I’m interested in operational level wargames for World War II. But my definition of “operational level” has been pretty vague. Something about campaigns and major offensives. So I thought I’d explore operational level war in more detail … and it turns out I was right. It is all about campaigns and major offensives.
Arab-Israeli Wars
There have been seven Arab-Israeli Wars so far (1948 to now), plus innumerable military operations and two Palestinian uprisings. Terrorism, infiltration and insurgency, and the relevant counter-measures, have also been a key component of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I’ve included the Lebanese Civil War because it is the back drop for the events in 1978 and 1982. Most of my material is on 1948.
Sub-categories: 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and Lebanon.
Timeline for the Arab-Israeli Wars
This is just a rough high level outline of the Arab-Israel Wars.
No-Mans Land Mini-Campaign
This is a skirmish level mini-campaign set in no-mans land on a fairly static front. It is applicable to any period (see the possible settings). Each player is a junior commander whose job is the patrol and control the area between the opposing forces. Over three game days and nights each player must plan and execute 6 missions from a predetermined list. The interest lies in the fact that each player is picking from a different list to that of his opponent. The key problem being addressed is “How does a commander react when faced with events not covered by his orders?”
General Tactical Observations from the 1982 Lebanon War
Ideas mostly taken from the MOUT page for Operation Peace for Galilee
Timeline of the Lebanon War
The War in Lebanon can be divided into these periods (Hiro, 1993):
Warring Factions of the War in Lebanon
This is just a cursory look at the armed groups in the period of the Lebanese Civil War (1975+) through the 1982 Lebanon War and who was fighting who.
Wargaming Scenarios for the War in Lebanon
Some thoughts for scenarios in the Lebanon War.
Arab Order of Battle in the War in Lebanon
A place holder for the order of battle used by the Arab forces – whether Christian, Muslim, Shia, Sunni, Druze, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian – during the 1982 Lebanon War. I don’t have a lot here at the moment. I understand the Lebanese Militias operated in fairly ad hoc formations.
Israeli Order of Battle in the 1982 Lebanon War
Some rough notes on the Israeli Order of Battle for the Lebanon War.
Sources for the Arab-Israeli Wars
An annotated bibliography for the Arab-Israel Wars.
Painting Guide for the Arab-Israeli Wars
Very, very draft painting guide for the Arab-Israel Wars.
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 Armed Forces in the Arab-Israeli Wars
This section contains general information about how the Israeli armed forces have been organised over time.