Syrian Tanks: Strengths and Weaknesses

Last week I took a look at the Israeli tanks and how I think they match up against their Syrian opponents. This week I thought I'd do the reverse. Quick disclaimer, I've been generous with what I consider a tank when it comes to the Syrians as they just don't have the variety as their opponents.

Tank X vs Sho't

Just like last week I think we need a baseline and in this case it will be the good old Israeli Sho't (105mm) tank. Coming in at 9 points each the Sho't (105mm) is a solid mid-range tank. You can field a reasonable number in a 100 point game, along with some support elements. With fairly average movement numbers and a Cross of 2+, paired with an excellent long range (40"/100cm), high anti-tank (18) gun that is Accurate (ignores long range penalties to hit), counts as Brutal (great for killing soft targets), and can fire Smoke. Finish it off with sold crew stats (Courage 4+, Morale 3+, Remount 3+, Skill 3+, Assault 4+ and Counterattack 3+) and good all-round armour (Front 13, Side 6 and Top 2).

The other reason for picking the Sho't is that it is a common opponent for the Syrians in the Golan Heights.

T-54 vs Sho't
The T-54 is possibly one of the most ubiquitous tanks ever designed. If a conflict happened in the years following World War II, there is a pretty good chance the T-54 (or T-55) was there, somewhere.

First up, let's take a look at the crew. As expected this is one of the areas where the T-54 does not compare favourably with the Sho't. They are just as keen for the fight with good motivation (Courage 4+, Morale 3+ and Remount 4+) but are let down by their lower Skill (6) and Assault (5+). However, their Counterattack is pretty solid and comes in at 3+.

One area where the T-54 shines (perhaps being a little generous here) is the armour, having Front 13, Side 9 and Top 2. Next up is the 100mm gun that has good Anti-tank (16), Firepower (2+) and access to HEAT rounds (so no long-range penetration penalty). Unfortunately, it has Slow Firing and only Rate Of Fire (ROF) of 1. Moving and shooting is not one of this tanks strengths. Speaking of moving the T-54 is pretty average cross country, but pretty quick on roads (24"/60cm) and terrible moving through rough terrain thanks to a Cross of 4+.

In a stand-up shoot out with the Sho't, the T-54 tanks should lose every time as they have had a hard job hitting and a difficult job penetrating the Sho'ts front. Conversely (like all Syrian tanks) the T-54 is hit on a 3+, more than likely to be penetrated by the Sho't (105mm) and probably knocked out.

T-62 vs Sho't
The T-62 represents an evolutionary step in the design of the T-54 / T-55 tank, pairing a tried and true design with a larger 115mm gun. In Fate Of A Nation each T-62 comes in around 5 points, making it a fairly cheap upgrade option from the T-54.

The T-62 has the same movement, crew stats and armour as the T-54. This makes the tank a solid option, but certainly not star performer. Where that point cost really goes is the 115mm gun. And it is well worth that extra point!

The 115mm gun has AT 19, making it more than capable of penetrating the Sho't (with Front armour 13) even at long range. Like the T-54 it suffers from Slow Firing thanks to its cramped turret and a ROF of 1.  Coming back to a stand up fight, this one is going to be interesting folks as the two tanks (the Sho't and the T-62) look pretty even to me when you match 1 vs 2. I'd put my money on the Sho't at long range thanks to having 2 shots, a higher To Hit number and the Accurate rule, but if the T-62 tanks are allowed to close then that thin line of Israeli tanks will be under some pressure.

T-34 vs Sho't
We are starting to work the lower end of the Syrian armour barrel already here. I won't go into too much depth about the stats of the T-34, but we can agree that it is worth it's 1.2 points per tank. It's armour is only 6 (making it about as good as an Isherman) and has a ROF 2, AT 12 gun.

This means it cannot touch any of the larger Israeli tanks, but is useful for hunting down light armour and support vehicles. Finally it is a threat to the Sho't (and Magach) if it can get around the flanks. Whilst I won't be painting any for my army, if I ever really wanted to drop in a company to act as armoured skirmishers I might borrow one from my Late War Flames Of War army.


SU-100 vs Sho't

The SU-100 is another venerable ex-WWII design that is still serving a purpose (and it won't be the last) in the Syrian army. Like the T-34 these are not exactly top-shelf but do have a powerful 100mm gun that chalked up its share of Panther and Tiger kills on the Eastern Front.

It will have no problems knocking out light armour (like Isherman and AMX tanks) but at AT 15 will struggle to kill a Sho't (with armour 13). However, at least it does have a chance. At approximately 1.2 points per vehicle they do have a place in the force as some static 'covering fire' for your other tanks.

Panzer Bunker vs Sho't

I've included this in the list because I think it is interesting, not because I think it is useful. The Syrians had a number of ex-WW2 German vehicles in their inventory. These were no-longer useful as tanks so found themselves turned into bunkers. Realistically they are not much of a threat, unless you choose to let them be a threat by forgetting about them. They are slightly harder to kill than a normal Panzer IV or StuG would be, however they are still easy pickings.

So... do I have a conclusion? It turns out that overnight I've found myself going from a big fan of the T-54 to thinking that I really don't have enough T-62 tanks. Five T-62 tanks are only 3 points more expensive than five T-54 tanks and they effectively have 2-3 points of extra AT. These couple of points will be the difference between penetrating a Sho't or Magach, or just being targets moving up. 

Don't get me wrong, I think the T-54 still has as solid place in my army, especially if I don't want to play a strictly '73 game as the enemy has to treat it with respect so whilst they are shooting up my T-62s, the T-54s can be dashing across the table getting in close.

It is also important to remember that whilst the vehicles listed above represent the Syrian armour, you cannot forget the BMP-1 and Sagger teams. These are going to provide some really good tank killing ability for a lot less points than a platoon of tanks. The downside is that they are just a bit less mobile and (potentially) a lot more squishy!

Israeli Tanks: Strengths and Weaknesses

Fate Of A Nation gives players a wide range of tank options for building their Israeli force. Because of the variety, trimming the list down might be harder than it seems depending on your preferences and criteria. Right now I have a little of everything painted, but these lists will require me to add some extra models if I want to maximise the performance of the Formations.

For now, I am using history to guide me as I want to paint more Sho't tanks (Centurions) and Isherman (105mm) tanks as I am going for a Golan Heights based Force. However, I am going to want to paint a bit more of everything in time so I can do whatever I want, or just play really big games!

To help guide me with my painting prioritisation I thought I look at each of the tanks that the Israelis can field and share my thoughts.

Tank X vs T-54

I am going to use the good old T-54 as my baseline enemy tank. Whilst the Arab nations can field other options I think the T-54 provides a good enemy for comparison and is likely to be the most common tank that players will face. A Syrian T-54 comes in a little over 4 points per tank and has a Courage and Remount of 4+, with a Morale of 3+, whilst the Skill is a base of 6 with improved Assault (5+) and excellent Counterattack of 3+. Finally, it is Hit On 3+.

The T-54 has good armour with Front 13, Side, 9 and Top 2, whilst the gun is average with a Range of 32"/80cm, Rate Of Fire (ROF) 1 across the board, AT 16, Firepower (FP) 2+, HEAT (no long range penalty to the AT value) but Slow Firing (+1 to Hit when moving). Rush to a position and then concentrate fire is the order of the day when playing with T-54 tanks.


Sho't vs T-54
The Sho't comes in two varieties, the original 20pdr version (8pts each) that was fairly uncommon even in 1967, or the much improved 105mm version (9pts each). What differentiates the two versions in terms of stat lines is that the 105mm has a higher AT (18 vs 16), Firepower (2+ vs 3+) and has the Brutal rule which means infantry, guns and so on need to re-roll successful saves.

Comparing it with the T-54 we see that the 20pdr gun is slightly better than the T-54s 100mm gun, with better Range, better ROF, and the Accurate rule (no long range penalty). However, the T-54 does claw a little back with slightly improved Firepower and the HEAT rule. The 105mm version is clearly superior on all counts.

Turning to the rest of their details, they both have the same Front Armour (13), whilst the T-54 has slightly better Side (9 vs 6). The T-54 is slightly improved in terms of its Dash speeds but the Sho't has an excellent Cross of 2+. In terms of the crews it comes as no surprise that the Israeli crews have equal or better Courage and Skill across the board.

For the points I think the Sho't (105mm) is easily the best buy. They should out shoot a pair or T-54 tanks every time, whilst I think a pair of T-54 tanks vs a Sho't (20pdr) is a much closer match up. Forcing the T-54 tanks to come to you, even if they get off the first shot should still result in you winning the firefight. Just remember though you don't have many so each loss is costly.

Magach vs T-54
Much like the Sho't, the Magach can come with a 90mm gun (7pts each) which has the same stat lines as the Sho't 20pdr, or the upgraded 105mm version (10pts each) that has the exact same gun as the Sho't (a British L7 105mm gun).

As the guns are the same, the differences in points is driven by an increase in Side Armour on the Magach (8 vs the Sho'ts 6), higher Dash speeds but slightly lower remount (4+ on the Magach vs 3+ on the Sho't).

Frankly all of these changes are bad news for the T-54 as it means that in the areas where the T-54 eclipsed the Sho't, the Magach narrows the gap. In terms of battlefield performance I think it comes down play style, although the Magach (90mm) does look pretty effective for its points.


Magach 6 vs T-54
Magach 6 is the Israeli designation for the US built M60 tank. Israel had a relatively small number of these at the start of the 1973 war and received emergency shipments from the US stocks in Europe. The tank is armed with a 105mm gun and the stat line is the same as other Israeli 105mm armed tanks, but it has even more armour (Front 15) making it impenetrable at long range when engaging in firefights with T-54 tanks. However, Sagger

teams will still cause some consternation thanks to their AT18 missiles.

So why would you even bother with the other tanks if this is the wonder weapon of the IDF? Two reasons jump to mind; they are 12 points each making them very expensive and whilst I feel they are worth their points it means you are not going to have many of them on the table and if you start rolling 1's you might find a tank or two dead and (assuming you are playing 100 point games) then the relatively small platoon sizes will start causing you to take tests to stay on the table. The second reason is simple history. They weren't there in 1967 if that is where your interest sits.

Sherman (75mm) and Isherman (105mm)
Putting my cards on the table here, Isherman (105mm) are the absolute best looking tanks in the game. End. Of. Story! 


Sherman (75mm) tanks are good old fashioned World War II Sherman tanks with an upgraded French made 75mm gun that was influence by the German Panther 75mm gun. With 36"/ 90cm range it is more than good enough, ROF 2/1, AT14 (bit low for killing T-54 tanks) and Firepower 3+. Great for hunting everything except front line Arab armour.


Isherman (105mm) tanks are the same Shermans but with a few upgrades, starting with a very long 105mm gun that bumps the AT up to 17, Firepower up to 2+, adds HEAT (so no armour penetration penalty for long range) and Brutal which is great for killing enemy Sagger teams.

Both tanks have average Courage and Skill ratings (identical to the Sho't) of 4+/3+/3+ and 3+/4+/3+ but thanks to their heritage have terrible armour ratings of Front 6, Side 4 and Top 1. Both versions have a Cross of 3+, with the Isherman (105mm) mitigating its overly long gun with HVSS style suspension (think Easy 8 from WWII).

Where they truly shine though is that they come in at 3 and 4 points respectively. A 10 tank company, with support platoon and integrated mortar battery will be around 55 points making it a great foundational Formation for your army, or a cheap backup Formation if you strip back the numbers.

Don't have a stand up fight in the open against T-54 tanks as the disparity of armour values will result in a poor result for the Shermans.

Tiran 5
During the 1967 war the Israelis captured many T-54 tanks from the Arabs. Short of modern tanks they pressed these into service under the designation of Tiran (Tyrant). In Fate Of A Nation they have been significantly modernised adding improved weapon systems (the traditional 105mm gun and extra machine-guns), new engines, gun sights as well as crew comfort improvements.

So how does the Israeli "T-54" compare with the Arab/Soviet one? First up the Tiran-5 comes in at 7 points each vs 4.3 each for the Syrian model. They both have the same armour values but the Tiran packs an AT 18 gun (with Brutal and Smoke) but still has the drawback of of the cramped T-54 turret leading to ROF 1/1 and Slow Firing. So mobile engagements are not going to be high on your list. However, since the Syrian T-54 has the same penalties but only AT16 it is still looking good for the Israeli player.

Despite a new engine both versions still have the same movement stats, but the Israeli version does still win out on the Courage and Skill side, although the stats are the same as most other Israeli tanks.

The Tiran 5 looks good, but this is a really close decision for me as to which is actually better. The Tiran should win the shoot-out thanks to the higher AT making it approximately twice as likely to kill the T-54 (at close range) than vice versa. However the Slow Firing and low ROF means it is less suitable for a mobile engagement that an Israeli force will have to be ready for against a much more numerous opponent. Either way a shoot out between the two tanks will be entertaining.

AMX-13

Another favourite of mine, the AMX-13 is (like the Sherman tank) outclassed by the T-54. With the same gun as the Sherman (75mm) and Front Armour of 4 there is no shoot out that these are going to win.

However, they are only 2 points a pop and fairly fast when Dashing (24"/ 60cm Cross Country) which means that whilst they cannot win a head-to-head fight, they are a cheap support Formation (10 tanks for 20 points) that can harass all of the Syrian support units and if they get around the flank of a T-54 their guns will penetrate like a hot knife through butter.

Conclusion
So which one (or ones) are the best? Good question that. I think that it really comes down to how you want to play but you should really be looking at either some Magach or Sho't tanks, and in both cases it is hard to beat the 105mm armed versions thanks to their increased killing power.

I still love the Isherman (105mm) though and think they make an excellent addition for some cheap firepower, just don't let them get caught in the open.

Syrian Army Shots

For the release of Fate Of A Nation I volunteered to paint all the models shown in the book. There is still a way to go before it is a complete army as I didn't manage to get enough of everything done to be ready for gaming, however I do have enough of a mix of models to start playing assuming my opponents are okay with most of my armour being unpainted.

I'm still working on a painting list of what to work on next to finish the army...

One of our new T-62 tanks next to a T-55. They look so similar yet so different!

A mechanised platoon backed up by BMP-1

BTR-60 APCs with infantry

A selection of APCs, a BMP-1, BTR-60, BTR-50 and BTR-152

ZSU-23-4 Shilkas and the somewhat more venerable ZSU-57-2

Two small recce sections of PT-76 and BRDM-2

"Israel vs Syria: Fighting For The Golan", A Series Introduction

This weekend will see the release of Fate Of A Nation, this time brought up to Team Yankee standard and with the inclusion of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Bringing the Arab-Israeli Wars (AIW) in to Flames Of War was something of an obsession for me and I can happily take some of the credit for the initial inclusion after relentlessly and repeatedly reminding people that after the success of our Vietnam releases, AIW would be a great place to turn next. After all it was a period that many gamers recognise, it featured the worlds superpowers fighting over proxy battlefields, and when it came down to it, it was about tanks duelling it out. Perfect for a Flames Of War conversion!

I've tried to pin down the root cause of my obsession or passion and I have no solid idea as to why. I have no recollection of the actual events, both wars happened shortly before my birth and the global impact never really affected me (that I remember). I do recall reading a series of magazines called "War in Peace" and being struck by the destruction of so many tanks as the Syrians pushed across the Israeli built anti-tank ditch in the Valley of Tears.

I am sure that reading about the efforts of a relatively small number of tank crews fighting against overwhelming odds would have left quite the impression on a budding wargamer. The greater history of the conflict no doubt partially lost on me at the time.

Once we received the initial go-ahead to write the very first version of Fate Of A Nation (obviously the name as stuck through multiple printings and revisions) we began to review what was actually required from a workflow perspective. We knew that it was going to be a big job, but so great was the passion to complete it that a number of us volunteered to paint the armies required for the initial photography. Casey stepped forward to paint the Egyptians (closest thing to the Soviets at the time), Evan took on the job of painting the Jordanian armour, whilst Victor took care of the infantry and guns, whilst I charged forward to do the majority of Israelis. Being involved in this original project was certainly one of my favourite experiences of my time at Battlefront.

Find out how I painted my Israelis here...

Jumping forward 4 years and we found ourselves in a similar situation with a new version of Fate Of A Nation being put together, this time with much of the initial writing and editing being completed by Scott Elaurant and Michael McSwiney (two long time contributors to the Flames Of War community). Once again, we needed to add to the range of models. Luckily Aaron (our inhouse painter) had taken care of the vast majority of new releases since the original book and was on deck to take care of the extra items now for the Israelis and Egyptians, however painting enough Syrian models was a problem. It probably comes as no surprise then that I happily volunteered to start building a Syrian force - I say start as it still needs a lot of work to finish...

Over the coming weeks (or months) I thought I might spend some time taking a look at the Israeli and Syrian forces, then look at what I have painted and how it compares to some of the lists I have been dreaming up, and then review what I need to do to complete both armies. The jury is still out as to how much actual progress I will make as I have a few competing priorities on the go, not to mention some future Battlefront projects have been taking my fancy, but I am sure that I'll have something to share.

Stay tuned...