General Moshe Dayan inspects troops in southern Sinai in 1956 (Screenshot of newsreel footage from YouTube)
This newsreel begins with a “pilot’s-eye view” of southern Sinai, and according to the narrator, it doesn’t look like very inviting country.
“This region, however, featured strongly in the Israeli campaign that ended so swiftly in victory,” he continues.
On screen, victorious soldiers wave from tanks as Chief of General Staff Moshe Dayan strides between the troops.
“Success was achieved by Israel’s tough, well-disciplined troops,” the narrator concludes, “led in person by General Moshe Dayan, the CNC, who lost his eye fighting Vichy French in Syria.”
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(The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history featured in this Times of Israel series.)
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