1973 al-Mazzah Airport Raid

Coordinates: 33°28′41″N 36°13′29″E / 33.478131°N 36.224836°E / 33.478131; 36.224836

1973 al-Mazzah Airport Raid
Part of Yom Kippur War
Israeli F-4E
Date 13 October 1973 Location al-Mazzah Airport, near al-Mazzah, Damascus Result Israeli victory
Belligerents
Israel	Syria
Strength
8 F-4 Phantoms, 2 A-4 Skyhawks, 4 Mirage IIIC, 3 helicopters	Syrian Air Defense Force, Syrian Air Force
Casualties and losses
1 F-4 Phantom II shot down, crew retrieved, 1 F-4J Phantom II damaged	Airport bombed, Two MiGs shot down, Light ground losses

The 1973 al-Mazzah Airport Raid took place on October 13, 1973, and was one of a series of bombing raids carried out by the Israeli Air Force deep inside Syria during the Yom Kippur War.^[1]

Battle

Israeli F-4s and Mirage IIICs approached Al-Mazzah airport to conduct a series of raids to neutralize the bases capable of launching attacks over Israeli airspace. Shortly after crossing into Syrian airspace, the Israeli formations came under heavy fire by Soviet-made Syrian Air Force MiG-21s.^[2] The Israeli pilots managed to shoot down two of the MiG-21s and then concentrated their attack on the airbase itself. Using the Mirage IIIC's bombing capabilities, they were able to crater the runways and inflict light ground losses. During the raid a MiG-21 shot down an F-4 Phantom; both the pilot and the navigator survived, but they crashed on hostile ground near the airbase, and shortly after that were rescued by IDF forces. Another F-4 Phantom was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire from the airbase; the plane was escorted back to Israeli airspace, and safely returned home.^[2]

Preluding ground battle

During the ongoing air raid on the base, an F-4 Phantom II crashed near the base.^[2] IDF forces planned an operation to extract the downed pilot to safety, the IDF launched an attack, and the Syrian Army responded aggressively with heavy gunfire and artillery fire.^[2] In the end the ground battle was a success for the IDF, and the Syrian army took minimal losses on the ground.^[2] One F-4 Phantom II was crippled in the conflict, and was escorted back to safety following repeated efforts by the Syrian Air Force in an attempt to shoot down the crippled aircraft.^[2]

Aftermath

Following the attack, a battle erupted between the IDF and Syrian forces, as the IDF attempted to rescue a pilot and a navigator who ejected from their F-4 Phantom II during the raid.^[1] The raid was primarily an Israeli victory as they sustained minimal losses, compared to the losses of the Syrian Air Force, which lost the airbase and two MIG-21's.^[3]

References