Seven Days To The River Rhine: Ask The Sand Of The Sinai...

 Ask the sand of the Sinai, 

 Which blood irrigated it? 

Is it the blood of my nephew and relative? 

 Or is it that of my friend?

Teslam El Ayadi (2013)

Back to 1973 and another Seven Days To The River Rhine (7DTTRR) 6mm October War action, this time an encounter battle with the objective for both sides of a deserted village to be seized and held.

A platoon of Egyptian T-55's move towards the village with an infantry platoon in BMP-1's following close behind.

More cautiously the Israelis sent forward a recce platoon of AMX-13's to check things out.

The T-55's pushed forward and spotting some enemy Sho't tanks opened fire...

One Israeli Sho't was hit, the shot bouncing off but inflicting a Morale marker on the tank.

More Egyptian tank fire saw one of the AMX-13's brew up! A good start for the Egyptian Army!

An IDF infantry platoon then entered the fray advancing on the village in their vintage M3 half-tracks.

Followed by a solitary Magach 5.

A second platoon of Israeli Sho'ts then arrived.

One of the AMX-13's popped out of cover...

To take out an Egyptian T-55...

Before reversing back into cover!

A section of Egyptian infantry in their BMP-1 almost manage to reach the village first with the remaining T-55's moving up in support.

Unfortunately one of the IDF Sho't's spots a BMP...

And slams a round into it. Killing not only the BMP but the infantry inside.

Getting their range in another Sho't opens fire...

And destroys a second T-55.

One of the infantry BMP's fires it's cannon-mounted Sagger...

And takes out a second AMX-13!

The second platoon of Sho't advance and fire...

Destroying the BMP, though this time the infantry manage to evacuate the burning IFV.

The remaining BMP-1 of the first Egyptian infantry platoon fires its Sagger...

And takes out an Israeli Sho't tank!

Meanwhile the first of the M3's has reached the village and a section of IDF infantry disembark into one of the houses. 

At this point the Egyptian attack appeared to have stalled with the sole surviving T-55 taking cover behind a building.

Hold on comrade! A second platoon of T-55's has arrived (well some of them)...

One of them slamming a round into an Israeli Sho't!

The remaining M3's advance towards the village in an effort to secure it...

As another Sho't is hit. Again the round bounces off but the crew are shaken and take a Morale hit.

Unfortunately for the Egyptians the same happens to one of their T-55's.

At last the Egyptians get a toehold in the village themselves, a BMP-1 de-bussing a section into a house on the outskirts. The IDF however have managed to get a second M3 into the village - and a Sho't.

One of the newly arrived T-55's opens fire on the Israeli armour but misses...

The lucky Sho't picks an easier target and fires...

Brewing up another BMP-1, although again the badly shook up infantry manage to escape the burning vehicle...

The Sho'ts start to reign supreme again...

With their accurate shooting taking out a BRDM-2 equipped with Saggers.

And then using the same pop up technique employed by the AMX's...

Take out a second BRDM!

More Egyptian infantry reached the village...

As one of the remaining T-55's opened fire on a Sho't moving around the village.

The Sho't was hit, this time its crew abandoning their tank as their Morale broke.

It was a short lived success for the Egyptians as another Sho't opened fire...

Taking out one of the remaining T-55's that had poked its nose out of cover.

More IDF infantry poured into the village, their small arms fire concentrated on one of the Egyptian squads who started to accumulate Morale markers.

Sweeping past the burning Egyptian armour one of the Sho'ts moves forward and fires...

Destroying the last of the Egyptian tanks.

Followed by a colleague who delivered the coup de grace...

Slamming a 105mm round into the last of the BRDM-2 w. AT-3 battery.

Another good game of October War Seven Days To The River Rhine which, despite the Egyptian defeat, proved very enjoyable and swung back and forth until the Gods of Wargaming favoured the Israelis this week.