1948 War for Independence Campaign

[+wilco]

I'll take care of the two Mustangs "Zulu" and "Bozzy" (or "Buzzr") that were in 101sqn during the War of Independence, if that's okay.

[+Gocad]

You also need DC-3 Dakota for both sides EAF and IAF.

The RAF was also involved in air fights at the 1948 WOI (War Of Independence), or WOL (War Of Liberation), against both sides.

 

Too bad we don't have a Spitfire Mk XVIII (for No 208 Squadron).

How come the Griffon Spitfires (i.e. the MkXII, XIV & XVIII) have been ignored so far?

 

Btw, the RAF had also Tempests in the area.

Edited May 18, 2010 by Gocad

[+Dave]

I'll take care of the two Mustangs "Zulu" and "Bozzy" (or "Buzzr") that were in 101sqn during the War of Independence, if that's okay.

 

Go ahead Wilco!

[+Dave]

The RAF is going to be tricky to add. We would have to make them bad guys (so to speak) This 1948 campaign is going to be from the fledgling IAF perspective. I will get the campaign built this Sunday.

[+guyran]

Btw, the RAF had also Tempests in the area.

 

That's right, RAF squadrons 213 and squadron 6 employed Tempests in Sinai.

 

BTW

The "black Spitfire" of Ezer Weitzman can be nice.

[+allenjb42]

Israel Air Service at it's founding - 10 November 1947 (total: 9 aircraft)

Sde Dov - Seabee (1), RWD-13 (2), Autocrat (1), Tiger Moth (2), Taylorcraft (3)

 

Israel Air Service Order of Battle on Israel's first full day of independence - 15 May 1948 (total: 36 aircraft)

Sde Dov - A Sqn - C-47 (2), Dragon Rapide (1), Norseman (1), Bonanza (2), Seabee (1), Autocrat (1), Auster AOP (14), RWD-13 (2), Taylorcraft (1), Tiger Moth (2)

Ekron - Air Transport Command - C-46 (1)

Niram\Dorot - Negev Sqn - Taylorcraft (1), Auster AOP (2)

Yavneel\Mahanayim - Galilee Sqn - Taylorcraft (1), Auster AOP (2)

Europe (Czechoslovakia?) - Air Transport Command - C-46 (1), C-54 (1)

 

Israel Airforce Order of Battle - End of 1948 (total: 107 aircraft)

Ekron

Station flight - Taylorcraft (1)

35 Sqn - Norseman (2), Harvard (7)

69 Sqn - B-17 (3)

Air Transport Command - C-46 (9), C-54 (1), Lockheed Lodestar (1), Hudson (1), C-69 (1)

 

Niram\Dorot

2 Sqn - Piper Cub (2), Auster AOP (1)

 

Ramat David

3 Sqn - Dragon Rapide (1), Piper Cub (3), Auster AOP (2), Taylorcraft (1)

101 Sqn - Spitfire (14), BT-13 (1), P-51 (2), S-199 (6), Seabee (1)

103 Sqn - C-47 (6), DC-5 (1), Mosquito PR (1), Beaufighter (2)

 

Sde Dov

1 Sqn - Dragon Rapide (5), Argus (2), Bonanza (3), Norecrin (2), Piper Cub (12), RWD-13 (1), Auster AOP (9)

 

Of course, aircraft arrived and were lost during 1948. On 8 July 1948 the Heyl Ha'Avir had 60 aircraft, although only 9 could be considered to be combat types (S-199s). The B-17s arrived around 15 July and the first of the Spits flew on 23 July. By 17 September IAF strength was 92 aircraft, including 20 fighters and 3 bombers.

 

During the course of the war 15-18 aircraft were downed by AAA or destroyed on the ground, 2 were shot down by enemy fighters, 34-38 were lost in operational accidents, and 2 were captured by enemy forces.

 

23 pilots, 10 other aircrew, and 10 ground personell were killed , many of them foreign volunteers, 2 pilots were listed as MIA, and 4 aircrew were captured.

 

27 aircraft were downed in air engagements - 20 Egyptian, 1 Syrian, 5 British and 1 civilian. Another 6 aircraft were destroyed either by Israeli anti-aircraft fire or on the ground.

 

Many of the Israeli units moved base during the course of the war. I'll dig out some information and post it to help with the campaign construction.

[+Dave]

Thanks Allen.

[+Dave]

Sometime in 1948....

[+Gocad]

The RAF is going to be tricky to add. We would have to make them bad guys (so to speak) This 1948 campaign is going to be from the fledgling IAF perspective. I will get the campaign built this Sunday.

 

Well, the RAF had a rather passive role anyway...they just got involved into combat when their aircraft where identified as Israeli or Eqyptian. So considering that the game engine can't handle neutrals, it might make more sense to keep them out the campaign...not to mention that the types used by RAF at that time aren't available anyway.

[+Dave]

Good call Gocad........what about a what if? Just a side project for us?

[+wilco]

 

Apparently both Zulu and Bozzy were assigned the black 41, so I'll leave them this way. Found a picture of Bozzy with the D-191 number applied, so I'll use those. Seems that the 41 was used from 1948/1949 onwards. Zulu also had a poorly drawn U-shaped squadron badge below the name (see http://101squadron.c...lumarkings.jpg), but the pictures I've seen of it are virtually useless.

Edited May 20, 2010 by wilco

[+wilco]

Update bump.

[+Monty CZ]

Here you can find some info:

http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories/israel-aircrafts.html

MontyCZ

 

 

Apparently both Zulu and Bozzy were assigned the black 41, so I'll leave them this way. Found a picture of Bozzy with the D-191 number applied, so I'll use those. Seems that the 41 was used from 1948/1949 onwards. Zulu also had a poorly drawn U-shaped squadron badge below the name (see http://101squadron.c...lumarkings.jpg), but the pictures I've seen of it are virtually useless.

[+wilco]

Thanks! I don't trust profiles too much normally, because of the artistic freedom involved. For example, the white-black-white-black-white tailband on 41 seems wrong to me, since it is usually refered to as white-black-white and photos seem to prove that. On the other hand one has to wonder if even the white-black-white is correct, given that a) the Spits and Sakeens from that era had white-blue-white tailbands and b) most of the pictures are black and white, making it impossible to distinguish between black and blue in the first place.

 

[+Crusader]

[+Wrench]

that humber would be a nice addition, too!!! Just to have running around, for beer runs!

 

iirc, the Syrians had a few Panzer III or IVs they used in the 48 war.

 

wrench

kevin stein

Edited May 21, 2010 by Wrench

[+Stratos]

 

 

iirc, the Syrians had a few Panzer III or IVs they used in the 48 war.

 

 

 

 

Panzer IV bought to Spain after WW2

 

 

Here a Syrian Panzer IV destroyed, it was placed on the Golan Heights

[+Monty CZ]

I found some info about ground units here:

Arab order of battle

Since Geo did a lot of models I suppose we can have permission

to use them.

My plans for the ground units are:

Humber Mk IV

Armed Jeep (israel)

maybe R-35/39 Tank

some mortars or Artillery for indirect fire

 

Do we need anz strategic objects?

buildings, radio towers, ships etc?

 

MontyCZ

[Slartibartfast]

If I remember there where some small scale ship attacks one I remember reading about is about the IAF attacking a Destroyer/Frigate with light bombs after it had shelled Israeli Positions... Dont have the full details as I am not home...

[+Dave]

After reading that Allen and those you want to input please do. We should start this campaign on 17 Sept 1948 in which the IAF had 92 planes, 20 fighters and 3 bombers. I think prior to that would be (just based on how the campaign engine works) a slaughter because the Arab forces would have the upper hand. You couldn't proceed without getting wiped out before you could even upgrade. Thoughts?

 

Also are we going to use real workd number here? If that is the we are going to have only 2 Mustangs, 6 S-199's and 14 Spits, all in squadron. Anyone have any heart burn with that?

[Silverbolt]

After reading that Allen and those you want to input please do. We should start this campaign on 17 Sept 1948 in which the IAF had 92 planes, 20 fighters and 3 bombers. I think prior to that would be (just based on how the campaign engine works) a slaughter because the Arab forces would have the upper hand. You couldn't proceed without getting wiped out before you could even upgrade. Thoughts?

 

Also are we going to use real workd number here? If that is the we are going to have only 2 Mustangs, 6 S-199's and 14 Spits, all in squadron. Anyone have any heart burn with that?

 

keep it real , that's the fun, you'll have to proff that you deserve to fly in IAF

[+Wrench]

dave, as per our phone conversation...fits damn near perfectly!!

 

also just noticed, these are equiped with the "Abukir" (sp?) type filters!

 

wrench

kevin stein

Edited May 23, 2010 by Wrench

[+Dave]

Going to see if we can get a real Spit droptank. FC got a

minute?

[+Wrench]

apparently the slippers came in 3 sizes .. 30, 90 and 170 gallon

 

http://www.spitfire.dk/xlavryg.jpg

 

don't know which 'size' this one is

 

photo from Velveta ferry flight: 2 300lts 109 tanks, centerline slipper

 

http://101squadron.com/101real/assets/images/Spit_pics/yugo-isr.jpg

 

or, we could just not use them....

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+guyran]

After reading that Allen and those you want to input please do. We should start this campaign on 17 Sept 1948 in which the IAF had 92 planes, 20 fighters and 3 bombers.

 

 

Historically it is wrong to start the campaign on September 1948, at the middle of the WOI.

The IAF was founded on 31 may 1948, and this is a better starting point.

In the history of the Israeli WOI, a significant period is called "the battle of the ten days".

During this period, on 9-18 of July 1948, until the second remission, the IAF had fly 164 sorties, and drop 58 tons of bombs (fifth of them by the 3 B-17 bombers).

The Egyptians have lost one spitfire, and the Syrians have lost one Harvard at this period, while the IAF have lost two S-199 attacking targets at Egypt.

It is true that there were very few air clashes at this time, but there was a very intensive strike and cas activity by both sides.