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Posted on Jun 14, 2006 in Armchair Reading, Front Page Features

Winning Solution to CDG # 14

Armchair General

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In our May 2006 article, we asked you to test your decision-making skills as an Israeli Division Commander during the Yom Kippur War.  Here are the top three entries:

1. James Reynolds

Your Concept of Operation: Ambush.  IDF forces outnumber Egypt in both quantity and quality.  But tanks are at a premium, and the defensive advantage of IDF cannot be disregarded.  Ambush combines best of both defensive advantages (superior hull down capability, superior gunnery) with the aggressiveness of a flank attack to ensure destruction of the enemy.  Defend option not only runs the risk of losing initiative and possibly allowing enemy to bypass or rebound from the contact, it also is the greatest chance that the Egypt force will survive  in numbers to continue to threaten your bridgehead from the rear.  Attack option negates much of your qualitative advantage and your numerical superiority is not so high that destruction of enemy assured with minimum loss. Ambush with flank by Col. Karen!

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2. LTC (Ret) Chuck Treese

Your Concept of Operation: All three solutions will work. The question is which one will defeat the enemy and at the same time preserve the force for further employment. Only Course of Action #2 meets both criteria.

This is a classic L shaped ambush on a huge scale. Leave Rashef’s four tanks in place as a tripwire, meanwhile, move Nir’s brigade to his southeast parallel to the Lexicon Road oriented west. Move Karen’s brigade south alone the Kaspi Road to cut the Lexicon Road southwest of Huvra.

Timing here is essential to success. Rashef initiates the action against the advance guard, followed immediately by Nir’s brigade attacking into the flank of the main body of the 25th Brigade. It matters little if Karen hits the trailing battalion, or the support elements of the 25th Brigade. Either will be equally decisive in that the Egyptian brigade has nowhere to go but west and into the Great Bitter Lake

JEB Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee used a similar approach at Buckland Mills, Virginia over a century before the Chinese Farm.


3. John F. Klaine SR

Your Concept of Operation: This must be a quick response, as the enemy is moving quickly as well.  Moving NIR’s armor to tie in with those of Rashef will allow me to cap the enemy column from front and flank.  Moving Karen Southeast will allow me to exploit the ambush by striking the enemy from behind, closing off retreat.  Some of the enemy will try to break through, but others will panic, and the confusion and lack of coordination will add to our ability to destroy the threat.  When Karen strikes, the confusion will be complete, using maneuver to out flank the enemy, we will apply mass and surprise to blunt the enemy and then destroy his forces.  Executed reasonably, we will literally copy Hannibal’s victory at Lake Trasimene, with similar results.


Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winner!

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