Chinese Farm 1: "A Most Terrible Night" Narrative AAR

[bootlegger267]

Spartan 7.....Thanks! ..and you are correct regarding Reshef's Bde and the Ha Sinai. I'm using them (Ha Sinai) to replicate Matt's troops that performed the initial crossing.

"At 605pm, Ltc Brom led the Bde across the dunes towards Lakekan, 6 miles west where the Bde would emerge onto Lexicon road."

(Ltc Brom was the the officer who discovered the seam between the Egyptian 2nd and 3rd Armies.)

"Except for the phosphorous shells bursting around Lakekan, all was quiet when Reshef's arrived at Lexicon road, a mile from the Canal, and 5 miles south of Tirtur. Beyond that lay the Chinese Farm where the Egyptian 16th Inf Div was entrenched."


(Excerpts from Rabinovich's book)

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 8... On the west bank of the canal, Brom's recce begin to scout a 1 kilometer wide zone. Upon coming under fire, Brom's lead Co moves back and prepares to dismount and approach the high ground from the north west.

Col Reshef asks Ltc Brom to send his tanks to the crossroads to assist Mitzna, whose unit has be decimated. As Brom approached the crossroads, his vehicle is hit and the man who found the seam between the two Egyptian armies was killed.

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 8 Cont...Maimon's Composite Tk Co places heavy fires on dug in enemy tanks that were responsible for many of Mitzna's losses, and forces them to retreat. Then a BRDM, one that had been running in and around the wrecks, was finally destroyed.

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 8 Cont..."Reshef, this is Arik, report your situation?" "Arik" was Ariel Sharon, Cdr of the 143rd Ugda. Until just a few months ago, Sharon was the Commander of the Southern Front (Sinai). Forced into retirement by Moshe Dayan, his only parting request was that he be given a Reserve Division Command. With outbreak of war, he was now serving as a division commander within his old command...

"Not good" replied his brigade commander. Mitzna's Bn got hit bad as he approached the crossroad. My tanks have no room to maneuver among the ditches and trenches. Brom's force discovered a large minefield running from the canal all the way to Lexicon and the Farm."

"What do you need to make it work?" asked Sharon. "I need to control the forces in this area" said Reshef, refering to elements not belonging to his Bde. "Granted" said Sharon. "I also need all the artillery and star shells I can get. Here are the coordinates..." Reschef called off grid numbers over the command net, which also included those from Matt's forces that had been ambushed on Tirtur's eastern end.

"Reshef, you know your mission, do what needs doing" ordered Sharon. Reshef acknowledged his commander. Mitzna, Almog, Yitzak, and Shaked all overheard the conversation. "We will wait for the star shells and artillery to do its work. Mitzna, you will get help from more Red Boots approaching your Infantry positions as we speak. Once the artillery lifts, push them across Tirtur and clear those damn trenches. Matt's forces to your east will do the same. Looking at Almog and Yitzak, "get your tanks in position along Lexicon and pour as much fire as you can into the enemy.....Use your Mortars to fire any star shells you have. Just as Reshef ordered them back to their units, the sounds of far off artillery was heard with a low rumble...Sharon was as good as his word...

The skies north of Tirtur began to glow as the star shells ignited. As the commanders eyes adjusted to the brightness, the extent of the enemy positions became apparent as they scanned the positions through binoculars....Enemy infantry were scrambling from trench to trench carrying suitcases which the Israeli's knew were missiles. Scores of soldiers with RPG's manned the trenches...

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 8 cont...Col Matt was facing armored vehicles along with infantry bristling with weapons. His tenuous hold on this portion of Tirtur road was about to be tested.

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 8..Matt's forward units beat back the enemy attack and his recoiless rifle unit scored hits on multiple enemy vehicles. The downside was the star shells had exposed his units which brought new enemy fires...

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 8...The rear areas of the 143rd and 162nd Ugda's erupt as flares burst overhead and multiple Hq's element come under attack. The unseen enemy has been calling in effective artillery fires and there must be "eyes" among the dunes......

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 8 cont...The amount of enemy fire did not abate as Lt Ovadia's Recce unit continued to hold the eastern portion of Tirtur. Artillery continued to fall across his positions and another halftrack lay in ruins. Reports indicated that there were enemy armored vehicles moving towards Tirtur.

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 8 Cont..An enemy tank force appeared on Lexicon heading for the crossroad. Massed tank fire brought the attack to a halt at 500m.

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 9...First, an apology to those who know the historical aspects of this battle. None of Brom's forces crossed the Canal. I did not read the reinforcement schedule, and as such, missed the arrival of the Pontoons and Gillois. So, since I was playing this as historical as possible, I am pulling those forces back from the west bank.

The attack by the Egyptian tanks trying to reach the crossroad was defeated by the tanks from 3 different Bn's. 9 burning hulls now littered Lexicon and the railroad below it. The 87th Recon tanks now had the responsibility of stopping any further attempts by the enemy to use that approach.

Mitzna's Inf, along with the 14th Bde's Recce Plt's retake the trenches north of Tirtur but come under withering fire.

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 9...Matt received a radio message from Col Gol, the Southern Command Commander of Engineers.."Danny, my lead elements have cleared the Tirtur/Akavish intersection. The pontoons are still far behind. What is your status?" asked the Col. "Arik asked me to assist Reshef in securing Tirtur. I have not.. The road is blocked and the enemy can fire onto Akavish" answered Matt. "We have made progress but not enough. My people have a toehold where the road turns west but it is not good. Be careful coming up Akavish" said Matt.

Matt had nothing to stop the Egyptian armor if they decided to advance between the forces he had at the turn and those in the trenches. He kept feeding troops into the hell that was the turn, to keep the enemy's attention there....

Matt hoped that Reshef's tanks and Infantry could force Tirtur from the west, freeing his forces to get on with their original mission..get across the Canal....

He pulled another Company of Para's off the road under Cpt Ma'Oz to assist in the assault of the enemy positions. It would take time, but he had requested all the artillery division could get to prepare the attack...

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian turn 9..The heavy fire coming from the eastern portion of the enemy defense along the Tirtur road forces Matt's troops back.

What the Israeli Intelligence couldn't tell them prior to the attack, the commander's on the ground now knew...This Tirtur road marked the southern flank of the 16th Infantry's defense, and this was the road the Israeli's needed in order to get the bridging equipment to the canal....

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian turn 9....

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 10...After over 3hrs of intense fighting, Tirtur road was still impassable. The terrain on either side of the road was laced with irrigation/AT ditches and enemy trenches. He also heard the radio conversation between Matt and the engineers. Their lead elements were approaching Tirtur from the east.
He had the Infantry Co's from 3 Bn's, plus a Co plus of Matt's Para's prepared to attack the enemy positions along Tirtur from the south.

3km's north, his armor was going to attack from the west. A column of tanks were going to force their way down Tirtur to support the infanrty attack.

The attack commenced with tank fire from Mitzna's C Co, still bogged in the ditches. From that point on, the night turned into a living hell....

Under intense pressure from the Israeli's, the Egyptian's fell back, but they did so without panicking like old. Mitzna's
Infantry force had gained a 500m foothold norrth of the road and had occupied the first line of trenches. Matt's troops had also forced the enemy back. Once word that there were no enemy forces along the road, Mitzna led a column of eight tanks east, down Tirtur....

[Jason Petho]

This is fantastic! Great AAR!

[bootlegger267]

ORIGINAL: Jason Petho

This is fantastic! Great AAR!

Glad you're enjoying! I am! Excellent scenario....what a bitch!

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 10...The 87th Recon stumbles upon mobile SAM launchers....Not without casualties...

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 10 cont...The Egyptians were not backing down. After a brutal artillery barrage hit their positions, they still came. Missile tm's moved forward to engage the Israeli armor. A few tanks ran down Lexicon but were destroyed within 100m's of the Israeli tanks already there. Infantry re-occupied lost positions.....

[bootlegger267]

Egyptian Turn 10 Cont..The Paratroopers were experienced fighters, and yet, they had never come across such a determined foe. The enemy continued to pound their positions with direct and indirect fires. On the radio, reports of another armor commander, in the north, was killed. Ground gained, was lost....

[bootlegger267]

Israeli Turn 11...The identification of mobile Sam launchers, as heard within the Southern Command Hq's raised a stir. Till now, the Army Leadership had remained silent as they listened to the fragmented reports coming over the radio's. It was only now, when they heard that report did they intervene. "Destroy them!...."