Scenario

It is 1985, South Lebanon. The South Lebanese Army is holding a strip of territory close to the Israeli Border. A growing number of clashes has caused yesterday’s attack on a line of villages by the Syrian Army.

A large number of ground troops, brigade size, is holding ground ready to launch an attack on the South Lebanese. A small Israeli force has crossed the border to hel SLA to hold their ground.

The game

Played using Modern Spearhead, one base one platoon or half company in 1/300.

Total of 24 game turns (eight hours) plus minus one.

Table is 180X180, fully covered with high hills and broken grounds. Three villages, two small and one big on the highest ridge in the middle of the table, road running on top. Other Roads going on low ground connecting all villages present on table (six in total).

The South Lebanese Army still holds the three villages (total of one battalion strength, including one tank company and one mechanised company. One of them has been attacked by a Syrian Commando battalion which has entrenched nearby during the night.

A motorized infantry regiment with heavy artillery supports is entering from north at first morning lights.

A battalion sized israeli force will enter from south sometimes in the morning.

ORBATS

From 1982 MSH list with the following modifications:

• Syrian mechanised battalions: add one base of Sagger team on BTR.
• Commando Battalion +1 in assault, regular
  • BHQ, Landrover or GAZ jeep.
  • 3 coys three infantry bases (RPG7)
  • 1 base Milan.
• Israeli troops use Zelda with additional armor, and mechanized battalion has an additional Zelda close support base (40mm), fights dismounted as HMG.
• Armoured battalion has integral jeep recce base and may have fourth company of two tank bases.
• Israeli assault engineer company has 3 bases of Nagmashot combat teams. and has an integral armoured bulldozer base.

Syrians (11 battalions)

Use 1982 MSH list with the following modifications:

• One mechanized infantry brigade, one tank (T55, may attach none or all its companies), three mechanised battalions (BTR60 and OT64), arriving on move 0 from north table edge, march order from single road, plus attachments (recce, AA, AT coys).
• One commando battalion, entrenched around one of the three SLA villages, out of small arms range.
• One artillery regiment (divisional support, may do preplanned fire) of four battalions, 3X3 122mm D20, 1X3 155 D20, 6 fire missions per battalion in total. Off table. One FAO.
• Divisional AA battalion 3XZPU23.
• Divisional AT 3X100mm battalion.
• Three flight of SU20.

Syrians1985.docx

Israeli and allies (5 battalions)

• One battalion on SLA (positioned in the three villages):
  • 3 companies of 3 infantry bases (LAW)
  • 1 107 RR on jeep base
  • 1 81mm mortar
• Elements of regular Mechanised brigade all arriving with 1D6=5,6 each move, in march order from south, single road:
  • Brigade HQ (may form battlegroup with up to three support coys)
  • one tank battalion (Merkava I)
  • one mechanised battalion, may cross attach with tank battalion.
  • Attachments to be assigned at beginning of game
    • brigade recce coy
    • brigade engineer coy
    • divisional 3 X M163 AA attached by platoons.
    • divisional 3 X Stinger teams on jeep, attached by platoons.
    • Divisional assault engineer company on 3XNagmashot.
  • regimental 4X120mm mortars battalion on M113, four bases, 6 fire missions. Can be attached to one battalion or kept at regimental level, one FAO on table
  • divisional 3XM109 battalion, 9 fire missions. Can be attached to one battalion or kept at divisonal level off table, FAO on table.
• Six flights of Skyhawks.

Israeli1985.docx

First part

A view of the Lebanon landscape. Very hilly and rough. The three SLA strongholds are in the middle of the table, along very high ridges. The biggest town is on the top of a very high and steep hill. I have decided to double the spotting range to 6 inches per contour, to take into account the very high hills present in this region. Troops observing from this town, on the top of three contours, may able to spot vehicles in the open at 18+18=36 inches!
The SLA battalion is split one company on each of the three towns. Hassbaya, the biggest one, contains also the recoiless rifle platoon, the HQ and the ACAV company.
The Syrian Commando battalion has entrenched during the night, they are on the outskirts of Hassbaya, just outside small arm fire range.

On first move, the israeli are very lucky and they manage to enter the battlefiled from the singleroad on the south (on 1D6=5,6). It is a very long line of vehicles, with recce in front, followed by the tank battalion and then the mechanized battalion.

You may see smoke arising from the center village, centered by the whole artilley regiment in support of the Syrian mechanized brigade.

A detail of the first troops stopping in the first village along the road, Vulcan AA, recce and logistics.

The brigade recce RBYs dashe to the crossroad. On the right the road goes to Nassbaya, straight to the village in low ground, held by SLA troops.

The Syrian tank battalion occupies very rapidly the northest village on the right side of the battlefield. They are covered by an AA company of Shilka. They expect heavy attacks from the Israeli Air Force.

On the far right one of the three mechanized battalion advances, Forward Observer team in front.

The mechanized battalion starts deplying as soon as one recce BRDM2 discovers the South Lebanese troops are holding the small village. the SLA troops have only LAWs to defend against armor, they manage to suppress the recce platoon.

The tank battalion right platoons start targeting the SLA troops in the small village.

Here you may see Hassbaya surrounded by commando troops and pounded by heavy artillery fire.

Another two mechanized battalion are assaulting from the south.

The israelis are advancing very cautiosly, maybe they do not want to get caught in the fighting ! Here Merkavas from the tank battalion at the head of the column.

Israelis are supported by one battalion of M109A1 at divisional level, and one 120mm mortar battalion at brigade level.

The israeli Brigade HQ observes the long line of Zeldas and the assault engineer company on Nagmashots.

The two syrian battalions attacking Nassbaya struggle to reeach the village, but they are getting very little fire. No artillery or planes are attacking, since Forwrad and Air Observers are well behind the lines. They might have gone faster to take commanding positions and caused a slaughter in the Syrian lines, but…

A view of the main attack on Nassbaya from the Syrian lines.

The Syrian battalion on the right is now deployed and starts a long range engagement before launching the assault. The fire is very effective and they do not get any fire back, since PLA troops have only man-portable antitank weapons.

The final phase of the assault. Heavy support fire suppresses most of the PLA troops before close combat. But the Battalion commander manages to restore some order, all platoons are rallied before close combat!

The order is restored to no avail, the final assault is given by one tank and two infantry companies, and overwhelmes the defence.

Nassbaya is taken!

The mechanized company and Vulcans attached to the tank battalion make a long detour towards Nassbaya.

The tank battalion starts a long range fire. On the background an RBY recce has been destroyed by Milan commando teams.

The east part of the ridge where Nassbaya lies, where commandos can be seen well entrenched.

The OT64 battalion on the rigth causes heavy losses on the SLA company hoding the small village on the far left of the Israeli lines.

An israeli A4 flight is called to attack the commando entrenchemnts. The first attack run is diverted by heavy ZPU23 fire from two AA platoons!

A close view of the corageus T55 tankers holding the village agaist a probable attack by Merkavas!

The commando battalion commander decides to break-off in front of the israeli armor, but they are quickly replaced by an OT64 mechanized battalion. It may well be an maneuvre orchestrated by the Syrian high command. The mechanized battalion entrenches and its APCs leave the ridge to go behind the Syrian lines.

The third battalion redeployes on the left of Nassbaya with defend orders.

In the mean time israeli battalions get new orders, one columns advances towards the central village, the only one left with SLA troops.

A view from the back of the IDF column. Zeldas on the forefront.

A closeup of the Artillery battalion in divisional support.

The assault engineer company start their advance towards the leftmost SLA village, which is now void of troops. Since no fire is directed to the Syrians, they will manage to enter the village in about half an hour time, unless something is done very quickly by the israelis.

The first part of the game ends at turn 6. Twelve turns more to go, six hours of fights before the troops will become exhausted and potentially with low ammunition.

The fight is still uncertain, since the two sides have suffered very little. It is true that SLA holds only one village by now, and Nassbaya, on high ground, is in the hands of the Syrians, but the israelis have good troops and excellent tanks, and they are able to react much more quickly to changes in the fight.

In terms of observation and reconnaissance, the israeli have been rather poor, their artillery observers being among fighting troops and not on high ground. Recce platoons have not advanced very much, apart from one RBY platoon that having spotted entrenchments, decided to go directly on the trenches, too close.

Second Part

The second part of the battle has seen the Syrians to consolidate the positions of the conquered town, with commandoes retiring on the reverse hill to reorganize a new attack.

One mechanized battalion on the ridge to the left of the village has been ordered to attack the right flank of the IDF forces, while on the right the tank battalion has quickly moved to hold the village on the right.

The israelis have reacted very quickly to this situation, canceling their order to attack the village just conquered by the syrians and shifting their forces to their left, to give a strong punch to their left.

The terrible command and control of the syrians frustrated the high command battle plan. Not a single battalion managed to move from their previousley planned orders.Having conquered two out of three villages, the victory was on their grasp.
The israeli instead prepared the attack of the village on their left, spearheding it with the combat engineer company followed by the tank and a mechanized battalion.Half an hour before the combat engioneer heavy APCs reached the start positions, the Brigde commander requested all air support at his disposal to attack the T54 battalion. Two full squadrons of A4 Skyhawk attacked and destroyed more than one third of the tanks, causing the syrians to hastily retreat with poor morale.The first combat engineer platoon entered the village at sunset in the midst of smoke from burning wrecks.The battle was won by the IDF, holding two out of three of the South Lebanese Force villages, even if the Syrians were not dislodged by the most strategic of the three villages, the one on their right.

Lessons learned

Syrians are good fighters, even with inferior weapons, but it is almost impossible to shift a plan. The first battle plan must work and they need reserves to be committed in a later stage of the battle.IDF on the contrary is extremely flexible and they can afford to start with a bad battleplan and remedy as the battle develops.Air to ground attacks were first committed piecemeal by IDF, with no success. the concentrated attack of all remaining forces to a single Syrian battalion was vey effective, saturating the Syrian AA units and causing enough casualties for the Syrians to rout.
Overall a very interesting theatre, to be repeated soon.