Arab-Isreali Wars Mod - AAR

[IronX]

This scenario is set in Gaza in the near future, where it’s assumed that after the initial air bombardment ground forces are sent in to secure the city. A snatch-and-grab mission has been launched leading to the successful capture of Hamas High Value Targets. During the operation, however, one of the supporting UH-60s was hit by ground fire and crashed several blocks away (sound familiar?). The crew has survived although their mobility is reduced through injury. A sniper team is in the air and can quickly reach the stranded survivors. Also nearby is a platoon of IDF Special Forces, although they are presently on foot. This scenario is 20 turns long and has reinforcements and some off-map air support. It is designed to be played as the IDF.

Image 1: This shows the units at the beginning of Turn 1. The prisoners are about to be loaded on trucks and have infantry escorts. SF units act as a screening force a few blocks to the north while the operation is carried out. Also of note are barricades that are scattered throughout the city, which will impede vehicle traffic. Some of these are visible, while others remain out of view.

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Image 2: With the prisoners loaded onto trucks, the remaining units start moving towards the crash site. Enemy units begin to pop up, including a 12.7mm HMG. The M113 moves forward so it can begin laying down fire on the HMG and scout the way out for the trucks. To the left, the sniper has landed and taken up position in a building next to the downed helo. In the center of the map, one of my SF units has taken heavy fire from three sides, causing some casualties and pinning the men.

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Image 3: By the end of the second turn the pinned SF units have rallied and begin moving south, out of the line of fire. The MD 500 has braved the fierce ground fire and moved east, also scouting the way for the trucks and discovers enemy units lining one of the clear roads. I’ll have to find an alternative route as the trucks will be easy targets.

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Image 4: In this zoomed-out view, the situation has gone downhill quickly. Moving the M113 through what looked like a clear path lead them into another ambush, where it was taken out by a RPG. Another RPG team to the north was discovered by the MD 500 before it was hit by ground fire and crashed. I’ve decided not to move the trucks for the moment. They’re out of harm’s way for now but remain vulnerable as a Hamas mortar is shooting wildly into the city. As it has no line of site, it’s unlikely to hit them.

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Image 5: A couple of turns later and the IDF has had some success by eliminating the enemy sniper team and a squad of fighters (circled). Other Hamas fighters, however, have begun to advance on the crash site.

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Image 6: The end of Turn 6 sees the Hamas fighters that were advancing on the crash site pull back, demoralized by concentrated IDF small-arms fire. From the north, a heavily-armed technical has made an appearance. Its 23mm cannon is bad news for infantry in the open and poses a threat to any helos that venture into the city. Fortunately they are thin-skinned and can be take out pretty easily with small arms fire.

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More to follow...

[IronX]

Image 7: Before it had a chance to do any damage, the IDF troops take out the technical. Moments later a second one appears on the same street.

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Image 8: A long distance shot from one of the SF squads quickly dispatches the second machine.

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Image 9: Reinforcements arrive from the east edge of the map. A platoon of infantry in heavily armored APCs are escorted by another MD 500. Additional trucks follow to pick up dismounted infantry. The reinforcements still have to navigate through the blocked streets. The Hamas RPG team covers the main road. It has to be eliminated before that route can be used. A UAV is stationed above the battlefield and it is called in by the newly arrived troops.

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Image 10: Additional reinforcements have arrived in the form of two Merkava Mk IVs. Unfortunately, they don’t have a clear shot of the enemy RPG so can’t bring their 120mm guns to bear. Nor can they be used as spotters for the UAV.

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Image 11: Another squad of Hamas fighters approach the crash site (A). Meanwhile, the IDF units at (B) creep towards the enemy squad and prepare to assault. To the east, a squad of infantry has dismounted and is moving towards a position that will give it a clear line of sight to the RPG (C). There they can fire at it as well as call in the UAV and direct the attack.

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Image 12: At the crash site, the Hamas fighters have assaulted the trapped crew, but it failed and now both units are pinned. On the other side of the map the spotters have moved into position and have called in the air strike. Using the MD 500 to spot troops in the street, the APCs use their Mk-19s and 60mm mortars to lay down indirect fire, pinning one squad out in the open.

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More turns to come...

[jztemple]

Looking to be another great IronX mod!

I like the scenario. Currently I'm slogging through a Winter War "charge into the machine guns and trenches with only your bolt action rifles" scenario and I appreciate the change in design style.

[IronX]

Image 13: After three assaults on the Hamas squad, the IDF SF units finally prevail. The remaining Hamas fighters withdraw from the crash site allowing the IDF to move and secure the site. On closer examination one of the helicopter’s crew didn’t survive the earlier close assault.

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Image 14: The RPG team is attacked by the UAV, although the strike fails to take the team out. A second RPG team appears and immobilizes one of the tanks. This team is armed with the RPG-29.

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Image 15: The waiting infantry dismounts and makes its way towards the intransigent RPG team. To the west, a squad moves forward but takes a casualty from the HMG in the process as it crosses the street. Meanwhile, the other tank moves north through the streets (unprotected) hoping to get a better shot of the RPG teams. So far, no such luck.

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[IronX]

Image 16: The dismounted infantry squad has reached the RPG team and assaults it, killing the lone survivor. In the center of the map another squad approaches the RPG-29 team responsible for immobilizing the Merkava. And with only a few more turns left in the game, the prisoners and escorts begin to move towards the route that has mostly been cleared.

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Image 17: The field of fire of the HMG is highlighted here. As time ticks by, the trucks decided to risk the run past the machine gun. Although bullets fill the air around the trucks, they manage to race past without loss. The route out has been cleared further by the elimination of the Hamas fighters caught out in the open. A constant barrage of mini-gun fire from the MD 500 and small-arms fire proved too much for these fighters. With much of the fighting over, some troops begin to mount their APCs in anticipation of heading back to base.

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Image 18: In this zoomed-out shot the prisoners can be seen approaching the exit objective and the remaining troops continue boarding their vehicles. A final assault on the HMG removes the threat, clearing the route for trucks to pass and collect the helo crew, sniper and others who stayed to protect the crash site.

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Image 19: The battle is over. The prisoners and their escorts made it back to base without loss and the surviving soldiers are on their way out. Interestingly, a Hamas squad has reappeared and was about to collect the points from the crash site objective when the game ended. It wouldn’t have made much difference, however, as the outcome was a major victory for Israel. In all, the IDF lost 12 men and two vehicles, while Hamas lost 34 men and two vehicles.

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The Blackhawk Down scenario lends itself well to this setting. In addition to securing the crash site, the player needs to make decisions about how best to make it out of the city. It is literally a maze as barricades block straight routes, providing ideal opportunities for ambushes. The first few times I played this mission I lost most of the prisoners and many of the reinforcements to ambushes. The helos proved very vulnerable too and were often shot down. Advancing armor through winding streets without infantry leading the way proved disastrous, so I exercised much more care this time around and it paid off.

When the mod is released it will contain this mission and another version that gives the Israeli player more reinforcements and more time to complete, as it can be a very challenging.

I hope you enjoyed the report! :ciao:

[Rifleman95th]

Amazing :D It hardly needs said but boy IronX has done a superb job on the art work.

Some of the little touches like the lying down figures are impressive and a big advance on the base engine.

[IronX]

Thanks! I'm hoping some of the small visual cues like the lying down figure makes it easier to understand what's going on, while others are simply cosmetic (but hopefully more appealing). I'm continuing to tinker with various things, so the final product may look a little different. I've already changed the coloring and markings on the Merkava, for example, so that it now resembles the units you see on the news.

Oh, and just to let you know, I've repositioned some units and changed a few other things in this scenario so when the mod's released, it won't play out exactly like the AAR. :devious: