Canal that day? Was this a rare and flawless execution of MiG-21 tactics—or a case of overclaiming amplified by the fog of war?
In this video, we examine the events, compare Egyptian and Israeli accounts, and analyze whether such an outcome was even technically possible.
Watch the introduction video if you missed it:
youtu.be/6fdzNv5XCME
Main Sources:
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967-1973: Volume 1: Six-Day War Aftermath, Renewed Combat, Air Forces
amzn.to/3Lrvi3H
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967-1973: Volume 2: Fighting Across the Suez
amzn.to/4pEvzOA
- The Arab-Israeli War of Attrition, 1967–1973: Volume 3: Gaza, Jordanian Civil War, Golan and Lebanon Fighting, Continuing Conflict and Summary
amzn.to/4aWnYY8
- Israeli A-4 Skyhawk Units in Combat
amzn.to/3Nv4ksp
- The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967-1973: The USSR's Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict
amzn.to/4qSVFP1
- Arab MiGs. Volume 4: Attrition War, 1967-1973
amzn.to/4sH2Awh
- Israeli Mirage and Nesher Aces
amzn.to/49mb2to
- Israeli F-4 Phantom II Aces
amzn.to/3Nv0waC
Purchasing these books on Amazon using the links given in this description will result in a small commission to the channel without extra cost to you. This will used to purchase more books and help create new videos.
Support the channel on Patreon:
patreon.com/showtime112
Donate via Paypal:
paypal.com/paypalme/showtime112
Join our Discord server:
discord.gg/c56q7tUNCP
Echoes of Time by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300029
Artist: incompetech.com
