Category: Spotlights

Includes one BTR-152 Armoured Personnel Carrier and four Seated Passenger figures

The development of the BTR-152 was a direct result of the Red Army’s experiences during the Second War World. Utilising joint infantry and tank tactics against the Germans, Soviet commanders found that casualties amongst the infantry were especially high due to the lack of an armoured personnel carrier that was able to keep pace with the advancing tanks. As a consequence, the BTR-152 was amongst the first vehicles developed at the conclusion of the Second World War. 

Check out the BTR-152 in the online store here… 

Based on the ZiS-151 truck chassis, the first prototype of the BTR-152 were completed in 1947 but lacked the desired level of mobility as a direct result of the five tons of additional armour added to the vehicle. After a few tweaks to the design, the BTR-152 was accepted for service. The BTR-152 first saw combat in the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and later during the Six-Day War with the forces of the United Arab Republic.

The vehicle was of all-welded construction with armour ranging from 15mm thick on the front to 9mm on the side; enough to provide protection from small arms fire and shell fragments but offered little protection against anything heavier. 

In the 1967 war, Egyptian mechanised forces used both the BTR-60 eight-wheeled, and BTR-152 six-wheeled Soviet armoured personnel carriers to provide mobility to their infantry. In the 1973 war, several mechanised brigades continued to use the older wheeled vehicles as the BMP had not fully supplanted the BTR in service. In both wars, the mechanised forces represent a strong combined arms force, with integral Anti-tank and Anti-aircraft assets including the capable AT-3 “Sagger” anti-tank missile and SA-7 SAMs.

Designed by Allen Evan
Painted by Aaron Te Hira-Mathie

The BTR-152

The BTR-152 in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the BTR-152 are contained in the Egyptian Unit Card Pack (AAR901)…
Unit Cards for the BTR-152 are contained in the Syrian Unit Card Pack (AAR902)…

Includes one BTR-50PK armoured personnel carrier

The BTR 50PK is a Soviet amphibious armoured personnel carrier based off of the PT-76. Unlike other BTR models the BTR-50PK is tracked instead of wheeled. The transport itself can carry up to twenty fully equipped men.

Click here to view the BTR-50PK in the online store…

The Soviet doctrine called for the BTR-50PK to be used with PT-76 in rapid, uninterrupted advances, so the reconnaissance elements were expected to move forward at speed until engaged.  This doctrine was also adopted by the Arab force. If worse came to worst, the destruction of the scout company would at least alert the following troops to the presence of a strong defensive position.

These companies combine tanks for firepower and infantry in light BTR-50PK transporters to lead the advance. If the company ran into anti-tank guns, the infantry platoon could dismount and assault to clear the way forward, covered by their transporters and the tanks.

Designed by Allen Evan
Painted by Casey Davies

BTR-50PK

The BTR-50PK in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the BTR-50PK are contained in the Egyptian Unit Card Pack (AAR901)…
Unit Cards for the BTR-50PK are contained in the Syrian Unit Card Pack (AAR902)…

Includes three PT-76 light tanks

Originally designed as an amphibious light tank, the PT-76 started its service in the early 1950s. The tank itself became the Soviet standard reconnaissance tank. The PT-76 was widely exported and found homes in many nations’ armies including Egypt and thus The United Arab Republic.

Click here to view the PT-76 in the Online Store…

The Soviet doctrine called for the PT-76 to be used in rapid, uninterrupted advances, so the reconnaissance elements were expected to move forward at speed until engaged. This doctrine was also adopted by the United Arab Republic. It mounts a 76.2mm gun capable of taking on older medium tanks, but should only engage heavier armour as a last resort. The vehicle was put to greatest effect crossing the Great Bitter Lake with the Egyptian 130th Marine Brigade in the latter conflict. If worse came to worst, the destruction of the scout company would at least alert the following troops to the presence of a strong defensive position.

Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by Casey Davies

The PT-76

The PT-76 in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the PT-76 are contained in the Egyptian Unit Card Pack (AAR901)…
Unit Cards for the PT-76 are contained in the Syrian Unit Card Pack (AAR902)…

Includes three 37mm AA guns with crew, three six-hole large bases, three resin sandbag strips and one base plug sprue.

Soviet doctrine emphasises camouflage and deception when setting up defensive positions. Their gun positions are carefully concealed so as not to be visible until they open fire at point-blank range. The UAR followed these tactics carefully when setting up their defensive positions.

Check out the 37mm AA Company in the online store here..

Despite their aggressive rhetoric, the United Arab Republic was deployed defensively when the Israelis attacked. Their front-line infantry divisions were in fortified positions. The infantry battalions, Kateybat Moshaa (pronounced kah-teebat moh-shaa) in Arabic, were entrenched behind barbed wire and minefields, ready they believed, to see off any attack.

Designed by Evan Allen and Karl Cederman
Painted by Aaron Mathie

The 37mm AA gun

The 37mm AA gun in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the 37mm AA Company are contained in the Egyptian Unit Card Pack (AAR901)…
Unit Cards for the 37mm AA Company are contained in the Syrian Unit Card Pack (AAR902)…

 

includes one M3 TCM-20 half-track, one plastic half-track components sprue, one driver figure and one hull-mounted MG.

At the conclusion of the Second World War, the biggest consumer of the M3 half-track was Israeli. The high level of surplus vehicles still in Europe at the conclusion of hostilities meant a plentiful supply were available. Once acquired, these vehicles were amongst the first armoured vehicle available to Israeli forces during the fighting in 1948 (the first Arab-Israeli war).

Check out the M3 TCM-20 in the online store here…

At the conclusion of the 1948 conflict, Israel continued to acquire M3 half-tracks from European sources and directly from the United States and by 1955 a concerted effort was made to standardise the acquired half-tracks in an attempt to equip two new armoured brigades. Amongst the modifications was the addition of a ball-mounted machine-gun in the driver’s compartment.

In addition to an armoured personal carrier, the M3 half-track was a successful platform for various types of support weapons. Amongst these were anti-tank variants and mobile mortar carriers. Another variant included the M3 TCM-20, which featured a main armament of two 20mm Hispani-Suiza HS. 404 cannons fitted to a Maxson turret. Not only did this weapon prove an adequate deterrent to enemy aircraft but could be used against ground targets to devastating effect.

Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by Chris Townley

The M3 TCM-20 AA

 The M3 TCM-20 AA in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the M3 TCM-20 AA are contained in the Israeli Unit Card Pack (AIS901)…

Includes two Mirage aircraft, one Flight Stand with Tall Flight Stand Add-on, two Rare-earth magnets and two Decal sheets.

With the success of Operation Moked during the opening stages of the Six-Day War; Dassault Aviation couldn’t have paid for a better advertisement of their Mirage III CJ (also known as the Shahak or Skyblazer in Hebrew to the Israelis).

Check out the Mirage Fighter Flight in the online store here…

Developed during the 1950s, it was the first European-built fighter designed to exceed Mach 2 during horizontal flight. Eager to attract potential buyers, Dassault invited members of the Israeli Air Force (or IAF) to visit their factory; test the new aircraft and provide feedback. And with the addition of the MiG-21 to the Arab arsenal, Israel placed an order for the Mirage in 1959. Seventy Mirage III CJ fighters were delivered to the Israelis between April 1962 and July 1964.

While the French version of the Mirage was designed to intercept high-level bombers, the Israeli requirements were for a tactical fighter interceptor and therefore contained more fuel tanks and two DEFA cannons. The Mirages of the IAF were best known for their performance during Operation Moked; the pre-emptive strike on Arab airfields with the intent of destroying the Arab air force on the ground.

Despite the success of Moked, the Mirage performed admirably during the remainder of the war; downing a further forty-eight Arab aircraft that had survived the initial airfield attacks. With the threat of the Arab airforces largely neutralised the Israeli army was able to rely on regular ground support from their high-flying cousins.

Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by Chris Townley

The Mirage

The Mirage Fighter Flight in Fate Of A Nation
Unit Cards for the Mirage are contained in the Israeli Unit Card Pack (AIS901)…

The 1967 Six Day War and 1973 Yom Kippur or October War were epic in scale and brutal in intensity. The stakes were high for all sides. For Israel it was a matter of survival. If the Syrians or Egyptians broke through they could be in Israeli towns in less than an hour. For the Egyptians and Syrians it was a matter of credibility. Failure could bring down either government. For Jordan, caught between pressure from Arab governments and Israel, it was a balancing act to keep the nation together.The wars featured a wide variety of forces, battles and terrain. Actions ranged from hundreds of tanks duelling on the flat Sinai desert, to Israeli paratroops storming Jerusalem’s Old City, Egyptian commandos re-crossing the Suez Canal, and Syrian and Jordanian forces trying to take or hold the steep escarpments on the Golan. The tank battles on the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights were the largest to occur since World War Two. In 1967 both sides were equipped with a collection of begged, borrowed and captured weapons and tanks. By 1973 rising Cold War tensions saw both sides increasingly equipped by the USA and Soviet Union with their latest aircraft, missiles and tanks.

Fate of a Nation allows you to choose your preferred nation and force, then guide your force to victory. As the Israeli commander, can you, like General Tal, carefully deploy your veteran tanks and infantry to hold off the enemy? Or as the Arab player will you, like General Shazly, form an effective battle plan to take advantage of your numbers and new weapons to force back the Israelis?

What You Get In The Book?
Fate of a Nation is published by Osprey Publishing, and is designed to be a complete stand-alone game, fully compatible with the companion ‘Nam book. The book includes a full set of the rules that are identical to the rules in our new ‘Nam rulebook, featuring gun teams and sustained artillery bombardments added to the core Team Yankee rules.The book has a greatly expanded range of force lists compared to the previous Fate of A Nation book for Flames of War Version 3. Players can choose between a larger force of 1967 units, or a smaller, harder hitting force with 1973 equipment. Notes in the unit descriptions indicate which weapons were available at each time, allowing players or competition organisers to build themed forces to 1967 or 1973 if they wish.  The number of force organisations has been expanded from 9 Company and Battalion sized forces to more than 30. A full range of Syrian army forces has been added, including the 1967 Golan defence force and the 1973 armour and infantry formations.

There is a full set of combat missions included, similar in format to those in the ‘Nam book. They are based on the V4 Flames of War mission types, such as Encounter, Hasty Attack and No Retreat. Mission special rules including mines, night fighting and entrenchments. ‘Nam players could also use these missions to play a wider range of combats with ‘Nam forces. The missions are followed by illustrated painting guides for each nation. Lastly there is a catalogue of all the Battlefront miniatures that you can use to field Fate of a Nation armies.

What’s New?
The conversion of Fate of a Nation to the Team Yankee game system enables the rules to be streamlined, and tactical differences between armies brought out by differences in their command and morale ratings. This greatly reduces the large number of special rules that were a feature of the V3 edition of Fate of a Nation.  Overall the game is more streamlined and faster to play, without any reduction in the number of tactical options.

Israeli forces retain excellent Command and Morale ratings, the full range of 1967 tanks and infantry as before, plus several company options there was not space for last time. These include the Sayur (reconnaissance), Magach 6 (M60) and Tiran (captured T55) tank companies, and M113 mechanised companies. The revised point system better allows Israeli players to incorporate infantry and artillery support into their forces than before. Israeli aircraft remain as formidable as ever, in the face of more Arab anti-air threats.

The addition of new Arab weapons and units will give their forces a boost. Egyptian players gain access to the specially trained Thunderbolt assault commando battalions that led the Suez canal crossing. Armed with new anti-tank (AT3 Sagger guided missiles) and anti-aircraft (SA7 surface to air missiles) weapons, Egyptian and Syrian infantry will now be much more capable of defending themselves against marauding Israeli tanks and aircraft. Other new state of the art Soviet equipment, including the T62, BMP1 armoured fighting vehicle, and ZSU23 “Shilka” anti-aircraft tank will give Arab player a far wider range of quality and quantity of unit choices.

Jordan played a smaller role in 1973, but gains major weapon upgrades that occurred between 1967 and 1973. For example Jordanian player’s Centurion tanks may now be upgraded to have the British L7 105mm tank gun, to fight it out on equal terms with Israeli tanks. Combined with already good infantry and transport options, the Jordanian army remains capable. Jordan has the best command ratings of any Arab force, thanks to its cadre of British trained NCOs.
Plastic Fantastic!

The range of plastic boxed sets suitable to build Fate of a Nation armies has grown again. With Team Yankee and ‘Nam released, there are already plastic kits available for vehicles like the Magach-6 (M60), M113, T-34, T-55, BTR-60, and BMP. The new plastic T-62 is also being released to for this book. This will make fielding some of the numerically large Arab force options with many tanks and AFVs much more practical for players. Packs of the unit cards for each nation will be available for separate purchase for players with existing armies, again similar to the card pack releases for ‘Nam.

FOAN, ‘Nam and Team Yankee?
Forces in ‘Nam and Fate of a Nation have been costed using the same points system. This means players could pit ‘Nam and FOAN forces against each other, giving a wide range of historical and non-historical games. Special rules needed to cover elements unique to ‘Nam, such as helicopters, wounded and medivac, and riverine fighting rules, are included in the ‘Nam mission rules.
~Scott