1948-49: Arab-Israeli Wargaming Figures
I'm gearing up to do 1948 using 15mm and the Crossfire rules. I'm going to simplify my life by getting a generic Israeli Battalion and a generic Arab battalion. By and large I'll be using Battle Front miniatures, but with a mix of Peter Pig for small numbers of specialist figures.
Arab Wargaming Figures
The Egyptians looked British. I suspect the Iraqis looked British given they were a British Mandate. The Jordanians looked British, but some troops wore the Kefiyeh (possibly just Sergeants and Officers). Lebanese and Syrian troops looked French, but what that meant in 1948 I'm not sure.
For British looking regulars use:
- British in Mediterranean uniform and flat helmet
For regular troops wearing Kefiyeh:
- British in Mediterranean uniform with a head swap; use the PLO heads from Peter Pig
- British SAS with kefiyeh. Battle Front has such figures, with Thompson SMG and rifles.
For more irregular types use:
- Peter Pig French Resistance with a head swap (PLO heads). The French Resistance packs include girls, but use them only for Israelis.
- Peter Pig AK-47 figures with bolt action rifles (Suggestion from Chris Stoesen)
Kefiyeh could be a variety of patterns:
- Checked red and white in the Arab Legion
- Checked black and white
- Checked blue and white
- Plain White
Israeli Wargaming Figures
A shabby lot they were. Use a mixture of:
- British in Mediterranean uniform and flat helmet.
- British 8th Army in shorts and flat helmet.
- British 14th Army with bush hats. Peter Pig has them.
- British SAS with cap comforter. Battle Front has such figures.
- Peter Pig French Resistance girls. They're armed with Sten guns, so fit right in.
- British Paratroops, with either helmet or beret - Israeli's used both.
- Afrika Korps LMG, as Israeli's tended to use MG34. Hopefully the figures will also be wearing shorts. Peaked caps are close enough to an Israeli equivalent, bu German helmet are not appropriate.
- Any "Arab" type figures mentioned above wearing Kefiyeh. On at least one occasion Arabs thought approaching Israeli troops were also Arab because some were wearing Kefiyeh.
Stronghold miniatures do Spanish Civil War armoured trucks. One of them - Armoured Truck No 13 - is remarkably close to the Israeli sandwich trucks of 1948. See my Spanish Civil War Vehicles page for the complete list.
 |
Armoured Truck K | ?? | Spain | 6-10 men; 2 x 8 mm Hotchkiss maching guns & 4 rifles | This vehicle is also suitable for Israel 1948 as a Sandwhich Armoured Truck | Stronghold Armoured Truck No 13 |