Seven Days To The River Rhine: The Sand Will Remember...

 All will return to the depths of the sea, 

 Except the white foam. 

The candles of the night died out,

 The friendship, the love, the youth, that came to an abrupt end.

Hachol Yizkor (The Sand Will Remember), Nathan Yonatan

A little while back now Phil, Jenny, Andy and myself played an Arab-Israeli Seven Days To The River Rhine (7DTTRR) scenario down BIG set during the early days of the October War following the Egyptian crossing of the Suez, when the Israeli counter-attacks were to first encounter the Egyptian's AT-3 Sagger teams...

Having liberated a small village south of the IDF stronghold at Fort Budapest, Andy deployed a number of hidden Egyptian infantry units and blinds in and around the village.

The Israelis had two battlegroups, one each commanded by Phil and Jenny, pushing forward their reconnaissance element AMX-13's...

Followed by two platoons of Sho't Centurions.

Advancing swiftly towards the objective...

The Egyptian infantry deployed a Sagger team in a palm tree grove... 

And another in the village itself! Fire!

One Sagger struck a glancing blow on an AMX-13 resulting it taking the equivalent amount of Morale markers as its Morale Value. One more marker and the crew would bail out.

Whilst the second Sagger hit another AMX-13 - unsurprisingly it exploded in a ball of flame!

The IDF pushed their Centurions forward on their left flank in an attempt to get behind the village.

However another Sagger team was deployed to their front. It fired...

But missed! The Centurion returned fire...

And inflicted a Morale marker on the Egyptian ATGM crew.

With the Centurions on the Israeli right moving swiftly forward to almost within the Sagger's 12 inch minimum effective range (they need to travel a certain distance to arm), the Egyptians began to deploy their accompanying RPG teams...

But not before a Centurion fell victim to a Sagger!

The Sagger team in the village realised they had a line of sight to the advancing IDF on their right flank and fired again...

The Centurion attempted to dodge the incoming missile but failed and exploded spectacularly!

On the far right of the Egyptian line a final Sagger team was deployed and opened fire...

Destroying a third Centurion...

And a second AMX-13!!

One of the remaining AMX's opened fire on a Sagger team...

And managed to inflict a Morale marker on it.

Whilst one of the Centurion's on the Israeli left also opened fire...

Causing another Sagger team to take a couple of Morale markers (if the unit takes more than its Morale Value - here 3 - it is destroyed).

The IDF attack however was running into problems...

Which were exacerbated by an RPG team...

Which took out a nearby Centurion!

Phil played one of the Tactical Advantage Cards but it had no effect.

A Sagger team in the village attempted to take out another IDF target...

But missed the AMX-13 it targeted which surprising managed to dodge the incoming missile (the number of activations a unit has already made and Morale markers it has makes it increasingly harder to react).

Andy wasn't to be thwarted though and re-activated the Sagger team who fired again...

And the unfortunate AMX-13 exploded in a ball of flame.

Jenny was bravely pushing forward the Israeli right wing forward towards the palm grove despite the RPG teams hiding within...

Whilst Phil brought up a second platoon of Centurions on the Israeli left...

However the assault had taken so long that Egyptian reinforcements had now arrived...

A company of T-55's.

One of whom managed to loose off a shot at an advancing Centurion...

And destroy it!

In the palm grove one of the RPG teams was fired on by enemy armour and took more Morale markers than its Morale Value. Andy however managed to play one of his Tactical Advantage Cards which ensured the RPG team survived!

The T-55's then began to move forward several moving into the village to relieve the defenders...

Seeing this Phil took the opportunity to play his Artillery Strike Tactical Advantage Card but was thwarted by Andy who fortunately had the Counter-Battery card to nullify it!

Some of the T-55's remained on the village flank...

And their cannon fire was so accurate that it destroyed two of the advancing Centurions from the second platoon on the IDF left.

Eventually the Israeli infantry caught up with their tanks and de-bussed, opening fire on the enemy...

And inflicted two Morale Markers on an RPG team.

Another IDF section arrived and de-bussed firing at the Egyptians...

Who took two more Morale markers. Their Morale value was 5 so they still were standing just (well probably lying down whimpering).

Whilst the IDF infantry were seeing some success...

Unfortunately the same could not be said for their armour. A T-55 spotted a Centurion trying to cross the stream...

And dispatched it with a well aimed shot!

This was soon followed by a Sagger team which spotted one of the IDF commander tanks...

And destroyed that!

The attack on the Israeli left had largely stalled, although Phil was trying to bring up his third Centurion platoon to support the two infantry sections whose M3 half-tracks were now nicely aflame!

However the attack on the Israeli right was still going in strong as Jenny pushed her armour across the stream towards the village.

One Centurion fell victim to a T-55...

But its companion returned the favour taking out an Egyptian tank.

A fierce tank battle then erupted but both the IDF and Egyptian tank crews aimed high!

Back on the other flank two T-55's engaged Phil's third platoon...

Knocking one out straight away!

Scenting a major victory the T-55's pushed out of the village counter-attacking through the Israeli centre...

And another Centurion was taken out - resulting in the IDF Battlegroup Break Point being reached resulting in the Israelis being defeated.

Ouch! That was pretty chastening for the Israelis - which it was historically when they first came up against the AT-3 Sagger when they launched counter-attacks against the Egyptians during the first days of the October War.  I'm not sure if Phil and Jenny intentionally followed what the Israelis did in 1973 by launching their tanks forward without infantry support but it had the same end result, however despite their crushing defeat they did both say they would play 7DTTRR again!