History |
Wars & Campaigns |
►Boer
War
►First
World War
►►Western
Front
►►►Trench
Warfare: 1914-1916
►►►Allied
Offensive: 1916
►►►Allied
Offensives: 1917
►►►German
Offensive: 1918
►►►Advance
to Victory: 1918
►►Siberia
►Second
World War
►►War
Against Japan
►►North
Africa
►►Italian
Campaign
►►►Sicily
►►►Southern
Italy
►►►The
Sangro and Moro
►►►Battles
of the FSSF
►►►Cassino
►►►Liri
Valley
►►►Advance
to Florence
►►►Gothic
Line
►►►Winter
Lines
►►North-West
Europe
►►►Normandy
►►►Southern
France
►►►Channel
Ports
►►►Scheldt
►►►Nijmegen
Salient
►►►Rhineland
►►►Final
Phase
►Korean
War
►Cold
War
►Gulf
War |
Operations |
|
Battle Honours |
Boer War
First World War
Western Front
Trench Warfare: 1914-1916
Allied Offensive: 1916
►Somme, 1916 |
1
Jul-18 Nov 16 |
►Albert |
.1-13
Jul 16 |
►Bazentin |
.14-17
Jul 16 |
►Pozieres |
.23
Jul-3 Sep 16 |
►Guillemont |
.3-6
Sep 16 |
►Ginchy |
.9
Sep 16 |
►Flers-Courcelette |
15-22
Sep 16 |
►Thiepval |
26-29
Sep 16 |
►Le Transloy |
.
1-18 Oct 16 |
Allied
Offensives: 1917
►Arras 1917 |
8
Apr-4 May 17 |
►Vimy, 1917 |
.9-14
Apr 17 |
►Arleux |
28-29 Apr 17 |
►Scarpe, 1917 |
.3-4
May17 |
►Hill 70 |
.15-25
Aug 17 |
►Messines, 1917 |
.7-14
Jun 17 |
►Ypres, 1917 |
..31
Jul-10 Nov 17 |
►Pilckem |
31
Jul-2 Aug 17 |
►Langemarck, 1917 |
.16-18
Aug 17 |
►Menin Road |
.20-25
Sep 17 |
►Polygon Wood |
26
Sep-3 Oct 17 |
►Broodseinde |
.4
Oct 17 |
►Poelcapelle |
.9
Oct 17 |
►Passchendaele |
.12
Oct 17 |
►Cambrai, 1917 |
20
Nov-3 Dec 17 |
German Offensive: 1918
►Somme, 1918 |
.21
Mar-5 Apr 18 |
►St. Quentin |
.21-23
Mar 18 |
►Bapaume, 1918 |
.24-25
Mar 18 |
►Rosieres |
.26-27
Mar 18 |
►Avre |
.4
Apr 18 |
►Lys |
.9-29
Apr 18 |
►Estaires |
.9-11
Apr 18 |
►Messines, 1918 |
.10-11
Apr 18 |
►Bailleul |
.13-15
Apr 18 |
►Kemmel |
.17-19
Apr 18 |
Advance to Victory: 1918
►Arras, 1918 |
.26
Aug-3 Sep 18 |
►Scarpe, 1918 |
26-30 Aug 18. |
►Drocourt-Queant |
.2-3
Sep 18 |
►Hindenburg Line |
.12
Sep-9 Oct 18 |
►Canal du Nord |
.27
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
►St. Quentin Canal |
.29
Sep-2 Oct 18 |
►Epehy |
3-5
Oct 18 |
►Cambrai, 1918 |
.8-9
Oct 18 |
►Valenciennes |
.1-2
Nov 18 |
►Sambre |
.4
Nov 18 |
►Pursuit to Mons |
.28 Sep-11Nov |
Second World War
War Against Japan
South-East Asia
Italian Campaign
Battle of Sicily
Southern
Italy
The Sangro and Moro
Battles of the FSSF
►Anzio |
22
Jan-22 May 44 |
►Rome |
.22
May-4 Jun 44 |
►Advance
|
.22
May-22 Jun 44 |
to the Tiber |
. |
►Monte Arrestino |
25
May 44 |
►Rocca Massima |
27
May 44 |
►Colle Ferro |
2
Jun 44 |
Cassino
►Cassino II |
11-18
May 44 |
►Gustav Line |
11-18
May 44 |
►Sant' Angelo in
|
13
May 44 |
Teodice |
. |
►Pignataro |
14-15 May 44 |
Liri Valley
►Hitler Line |
18-24 May 44 |
►Melfa Crossing |
24-25 May 44 |
►Torrice Crossroads |
30
May 44 |
Advance to Florence
Gothic Line
►Gothic Line |
25 Aug-22 Sep 44 |
►Monteciccardo |
27-28 Aug 44 |
►Point 204 (Pozzo Alto) |
31 Aug 44 |
►Borgo Santa Maria |
1 Sep 44 |
►Tomba di Pesaro |
1-2 Sep 44 |
Winter Lines
►Rimini Line |
14-21 Sep 44 |
►San Martino- |
14-18 Sep 44 |
San Lorenzo |
. |
►San Fortunato |
18-20 Sep 44 |
►Sant' Angelo |
11-15 Sep 44 |
in Salute |
. |
►Bulgaria Village |
13-14 Sep 44 |
►Pisciatello |
16-19 Sep 44 |
►Savio Bridgehead |
20-23
Sep 44 |
►Monte La Pieve |
13-19
Oct 44 |
►Monte Spaduro |
19-24 Oct 44 |
►Monte San Bartolo |
11-14
Nov 44 |
►Lamone Crossing |
2-13
Dec 44 |
►Capture of Ravenna |
3-4
Dec 44 |
►Naviglio Canal |
12-15 Dec 44 |
►Fosso Vecchio |
16-18 Dec 44 |
►Fosso Munio |
19-21 Dec 44 |
►Conventello- |
2-6 Jan 45 |
Comacchio |
. |
Northwest Europe
Battle of Normandy
►Quesnay Road |
10-11 Aug 44 |
►St. Lambert-sur- |
19-22 Aug 44 |
Southern France
Channel Ports
The Scheldt
Nijmegen Salient
Rhineland
►The
Reichswald |
8-13 Feb 45 |
►Waal
Flats |
8-15 Feb 45 |
►Moyland
Wood |
14-21 Feb 45 |
►Goch-Calcar
Road |
19-21 Feb 45 |
►The
Hochwald |
26
Feb- |
. |
4
Mar 45 |
►Veen |
6-10 Mar 45 |
►Xanten |
8-9
Mar 45 |
Final Phase
►The
Rhine |
23
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
►Emmerich-Hoch
|
28
Mar-1 Apr 45 |
Elten |
. |
Korean War
|
Domestic Missions |
►FLQ
Crisis |
International
Missions |
►ICCS
Vietnam 1973
►MFO
Sinai 1986- |
Peacekeeping |
►UNTEA |
W. N. Guinea 1963-1964 |
►ONUCA |
C. America
1989-1992 |
►UNTAC |
Cambodia
1992-1993 |
►UNMOP |
Prevlaka
1996-2001 |
|
Exercises |
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Multinational Force and Observers
The
Multinational Force and Observers was an International Mission to
which Canada contributed soldiers and equipment.
History
In 1979,
following the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, the United
Nations decided not to continue their peacekeeping mandate on the
Sinai Peninsula. The terms of the treaty required the presence of
international peacekeepers to ensure that both Israel and Egypt kept
to the provisions regarding military build-up along the border.
Initially, the peacekeeping force was provided by the US Sinai Field
Mission, while efforts were made to persuade the UN to change its
mind. When it became clear that this would not happen, Egypt, Israel
and the United States opened negotiations to set up a peacekeeping
organization outside the framework of the UN. On 3 Aug 1981, the
Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the
Multinational Force and Observers. The MFO assumed its mandate on 25
Apr 1982, the day that Israel ceded sovereignty of the Sinai Peninsula
to Egypt. In 1995 the United States experimented with a composite
battalion consisting of National Guard soldiers from Virginia and
Maryland, and Regular Army soldiers from the 82d Airborne Division and
the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Canada's
contribution began in Mar 1986, with a 136 person Rotary Wing Aviation
Unit as well as 8 staff officers for MFOHQ.
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MFO Force Commander Major General
Robert G Meating at left, wearing the MFO formation patch, presenting a
New Zealand Private the Multinational Force Silver Driving Award. MFO
Photo. |
Organization
The MFO has
its main headquarters in Rome, where it is headed by the
Director-General. It also has two regional offices, in Tel Aviv and
Cairo, while the Force itself is based in Zone C on the Sinai
Peninsula, under the command of the Force Commander. The Force
Commander is responsible for the military elements of the MFO, which
comprise:
-
Headquarters
-
Three
infantry battalions
-
Support
battalion
-
Coastal
Patrol Unit
-
Rotary
Wing Aviation unit
-
Transport
unit
-
Engineers
unit
-
Military
Police Unit
-
Flight
Following (Air Traffic control) Unit
The
personnel for these come from a total of eleven countries:
-
Australia
- 25 personnel based at Force HQ
-
Canada -
29 personnel based at Force HQ and Flight Following Unit
-
Colombia
- Infantry battalion - 358 personnel
-
Fiji -
Infantry battalion - 329 personnel
-
France -
15 personnel based at Force HQ and with the fixed wing unit
-
Netherlands Until 1994 which were replaced by Hungary
-
Hungary -
Military Police unit (41 personnel)
-
Italy -
Coastal patrol unit (75 personnel, 3 ships)
-
New
Zealand - 27 personnel divided between support battalion and
Training and Advisory Team
-
Norway -
3 personnel based at Force HQ
-
Uruguay -
87 personnel with Transport and Engineering Unit
-
United
States - The US is responsible for three contingents:
-
Force HQ
- 27 personnel
-
Support
Battalion - 235 personnel
-
Infantry
Battalion - 425 personnel
|
The
Sinai Peninsula
Article
2 of Annex I of the Peace Treaty called for the Sinai Peninsula to
be divided into zones. Within these zones, Egypt and Israel were
permitted varying degrees of militarization:
|
-
Zone
A: Between the Suez Canal and Line A. Egypt permitted a
mechanized infantry division with a total of 22,000 troops in
Zone A.
-
Zone
B: Between Line A and Line B. Egypt permitted four border
security battalions to support the civilian police in Zone B.
-
Zone
C: Between Line B and the Egypt-Israel border. Only the MFO and
the Egyptian civilian police permitted within Zone C.
-
Zone
D: Between the Egypt-Israel border and Line D. Israel permitted
four infantry battalions in Zone D.
Within
Zone C were two main installations:
In
addition thirty smaller sites were located at various points
within Zone C, and at least one remote observation post (OP 3-11)
located on an island offshore. |
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Uniform
Insignia
The insignia
of the MFO was a white badge (symbolizing peace) with the orange
suggesting the bright coloured jump suits that civilian observers in the
MFO wore. A beret in either blaze orange, or in a subdued rust colour,
was worn also. These civilian observers operated as part of the US Sinai
Field Mission in 1976, tasked with monitoring two major passages through
the Sinai Peninsula between Egypt and Israel. In 1982, the
multi-national MFO incorporated this Sinai Field Mission. The UN had
refused to provide a peacekeeping mission to the area as officially the
two nations were at peace. Canadian troops have served on the MFO since
inception, mostly from logistics trades; between 1986 and 1988 Canada
provided a four-ship helicopter squadron of UH-1s to the mission.
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Berets
from the Ed Storey collection, showing two sizes of beret badge.
Formation patch examples at right courtesy Bill Alexander, showing
Canadian manufacture, and two badges of international manufacture.
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The MFO Medal
was awarded to personnel completing the qualifying time for this award,
which was six months cumulative service any time after 25 April 1982.
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