From: Doug Murphy <dmurphy@WPPOST.DEPAUL.EDU>
Subject:      Oct War replay (long)

Last evening, got out SPI's October War and played a customized night
scenario from Moves 25 (see also WebGrog for details) with most of the
game counters.  Basically a meeting engagement by the town on the map
between Is and Iraqi forces.  What a fun scrap.  Limited LOS and a few
house rules regarding the higher propensity for snafus at night.  Is
forces approach was split by a hill  overlooking the town so a "southern"
line formed of mostly M48s, M51s and halftrack infantry away from the
"northern" approach of M60s, M113-borne infantry, the AT missile jeeps
and three heavy mortar-carrying APCs.

The Iraqi forces  got to town first and began to cross a deep wadi which
split the map before the town.   T62s and T55s were strung out along
this road across the wadi as the Is tankers appeared out of the murk
from the northern side of the hill overlooking this road.  A five hex-range
firefight began which eventually saw every Ir tank blasted in a 3:1 ratio
to Is tank losses. The "northern" Is tanks basically charged the Ir line.  Is
"northern" infantry (confused by the direction of the fight) dismounted
and dug in along the base of the hill, basically out of the fight.  Is
"southern" forces initially didn't spot the Ir tankers so advanced almost to
the wadi before the firing along the road attracted attention.  By this time,
Is tanks and APCs were already deploying into the grove along the
opposite of the wadi.  This grove runs right to the town's edge and
contains a convenient road right into town.

The Ir infantry and AT teams deployed along the wadi and in the town.
Additional Ir tanks crossed the wadi behind the burning road-bound units
and engaged the Is tanks as they emerged from the smoke and murk in
several overruns.  The Ir AT teams took out several Is M48s which
ventured too close to the town, before the mortar APCs were called in to
suppress them.  As the tank battle along the road raged at point blank (1
hex & overrun) range, the "southern" Is forces burst into the town from
the grove and battled a few T62s left behind and Ir infantry/APCs.  The
"worse" panic rolls for the Ir were now telling and the surviving Ir tanks
fled into the night, but the Is tanks had suffered heavily (especially from a
few BRDMs w/Saggers that shot them right down the wadi).

Both Is and Ir infantry battled in town.  Ir Saggers blasted the M60s that
ventured into town.  But quickly most AT missiles found themselves
depleted and Ir forces started to miss panic rolls.  The preponderance
and quality of Is forces in town was telling.  Is infantry were able to
dismount, regroup and successfully closeassault the town in tandem
with additional infantry and tanks which sealed off the town from the
"south."  Ir forces were practically wiped out or retreated "up" the wadi
into the night.

Doug Murphy