Ariel Sharon Biography and Timeline

Birth of Ariel Sharon

Birth of Ariel Sharon

Ground Link-Up Column Started

Sharon leads the ground element of the 202nd Paratroop Brigade toward the isolated force near Mitla Pass.

Role range: 1956-1956

Kuntilla Captured for Link-Up Route

Sharon's brigade captures Kuntilla while opening the overland route toward the airborne battalion.

Role range: 1956-1956

202nd Paratroop Brigade Advances into Sinai

Sharon leads the 202nd Paratroop Brigade overland toward the isolated battalion near Mitla Pass.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Pass

Commands the paratroop force dropped near Mitla Pass at the opening of Operation Kadesh.

Role range: 1956-1956

Paratroopers Gather for Mitla Advance

Ariel Sharon's paratroop brigade prepared a ground advance to link with the airborne force east of Mitla Pass.

Parachute Brigade Drives Toward Mitla

Ariel Sharon led the paratroop brigade's ground element into Sinai to connect with the troops already dropped near Mitla Pass.

Role range: 1956-1956

Sharon Begins Overland Linkup With Paratroopers

Ariel Sharon led the remainder of his parachute brigade overland toward the battalion already deployed east of Mitla Pass.

Role range: 1956-1956

Parachute Battalion Lands Near Mitla Approach

Ariel Sharon's force was inserted near the Mitla Pass approaches to secure a forward foothold deep inside the Sinai Peninsula.

Role range: 1956-1957

202nd Brigade Rejoined Airborne Force

Sharon's overland column links with the paratroopers dropped near Mitla Pass the previous day.

Role range: 1956-1956

Ground Column Reaches Airborne Troops

Sharon's brigade advanced across central Sinai and linked up with the paratroopers landed near Mitla Pass.

Paratroops Establish Mitla Forward Positions

Ariel Sharon's brigade established forward positions around Mitla as Israeli forces sought to secure the mountain route toward the canal.

Role range: 1956-1956

Parachute Brigade Reaches Forward Sinai Positions

Ariel Sharon advanced his brigade toward the Mitla area, linking the airborne landing to a broader Israeli ground operation.

Role range: 1956-1956

Paratroop Reinforcements Approach Mitla Position

Ariel Sharon's brigade advanced overland toward its isolated airborne contingent near the Mitla Pass area after the initial parachute insertion.

Role range: 1956-1957

Battle of Mitla Pass

Fights Egyptian forces around Mitla Pass during the Sinai Campaign.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Pass Entry Ordered

Sharon orders forces into Mitla Pass, where intense fighting develops with Egyptian troops.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Pass Reconnaissance Authorized

Sharon sent a force into Mitla Pass after disputed discussions about permission to investigate Egyptian positions there.

Mitla Pass Battle Erupts

Israeli paratroopers entered Mitla Pass and encountered a strong Egyptian ambush that caused substantial casualties on both sides.

Mitla Wounded Evacuation Conducted

Israeli forces evacuated their wounded after the costly fighting in Mitla Pass as the wider Sinai offensive continued.

Mitla Pass Reconnaissance Becomes Major Battle

Ariel Sharon's force entered the narrow Mitla defile, where intense fighting with Egyptian troops caused heavy casualties and later prompted controversy over the engagement.

Role range: 1956-1956

Reconnaissance Patrol Enters Mitla Gorge

Ariel Sharon sent a force into Mitla Pass during a reconnaissance that escalated into a pitched engagement with Egyptian defenders.

Role range: 1956-1956

Egyptian Defenders Ambush Israeli Advance

Ariel Sharon's advancing troops encountered Egyptian fire from positions commanding the narrow route through Mitla Pass.

Role range: 1956-1956

Narrow Terrain Restricts Israeli Maneuver

Ariel Sharon's soldiers faced steep ground and confined roads that limited maneuver and exposed advancing vehicles to Egyptian fire.

Role range: 1956-1956

Paratroopers Fight Entrenched Egyptian Resistance

Ariel Sharon's brigade fought Egyptian troops occupying positions around the pass, turning a reconnaissance effort into a costly battle.

Role range: 1956-1956

Israeli Units Seek Control of High Ground

Ariel Sharon's force tried to overcome defenders positioned on the heights overlooking the pass, where terrain favored the Egyptian side.

Role range: 1956-1956

Heavy Casualties Mark Mitla Fighting

Ariel Sharon's brigade suffered substantial losses in the fierce engagement at Mitla, making the action one of the campaign's most controversial clashes.

Role range: 1956-1956

Israeli Reinforcements Join Mitla Engagement

Ariel Sharon's brigade committed additional troops as the fighting spread beyond its initial reconnaissance mission.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Firefight Continues Through Difficult Ground

Ariel Sharon's men fought across rocky approaches and constricted sections of the pass where extracting wounded soldiers was hazardous.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Gorge Fighting Inflicts Heavy Losses

Ariel Sharon's paratroopers engaged Egyptian defenders in the Mitla Pass area, suffering substantial casualties during intense fighting.

Role range: 1956-1957

Mitla Units Consolidate Positions After Battle

Ariel Sharon's brigade consolidated its gains after the fierce fighting and attended to the casualties left by the encounter.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Engagement Shapes Sharon Wartime Reputation

Ariel Sharon's aggressive handling of the battle at Mitla became a prominent and disputed episode in accounts of his military career.

Role range: 1956-1956

Sharon Defends Purpose of Mitla Action

Ariel Sharon maintained that the action at Mitla had an operational purpose, although assessments of his decisions remained sharply divided.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Brigade Consolidates Desert Gains

Ariel Sharon's brigade reorganized after the battle at Mitla, consolidating its control of key ground while other Israeli formations advanced farther south.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Casualties Prompt Command Accountability Questions

Ariel Sharon's decisions at Mitla became the subject of military criticism because the engagement produced severe casualties in a narrow defile.

Role range: 1956-1956

Mitla Becomes Controversial Sinai Campaign Episode

Ariel Sharon's battle at Mitla remained disputed because of the gap between the limited intended objective and the scale of combat that followed.

Role range: 1956-1956

Counterattack

Leads a counterattack against Egyptian forces on the Sinai front.

Role range: 1973-1973

Battle of Chinese Farm

His division attacks through the Chinese Farm area to open the way to the canal crossing.

Role range: 1973-1973

Suez Bridgehead

Establishes a bridgehead near Deversoir across the Suez Canal.

Role range: 1973-1973

Suez Canal Crossing

Israeli tanks under Sharon cross the Suez Canal and begin to threaten the rear of Egyptian forces.

Role range: 1973-1973

Suez Canal

His forces cross the Suez Canal during the Israeli counteroffensive.

Role range: 1973-1973