High Water Mark - 10/12/73 - AAR (no Crossroads)

[berto]

TURN 6

I adjust my lines.

Then Syrian armoured infantry at hex 26,24 (green circle, following) fire at the nearby Israeli recon unit (magenta circle). No effect. They fire again, and ...



... Good shot!

[berto]

TURN 6

I plot my artillery to fall south of Tel Shams. Maybe I will get lucky again next turn.

Hidden from Israeli view, the T-55As of Third Tank Company (green circles, following) bide their time, patiently awaiting just the right opportunity to pounce.

To the north, at Saasa Ridge, I concentrate First and Second Company tanks up ridge from where I expect Crossroads will launch his main attack (yellow circle).

The situation at Turn 6's end (with the Disrupted yellow unit highlight toggled ON):



After six turns, just 78 Israeli Total Points. I feel pretty good about that.

[berto]

For you 3D fans, a view from north of Tel Shams looking south:

[berto]

TURN 7

Turn 7 opens with this astonishing report:



Iraeli warplanes friendly fired on their own forces, killing and disrupting one or more Magach 5 tanks! [X(]

[berto]

TURN 7

Israeli combined arms attack the Syrian left flank, with modest success.

More successful: Israeli infantry storm Tel Shams (green circle, following). The citadel falls!



That same infantry fire on the Syrian mortars in the adjoining hex, scoring a SP hit and forcing the mortars to retreat (magenta circle; with the Message Dialog showing the combat results).

On the Syrian right, Israeli tanks (turquoise circle) fire repeatedly, obsessively even, at the Syrian 1st Heavy MachineGun Platoon (yellow circle). Wasted firepower, a waste of time, because except for one SP hit, the machine gunners retreat first one way, then back, then that same way, then back again. The Israeli armour make no forward progress. The Syrian right stands fast!

[berto]

TURN 7

After a series of frustrations, Crossroads has something to be happy about. Israeli tanks (turquoise circle, following) direct fire at the bunkered Syrian T-12 AT Guns, destroying them in two or three shots (red circle).



The other Israeli tanks in that group fire long range at the entrenched Syrian infantry on Saasa Ridge, accomplishing nothing.

[berto]

TURN 7

After Crossroads' Side A (Israeli) phase, the situation at the middle of Turn 7, with the Disrupted highlight (yellow counter outlines) toggled ON:



Except for the fall of Tel Shams, entirely foreseeable; except for the scattering of the Syrian far left, unfortunate but also to be expected; except for the destruction of those Syrian AT guns; otherwise the Israeli main force achieves little. The Israeli left is just about where it was last turn.

Timidity. Crossroads appears to be spooked.

Recall that he has played this scenario before (I haven't). He knows, or strongly suspects, that the Syrians have an entire tank company lurking somewhere east of Tel Shams. Crossroads has already lost 16 tanks. He clearly fears losing even more.

Here we are, with the scenario nearly half finished, and Crossroads has made no appreciable move towards Saasa Ridge. He has probably figured out by now that no way he has any hope to take the town of Saasa, with its 100 VPs, much less exit any units off the map's north edge (thereby gaining additional VPs for every unit exited). Time is too short for that. He probably realizes that as bad as the fight for Tel Shams has been, the battle for Saasa would likely be far worse.

The latest Victory Dialog:



That's better for me than it looks at first glance. Yes, Tel Shams has fallen, and with that the Israelis have gained an additional 100 VPs. But taking those 100 VPs out of the equation, the Side A Israeli Total Points have inched up only slightly from the phase before, when their VPs last totaled 78.

To the north, I predict that Crossroads will stay put, be content with taking long range potshots at the Syrian infantry up at Saasa Ridge. He will stay focused on destroying the remaining Tel Shams defenders as best he can, it seems. In this scenario, Crossroads is gunning (not running) for a draw, I bet.

[berto]

TURN 7

The jig is up.

Israeli forces now occupy the Tel Shams hilltop (turquoise circle, following), elevation 12. From that commanding height, they can now sight just about everywhere and everything all around.

Including the Syrian tanks. [:(]

With the Syrian T-55As selected at hex 30,18 (upper right yellow circle), and with the Visibility highlight (orange hex outlines) toggled ON, you can see where the tanks can sight Tel Shams (observe the orange hex highlight at the turquoise circle, at Tel Shams). If we can see them, they can see us.

Similarly, the Israelis can now see the other Syrian tank stack at hex 28,23 (lower left yellow circle).



We have been found out, or next phase soon will be!

On both wings, Israeli tanks outnumber, and overpower, the Syrian. If I let Crossroads have the initiative, he will be able to outmaneuver me, and overwhelm my armour as he pleases.

For my tanks, playing the waiting game, hiding out in ambush positions, is over. It is now time to use them or lose them, maybe.

[berto]

TURN 7

On the other hand, just because a unit is within Visible range doesn't mean it will automatically be sighted. Those tanks might still be able to stay concealed.

In the following screenshot, I have the on-map Concealment Modifiers display toggled ON. The tanks are in a Scrub hex (yellow circle, following), with a concealment modifier of -1 -- not much concealment, but better than open terrain.



I discover to my chagrin that 2nd Platoon, 3rd Tank Company, the unit that fired earlier on, and killed, that Israeli tank squad to the north -- that platoon of T-55As is now low on ammo (observe the yellow highlighted hollow bullet indicator, following):



Units low on ammo fire at half strength. The chance of that tank platoon soon resupplying is small. At half strength, its best shot will be at very close range. I might just have to keep that platoon where it is, hope it is and remains concealed, let the Israelis stumble onto it, then opfire at one-hex range. Fleeing to the north to join the rest of the company behind that bunker hex is another possibility. What to do?

[berto]

TURN 7

I have some AT assets to the east of Tel Shams that need protecting. A Syrian armoured infantry platoon moves down slope (yellow circle, following). I have the on-map Terrain Combat Modifiers display toggled ON. The infantry are leaving an IP hex with a combat modifier of 75%, meaning opposing units would fire on that hex with 75% of normal effectiveness. The infantry are moving to a Rough terrain hex with a combat modifier of 80%, a bit less protection than the improved position, but it brings them closer to the Israeli recon platoon to the south.

The Syrians make their move, and ...



... Israeli tanks at hex 25,26 (turquoise circle, preceding; hidden before this) opfire, but without effect.

Will the maneuver pay off? The Syrians direct fire at the recon platoon, now just one hex away, and ...



... 1 SP, 6 VPs worth, eliminated. Strike one Israeli recon platoon!

[berto]

TURN 7

A little voice whispers in my ear, saying: "Maybe you should check the Artillery Dialog." I summon the dialog, and ...



... It seems I have many off-board artillery tubes I didn't know about! D'oh!

(That display is after I had plotted several off-board howitzer batteries, thereby removing them from the list.)

I'm not knocking myself too hard, because before now the available obvious targets have been few in any case. Thus far, I have seen plenty of enemy tanks, but few soft targets, which have remained mostly hidden. The artillery I have is nearly useless vs. tanks, with a hard-target firepower at such long distances of 1 or 2 only, so little point in hitting enemy armour. Now however, it's clearer what and where there are soft targets to aim for.

The situation around Tel Shams at Turn 7's end, with the artillery plots indicated by cross-hairs:



As it happens, I decided to leave the T-55As be, except for the 3rd Tank Company HQ Platoon, which has swung around and joined the AT-3 Sagger Team at hex 28,22 facing north. By keeping the T-55As in place in their excellent ambush positions, I may lose the initiative, but I gain the first (opfire) shots.

Tank vs. tank -- it won't be long now.

[berto]

TURN 8

No more dithering. Crossroads goes for it. Mayhem ensues.

Israeli tanks (green circle, following) direct fire at the 3rd Tank Company HQ Platoon at hex 28,22 (upper red circle), destroying it. The first Syrian tank loss!

More Israeli tanks (turquoise circle) fire repeatedly at the Syrian armoured infantry at hex 30,24 (lower red circle), eliminating them on the fourth try.

[berto]

TURN 8

Israeli forces at Tel Shams (turquoise circle, following) direct fire at and destroy a Syrian RCLR (?) at hex 25,23 (red circle):

[berto]

TURN 8

Israeli armour lunges forward. They force Syrian armoured infantry back, then an Israeli M3 Mk. A halftrack (turquoise circle, following) destroys a Syrian AAA battery at hex 28,23 (red circle):

[berto]

TURN 8

"Take that!", shout the Syrian 3rd Tank Company, Second Platoon, as they opfire back and destroy the impudent halftracks (red circle):



Israeli and Syrian tanks then trade fire and opfire back, but without effect.

[berto]

TURN 8

On their far left, Israeli tanks sally forth, then ...



... Wham! Strike one Sho't Kal platoon!

Evidently Crossroads never saw that coming. The T-55As had remained concealed!

[berto]

TURN 8

Israeli tanks (turquoise circles, following) avenge their fallen comrades, shooting up four Syrian T55-As (magenta circles):



Crossroads got the better of that exchange.

[berto]

TURN 8

The Israeli center gets into the action also. Tanks (turquoise circles, following) fire long range at Syrian armoured infantry (magenta circle) at Saasa Ridge, destroy 3 SPs, and force several back and forth retreats:



Thus ends the Side A Israeli phase.

[berto]

TURN 8

Which bring us to the opening of the Side B Syrian phase.

Four Israeli stacks (yellow circles, following) -- all of them soft targets [:)] -- have wandered into the plotted Syrian artillery fields of fire:

[berto]

TURN 8

The Syrian artillery srikes: A reduction, and disruption (magenta highlights, following); and an outright elimination (red highlights):



That second elimination is especially painful, as the destroyed unit was a platoon of Israeli armoured engineers.