Mad March III

 More Mad March modelling madness completed, this time a soviet radio truck from ICM, I had a devil of a time fitting the wheel arches, but it is together! 

Cheers

Matt

Mad March WIP II

 I purchased these last year in preparation to add artillery support to my American Armour, I have also pitched some 155mm towed but need tractors for them to complete the battery. 

These are fast build Italeri, I think I had them built in around 3 hours. Nice little fast build kits although the tracks leave a little to be desired. I will add American crews from Alder or AB after I have painted them. 

Cheers

Matt

Mad March WIP 1

  The kit building commenced this week for my mad march entry on the Wargamers Forum. 

First up some 1/72 resin and plastic bits for my Egyptians and a Star Wars X wing Revell model. 

Resin Armo BTR 50 model

A had to add new plastic bits as the model I purchased second hand was knocked around not looking forward to the wire grips and fitting the resin tracks this weekend. 

ACE models BTR 50.

Like all ACE kits a bit of a challenge, single track links are driving me nuts, plus I need to add wire grab handles. 

ICM BTR60 

Lovely kit, lots of detail bits, careful when sanding as I broke sone of the finer parts.

Ural 375A radio truck 

Another ICM kit the Afghanistan four vehicle box, a little tricky so follow instructions, dry fit everything and you will be fine 

Hopefully all of these completed this weekend for the entry 

Cheers

Matt

Birthday Haul

  Last week was my 55th birthday, as a treat we visited the champagne district of France, we stayed in Épernay then visited a number of champagne house (17), Reims cathedral and Museum and managed three 1814 Napoleonic battle locations. When I returned home I had a number of packages awaiting pick up.

The most exciting was the Old Guard band by Warlord Games, some books on Stalingrad, French Indian war bits, French Waterloo uniforms, American airborne medics in Normandy, six T54 for my ongoing Egyptian project for Yom Kippur war, a new gardening trowel and sone zinnias for my garden. 

Very blessed with great gifts from Vanessa, Allison, Mum, and my mates. 

Cheers

Matt

Egyptian BM-13NMM Katiusha

 

BM-13NMM "Katiusha" 

Next unit for my Egyptian army is a multiple rocket launcher mounted on a American truck. I actually need to paint my BM21 Grad launchers too.

 I have only seen these in use for the 56 parades, they are listed in the 18th battalion but not used in combat use for 6 day war or Yom Kippur that I am aware of. I will use these in support of my infantry mechanised brigade.

The kit is from ICM models. The kit was missing the Armoured flash shield, I should actually build one!  

Cheers

Matt

Fallschirmjager two

 The remaining rifle platoon of warlord metal and plastic figures, overall quite happy with them, support crews to come. 

Egyptian Army part 1 Transport

 Egyptian army 67-73 part 1 transport

First up some transport for my Egyptians, I have a mix of plastic, Diecast and resin models from grubby tanks, some 3d printed models. The plastic kit include trucks, APCs, midsole trucks, artillery, plus T55s, T34/85 and SU100. I do need to add some more detail bits to them, but good to get them done for our club games next month. 

First up my first troop transport trucks. 

Cheers

Matt

Fallschirmjager part one

 Next off the desk are some fallshirmjager that I have been working on since before Christmas, I detest camo at 28mm it is hard to capture in scale…. The miniatures are from Warlord and will be used in my skirmish collection, although I am not that impressed with the figures and may sell them on I think. 

Squad one

Sniper

Officer 

Action shot!

Cheers

Matt

Yom Kippur Egyptian Order of Battle Operation Badr 1973

Yom Kippur War Egyptian Order of battle 

Egyptian Organisation 

The Egyptian army during the fifties and early sixties was based on the English model of Divisions, brigades and regiments. After the revolution in 1952 the country removed much of its ties with the old and drifted towards the Russian Divisional structure, and was fully changed over by 1965. Two armoured divisions, one mechanized division, four infantry divisions were the main force for the invasion.  

Armoured Division 

Structure was two or three regiments per division, each Armoured regiment had up to 31 tanks, with 3 companies per regiment,  each company 10 tanks per company, including a command vehicle for the company commander, the company operated in three platoons. 

Each Tank regiment had a company of one platoon of four  ZSU-57-2 twin barrel 57mm anti aircraft vehicles on a T54 chassis. The majority of the tanks were the T54 or T55 with infrared searchlights, (no white light was possible from these). The T55 were fitted with the latest Soviet stabilisers so they could fire on the move, some of the T54 were also were retro fitted. The 25th independent tank brigade had latest T62 tanks with three battalions, the 21st Armoured division in reserve had a mix of T34/85 and IS3M tanks. 

Mechanised Division

Structure of a division was 3 mechanized infantry battalions. A battalion was formed of 5 companies each mounted in btr152 personal carriers. The division armour was one battalion of 31MBT a HQ coy and three coys, the first and second coysT55 and T54 and the 3rd company was T34/85 (280 with upgrades).  Anti air assets had a Praga AA for the armour and towed assets 40mm bofors and russian ground mounted 30mm ZSU. A recon battalion in BDRM 1 or BDRM 2 and jeeps. A battalion of three companies of 6 tanks each were attached infantry Divisions and consisted of Czechoslovakian  SD-100 assault gun, (they had 148 delivered by 1956, the SD-100 is based on the SU 100) a anti tank company with 9M14 Malyutka sagger jeeps and towed recoilless 82mm were also attached to each battalion of infantry. Other division assets included a Signal company, military police, medical coy and engineer coy. 

Infantry Division 

Structure of the division 2 infantry battalions in trucks and two mechanised battalions along with one tank battalion of three companies a mix of T55, T54 and T34 tanks. 

Each infantry company consisted of a HQ coy and three rifle cots mounted in BTR152, Soviet RPD machine guns, Belgian bazooka, and B-10 82mm recoiless gun in the HQ. A battalion of three companies of 6 tanks each were attached infantry Divisions and consisted of Czechoslovakian  SD-100 assault gun, (they had 148 delivered by 1956, the SD-100 is based on the SU 100)

130th Amphibious Brigade 

This mechanized brigade was loosely based upon a soviet naval brigade. It had three company’s consisting of a BTR50pk and one of two companies of three PT76’s with an infantry platoon. At the start of the war the brigade had seventy-four BTR-50 or OT-64 SKOT armoured personnel carriers and 24 PT-76 amphibious light tanks.

Artillery (Muqhadem) 

The Egyptian artillery were supplied with soviet 122mm M30 or the 152mm D1. The HQ had a defence platoon, radio exchange and observer element and could be concentrated, six guns made up a battery and three battery’s made up a regiment 

Some armoured infantry artillery regiments were supplied the Frankenstein T34/122 Self Propelled 122mm mounted on the T34 chassis, with two battalions of 18 vehicles in each were in service. 

BM-11 and the BM21 rocket artillery (100 in service)

12 surface to surface misfiles were in service Frog 7 and nine surface to surface Scuds were also in service. 

The Soviet M240  heavy mortar is used upon the positions of the bar ev line, 24 were in service 

Air defence 

Sam 2, Sam 3, self propelled Sam 6, handheld Sam 7, and ZSU 23/4 

12 Commando battalions also took part in the offensive and were divided amount various divisions. The played a reinforcement roles after the Israeli counterattacks successfully crossed the Nile. 

The second and third  Egyptian armies on the Bar Lev line had SU152 in static dug in positions for anti tank positions after the capture of a number of positions. 

Order of Battle Operation Badr

General Command – Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt

War Minister and Commander in Chief, Ahmad Ismail Ali
Chief of Staff – Saad Mohamed Al Hussani Al Shazly

2nd Field Army, General Saad Mamoun/Genl. Abd el Munem Halil.

2nd Infantry Division, Brigadier General Ali Hassan Abu Saada:

4th Infantry Brigade
117th Infantry Brigade
120th Infantry Brigade
24th Armoured Brigade (attached from the 23rd Mechanised Division)

16th Infantry Division, Brigadier General Fuad ‘Aziz Ghali: (Chinese Farm)

3rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade
16th Infantry Brigade
112th Infantry Brigade

18th Infantry Division, Brigadier General Abdel Rab Al Nabi Hafez: 

134th Infantry Brigade
136th Infantry Brigade
15th Independent Armoured Brigade (attached and equipped with T-62)

135th Infantry Brigade (assault force for fort Budapest) brigadier General Salah Abe el-Halim

128th Sa iqa Commando battalion 

Six T34 with flails  

Six OT 64 skot

21st Armoured Division, Brigadier General Ibrahim Oraby 

1st Armoured Brigade

14th Armoured Brigade (detached initially)

18th Mechanised Brigade

23rd Mechanised Division, Brigadier General Ahmed Aboud el Zommer :

116th Mechanised Brigade

118th Mechanised Brigade

129 Commando Brigade 

182nd Parachute Brigade

3rd Field Army, Major General Mohamed Abd El Al Monaam Wasel

Chief of Staff - Maj Gen Mustafa Shaheen

Chief of Artillery - Maj Gen Munir Shash

7th Infantry Division Brig Gen Ahmad Badawi Said Ahmad 

2nd Infantry Brigade 

11th mechanised Infantry Brigade 

8th mechanised infantry brigade  

19th Infantry Division Brig Gen Yusuf Afifi Mohamed

5th Infantry Brigade 

7th Infantry Brigade

2nd Mechanised Brigade  

 4th Armoured Division Brig Gen Mohamed Abd el Aziz Qabil

2nd Armoured Brigade T34/85 & SU 100

3rd Armoured Brigade

6th Armoured Brigade  

6th Mechanised Division Brig Gen Mohamed Abul Fath (southern reserve Suez Canal) 

22nd Armoured Brigade (attached from the 7th Mechanised Division)

113th Mechanised Brigade 

1st Mechanised brigade 

Commando battalions

130th Independent Marine Brigade, Col. Mahmud Sha’ib (northern sector) 

At the start of the war the brigade had seventy-four BTR-50 and some OT-64 SKOT armoured personnel carriers and 24 PT-76 amphibious light tanks

Commando battalion 

30th Independent infantry brigade Col. Mustafa el-’Abassi 

Brigade is tasked with capturing Fort Lahtzanit

Two battalions of infantry

One company of commandos 

25th Independent Armoured Brigade Col Ahmed Helmy Badawy 

96 T-62 tanks

GHQ Reserve, 1st Field Army (West Bank of the Nile)

3rd Mechanised Infantry Division

21st Armoured Division T34/85 and IS3M tanks

Republican Presidential Guard “Brigade” (divisional strength):

Also included:

3 Parachute Brigades:
Western Command (Libya Border) & Southern Command (Aswan/Nile Valley/Sudan Border)
3 Armoured Brigades
2 Mechanised Brigades

Egyptian Air Force 

104th Air Wing 

3 squadrons of Mig -21MF

26th squadron interceptor 

Mig-21 F13 (black raven with a white ’26’ on at least two of their MiG-21s)

Cheers

Matt

1. 350 T-54s were ordered in 1960 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1961 and 1966 (the vehicles were probably from Czechoslovakian production line). 150 T-55s were ordered in 1963 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1964 and 1966. Egypt lost 820 vehicles in the Six Day War  including 82 T-55.  
2. 800 T-54s were ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1967 and 1972 (some of the vehicles were probably from Czechoslovakian and/or Poland production line). 550 T-55s were ordered in 1967 from the Soviet Union and delivered between 1969 and 1973. 50 T-54s were ordered in 1972 from the Soviet Union and delivered in 1973 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).