The Last Drop
In November of 1956 British and French forces attacked Port Suez to try and  regain control of the Suez Canal, which President Nassar of Egypt had nationalised in July of that year. Although the Assault was very successful, carried out by some of the most professional soldiers in the world, the invasion did not have the backing of the rest of the world. The troops were forced to withdraw under pressure from the United Nations. But there is far more to this story than just the political crisis it brought  about. There is the story of the men who fought the war.
British and French veterans return  to Port Said to visit the areas where the main fighting took place. They will meet the Egyptians who they fought against. Interviews will take place with members of 3rd Parachute Battalion, who took  part in Britain's last combat parachute jump at El Gamil. 3 Para veterans will revisit El Gamil airfield to talk about the battle that took place  there. They will tell how they were forced to use equipment which was left over from W.W.II, which literally had not been changed since the Battle of Arnhem 12 years previously.  The British veterans will meet and speak openly to some of the Egyptian veterans who they fought against that day. Excellent relations have been established with the El Gamil 56 Club.  The British veterans are extremely proud of the fact that this was the last time a full British battalion had been dropped into battle.
On the day of the amphibious invasion 45 Commando made history by carrying out the first ever heli-borne assault from the air. This was the first full-scale use of the helicopter on the battlefield 10 years before the American made full use of the idea in Vietnam. 45 Commando landed in Port Said under a hail of small arms fire. Many marines were hit as they exited the helicopters. The value of the helicopter for casualty evacuation was proved directly when one young marine was hit in the chest after putting one foot on the ground. He was immediately flown back to the carrier off shore to be treated all within the span of three minutes. This is possibly the quickest a soldier has received full medical treatment after being wounded.
The program will look into the Egyptian resistance to the invasion, as well. The story of the kidnapping and death of Lieutenant Moorehouse, a distant relative of the Queen, will be looked at in detail.  This examination will include an interview with a member of the Egyptian resistance group who took part in the kidnapping. The Egyptian resistance movement also blew up the statue of De Le Sepp's which had stood at the entrance to Port Said since the canal had been built. Interviews will take place with the men who carried out the destruction of the statue, and look into the latest attempts by Egyptians to rebuild the statue.