Thunder in the Sinai*
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Egypt vs Israel*
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October 6-17, 1973*
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You will command an Egyptian armored force during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973. Prepare to fight the greatest tank battles since World War II as entire armored brigades thunder across the deserts and passes of the Sinai!*
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The campaign covers 5 battles: Shovich Yonim, Lituf, Ras Sudar, Chinese Farm, and Deversoir. It may be short but it is very challenging. Your tanks will be at a disadvantage when pitted one-on-one against the Israelis. You must overcome the IDF using superior strategy and tactics.*
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Background*
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Israel's devastating victory over the Egyptian and allied Arab forces in the "Six Day war" in 1967 humliated the Arab armies. It put Israel in control of the Sinai peninsula, the West bank, and the Golan Heights. It also sowed the seeds of the next war.*
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For Egypt, return of the Sinai became it's number one foriegn policy objective. But Israel, confident of it's military superiority and aware of the political divisions in the Arab world, had no incentive to do so.*
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Stymied politically, Anwar Sadat decided to regain the Sinai by force. But how to do so against the formidable Israeli army and air force? The Egyptians devised a quite ingenious strategy to counter the Israelis.*
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Foremost among these changes was a multi-layered heavy SAM defense (courtesy of the USSR) west of the Suez canal. This would ensure the invading forces would not be devastated by the IAF, at least in the early days before they outran this shield of SAMs.*
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Second was the reliance on infantry anti-tank weapons to counter the legendary tank brigades of the IDF. New weapons in the form of more effective RPGs and deadly man-portable wire-guided missiles were incorporated into the battle plan.*
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And finally, the Egyptians had learned well the advantages of surprise. They would strike with the Syrians on the holiest of days: Yom Kippur, the "Day of Atonement" when many Israeli soldiers would be home with their families.*
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The IDF detected the troop buildup west of the Suez, but misinterpreted it as just a military exercise. The stage was set. The greatest tank battles since World War II were about to take place as entire armored brigades thundered across the Sinai.*
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Design Notes*
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Updated for version 3.0*
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The campaign works best with an armor-heavy core supplemented by small numbers of infantry and artillery.*
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The very first battle is a "filler" and you can use it to reorganize and reassign your formations if desired. Consider it a training period: it also gives your units an extra bit of experience, which they sorely need!*
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The scenarios of this campaign were inspired by Avalon Hill's boardgame "The Arab-Israeli Wars". These and many other "AIW" battles are found in the Scenario List.*
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Additional Source: "Arabs at War" (Univ. of Neb. Press 2002)
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Campaign Design by C.B. Blackard and Doug McBratney.*
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