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Egypt, October 01, 1993, Libyan & Sudan army of 102 units opposed to Egyptian army of 176 units for a battle of complexity 0.84 at Brigade(X) level on a 20 Km/Hex map for 17 turns of Full Day each. by John Gallion submited on 30-04-2003 Rugged-Defense Playing Statistics
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CRIMSON SANDSHypothetical Libyan-Sudanese Invasion of Egypt, October 1993Version 1.02 Based on a chapter in the book "Future Wars" by Col. Trevor N. Dupuy, U.S.Army (Ret) BEST PLAYED AS LIBYAN/SUDANESE SIDE 1. SCENARIO BACKGROUND 1.1. Turmoil in the Streets In March 1993, under the direction of Qaddafi, Libyan contacts within the PLO and fundamentalist groups provided support and direction for protests in Egypt caused by austerity measures due to the lack of expected Saudi economic aid. As these increased in size and fervour the Egyptian government retaliated with mass arrests of opposition leaders and banning large-scale demonstrations. In response, terrorist factions began a campaign of violence directed against minor officials, police and government supporters. 1.2. Qaddafi Sees His Chance As violence and unrest mounted, the Libyan armed forces were directed by "Colonel" Qaddafi in April 1993 to prepare plans for a possible attack on Egypt in support of an expected anti-government revolt. Libyan intelligence estimated that significant portions of the Egyptian armed forces had been rendered ineffective, either through disaffection or by being deployed as part of the peacekeeping force in the Gulf. Qaddafi began to apply strong diplomatic pressure on the Sudanese government in an effort to bring that country into an alliance against Egypt. After conducting a few "strong-arm" tactics, (threats to cut oil shipments and withdrawal of Libyan troops aiding the Sudanese government against rebels), in late June 1993, the Sudanese government caved in and entered into a secret military alliance with Libya. 1.3. The Plan On July 2, 1993, the plan was presented to Qaddafi. After approval of the plan, he directed that October 1 would be D-Day. An essential ingredient of the plan was the destruction of the effectiveness of the Egyptian Air Force. Due to the Libyan Air Force's low readiness, inexperience in low-level precision bombing, and fear of US early-warning aircraft alerting the Egyptians, the task was given to Libyan special forces operating in concert with terrorists and Egyptian rebels. The second mission also given to the special forces was the decaptitation of Egyptian command and control structure by assasination of key government and military officials as well as destruction of command, control and communications facilities. The final neccessary task was the sabotage of road and rail lines running west and south from Alexandria and the Nile Delta. The Alliance with Sudan made possible a secondary attack into southern Egypt. It was hoped that these attacks would divert Egyptian reserves away from the main thrust in the north and possibly block the return of the divisions from Saudi Arabia. 2. SPECIAL EVENTS
3. THEATER OPTIONS The Libyans have the option (starting on the forst turn), to use chemical weapons (wich they have in abundance). If they do, Egypt will retaliate with chemicals of their own after a slight delay. 4. STRATEGIC TIPS 4.1. Libyan Player The key word is SPEED. You have until turn 7 when the Egyptians begin to recieve some reinforcements. But around turn 13, major Egyptian divisions will be mobilized and enroute to the fronts. Hopefully your third column in Egypt will have rendered the Egyptian Air Force all but useless. If not, use you airborne and airmobile units early in the game or you won't be able to use them effectively due to Egyptian air control. Also, make use of the trail through the Qattara Depression to outflank Egyptian forces. If you can get your army in control of the hieghts east of Alemein and still in good condition, you have a decent chance of getting a victory. On the southern front, Move as quickly as possible. Expect your Sudanese division along the Red Sea coast to eventually take a beating. Getting your forces close to Luxor will divert enough Egyptians from the northern front to make the going a bit easier there. 4.2. Egyptian Player For the first seven turns you will have few troops to stop the invasion. In the north, all you can really do is slow the Libyan advance long enough for your reinforcements to start arriving. However, if you allow the Libyans to advance close to Luxor in the south, some of these reinforcements around turn 13, will be diverted to the southern front. Hopefully, your air force will be intact. If not, the battle will be all the tougher. If the Libyans get too close to Alexandria and Cairo, there's a good chance that the US will intervene with some air power, a small Marine unit and the 6th Fleet. Also, be careful of a potential Libyan amphibious commando landing along the coast in your rear. 5. Special Note The scenario is divided into two parts - the Northern Front and the Southern Front. Only air units can move between them. After playtesting, this made the game easier to manage and gave the game a certain amount of balance for the weaker Libyan/Sudanese side. |