ORDER OF BATTLE // December 26, 1948
Battle of 'Auja
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 1,600 estimated
Israel
1,600
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of 'Auja formed part of Operation Horev, the Israeli campaign aimed at expelling all remaining Egyptian forces from Israeli territory during the closing phase of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The engagement centered on a small border village at the Egypt–Israel frontier and was coordinated with a broader simultaneous assault on 18 Egyptian positions along the Beersheba–'Auja road, seven of which were concentrated around 'Auja itself. By targeting this cluster of positions in a single coordinated action, Israeli forces sought to collapse Egyptian defensive depth along that axis and advance the operation's overarching objective of clearing Egyptian military presence from the country.
‹ Full battle dossierSources (8)
Monograph
1948: The First Arab–Israeli War
Monograph
History of the War of Independence
Monograph
In the Eyes of an Enemy
Monograph
Suez. The Twice-Fought War
Monograph