M-125 Mortar Carrier

With the completion of the M-125 mortar carrier, I have now completed more figures in the different categories than I have bought this year. Mean the lead pile is getting a little smaller.

Waiting on the blank cards to finish out the deck for my SLA game. Right now the led M113 bumped into the Lebanese militia holding up in one of the buildings along the road. So much for the battle plan.

The Charioteer Rule

This is a special IABSM rule for the use of armor by the PLO and the Lebanese militias. It is named for the Charioteer tank/tank destroyer used by the PLO, Lebanese Arab Army and the Tigers Militia. It is equally applicable to T34/85s and T54/55s used by these forces. This is to take into effect the lack of training and maintenance.

If the player wishes to use the tank, it requires a ”big man” activation. A single die is thrown.

• On a 1-4 there is no effect. The tank can neither move nor fire. It is just a target.
• On a 5 the tank can only fire its weapons.
• On a 6 the tank can activate as below.

If a tank rolls a 6, than it can move or fire using a single die. That is a single die for movement or the correct number of dice for firing, but not both in a single turn. To keep moving, or firing the big man will need to stay with the tank. This rule does not affect Technicals.

The Growing Village

It has been to long since my last post with most of my time being spent on getting ready for Cold Wars and getting my Lebanese village in order.

As you can see from my 2011 Projects list I have been busy with doing up buildings and figures. Currently on my bench is a “Straight Flush” Radar system to be used in Lebanon and the War of Attrition. After that I have five buildings to finish up and than I can get back to writing and gaming.

I hope to see you at Cold Wars in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Mark and I are running two games on Saturday.

Below are the recent images of the village. The five buildings primed black are waiting to be finished.

The Village Market Place. This was the most fun to work on. To the left will be the Lemon/Olive Orchard.

ZPU-4s

Well we are now into February and that means to me Cold Wars is around the corner. This week Mark and I will put the finishing touches on our two games. By the end of the weekend I hope to be able to add to my Syrians with two new platoons, one of T55s and a second with T62s.

My Arab forces have also added to their air defenses with two ZPU-4s. Why do I need two? I don’t know, I think I forgot and than ordered the second.  There is a big difference between the QRF and Peter Pig anti-aircraft guns. While I consider the Peter Pig weapon a miniature, the gun from QRF was a real model with more pieces that I knew what to do with. I even end up with a spare piece that I think was the towing bar. I am not sure with is the correct scale as the Peter Pig Figure is smaller if I do need a third I will problem go with the Peter Pig miniature, it was easy to put together.

Now were are Marks A-4s :)

ZPU-4 from Peter Pig near the mosque.

ZPU-4 from QRF.

Getting Serious

I apologies to the readers of my blog as I am going to get serious on you all. This blog started as a gaming venue so I could work towards getting my ideas ready for publication. This area of the world always interested me. So much so that I am a recent (although very bad) student of Hebrew.

While I did not get over the eastern Mediterranean until after the USMC debacle, I understood the passions that are involved in this area of the world.

As a student in high school I wrote a journalism piece dealing with the assassination of President Sadat. I remember it well as I had a though time reading it aloud. I would never of guessed that his successor would be in power almost 30 years latter. It should give every American pause as not only is Egypt one of America’s largest benefactor of aid under the Camp David Accords, but we support its defense through offering our M1 Abrahams tanks. Egypt is second only to the US Army in the number of M1s in inventory.

These wars of my youth, Lebanon, Yemen, the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War are all still with us. Some of the players have changed, but only the names. This year Lebanon’s government, never very stable falls and is held together by Hezbollah, Tunisia the home of the PLO after they left Beirut has overthrown their President of many years. Yemen is fractured with Saleh being President of one part of Yemen since 1978.

Remember back to the late 70s and think what you were up to. Did you think things would always stay the same? Try to watch the news coming out of the Middle East and ask can anyone make a difference?

 American made M60s and M113s in Egypt during the demonstrations.

Lebanese Soldiers Patrol Downtown in Beirut

While this is a small image, these are modern (Cold War era) weapons usable for both a conflict in Beirut in 1982 or today in 2011. The M113 and the jeep just keep going and going.

Is anyone out there doing current battles in the Middle East that does not include Afghanistan and Iraq? Yes I know Afghanistan is not technically part of the Middle East.

Is there a Problem With History?

While this blog was by design a communication tool for our gaming community I am surprised at the lack of traction from within the area of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. While I do not know how prevalent the Internet is in Lebanon and Syria, I do know that Israel is on par with the United States.

From what I have read, 16% of the population of Syria has Internet access; the issue is the lack of content. While I know the government is not blocking my blog directly (at least I hope so) blogs and social media are often targeted.

So if the region is able to get to my blog, and they understand English, why am I not seeing higher numbers for the region? Any guesses? My guess is they have the same problem we have in the west, a lack of interest in history.

Have other bloggers found similar dismal numbers?

My Work Bench 10/29/2010

There is a new addition to my workbench. Yesterday my QRF Charioteer arrived. Been cleaned up and based. The gun barrel was also strengthened as it was bent back on itself.

This is a great tank for Lebanon. Twenty-four were sold to Jordan in 1954. When Jordan upgraded to the Centurion they were sold to Lebanon. With the start of the Civil War different factions including the PLO, Tigers Militia under Chamoun, and the Lebanese Forces under Gemayel claimed them. The 20 pounder will be a great equalizer in any battle, I am less certain how mobile they were.

I first learned of this gem of a tank in an Osprey. Was only a drawing and a paragraph but it got me interested. Not that it has not happened to anyone else reading this.

 

Also on the bench shown here are three Centurions needing to be base coated and a T34/85 that needs to be washed. The Germans in the back are for a long delayed VBCW faction.

Book Review - The War For Lebanon 1970-1985

It took me longer than I wanted to, but I have finished The War For Lebanon 1970-1985 by Itamar Rabinovich. I hope this will be a reoccurring part of my blog as I go though my library of books on this period. If you have any thoughts or requests, please let me know.

This book is an excellent source for the political side of the conflicts that have had effects on Lebanon from the mandate period to the present. While my interest with “Operation Peace for Galilee” is a very small part of this time period, the background materials were of considerable use. Most political factions and the major players positions and plans are reported on in great detail.


The conflicts and the changing sides require the reader to have a chart of the members of the different teams. The initial maps are useful but additional maps would have been helpful showing the changes in militia/political control in Lebanon.


Rabinovich’s work is scholarly and a very slow read. If you are interested in the Middle East in the latter 20^th century you should give it a read.

Michelin Guide Anyone

In the rules supplement Rock the Casbah (RTC), there is an area called Michelin Guide Anyone. As I wanted a physical map for the campaign I header off to my local Barnes & Nobel. While there were no Lebanon maps I did find a Lonely Planet guidebook on the Middle East. It was a cute read with a nice size chapter on Lebanon with nice city maps. Their web site is also well designed.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/lebanon

I like the aerial views of the existing camps. This is a resource I am sure all sides would have loved to have had.

I ended up getting the map from my friends at Franklin Maps in King of Prussia. It is a fun store to wander through.

The map is 1:200,000 scale so it has most of the villages I need. Or at least I think so as the spellings are a little off. That is a problem I have had for as long as I have gamed this part of the world. With an interest going back to the 1916 Arab Revolt to Lebanon in 1982 every writer has his or her own take on spelling. It gives hope to this poor Catholic school speller.