An annotated bibliography for the Arab-Israel Wars.
1956 Arab-Israeli War
Egypt, Syria and Jordan were planning a joint war on Israeli. However, events took a different turn as Israel secretly planned simultaneous operations with the British and French, the latter two to open the Suez Canal (closed by Egypt), and the former to attack Sinai. The 1956 War is also known as the Sinai Campaign, Operation Kadesh (after the IDF codename), and the 100 hours war (the length of time it took the Israeli’s to win). Operation Kadesh was wholly fought between Israel and Egypt. The entire campaign lasted 100 hours from when Israel invaded Egyptian held Sinai on 29 Oct 1956 until 1 Nov when the IDF forces had stopped 10 miles short of the Suez Canal (as agreed with the British and French). The war officially ended on 7 Nov when the UN imposed a ceasefire.
Flags of the Protagonists in the Arab-Israeli Wars
I wanted to make some Arab-Israeli objective makers for Crossfire and thought flags would be a simple answer. It turns out the Arab states were in a period of transition so the flags are many and varied.
Israeli Ranks
I needed a table so I could understand the Israeli system of ranks.
Weapons and Vehicles of the Arab-Israeli Wars
Here’s a brief description of the various weapons/vehicles used in the Arab-Israel Wars.
Israeli / Hebrew Terms for Military Formations
The IDF uses platoons, companies, battalion, etc just like the rest of the world. But I thought it would be handy to have a table of showing the Hebrew and English equivalents.
Infiltration, Insurgency and Counter Measures in the Arab-Israeli Wars
Infiltration of national borders has been a component of the Arab-Israeli conflict, for example, during 1949-53 the Arabs organised over 3,000 infiltrations and in 1949-56 over two hundred Israelis were killed by mistanenim. The general name for this conflict is the Terrorist War, however, the War of Attrition (1968-70) also saw many infiltrations. I have grouped them together as the military operations were very similar.
Datasheets for Arab-Israeli Crossfire
Data sheets for my Arab-Israeli Crossfire.
Crossfire House Rules for the Arab-Israeli Wars
I’ve started compiling some Crossfire amendments for refighting the Arab-Israeli conflicts. I’ve also started putting together scenarios – particularly for 1948-49.
Timeline for the 1956 Arab-Israeli War
Timeline for the 1956 Arab-Israeli War. Based primarily on Dayan (1965).
Ideas for Wargaming Scenarios in 1956 Arab-Israeli War
Here is a list of possible wargaming scenarios for the 1956 Arab-Israeli War. I haven’t fully developed them, these are just my notes until I can get back to them. My interest is in company level infantry actions and this affects the kind of actions I’m interested in.
Egyptian Order of Battle in the 1956 Arab-Israeli War
During the 1956 Arab-Israeli War the Egyptian army might have been big and well equipped but it was a bit of a mess. The Egyptian troops were poorly trained and led, and had little incentive to fight. Motivation was low as the Egyptians used conscription but didn’t pay any allowances to the family if a soldier was killed or incapacitated. Possibly worse still the predominantly upper class Egyptian Officers considered it beneath them to train their men. Finally communication between the field and HQ was poor. Field commanders invented successes and/or exaggerated enemy numbers, and then ignored orders from above as they knew these orders were based on fabricated reports like their own.
Israeli Order of Battle in the 1956 Arab-Israeli War
Up to and including the 1956 Arab-Israeli War the IDF was a predominantly infantry based organisation. Israel’s armour focus only came after the Moshe Dayan (IDF Chief-of-Staff) saw how effective armour operations could be during Operation Kadesh. The plan for the Sinai Campaign was to have the armour in infantry support roles; as it turned out they did some nifty blitzkrieg type attacks.
Sinai Campaign and Operation Kadesh
Called variously the 1956 War, the Sinai Campaign, Operation Kadesh (after the IDF codename), and the 100 hours war (the length of time it took the Israeli’s to win). Egypt, Syria and Jordan were planning a joint war on Israeli, however, events took a different turn. Egypt had nationalised the Suez Canal – thus offending … Read more