"July 10, 1970 0930 hours.
West of the Suez Canal in Egypt.
Soviets enacted operation "Kavkaz" to employ numerous SAMs in Egypt with Soviet advisors and combat forces.
The IAF decided to fight back with their brand new A-4H Skyhawks.
Follow 101 Squadron Mirages (Shahak) and A-4s (Ahit) as they try to even the playing field in SAM- and MiG-infested Egypt."
We had a great time last night at Metropolitan Wargamers (http://www.nycwargames.com/) playing an Arab-Israeli scenario for Check Your 6 Jet Age. (Even more fun because, for the first time in months, I actually won a game!)
(Sorry for all the edits and deletes—this is my first time posting such a picture-heavy AAR and it took a lot of trial and error!)
The IAF targets were in the middle of the target area, with the SAM flanked by the two AAA sites (one heavy, one light). The IAF entered from the east.
The two Egyptian MiG-21s, each loaded with 4 Atols, began above the northern AAA site.
The Israeli A-4s enter on the deck near the northeastern edge, heading straight for their objectives, while the Mirages enter to the south in a wide combat spread.
The A-4 pilots remain focused on their targets as the first MiG-21 tries to position himself behind them for a guns shot. His wingman splits the two Israeli Mirages while the SAM site locks up the lead Mirage, piloted by an IAF ace.
The RWR in the Mirage flashes like crazy! Multiple SAMs launched!
The IAF ace takes evasive action—
--and the SAMs shoot off into space, unable to track their target.
One of the MiGs lines up for a shot on the lead A-4. The Ahit pilot's steel nerves barely register the 30mm cannon fire from the MiG streaking past his canopy, and the MiG pilot angrily pounds his glare shield—not only did he miss his shot, but his gun has malfunctioned!
The IAF ace tries to position himself for a shot on the second MiG-21, but he used too much energy evading the SAMs and is now out of range and moving too slowly to catch his prey.
The SAM site locks on to the second Mirage and again fires two missiles. As they streak into the sky the Mirage pilot breaks hard—and the SAMs veer off harmlessly.
As the trailing A-4 makes its dive-bomb run on the northern AAA site, the first MiG-21 takes a shot and misses again—it will be his last guns shot, as his cannon is now out of ammunition.
The A-4's bombs, however, find their target, and the heavy AAA site goes up in a thunderous explosion.
The remaining AAA site takes some fruitless shots at the lead A-4 as it lines up for its bomb run on the SAM site.
The MiG pilot tries his luck with a heat-seaker. The A-4 pilot's total focus on his target keeps him from evading the missile—the Atol streaks toward his jet as he begins his dive—and then trails off without detonating.
Again, the A-4's iron bombs find their mark and the main objective of the raid is destroyed.
As the A-4s peel off their targets, the other fighters hit their burners to get into firing position.
The lead MiG-21 fires another ATOL at the lead A-4.
But the A-4 pilot jinks violently and the missile flashes by without impact.
The MiG's third Atol doesn't even come close.
Lighting its afterburners, one of the Mirages finally gets in good firing position and lets loose its own heat seaker on the trailing MiG.
The missile tracks, heading straight for the Egyptian jet.
But the proximity fuse triggers uselessly just behind the MiG, causing no damage. It seems everyone suffers from faulty missiles this day.
The A-4s, still on the deck, swing around to head home, taking pot shots at the MiGs as they pass. The Mirage pilot fires his other missile at the lead MiG, trying to eliminate him before he can reverse and get on the A-4's tail, but this missile too fails to track its target.
Now in position behind the A-4, the Egyptian pilot lets rip a burst from his cannon. The shells find their mark, and the little bomber is severely damaged, but not destroyed.
The IAF ace finally gets in position to attack the Egyptians. "I'm gonna get at least one of these guys," he says as he ripple fires his two heat-seekers. One goes off on its own, ignoring the MiG completely, but the other heads straight for the enemy jet…
…and explodes through it, breaking the MiG into a thousand flaming pieces.
The IAF won a solid victory, with two of the three ground targets and one MiG-21 destroyed, suffering only one severely damaged (but flyable) A-4.
We had fun, despite the fact that almost every air-to-air attack, and every ground-to-air attack, malfunctioned, missed or otherwise was completely ineffective. This being only our second game we flubbed a few of the rules, but nothing too bad. We also began to plan some rule tweaks to make the game a little more fun for our style of play, for example, permitting missile shots after immelmann and split-s maneuvers (with a negative to-hit modifier).
gets roads for his Team Yankee set-up.
