Able Archer -Arab Israeli Wars - Morrocan Armed Forces

 Morrocan Army 1956 -1990

Moroccan Army organisation 

The Moroccan army was very different to its fellow Arab nations coming with western style professionally trained and officered by men who had attended the French Military schools and colleges, many of the senior Officers and Ncos had fought in the French army in the Congo, French Indochina, Algeria, and Western Sahara campaigns and then after independence constant border wars with Algeria and the conquest of Spanish Morocco. 

The Moroccan army follows the French “Javelot” divisional doctrine developed in the 50s. The infantry Brigade consisted of four or five regiments of Infantry with attached artillery and if motorised light armour, as required by the task. The infantry Regiment consisted of four to six companies with support elements with enough regimental HQ officers to form small or large subordinate combat sized/battalion teams as required. Each regiment consisted on paper of 812 officers and men and was commanded by a chef de battalion, the regimental support element had two sections of mortars, two sections of heavy machine guns and two sections of light recoilless rifles. Each combat team/battalion as assigned was commanded by a captain. Each platoon was commanded by a 1st lieutenant and sous lieutenant, it had two light 60mm mortars, two MMG teams, two manhandled anti tank weapon teams, and three rifle grenade teams, then typically broken into two fire and movement teams lead by Sergeants. Motorised and airborne regiments had an attached armoured car or light tank regiment, a motorised anti tank and motorised recoilless rifle platoon plus vehicles to carry the motorised infantry this bought the strength up to 1271 officers and men. Administration and Supply elements were only attached at the brigade level. 

The French Javelot structure was developed originally for nuclear war in Europe but proved its value in the 56 suez crisis, shocking the English with it combat teams approach. It was further developed by the French fighting experience in Indochina, Congo and Algeria and served its purpose for the frontier type fighting of the Moroccan army, during the 60s and 70s. 

Uniforms and equipment 

The infantry deployed for the Arab Israeli war were equipped with French uniforms, rank structure and unit structure. The uniform was either medium green or lizard camouflage, the French M51 (American m1) helmet, and French 1950s TAP infantry webbing equipment. 

Personal weapons were very mixed and included the MAS-36  (MAS-36 LG48 and MAS-36/51) and the rifle-grenade capable variants, the MAS-49/56 (airborne & infantry) , FN FAL rifles, AK-47 and the MAT-49 sub machine gun (Officers and Ncos). Squad automatic weapons included the French  AA-52 NF1, MAC 24/29 and the FN Mag-58 were also in service. Heavy machine guns include the American browning 30 cal and the M50 50 caliber HMG. Mortars were Brandt 60mm and the Brandt 27/31 81mm mortar. 

Troops arriving in Syria 

Moroccan Armour and vehicles

Moroccan operated T54s Yom Kippur War

The armour available to the Moroccan army for Yom Kippur War.

AMX13 FL 

One hundred and twenty French AMX 13 FL light tanks (4 AMX CD recovery) arrived in 1966 out of service by 1990. 

T-54 Main Battle Tank 

40 Russian T-54B D10 TG 100mm 

80 Czechoslovakian T-54B built models with the latest 100mm D10T2S stabilised gun

ten T-54AR 

Ten T54 AK command tanks. 

M-48a3 main battle tank 

Twenty six M48a3 MBTs formed the first tank regiment vehicles by March 1974

SU 100 SP Anti tank - SP artillery 

Twenty six  Czech built SU-100 SP guns

M56 scorpion SP anti tank 

50 x American M56 scorpion 90mm Self propelled Anti tank guns, (I have not found any record of them being deployed in Syria)

SK105 kurassier 

Purchased 109 units in 1979 nine served in the Arab Israeli wars 

Armoured cars

Panhard EBR 75

Thirty six panhard EBR 75 

Panhard AML 90

one hundred and ninety  Panhard AML 90

AML 60-7

thirty AML60-7

M8 Armoured car

Forty M8 Armoured cars. 

Armoured personnel carriers 

OT- 64

ninety five Czech OT 64 

M5 and M3 halftracks 

forty American M5 and M3 halftracks (ex French stock) 

Panhard M3 VTT 

fifty Panard M3 VTT APCs. 

Soft Skins 

hotchkiss M201

(French made - American ww2 Jeep)

American mutt jeeps

Series II and series III Land Rover Santana (Spanish built) 

J40 Toyota landcruisers

mini Mokes armed with recoiless M20 75mm! 

Moroccan paratrooper mini moke with recoilless rifle and 30 cal. 

Trucks

Romanian Bucegi SR11 3t, Berliet GBD (6x6)

 American general M813a1 (6x6)

French ACMAT TPK 425 (4x4) 

TPK 640 (6x6) trucks 

I have seen some Simca Marmon also in a parade but nothing in export documents. 

Mack F900 heavy transport trucks for tank transport.

Anti armour 

M20 super bazooka 

RPG-7

 M20 75mm recoilless rifle

M40a1 106mm recoilless rifle 

D44 85mm AT gun

MGM 32A Entac missiles. (500)

Artillery 

Towed systems included -

twenty American M2A1 (now a M101A1) 

Thirty eight HM-2 105mm howitzers ( model 1924)

eighteen soviet M-46 122mm

twenty M114 155mm howitzers

Self propelled systems included :-

ninety eight Amx53 155mm sp howitzer

thirty self propelled AMX mk61 105mm howitzer

twenty self propelled M44 155mm howitzer

Thirty six BM-21 122mm rocket launchers 

Anti aircraft equipment 

Information for this part is taken from export lists, but also includes captured equipment. I have more research to do here, but I have types as follows.  

Towed systems :- 

ninety ZPU-2 14.5mm

nineteen  ZPU-4 14.5mm

ninety Zu 23-2 W23mm

thirty 50 cal M45 Qaud

sixty AZP S60 57mm

missile systems SA-7 Grail

French Hawksystem (cannot locate source for this but have a image of one deployed for the Algerian war in 73) 

I am not sure if the MIM-72 Chaparral launchers were available in time for the Yom Kippur war. 

The equipment available to the Moroccan army in 1956 was post ww2 American equipment, French and soviet equipment. New equipment was on order and started to arrive in early October 1973.

The major wars and engagements fought by Morroco include Angolan war of Independence (61-74), the Tuareg War (62-64),  Sand War (63-64), and October War (Yom Kippur), Green March (75), Western Saharan war (75-91), Shaba I (77)Shaba II (78) and the 1st Gulf War in 90-91. 

Captured equipment 

BTR 152

T-55

BMP 1

BTR 60

I will add more information as I find it 

Cheers

Matt

Praga 53/59/70 30mm Anti Aircraft gun - NB models kit review

Praga 53/59/70 30mm AA Lizard

History Praga 53/59

The Praga M53/59 was developed post ww2 and entered service in 1959, mounted on a armoured cabin, the cabin armour was quite thin 10mm on the front and 6mm on the sides making it small arms fire proof only. The vehicle was the Czech V3S 6 wheel drive truck chassis. The chassis, engine and electronic components were upgraded and improved in 1970, these vehicles became the M53/70. Further electronic additions were added in the eighties so electronic air tracking was available via connection to a battery command vehicle using the M85 Zirafa radar allowing it to remain in service for some time in the Czechoslovakian army until 2003. A large number of both models were exported during the Cold War and quite a number still remain in a number of armies today. 

The 30mm cannon was originally designed by Bruno for the kreigsmarine during ww2 as a submarine anti aircraft design. The Czechoslovak designation was the 30mm PLDvk viz.53. The top mounted magazines for the gun held 50 rounds, however weighed a hefty 85 kilos when fully loaded. The guns had a practicable rate of fire of 150-200 rounds per minute, AA effective range was 3500m and on ground targets 2000m. The gunner had optical sights only and manual trigger and hydraulic assisted traverse and elevation, until the 1980s when the upgraded system appeared for targeting. The twin guns could also be dis-mounted from the chassis into a fixed ground position. The vehicle had a crew of five, Commander, driver, two loaders and a gunner, and normally operated in a division of 6 vehicles, plus a command vehicle for the battery of two divisions. 

The Praga had the nickname the lizard due to its code name during its development and was widely used in the ground role during the Yom Kippur war and the Yugoslavian wars, where Praga became the nickname for all anti aircraft SP cannons. 

Review NB models Praga 53/59

A superb offering of the Praga 53/59 30mm SP AA gun by NB models. This is the 1/72 version, there is also a 1/35th scale available too. 

A very crisp 3d print with very little clean up, a bit of light filing and sanding where the supports were, predominately on the underside of the pieces and on the back of the Gun. A little sanding and it was ready to assemble. Assembly was simple and straight forward and  every thing nicely together with no problems, I used super glue gel for assembly giving me time to square up wheels and the gun assembly.

My only critiques are, I would of liked the tyre treads on the wheels to be more detailed, a posable gun for the deployed AA role with removable and spare ammunition drums plus the racks and finally the crew compartment to be open so I could add crew, a gunner and loaders. 

I will mount this on a base to prevent it being knocked about whilst it is on the game table as I can see the mirrors and rear steps becoming detached quickly.  I also left off the clear canopy for painting as it can easily be placed after painting. One will join my Egyptians the other my Iraqis, and I will possibly get them painted before Christmas! 

The Praga 53/59 NB models kit fully laid out, a very crisp kit

Cabin detail is excellent, a few delicate parts…. A few bits to clean up but overall great

The NB models Praga 53/59 Guns and cabin front, the light mounts and mirrors are superb

NB models Praga cabin side, the tools are superb, as are the lights, handles and mirror

The Armoured glass cupola and gun sight…. 

Cheers

Matt 
References 
AK interactive- vol III Arab revolutions and border wars. 
You tube training clip of the Praga 53/59 
Praga 53/59 walk around 
Yugoslavian wars use 

Terrain Tuesday - Desert terrain part two

 Desert terrain 

Last week as the Yom Kippur War bug continues to bite I completed some desert shrub foliage cover pieces that could be used for both 20mm and 28mm. Simple mdf base with coir hair mat and, home made tufts and some noch shrub. Quite effective and happy with the result, 30 odd more to come once I make some new tufts in the coming week or so. 

Desert tufts 

Cheers

Matt

Terrain Tuesday- desert Terrain part 1

  

 Sinai terrain

While I do have a collection of terrain pieces for my desert games I have very little in the way of 20th century type pieces for towns etc except for my Iraq thunder run table bits (jersey barriers and buildings and a few trees). 

I did have some Street lights and palms laying around in stock with part built I had started for city entry pieces, these pieces have been part finished for some time but originally was only going to be palms for my Iraqi war table, however by adding the lights give it more of a 20th century look. 

A collection of small trees, I cut some of the stumps so they were not all the same heights.

Cheers

Matt