Battle of Fada

Battle of Fada

Infobox Military Conflict


caption=
conflict=Battle of Fada
partof= Toyota War
date=January 2 1987
place=Fada
result=Chadian victory
combatant1=flagicon|LibyaLibya
combatant2=flagicon|ChadChad
commander1=Unknown
commander2=Hassan Djamous
strength1=1,200 Libyans
300–400 CDR militians
strength2=Almost 3,000 Chadians
casualties1=781 Libyans
casualties2=18 Chadians

The battle of Fada took place in northern Chad in 1987, and was a turning point of the Libyan-Chadian War.

Preclude

At the beginning of 1986 the Libyans controlled all Chad north of the 16th parallel. However, when the French intervened in the country in Operation Sparrowhawk and Goukouni Oueddei's and his People's Armed Forces rebelled against his former supporter Qaddafi, Libya's President, the situation became critical for the Libyan army and promising for Chad's President Hissène Habré.

Certain that the French would protect Chad south of the 16th parallel, Habré started assembling his army, the Chadian National Armed Forces (FANT), at Kalaït, a logistic deposit built by France exactly at the 16th parallel, and which it had stocked with munitions, weapons and fuel. France and the United States had equipped the FANT with a large number of Toyota pickups, and antitank and antiaircraft missile launchers, such as MILAN ATGWs. The FANT assault under the command of Hassan Djamous deployed almost 3000 soldiers for the coming battle.

Battle

This powerful force attacked Fada, the capital of the Ennedi and a Libyan stronghold, on January 2. Hassan Djamous took the 1,000 Libyan soldiers and the 300–400 members of the Revolutionary Democratic Council (CDR) militia by surprise. In a short but brutal engagement the FANT almost annihilated the Libyan armoured brigade that defended Fada: 784 Libyans died, 92 T-55 tanks and 33 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed, and 13 T-55s and 18 BMP-1s captured, together with 81 Libyan soldiers. Chadian losses were mininimal: only 18 soldiers died and three Toyotas were destroyed.

This was one of the first major combat victories employing the tactic of using light trucks armed with machine guns or rockets, later known as "technicals." This tactic mirrored the actions of the raids conducted by the Long Range Desert Group of World War II, but on a slightly smaller scale theater, against slightly less numerous enemies, but with more modern weaponry and equipment.

Although the Chadian commander's tactical ability played an important role in the victory, the anti-tank missiles were decisive. When combined with the superior maneuverability of the Toyotas, they proved their efficacy against the Libyan tanks.

Aftermath

On January 3 and 4 the Libyan Air Force sent several waves of bombers to Fada in an attempt to destroy the captured equipment and ammunition. Still, these could not change the essential fact that Libya had suffered a major defeat that was to prove the beginning of the end of the Chadian-Libyan War.

External links

* [http://pagesperso.aol.fr/__121b_1hdJIMKZtKpXkAccGHm6VZ+xvWL8tZZnO9DozfTzqok= Operation Epervier] (in French)
* [http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_360.shtml Libyan Wars]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Battle of Maaten al-Sarra — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Maaten al Sarra partof=the Toyota War caption= date=September 5, 1987 place=Maaten al Sarra Air Base, Libya result=Decisive Chadian victory combatant1= combatant2= commander1=Uknown commander2=Hassan… …   Wikipedia

  • Lugh Lamh Fada —    The Celtic culture hero son of Cian and Ethne and grandson of Diancecht who was placed in command of the forces of the Tuatha Dé Danann in the victorious battle at Mag Tuireadh against the Fomors. He would appear to be the same as Lleu Law… …   Who’s Who in non-classical mythology

  • List of Chad-related topics — Chad articles=Chad related people*Ibrahim Abatcha *Abdullah I (Kanem Bornu king) *Abdelwahit About *Ahmad (Kanem Bornu king) *Ahmat Acyl *Mahamat Ali Adoum *Aissa Kili N guirmamaramama *Ali Gazi *Ali II of Bornu *Ahmad Allam Mi *Michel Arnaud… …   Wikipedia

  • Technical (fighting vehicle) — A technical is a type of improvised fighting vehicle, typically a civilian or military non combat vehicle, modified to provide an offensive capability. It is usually an open backed civilian pickup truck or 4x4 on which is mounted a recoilless… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Democratic Republic of the Congo-related articles — The Democratic Republic of the Congo ( fr. République démocratique du Congo), often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to as Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo Léopoldville, Congo Kinshasa, and Zaire (or Zaïre …   Wikipedia

  • 1987 — This article is about the year 1987. For the number, see 1987 (number). For other uses, see 1987 (disambiguation). Millennium: 2nd millennium Centuries: 19th century – 20th century – 21st century Decades: 1950s  1960s …   Wikipedia

  • JERUSALEM — The entry is arranged according to the following outline: history name protohistory the bronze age david and first temple period second temple period the roman period byzantine jerusalem arab period crusader period mamluk period …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Chadian–Libyan conflict — Chadian Libyan conflict Chadian soldiers in a Toyota pickup modified into a technical …   Wikipedia

  • Guerra de los Toyota — Parte de Conflicto libio chadiano (1978 1987) Guerra Fría Mapa de Chad …   Wikipedia Español

  • Gaelic Athletic Association — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Formation 1 November 1884 (1884 11 01) (127 years ago) Type …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”