Merkava – The Israeli Defense Force in Oil War

by Tom Burgess

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) makes its third appearance in the Team Yankee/Flames of War universe in Oil War. Having been an IDF player in the Fate of a Nation (1st and 2nd Ed), I volunteered to review them in Oil War. I was particularly keen to see how much of my previous Fate of a Nation collection would carry forward to the circa 1985 period.

The formation selections that Oil War provided to the aspiring IDF player include; Merkava 1 Tank Company (7th Armoured BDE), Merkava 2 Tank Company (415th Armoured BDE), Magach 6 Tank Company (500th Armoured BDE), and M113 Mech Infantry Company (1st Golani BDE). There is also an option to take an “Allied” NATO formation.

All three IDF tank formations have the same composition; a HQ of one or two tanks, two to three platoons each of two or three tanks each, up to one Mech Infantry Platoon, and up to one Recce Platoon (Jeep or M113). That’s at most five units, with two to three of them being small tank units. This may make them somewhat frail, but the Fearless 3+ (2+ w/ CO) morale will help here. The Merkava 1s are six points each. The Merkava 2s are seven points each for one point more of armor on the front and sides and an upgrade of Bazooka Skirts to BDD armor. The venerable Magach 6s (M-60s) are four points for one, seven points for two, and eleven points for three. We’ll come on to the Mech Infantry Platoon later, but the Jeep Recce has two Jeeps at two points while the M113 Recce has three for two points or four for three points.

Though a case for Sho’t (Centurion) tanks could be made for inclusion in this period, they are not present. Nor are the Tiran 5’s (Captured and re-gunned T-55s). In the later stages, these tanks would have had Blazer explosive reactive armor (ERA). It appears that because these would require new models/molds, they have been left off, at least for now. However, the Magach 6 is present and quite a good option as a cheaper alternative to the Merkavas. Some readers may be looking for a passenger special rule for the Merkavas. They did have a small “cargo” area that was able to carry up to four soldiers, but as a former tanker, I’ve always been dubious about that space being used for anything but ammo and the crew’s personal gear. I think Battlefront made the right call here.

The only infantry options to the IDF in Oil War are the M113 mounted Mechanized infantry. The M113 Mech Infantry formation has an HQ, two or three M113 Mech platoons, up to one tank platoon (Merkava 1, Merkava 2, or Magach 6), up to one M125 81mm Mortar Platoon, and up to one M150 Anti-Tank section). So again, small and seemingly frail formations.

The M112 Mech Infantry Platoons are very interesting with a mix of IDF, NATO, and WARPAC weapons. At eleven points they come with four Galil/M72 Rifle/LAW Teams, three FN MAG/M72 LMG/LAW Teams, three RPG-7 teams, one M47 Dragon Team, one 52mm Mortar Team, and four M113 APCs. The reduced eight-point M113 Mech Platoon has three Galil/M72 Rifle/LAW Teams, two FN MAG/M72 LMG/LAW Teams, two RPG-7 teams, one M47 Dragon Team, one 52mm Mortar Team, and three M113 APCs.

The M125 81mm Mortar Platoon of the Mech Infantry Company has two mortar tracks for one point or three mortar tracks for two points. The M150 Ant-Tank Platoon has two Improved TOW tracks for three points.

Expect for essentially being Fearless Veterans, the IDF Mech Infantry seems lacking compared to other NATO forces in Team Yankee WW3. There are not enough Dragons (just one per unit), which are not as good as the Milans, to begin with. The AT section is smaller and more limited and lack the Hammerhead special rule. And there are no separate Dragon units like the separate Milan Units the British have.

When it comes to support, the IDF in Oil War can draw on M106 120mm Mortars, M109 SP 155mm Artillery, TOW Jeeps, M163 VADS, ZSU-23-4 Shilka AA, Redeye SAM Teams, M48 Chaparral, AH-1 “Viper” Attack Helicopters, and A-4 Skyhawks. These save the Skyhawks, we’ve already seen in other Team Yankee WW3 forces.

What we have not seen yet, and what gives the IDF a very unique ability in Team Yankee WW3, is the Pereh Anti-Tank Platoon. These are old M48s refurbished as Tamuz missile launchers. The Tamuz has the new NLOS (Non-Line of Sight) rule. The NLOS rule lets the Pereh’s Tamuz missiles hit anything, even targets that are out of Line of Sight, out to 64″.

Targets, even those in Line of Sight, are always treated as concealed. This means there is pretty much no safe place on the board that is immune from the Tamuz. Talk about a SAED option and ability to pick off Artillery tracks who “thought” they were safe hiding behind tall terrain. Note the Tamuz does not have the Guided rule which will keep it from being able to shoot at helicopters. The Perehs come in at five points for two or seven points for three. Three, please!

So there you have it. The IDF will add an interesting new option to the Team Yankee WW3 universe. I am though concerned just a bit about how effective they may be due to small platoons and small formations, with not a lot new to offer save the Perehs. To me, the IDF options seem half a step behind other NATO forces and there really is not as much incorporation of the Fate of a Nation kit and units as I was hoping for. But then again…Merkavas.

I’m still looking forward to playing this new force, but I think they will be somewhat challenging to run. Most importantly, I hope this is not the end of IDF representation in Team Yankee WW3. The IDF definitely needs a Paratrooper Infantry formation added at some point and the later Blazer ERA tanks like Tiran 5s and Sho’ts, along with other older/captured kit appearing later would also be great to see.