WW3:Team Yankee Israeli – Overview

Lee takes a look at the new Team Yankee book for the Israeli Defence Force.

It’s been a hot minute since we got a new book for Team Yankee. After 2023 saw both “Nordic Forces” and “NATO Forces” throw a slew of new nations and units into the game, 2024 saw some new infantry figures and that was about it.

At this point, all the old v1 “Team Yankee” nations have been revisited except for those from one book; Oil Wars. The forces from this book, all distinctly mid to late 80s in feel, were badly in need of a refresh to reflect the meta shift to the early-mid 90s. Small updates for the IDF (thanks to the introduction of a plastic Centurion with ERA and the “NATO forces” TOW and Dragon improvements) suggested something was bubbling away. Surely, modern geopolitics doing its best to overshadow it aside, now was the time for an Oil Wars 2: Sweet Crude Boogaloo.

Well, good news! We got part of that, at least.

Enter “WW3: Team Yankee Israeli”. Covering just the IDF in a single book allows for more room for new units and formations, and we see the counter of the latter grow from four formations in Oil Wars (three tank and one infantry) to eight (five tank and three infantry). The formation count is now:

  • One formation each for the Merkava Mk.1, 2 and 3
  • Magach 6 (M60 Patton), now with a Blazer ERA option
  • Centurion Sho’t
  • M113 Mechanised Infantry Company
  • Reservist Infantry Company
  • Paratroop Company

The book opens by covering the historical Israeli and Syrian clashes in Lebanon in the 80s. This started as a response to cross border raids by the PLO by carrying out tit-for-tat raids into Lebanon, then growing into an invasion and armed confrontation with the Syrians. This saw the IDF score military victories (especially in the air war), but ultimately failed to meet the political objectives and left the country facing economic and political isolation. WW3:Team Yankee then picks up from that starting point to have the Syrians, backed by the Soviets, assault the Golan Heights in an attempt to further divert US attention from the European theatre.

The Force

The force diagram has grown from the original book, not just with the four new formations but also with some new support units. The IDF gain a rocket artillery box with Hail and MLRS options and a recce box with Jeep and RBY “Rabi” (though the book repeatedly calls it the Rabbi) armoured car options. Existing boxes also gain new options, with the anti-tank missile carrier and attack helicopter options seeing the addition of the RBY missile carrier and AH-64 Apache (entering service in 1990 as one of the first export users).

We’ll return to the support options later, let’s look at the formations and their new toys.

Third wheel on the Merkava

The Merkava was the big new unit of the Oil Wars release; an early gen 3 tank with a novel engine layout, providing a well protected tank that’s 105mm main armament was sufficient for dealing with the threats it faced in the local neighbourhood. The only problem was that the local neighbourhood had a new bully boy on the block in the form of the ERA armour equipped Soviet tanks, which, frankly, laughed at AT19 and had little trouble dealing with FA18 in return.

In reality, the Israelis had identified the threat of Syria acquiring tanks like the T-72S quite highly; the Syrians, after all, were one of the few export customers for the non-downgraded T-72A (800 or so appearing to supplement the T-72 Urals bought in the late seventies). On this basis, the basic Merkava saw new modular armour installed to protect against 125mm ammo as well as a new, fully stabilised, 120mm smoothbore being installed to return the favour, becoming the Mk.3.

As you can see, the Merkava is now on par with late gen 3 tanks like the Leopard2A5 and Leclerc though it exceeds both in the level of its armour protection with a mighty FA23! The 120mm is on par with the L44 guns used on the Leopard 2, boasting an AT22 punch but losing the “Brutal” round of the old 105mm. Less obvious, it also gets a mobility boost with “advanced stabiliser” boosting the tactical to 14″ and a new 1000hp engine boosting the dash speeds. Not quite an M1 or a Leo 2 but a lot more nimble than the early models!

In terms of formation, all three Merkava share a common form:

  • A HQ, one compulsory platoon and one optional platoon of one Merkava model
  • A second compulsory box which can be any of the three Merkava models
  • An infantry box (M113 or Reservists)
  • A recce box (Jeeps, Rabi or M113)

No matter the model, it’s possible to form a well rounded formation and having the ability to either remove some cost from a Mk.3 formation by taking a platoon of infantry-killing 105mm armed versions or supplementing a formation of 105mm armed variants with a “breakthrough” platoon of 120mm-armed, “Chobham” armour-protected, Mk.3s, really helps that versatility.

Old Dogs, New Tricks

Of course, the Merkava wasn’t the only tank in the inventory. The Magach 6 still soldiered on, as did the Centurion Sho’t. Whilst somewhat aging, they have been refreshed with new engines, armour and fire control systems to keep them on par with the T-55 and T-62 that make up the majority of the Syrian inventory.

The Magach 6 provided the Oil Wars Israel with a massable medium tank and the addition of an option to add ERA does little to change this. The ERA boosts the Front Armour to 16 but has the main advantage of warding off RPG rounds, making the tank very effective at dealing with infantry. Much like the USMC, Blazer is also a sinocast upgrade kit, albeit different to the US one which is great to see.

The Centurion has a lower armour rating (though it comes with ERA by default) but does sport a laser rangefinder (not that you really want to move with its moving RoF of 1) and a lower price tag.

Both formations mimic the layout of the Merkava ones but only allow their own tank type to be taken.

Full time, part time and air time

The Israeli infantry were some of the best in the game in Oil Wars. Large platoons of well armed infantry with an interesting mix of anti-infantry and anti-tank capabilities and “fearless veteran” soft stats put them right up there with British, French and Polish infantry units. WW3:Israelis only further bolsters this by giving some new tools for them to play with.

Looking at the infantry platoon itself, the Dragon can now be upgraded to a Dragon 2 (boosting it to a very useful AT21) and the RPG-7 can be replaced by the B-300, the weapon which the US would later adopt as the SMAW). The latter effectively boosts the range from 12″ to 16″, plus ups the firepower to 3+, which has its uses but is an easy upgrade to skip to save cost.

The Infantry also get upgrades to their mounts. The standard M113 was an MG-laden ride anyway but now has the much improved “Dragon mount” rule which doesn’t require the Dragon to be permanently mounted. That said, I’m still a big advocate for leaving it in the M113 so its firing doesn’t give the infantry away! The M113 can also be upgraded with appliqué armour, boosting its armour to 13 vs HEAT, handy versus RPG rounds.

Of course, the Israelis were one of the first advocates of heavy APC and the ageing Centurion has found a new role as the Nagmasho’t APC. The turret has been thrown away, a new superstructure added, and big blocks of ERA fitted all over to give a very resilient ride for the infantry to cover ground to the target in. It’s quite a pricey upgrade, but the protection it provides the infantry is unparalleled.

The rest of the formation sees a few little tweaks. The tank box has all the tanks in the force available, the M125 81mm mortar unit remains unchanged, whilst the M150 TOW carrier receives the option of taking either the US built ITOW or the Israeli built Man Portable Anti-Tank System (MAPATS – coincidently the Hebrew word for Explosion), a laser guided derivative which not only has AT23 but also a 56″ range too (no wire to limit the range!). This replaces the TOW2 option that was briefly introduced in the web upgrade. Also, like Dragon 2 and TOW2, if you take MAPATS, everyone who has the choice has to take MAPATS.

The next infantry unit is the Reserve Infantry Company. We’ve seen reservists in the British (Fox Recce Squadron) and German (Jaeger Company) books and the IDF model follows much the same route; a broadly similar weapon fit but “softer” soft stats. In the case of the IDF, the reservists have a still very respectable “all fours” set of soft stats, much like most NATO forces. Their infantry platoon has the same composition as the full-time army albeit with the M113 being optional and no fancy APC.

The reservists still get access to full time army tanks, whilst having their own M125 mortars and anti-tank support. The latter can be in M150 or Jeeps (the jeeps having bigger four-vehicle units as an option) and also have access to TOW or MAPATS.

The final infantry option is the Paratroops. An all-volunteer unit, the Paratroops have “all-threes” soft stats, including the Assault stat. This makes them harder hitting than the regulars who only have 4+. The paratroops can either be on-foot, in M113 or in Twin-huey helicopters, benefiting from the “Airborne” tag to the formation. The actual unit composition follows the same pattern as the other infantry units.

The formation also follows the same pattern, albeit gaining a third anti-tank option; the Rabbi (as BF insist on calling it) missile carrier. The RBY is an early attempt at the MRAP, with a mine resistant lightweight body acting as either a recce vehicle or a TOW carrier. It’s not much to look at, but it does provide an armour 1 box (including the top – very unusual for a wheeled vehicle) with Jeep level mobility at no impact on cost. The Rabi is also air mobile; two can be carried in a Sea Stallion.

Support

Turning to support and the Israelis benefit from the additions to the range introduced by the later WW3:America book. MLRS and Apache both get introduced into the Israeli ranks, bolstering area effect (along with the inclusion of captured Hails) and precision anti-tank respectably. The AH-1 Cobras also gain the MAPATS option. The IAF is busy shooting down the Syrians over the Bekaa valley so only the venerable A-4 Skyhawk turns up to represent them.

Talking about precision anti-tank, the Pereh returns and also gets a boost. The original distributor of long range AT21 shots into the enemy back-line now gets the enhanced Tammuz 2 missile that packs a tandem warhead, AT23 main charge and also boosts the range to a staggering 104″. These things can truly sit on the back line, sniping off SAM systems, artillery and tanks with little direct response.

The final notable new inclusion in the support section is the Rabi recce unit. Not only is this thing an armour 1 box, but it sports a RoF6 machine gun attack and is Assault 2+! Additionally, it can break off in any direction, not just directly away from the enemy, representing the Sayuez hit-and-run style of attacks.

Scenarios

The Israeli scenario from the old book now acts as the first scenario for a mini-campaign that sees the Israelis first resist the Syrian opening offensive, then counter-attack into Syria and Lebanon. Sometimes reality follows art…
The final scenario, the Israeli counter-offensive into southern Lebanon, acts to showcase the Merkava 3 vs the Soviet T-80 as the Soviets have apparently broken through to Syria via Eastern Turkey. Which now makes me want to see a NATO Southern Forces book…

Conclusion

The Israeli forces have been given a bolster to their tank and infantry forces that should see them do well against all opponents, rather than just their in-theatre ones.
There are some oddities in the points; tanks are clearly priced non-dynamically, so the Merkava Mk.3 is as eye watering as the Leclerc used to be. Other units get priced very similarly for no real benefit; does better road dash really make the recce jeep as good as the recce M113? Why is the Rabi TOW the same price as the unarmoured TOW jeep? Why are reserve infantry in M113 only 1pt cheaper than full-time units with better morale and skill? I suspect dynamic points and natural selection will quickly solve some of this and render the rest moot.

The Israeli getting their own book poses a question for the rest of Oil Wars. Will we see the remainder kept together or will they get their own books? Will we see the Syrians get T-72A or even the T-72B/ Iraqi BMP-2 and an Airborne formation with BMD? Is there a possibility to bring Chieftain armed Jordanians in? Lots of options for Battlefront to visit and keep the rest of theatre up to meta.

So, is this the only Team Yankee we are getting this year? It’s a busy release schedule of Flames of War Early and Pacific, plus, sigh, Clash of Steel, so I suspect then answer is sadly yes. However, last year Pete did say that the plastic US and Soviets would be joined, eventually by Brits and West Germans, so I’ll hold out a sliver of hope that we may see more, Lee.

6 thoughts on “WW3:Team Yankee Israeli – Overview

  1. Whoever is going to play the Syrians against any of these forces is not going to have much fun. I think IDF players are going to have a difficult time finding historical Syrian opponents. Speaking of which, I would really like a decent painting advice for Middle Eastern Forces, not just Syrians.

  2. Good day all,
    Kindly ask your advise with a rule clarification.
    Do helicopters and strike aircraft take morale test?
    In the rule book, 1 aircraft team is sufficient for good spirits status of aircraft units, however in the arsenal of each helicopter and aircraft unit, a degree of morale and motivation is stated.
    In FM-101-FAQ March 2024, there is one question (for soviet air assault unit passengers) in which reference is made for failed morale of the helicopters and BF had replied for the luck of passengers once the helicopters failed their morale (without correcting or so that actually based on the 1 aircraft team sufficient for good spirits, there will be no morale test till the last standing).
    Our team may play the wrong way . Your kind feedback is much appreciated.

  3. BF stated that books are still going to be printed with points appropriate to be played against other books.

    Upon release, they will get added to dynamic points. Dynamic points will never be printed in books.

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