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| Arab-Israeli AFVS, waiting a pint job! |
Rummaging around in my workbench drawers I came across another bundle of 1/144 (10mm) tanks earmarked for the Arab-Israeli Wars collection, this time the majority were for the Egyptian Army, you may remember earlier in this Challenge, I was able to do 5 Israeli Super Shermans <here>.
In this batch have just two Israeli Tanks - their Recon AMX-13 Tanks, acquired from the French, the only country in the 1950s that would openly sell military vehicles to Isreal. It had a unique design in that the engine runs the length of the tank on the right side, with the driver on the left.
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| Top / Down Views of Israeli AMX-13s |
It features an uncommon two-part FL-10 oscillating turret, where the gun is fixed to the turret and the entire upper turret changes elevation. The turret its-self is set to the rear of the vehicle and holds the commander and gunner.
The weakness of the design was that the main gun was serviced by pre-loaded 12 round auto-feeders, when ammunition was expended the vehicle had to retreat to cover to allow the auto-feeders to be restocked by the crew form outside the vehicle!
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| Side shots of the AMX-13s |
By 1967, Israel had acquired about 400 AMX-13s and formed three AMX-13 battalions, all of which fought actively on all fronts during the Six-Day War.
Despite its limitations, these vehicles were used as front line battle tanks, as and when needs required.
The remainder of the post is made up from Egyptian tanks and AFVs, in their distinctive sand yellow paint schemes.
First there are three T34/85 Tanks, even by standards of the time an ancient relic, used by the Egyptians in an Infantry Support role, but often forced into armour v armour actions due to the speed of movement in the wars of the 1960s & 1970s.
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| 3 x T34/85 Infantry Support Tanks |
Also adding support to the Egyptian infantry units are the equally venerable SU-85 and SU-100, the SU-100 being identifiable by the 'pulpit' cupola on the right side of the fighting compartment of the vehicle. These vehicles tended to be in emplacements, to defend fortified positions occupied by their infantry comrades. I have one of each in this post.
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| The venerable Egyptian SU-85 |
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| and it's big brother the SU-100, note pulpit cupola... |
Next are three BMP-1s, these were available to Egypt for teh 1973 Yom Kippur War - where the BMP-1 was tested in combat for the first time on 8 October 1973. Egypt had received its first batch of 80 brand new IFVs in July and August 1973. A second batch of 150 vehicles was delivered between August and September. The Egyptian army used BMP-1s in mechanized infantry battalions of tank and mechanized infantry divisions (32–40 BMP-1s per battalion).
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| 3 x Eygptian BMP-1s, ready for 1973, Yom Kippur Scenarios |
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| Another view of the BMP-1 models |
These three vehicles are my first specifically for the 1973 war, all of the rest of the collection are usable on both the 1967 & 1973 wars.
Finally we have an instance of an Egyptian Sherman M4/FL10 , whilst it is well known that Israel used Shermans and developed their own unique brand of Super Sherman and Isherman vehicles, Egypt was also a user of Shermans...
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| The unique Egyptian Sherman |
Egypt, used about 150 of these tanks in combat during its 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel, and they developed their own unique variation with a French M4/FL10 75mm gun turret, taken from the AMX-13 vehicles it had captured in earlier wars, or sourced from elsewhere.
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| and another view... |
And so the final vehicle in this group is an example of this mash-up!
POINTS
11 x 10mm Tanks @ 3 points Each = 33 Points
