Abdel Hakim Amer

Abdel Hakim Amer
Vice President of Egypt
In office March 7, 1958 – September 30, 1965
President	Gamal Abdel Nasser
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Zakaria Mohieddin
Minister of Defense
In office 1956–1967
President	Gamal Abdel Nasser
Preceded by	Hussein el-Shafei
Succeeded by	Shams Badran
Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army
In office 1956–1967
President	Gamal Abdel Nasser
Preceded by	Hussein el-Shafei
Succeeded by	Shams Badran
Personal details
Born	December 11, 1919(1919-12-11) Astal, Samalout, Al Minya, Egypt
Died	September 14, 1967(1967-09-14) (aged 47) Cairo, Egypt
Religion	Muslim
Military service
Allegiance	Egypt
Service/branch	Egyptian Army
Years of service	1939 - 1967
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands	Chief of Staff Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Military Command of Egypt and Syria
Battles/wars	1948 Arab–Israeli War Suez Crisis North Yemen Civil War Six-Day War
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union

Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer (Arabic: محمد عبد الحكيم عامر‎, IPA: [mæˈħæmmæd ʕæbdelħæˈkiːm ˈʕæːmeɾ]; December 11, 1919 – September 14, 1967) was an Egyptian general and political leader. Born in Astal, Samallot, in the Al Minya Governorate in 1919, he served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, took part in the 1952 Revolution and commanded the Egyptian Army in the Suez Crisis, the North Yemen Civil War and the Six-Day War.

Military career

After finishing grade school, Amer attended the Cairo Military Academy and was commissioned into the Egyptian Army in 1939.

Amer played a leading role in the military coup that overthrew King Farouk in 1952 and which brought General Muhammad Naguib and Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser to power. The following year, Amer was made Egypt's Chief-of-Staff, bypassing four military ranks. In 1956, Amer was appointed commander-in-chief of the joint military command established by Egypt and Syria. He also led Egyptian forces against both Israeli and allied British-French forces during the Suez Crisis.

In 1964, Amer was made first vice-president to Nasser and deputy supreme commander, with the power to rule for 60 days if the president was incapacitated. Amer's distinguished career came to a sudden end after Egypt's crushing defeat by Israel in the Six-Day War of June 1967. Many historians have stated that much the Egyptian military's failures in the 1967 war can be laid at the feet of Amer.^{[citation needed]} This is because Amer's control of the Egyptian military establishment followed in line with leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser's general policy of presenting different government institutions as fiefdoms to those most loyal to him. In addition, the proxy war Egypt (with Soviet backing) fought against the Saudis, West, and Israelis in the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970), Nasser supporting the Yemen Arab Republic against the Western and Saudi Arabian backed Royalists, is also viewed as being key to Egypt's defeat in the 1967 Middle East war; as nearly half of the Egyptian military was in Yemen at the time of the initial Israeli attack on Egypt.^{[citation needed]}

When Amer heard of the fall of Abu Ageila to Israel, he panicked and ordered all units in the Sinai to retreat. This order effectively meant the defeat of Egypt. He was relieved of all his duties and forced into early retirement.

Arrest, Trial and Death

In August that year, Amer, along with over 50 Egyptian military officers and two former ministers, was arrested for allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow Nasser. He was kept under house arrest at his villa in Giza.

According to the official Egyptian position, Amer was rushed to hospital in an attempt to save his life after he attempted suicide by swallowing "a large amount of poison pills" upon the arrival of Egyptian officers to question him. After surviving and being taken home the next day, he managed to evade his guards and swallow more pills he kept hidden under an adhesive plaster on his leg. Later, Cairo radio announced his burial in his home village of Astal.

One version of the story holds that Amer was approached in his jail cell on September 14 by high-ranking Egyptian officers and was given a choice to remain there and stand trial for treason, which would inevitably have ended with his conviction and execution, or die an honorable death by taking poison. Like Rommel, Amer chose the latter option and received a full military burial. Anwar Al Sadat, who later became President of Egypt, expressed his opinion that if he was in Amer's position, he would have done the same soon after the Six-Day War.

Abdel Hakim Amer was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on May 13, 1964.