Abd
Al-Hakeem Amer commited suicide
General
Mohamed Abd Al-Ghany Al-Gamasy said in his memoirs ( Before going to sleep, I and general Ahmed Ismail
were on the canal front at night reviewing, as usual, the activity of the enemy in Sinai, his
intentions in the short coming period and also
activities of our forces. Then, the telephone rang.
The caller was general Mohamed Fawzi from Cairo. He informed us that
Marshal Amer had committed suicide by using poisonous
material which he had hidden under his clothes and stacking
to his body. A high medical committee examined him.
He would be treated like any
suicide; which mean no
funeral rituals after delivering his body to his
Family.
General Ahmed Ismail and I discussed the effect of
this accident among the forces of the front, We
reached a certain conclusion that it would effect
nothing; for no one had forgot Marshal Amer's role, as the general
commander of the armed forces, in the defeat of June
War, losing Sinai and martyrdom of thousands of our
armed forces.
We recalled the bad condition of the military
service of our armed forces under his command that
was considered one
of the main reasons of the defeat.
The general prosecutor gave his decision on
10/10/1967 saying "According to what had been
mentioned above; the Marshal Abd Al-Hakeem Amer
took a poisonous material on purpose to commit
suicide in his house and among his family on
13/9/1967 that caused his death the day after. And
it is not a crime in concept of law, so we give
our order to keep it administratively.".
That was the final fate of "Marshal" Amer
who was a "Major" on July 23, 1952 (the Revolution
day). In less than a year he was promoted to be a
"General", and general commander of the armed forces
on June 18, 1953. Then he was promoted to the rank of
"Marshal" on 20 February 1958. Finally he became the
vice of the supreme commander of the armed forces. )
Shams Badran's Trial.
General
Mohamed Abd Al-Ghany Al-Gamasy said in his memoirs ( When
Shams Al-Deen Badran, the minister of war, came to
trial in February 1968, the court president asked
him about his opinion on what had happened and
caused the June defeat. He answered "When the
situation has been developed, we have realized that we must
withdraw the international police (The International
Emergency Forces) to show that we are ready to
fight; since the international police prevents our
forces to enter. After withdrawal of the international police, Al-Aqaba Gulf
is closed and
Sharm
Al-Sheikh is occupied. The view is saying that
our army ready to attack Israel. We are completely
sure that Israel can not attack or even make the
first step. And if Israel attacks, it will be a
suicide, and sure will be defeated.".
When he was inquired about his view about
president Abd Al-Nasser's decision to close Al-Aqaba
after taking confirmation from the responsible
leader (Marshal Amer), Shams Badran answered "The
general commander, Marshal Amer, gave his
confirmation saying "I can do it" but it
was
difficult to him to do it.".
The court president commented on Shams Bardran's
answer with saying "I swear by God if matters go
like that and measured by this scale, in which words
and conducts are not responsible, so we deserve much
more than what had happened." )
Source:
October War 1973, second
edition 1998. General Mohamed Abd Al-Ghany Al-Gamasy
chief of operations of
Egyptian Army during the
war.
Related links on the Internet:
General Mohamed Fawzi talking
to Al-Ahram Weekly about the three year
war.
