Operation Musketeer ( 1956 ) Operation Musketeer ( ) was the Anglo - French - Israeli plan for the invasion of Egypt to capture the Suez Canal during the Suez Crisis . Israel had the additional objective to open the Straits of Tiran . The operation . Headed by British Army General Charles Keightley , it was conducted in October 1956 in close coordination with the Israeli armored thrust into the Sinai , which was called Operation Kadesh . Egypt ' s government , led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser , was seeking political control over the canal , an effort resisted by the Europeans . The army was originally to land at Alexandria , but the location was later switched to Port Said since a landing at Alexandria would have been opposed by most of the Egyptian army , necessitating the deployment of an armoured division . Furthermore , a preliminary bombardment of a densely populated area would have involved tens of thousands of civilian casualties . The naval bombardment of Port Said was rendered less effective by the decision to only use 4 . 5 - inch guns instead of large caliber guns , in order to minimise the number of civilian casualties . The final land order of battle involved the Royal Marine Commando Brigade , the 16th Parachute Brigade , and the 3rd Infantry Division . To bring these formations to war establishment , the regular army reserve and selected national service reservists were mobilised . Most of the latter were sent to units in home stations ( Britain and Germany ) to replace regulars posted to the Musketeer force . Lieutenant General Sir Hugh Stockwell was appointed to command the landing force . A French parachute brigade joined 16th Parachute Brigade as it returned to Cyprus . The Commando Brigade completed refresher training in shore landings from helicopters , in association with the Mediterranean fleet , which was preparing to support the amphibious operation . Over the summer the Royal Air Force selected a range of targets whose loss would cripple Egyptian resistance . Details of the secret plan for Israeli forces to invade the Sinai desert were revealed to the Chiefs of the Defence staff in October . On 29 October Israeli armour , preceded by parachute drops on two key passes , thrust south into the Sinai , routing local Egyptian forces within five days . Affecting to be alarmed by the threat of fighting along the Suez Canal , the UK and France issued a twelve hour ultimatum on 30 October to the Israelis and the Egyptians to cease fighting . When , as expected , no response was given , Operation Musketeer was launched . The air offensive began . The 3rd Division , minus the Guards Brigade , embarked on 1 November . The 45th Commando and 16th Parachute Brigade landed by sea and air on 5 November . Although landing forces quickly established control over major canal facilities , the Egyptians were able to sink obstacles in the canal , rendering it unusable . The Anglo - French air offensive suppressed Egyptian airfields not already attacked by the Israelis , but failed to destroy oil stocks or cripple the Egyptian army . Cairo Radio continued to broadcast . The 3rd Battaltion Parachute group captured El Cap airfield by airborne assault . The remaining units , held back initially for deep airborne targets , travelled by sea to Port Said . The Commando Brigade captured all its objectives . The French parachutists took Port Fuad , opposite Port Said . Elements of the 16th Parachute Brigade led by Brigadier M . A . H . Butler and a contingent of the Royal Tank Regiment set off south along the canal bank on 6 November to capture Ismailia . Reaction . Worldwide reaction against Musketeer was massive and negative . The United States unexpectedly led condemnations of the action at the United Nations and in other forums , marking a sharp break in the " special relationship " between the United States and the United Kingdom . Of the countries in the Commonwealth , only Australia , South Africa and New Zealand supported the military operation , with Canada strongly opposing it . Just before midnight Brigadier Butler was ordered to stop on the hour , when a ceasefire would come into effect . This raised a difficulty . There were Egyptian forces ahead ; the British column was in open desert with no defensible feature to hand . Brigadier Butler compromised , advancing until 00 : 15 a . m . to reach El Cap , where he sited the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment , with supporting detachments . While the military operation itself had been completely successful , political pressure from the United States obliged the British and French governments to accept the ceasefire terms drawn up by the United Nations . The 3rd Division landed to relieve the parachutists . While accepting a United Nations Emergency Force to replace the Anglo - French presence , Nasser nevertheless ensured the Canal could not be used by sinking or otherwise disabling 49 ships in the channel . Anglo - French forces were withdrawn by 22 December . End of operation . When the United States threatened to devalue the British currency ( the Pound Sterling ) , the British cabinet was divided . Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden called a ceasefire , without Israeli or French officials being notified . This caused France to doubt the reliability of their allies . A few months later , French president René Coty ordered the creation of the brand new military experiments facility in the Sahara . It was used by his successor Charles de Gaulle to develop an autonomous nuclear deterrent against potential threats . The French atomic bomb Gerboise Bleue was tested in February 1960 . In 1966 , de Gaulle further loosened his ties with the Western Allies by leaving NATO . Military support . Britain had a treaty with Jordan , and had a plan ( Cordage ) to give assistance to Jordan in the event of an attack by Israel . This led to the First Lord of the Admiralty ( Hailsham ) sending a memo to Eden on 2 October 1956 proposing the use of the light cruiser HMS " Royalist " for Cordage as well as Musketeer . HMS " Royalist " had just been modernised as an anti - aircraft radar picket ship , and was regarded as the most suitable ship for protection against the Mystère fighter - bombers supplied by France to Israel . But HMS " Royalist " had just been transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy , and New Zealand ' s Prime Minister Sidney Holland did not in the end allow the " Royalist " to be used with the British fleet in the Mediterranean for Cordage or Musketeer ( where her presence would indicate support by New Zealand ) . The memo indicates that Hailsham did not know of the negotiations of Eden and Lloyd with France and Israel for concerted moves against Egypt . Aftermath . Launched without a clear aim other than revenge , with the abandonment of international diplomacy , Operation Musketeer was a failure in strategic terms . By mischance it covered the Soviet Union ' s military intervention in Hungary on 4 November . On this issue and , more generally , on the principle of premature military action against Egypt , the operation divided public opinion in the UK . It demonstrated the limitations of the UK ' s military capacity , and exposed errors in several staff functions , notably intelligence and movement control . Tactically successful , both in the sea and airborne assaults and the subsequent brief occupation , it was undertaken on the margin of capability . It was the last venture of its kind . Order of battle . British Army . These were supported by units from :