Mohamed Atef Anwar Sadat (Arabic: محمد عاطف أنور السادات; 13 March 1948 – 6 October 1973) was an Egyptian fighter pilot. In the first hour of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, he was killed in action while conducting an aerial raid on an airport in the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula. He was the younger half-brother of the then-incumbent Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated on the same day eight years later.[1]
Mohamed Atef Anwar Sadat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | محمد عاطف أنور السادات |
| Born | 13 March 1948 Mit Abu El Kom, Egypt |
| Died | 6 October 1973 (aged 25) Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, Egypt |
| Allegiance |  Arab Republic of Egypt |
| Service |  Egyptian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1966–1973 |
| Rank |  Flight lieutenant |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Order of the Sinai Star |
Early life and career
editAtef Sadat was born on 13 March 1948 in the village of Mit Abu El Kom, Tala District, in Monufia Governorate. He graduated from the Egyptian Air Academy in 1966, and spent two years in the Soviet Union, attending a training program on jet fighters and then fighter bombers (the Sukhoi Su-7).[2]
1973 Egyptian –Israeli War
editOn 5 October 1973, a state of readiness was launched at Bilbeis Airport, and every pilot ran a fighter inside the fortified aircraft complex, and the planes were armed with bombs and ready, but the mission was cancelled as this was a training exercise on assembling pilots.[3]
During the First Egyptian Air Strike, Atef Sadat was part of Sukhoi Su-7 formation that attacked the Israeli Meliz airfield. In the course of the attack, Atef's plane was shot down and he was killed.[4]
Reports of his death
editTo avoid distracting her husband, Jehan Sadat waited until the eighth day of the war before breaking the news of his brother's death to him.[5] He was first reported dead on 5 January 1974 by Egyptian newspapers.[6] On 31 March 1974, a spokesman of the Israel Defense Forces disclosed that a search party had found his body in the sands of the western Sinai Peninsula and that it had handed him over to the Egyptian government.[7] He was buried the same day[2] in his hometown of Mit Abu El Kom.[8]
Awards and honours
editOrder of the Sinai Star: When the celebration was held to honor the heroes of October in the People's Assembly, Anwar Sadat received the Order of the Sinai Star in honor of his stepbrother's name, and the Minister of War, Ahmad Ismail Ali, handed him the medal.[9]
References
edit- ^ Gawrych, p. 81.
- ^ a b إبراهيم الديهي (6 October 2020). "الوطن أمام قبر عاطف السادات شهيد أكتوبر.. الخفير: الملائكة تحرسه - المحافظات - الوطن". elwatannews.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "مجلة مصرالبطل المنسي " عاطف أنور السادات" طيار مقاتل في القوات الجوية المصرية | مجلة مصر". mgltmsr.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "אבדות חיל האוויר המצרי במלחמת יום הכיפורים, אוקטובר 1973 - מרקיע שחקים". 14 April 2021.
- ^ Gawrych, G.W. (2000). The Albatross of Decisive Victory: War and Policy Between Egypt and Israel in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars. Greenwood Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780313313028. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "Sadat's Brother Reported Killed During October War". The New York Times. 6 January 1974. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ "Israel Returns Body Of Sadat Stepbrother". The New York Times. April 1974. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ "Sadat and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty". Ahram online. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
- ^ Owain Raw-Rees (2014-12-03). "The Egyptian Sinai Star" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-11-10.