Aeronavale Corsair part 2

With the kit built and base coated I faced up to,the tricky task of painting the yellow and black ‘invasion stripes’. Some thin masking tape came to the rescue here and the result was less appalling than it might have been.

Aeronavale Corsair - part 1

As part of the Suez project - one of many I have on the back burner - I built this Hobbyboss Corsair kit.  It's as crisply moulded as I have come to expect from Hobbyboss and went together very well.

Gnuston Heights - part 5 - Last ditch defence?

 As we return to the action some Syrian M-8 are heading west.  As it turned out there was a mechanical failure and they weren't seen again.

 Meanwhile Syrian armour thundered across the AT ditch

  Israeli infantry forming a second defence line

 Kuneitra had been reinforced by a mech battalion and some elderly M-51 Isherman tanks.

The Syrian air attacks just kept coming... (this and next two photos by Ian)

 ...while Israeli tanks took casualties reinforcing the strongpoint line

 By now Israeli reinforcements were gathering in some strength, with M-48...

 ...and M-51 tanks gathering

 Incidentally, the lone figure on the roof of the large building is a senior officer with an eye patch....

Intriguingly, the Syrians spent a lot of time assaulting strongpoints

and only in the south was real progress made

 but by now the Israelis had deployed the best part of two brigades and were poised to put in an effective counterattack.

I think this photo (by Ian) says it all.  A mighty Centurion in a hull-down position.

On the ground the front ends of two Syrian divisions – two tank brigades and two motor rifle brigades confronted a thin crust of Israeli tanks and strongpoints.  Both sides were also well supplied with air support. The scenario was broadly historical but supposed that the Syrians had gone with their preferred option of attacking early in the day, rather than delaying until noon at the behest of their Egyptian allies.  Several crossings were made over the AT ditch although one of the Syrian bridgelayer companies had perished in an Israeli airstrike.  Syrian casualties were relatively light, reflecting their deliberate approach.  The flip side was that they didn’t push forward as aggressively as I’d have liked but that’s the joy of having real players!

The game proceeded at a healthy pace – it’s always pleasing when game time runs faster than real time.  Even the players who were new to LCW soon picked it up, such are the benefits of simple mechanisms. Despite the breaks for tea, coffee and lunch (this was Knuston, remember!) we made good progress and all present claimed to have enjoyed the experience.  Lunch-table conversation inevitably turned to other possible scenarios so it may be that the ‘big’ Little Cold Wars game at Knuston becomes an annual event.  Watch this space…

Gnuston Heights - part 4 - crossing the line

Syrian infantry was by now pouring across the AT ditch...

 ...while impatient tankers* fumed at the delay in deploying bridges.  *At least I think that's what the Syrian CO called them.

 Some Israeli SP artillery was nearly in firing positions

 The creating Syrian engineers soon fashioned this eco-friendly crossing

Israeli artillery in action

 Two more Israeli armoured battalions moving to the front

 You can never have too many photos of F-4s

 Syrians crossing the ditch in force, with infantry deploying to assault the strongpoint.  A Sagger AT missile is in flight in the bottom left of the photo.

By now the Israelis mostly had command of the air but still Syrian raids came in