In 1967, the Egyptian Army comprised some 175,000 men. Aside from those forces in Yemen, almost all the combat units of the army were deployed in the Sinai with 18 infantry brigades, one paratroop brigade, six armoured brigades and two mechanized brigades, as well as four Special Forces battalions. These were divided into six divisions. The 20th Palestine Liberation Army Division supported by Egyptian artillery and 50 Sherman tanks was stationed in the Gaza Strip. To the south of the Gaza Strip was the newly formed 7th Infantry Division supported by approximately 100 T-34/85 and IS-3M tanks. Further to the south-east in the Abu Ageila-Quseima area was the 2nd Infantry Division supported by approximately 90 T-34/85 and T-54 tanks. This was considered to be one of the better formations but its commander, Major-General Sadi Naguib, was a political appointee of limited military expertise whose main claim to fame was as a drinking companion of the commander-in-chief of the army, Field Marshal Amer. The 6th Mechanized Division was deployed in the Kuntilla-Nakhl area. It was a good division at full strength with a competent commander, Major-General Abd el Kader Hassan. It in turn was supported by the 1st Armoured Brigade of some 100 T-34/85 and T-54 tanks under the command of Brigadier Hussein Abd al Nataf. In general reserve was the 3rd Infantry Division in the Jebel Libni-Bir Hassna area under the command of another of Field Marshal Amer’s cronies, Major-General Osman Nasser. Also in reserve was an armoured task force consisting of 150 T-55 tanks, a paratroop brigade and an artillery brigade under the command of Major-General Saad el Shazli and known as Shazli Force. It was deployed east of Bir Hassna to conduct offensive operations against Eilat and to link up with the Jordanians once war began in a plan codenamed Operation al-Asad or Lion. In strategic reserve under the control of Field Marshal Amer’s GHQ in Cairo was the 4th Armoured Division equipped with 200 modern Soviet T-55 tanks under the command of Major-General Sidki el Ghoul. It was stationed in the central Sinai around Bir Gifgafa. An independent infantry brigade was posted to Sharm el Sheikh overlooking the Straits of Tiran.

In total the Egyptian forces in the Sinai amounted to over 100,000 troops and some 930 tanks. Following standard Soviet doctrine, the divisions were deployed in strongly defended localities of three distinct defensive lines supported by dug-in artillery and armour units. As part of a comprehensive defensive plan codenamed Operation Qahir or Conqueror, these were to act as a lure to tempt the IDF to attack these ‘killing zones’ and once the Israeli assault was broken the Egyptian army would move to the offensive. In reality Operation Qahir was neither fish nor fowl with the commanders uncertain whether to adopt a defensive or offensive posture. This confusion was compounded by the appointment of General Abd el Mushin Murtagi as the Sinai front commander with his headquarters in Ismailia. Recently returned from undistinguished service in Yemen, he had little knowledge of the Sinai and no rapport with either his divisional commanders or the Sinai field commander, Lieutenant-General Sallah el din Mohsen. The latter demanded clear-cut guidance regarding the true objectives of Operation Qahir, but none was forthcoming from either the front HQ at Ismailia or GHQ in Cairo. Indeed, Field Marshal Amer was prone to issuing conflicting orders directly to divisional commanders without consultation with his field and front commanders.

Such confusion percolated down through the ranks. Some units were seriously under strength. Almost a quarter of Egypt’s tanks and artillery pieces were unserviceable. Many reservists arrived at the front without uniforms or weapons into a situation of chaos; almost a third never arrived at their assigned positions at all. As a case in point, a newly graduated Egyptian officer, Lieutenant Hamid, was tasked with delivering anti-tank ammunition to Kuntilla. He left on the afternoon of 4 June and bivouacked with his convoy overnight near Nakhl. On the next morning, he reported to the receiving unit at Kuntilla where he was told by a senior officer ‘We don’t need any ammunition. There isn’t going to be a war. Take it back.’ The lieutenant rejoined his convoy and started back towards the Suez Canal. Some 30 minutes later, his trucks were being strafed and bombed by the IAF.