Slow and Steady: A "Rock the Casbah" After-Action Report

   I'm going to finish this largely because I wonder if RUP reads the blog, and what he'll do if  I finish it. At any rate, the game was set: the Israelis were meant to clear a town that a small group of Syrians had forgotten to actually pull back from; the Israeli spearhead was to take the town while the Syrians and PLO were there to take what they could and hold until relieved... or at least that's what I think they were to do. As an Israeli, I found their actions and methods inscrutable, and thus do not deign to try and explain them.

The right flank of the Israelis: largely dirt roads and rocky outcroppings, with a small walled orchard.

The left flank of the Israeli advance, with the forked highway and orchard. Smoke is to cover the Recon's advance.

An Israeli Magach and two Zeldas advance down the road while unknown Israeli forces move on the walled orchard.

Caution/cowardice is a virtue: my Recon slowly advances across the open ground through smoke barrages.

The Magach has its eyes on the prize, but the advance is slow as they round the walled orchard.

"Maybe my eyes are out-of-focus, but are there some guys with a briefcase on that hill?"

Between an ATGM team and a T-55! Lietenant Aviv Ackbar: "Oi, it's a trap!"

Magach #2 takes fire from the ATGM (being too close to Magach #1) and he gives a throaty reply!

PLO forces abandon the hill as Israeli recon moves forwards under an endless smoke barrage.

Command Thomas Ben Fariz gives his assurances that everything is going totally to plan. Nothing to worry about!

Magach #3 and its APC compliment comes into sight of the first big apartment building...

...As its partner skirts an orchard of Syrian commandos full of RPGs and freshly-squeezed orange juice.

After some ineffectual fire the Magach manages to take out a new T-55, only for more Syrian reinforcements to arrive. Yeesh!

Further complicating things, Magach #3 takes a fatal missile hit. The loss grinds an already overly-cautious advance to a complete standstill.

 The true culpruit reveals itself! Beitsim!

And we end the game here as the Israelis realize that their hesitance allowed the Syrians to bring further resources to bera, making the taking of the city to be far more costly than it shoudl be.

   It has been quite a while since we actually played this game, but it was (as per usual) a pretty great one from R.U.P. As I've already mentioned in the captions, Israeli hesistance to move forward at speed ended up being one of the great deciders, as the Syrians ended up getting reinforcements well before the Israelis even got close to their target. The furthest advance was the recon group, which you can see in the final photo in the blue/grey bulding with smoke nearby it. Credit to Anton, Housemartin and his devilish daughter for standing up and costing so many brave Herbrew lives. That day, the man in the tank was not victorious.