The Destruction of the Third Temple

[John B.]

Meanwhile, in the Sinai, things are starting to look bleak again for the Israeli's. They have pushed in the north and south taking losses as they go. But, in the center they lost an armored brigade that was totally wiped out and they may lose another one this turn. They also risk having an armored brigade surrounded in the north. I'm trying to play havoc with their supply lines with my commandos and seizing parts of southern Israel (along with two VP). If Israel has mobilized it's army it is now running the risk of running out of units. It's really a battle of attrition now with the balance swinging towards the side that is currently moving.

[bootlegger267]

Nice AAR! I read Rabinovichs' book (excellent!) Look's like the AI is doing a good job.....

Bootlegger

[MikeJ19]

John B.

I agree with bootlegger267, this is a lot of fun to follow.

Good luck!

Mike

[panzer cat]

Wait a second, are we not playing Bar Lev next week?

[John B.]

Thanks guys! It's a fun game to play.

But, it looks like Israel is starting to sag a bit. It lost two more brigades this turn and one is cut off in the Golan. You can see the fresh Iraqi brigades moving up and, without reinforcements, Israel may get pushed back again. Both sides are clearly exhausted with each side digging in and attacks made that do not push the defenders out of their hexes. One mystery has been the absence of the Israeli air force in combats. Lot's of Arab planes have provided ground support but the IAF has done little but hit airbases.

[John B.]

It's the same story in the Sinai. The Israelis seem to be creaking and losing units. The Egyptians are exhausted and attacking with units in the orange/yellow zone as those count as fresh troops these days. In the south the Israelis took an entire turn to push back the red zone infantry battalions and in the north they lost an armor brigade and have started to dig in. The game is only 1/3 over and I don't know how many more units Israel can mobilize. If the barrel is empty they better hope for a major airlift from the US.

[MikeJ19]

John,

Great stuff. I enjoy your approach to the battle...

[John B.]

Thanks Mike!

Here is turn 10 in the Golan. The Iraqis launched an attack on the isolated Israeli brigade that did not go so well and one of their brigades is recovering. On the Israeli turn, they pressed their attacks in the north trying to recapture the important ground up there. The Syrians fought hard and even held onto one of the hexes after the first round of attacks thanks to the timely arrival of AT guns who were set on reserve. The Israeli forces pressed again and were able to clear out the hex but there continues to be a noticeable thinning of Israeli forces. More Iraqi forces have arrived and will be sent south.

[John B.]

On the Sinai, the Egyptians have pushed and eliminated the brigade that was cut off. There were very few attacks by the Israelis and I suspect that the commandos in the rear have interfered with Israeli logistics. Up in the far north, you will see that a single battalion is holding the road open for the Israeli brigade on the front lines. If that battalion retreats (and it is not in good shape) another pocket will be formed. At IDF HQ they are bemoaning the hell for leather spirit in the army that has led to so many losses. The Egyptians are slowing down just a bit to try to restock supplies and gear up for the next leg of the campaign. It is, however, a long long way to any additional VP for the Egyptian forces.

[John B.]

One reason that the Syrians seem to have to pause more than the Egyptians to catch their breath is that the Syrian supply net is not exactly top of the line. As you can see, the best resupply places are next to Damascus and it gets pretty think pretty quickly.

[John B.]

The Egyptians are slightly better off especially closer to the Canal but I can't help but wonder that the more they push into Central Sinai the few bullets and beans will show up.

[John B.]

The latest news is that the soviets have stepped up their resupply efforts for the Arab armies. This appears to slightly increase the supply level for each hex that can trace a supply line. Hey, every little bit helps. Unfortunately for Israel, there does not yet appear to be an additional help from the US.

[John B.]

Skipping ahead to turn 12 (just some minor attacks on both sides) you can see that Syria launched a series of attacks and it was grim going with the Israeli's refusing to retreat until the very end.

[John B.]

In the Golan, it took three separate attacks to finally encircle the one brigade. The Iraqi brigade finally managed to dislodge a sole Israeli tank battalion and coming from the north a Syrian Mech brigade had to dislodge another tank battalion. The two hexes I've highlighted are where the fighting took place. The Israeli's have to be flushed out inch by inch. And, with the mounting losses and lack of foreign support, in the cabinet's corridors in Jerusalem you're starting to hear "never again" muttered in fleeting conversations.

[John B.]

Ooops, here is the screen shot for Golan at the end of the Arab turn 12.

[John B.]

The only high point for the IDF in Sinai is that it's far away from anything of importance. Even so, the Israeli's lost the armored brigade that had been surrounded in the north and an infantry brigade in the far south. And, they now have two brigades in serious trouble in the center. There do not appear to be any Israeli reserves and most of their units on the front line and in the red/yellow zone. But, so are the Egyptians.

[John B.]

Heading into turn 14 you can see that Israel is teetering on the brink of a significant defeat in the Middle East. Heavy losses on both sides but the number of VP hexes taken by the Arab armies means that Israel is on the brink.

[John B.]

There are two bright spots for the state of Israel. First, the US, concerned over the possible gains by the Soviet Union in the Middle East if they can sheaperd their clients to victory and over the relatively poor showing of Israel, has decided to take a more active role in the conflict. These overflights will likely lead to better theater recon for the Israeli army. Second, the IAF seems to have come back online. In turn 13 it shot down 13 Arab aircraft for no losses of its own.

[John B.]

In the Golan the addition of the fresh Iraqi division has allowed the Syrians to resume their progress and cut off yet another Israeli brigade. An Israeli counter attack north west of the Iraqi armored brigade failed to dislodge the Syrian defenders. And, in an ominous sign for Israel, the Jordanian units near the border have exited their reorganizing mode. This war threatens to engulf the Middle East!

[John B.]

On the Sinai front both sides are exhausted and clearly losing their edge. At the VP hex in Southern Israel the IDF pushed the commando unit out of the town but did not advance. The commandos will be able to resume their old positions and the IDF is going to have to push them out again. It also appears that Israel has repositioned forces to deal with these commandos.

But, the Egyptians are not at the top of their game either. In the north and in the center Israeli brigades that were surrounded were able to squeeze through small holes in the encirclements time after time and are still alive. They may not last much longer but the Egyptians need to waste more time and effort just to hunt them down.