GHQ Models Forums

Introduction
Welcome to my new project log where I will track the progress on my efforts to wargame elements of the Arab-Israeli conflict. While my interest spans the entire history of the conflict: from the 1948 War of Independence through to the 1982 1982 Lebanon War, this project will focus on the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. While some units and equipment are restricted to 1967 or 1973, I find that the vast majority of equipment is usable across both these conflicts and there was little change in equipment colour or camouflage.

Ruleset
For this game I will be using Fistful of TOWs 3 using the rough scale of 1:5 as outlined in the rulebook and included organisation tables. Rather than relying on the published organisations from the rules I will be using a combination of the Micromark lists and historical records to build my units. I intend on writing a short article to describe how I convert historical organisations to a 1:5 wargames unit.

Games
My intent is to be able to replay some of the key battles of the conflict while still ensuring an enjoyable game. This will involve replaying some historical scenarios on a strictly historical basis, through to hypothetical clashes between realistic forces. There won't be any 'surprise T-72s' on my table, but I am absolutely ok with dropping two anonymous armoured brigades on the table to fight over an unnamed objective point. I also intend on modifying some historical scenarios to replay larger battles at a manageable scale (Chinese Farm, I'm looking at you).

Next Steps

• Draft post/article on converting historical TO&E/ORBAT to wargames units

• Complete Israeli Armoured Brigade - paint M51 and find suitable brigade support elements from the stash

• Undercoat Egyptian Armoured Battalion

• Find a better way of organising my plans

I leave you with a colour tester for my Israelis (Details and basing to come)

Sure is perty. Great work. Look forward to the what comes next.

Nice work Splod. Keep it coming.

Looks like a great project! I'm sure we will all be following very closely! Keep it coming!

Looking forward to seeing your work!

Very cool!

This is a cool time period for wargaming but not often wargamed.

Thanks for all the interest so far lads. I've got a job application and an essay to knock over this weekend, which means I'll probably procrastinate by working on something for the project

cama wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 11, 2020 10:48 am

Looks great!
If you want a bibliography on the Arab-Israeli Wars, I have a massive folder of information, including the most comprehensive reading list in the world. Pop me an email if you want.

Fireball wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:00 pm

BTW Ben PM me with your email address i have hips on AIW

Thanks lads. PMs incoming.

Fireball wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:25 am

Quick question Splod, in your AIW gaming do you use the T-10M russian heavy tank?
There is conflicting evidence if such weapons were ever supplied to the arabs.

Good question. There was some suggestion that they were present at the Battle of Abu-Ageila in '67, and they were featured in Avalon Hill's Arab-Israeli Wars. My understanding is that their presence was mainly cited by key Western historians at the time, and has since been disproven by Zaloga as Soviet export logs don't show T-10s being exported to Egypt.

I don't plan on including them among my Arab forces, however I am looking forward to putting together a battalion of IS-3m to support my Egyptians

Hi Splod

I am working on my own Arab-Israeli War project for Fistful of TOWs 3 with the 67 and 73 Wars for starters. So far, I have a T-54 battalion and 2 T-55 battalions for my Egyptians along with a couple of BRDMs and 3 SU-100s. I plan to do some T-62s plus some infantry and other things to round these out.
For my Israelis, I have completed an M-48 battalion for my 1967 Israelis plus a Magach 3 (M-48) battalion for my 1973 Israelis. I will also be adding some M-50 and M-51 Shermans and Centurions for my Israelis as well as some artillery and mech infantry as well.

If you are interested in my progress so far with some painted examples, you can check out my Pete's Place thread on this forum.

Pete

pmskaar wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 13, 2020 4:49 am

If you are interested in my progress so far with some painted examples, you can check out my Pete's Place thread on this forum.

Thanks Pete. I am familiar with your work!

Thanks Splod! I look forward to seeing more of your progress. I will provide more pictures as I progress as well. Best of luck to you!

Pete

Hey, Guys, if you are doing the '73 War, I highly recommend The Yom Kippur War by Abramovich. It certainly had me sweating. The effectiveness of the Arab RPG teams is evident and fearful. We had an Israeli LTC in our AOAC class who testified to that, as well. He said there were measures you could take against Saggers, but RPGs cut them to pieces. And 105mm guns at 50 meters... YIKES! Talk about being decisively engaged! The Marines would be tying bayonets to their gun barrels!