Modern War #43 - Operation Serval

from the publisher:

The Magazine:

Operation Serval - Expeditionary Warfare in Central Africa: Islamist insurgents were threatening to take control of Mali in early 2013. In a lightning campaign that spring, French and allied African forces inflicted a stunning defeat on the Islamists.

Other Articles:

• Downfall of Amin - War in Uganda 1978-1979: Idi Amin rose to power in 1971. Eight years later his reign would collapse following a short war with Tanzania.
• Destroying the Nests - Ground Attacks on Airbases 1978-2014: It is easier to destroy an enemy’s aerial power on the ground than in the air, exemplified in several recent examples.

• A What-If Scenario - Liberation of Cyprus: The Greek majority of Cypriotes want a union with Greece, but achieving it by force would be a steep undertaking.

The Game:

Operation Serval is a two player game covering the campaign in Mali in West Africa during 2012 and 2013, which saw Islamist forces seize control of the northern part of the country and then threaten the capital at Bamako. A French expeditionary force intervened, counterattacked, and along with various African allies, routed the Islamists in a short and sharp campaign.

This is a two-player game where one player commands the French Coalition and the other player the Islamists. Each side's forces include several contingents of allied forces. The game has two scenarios: one deals with the entire campaign; the other with the French intervention. Each hex is about 50 kilometers across. Each turn represents anywhere from one week of intense combat to a month or two of refitting and regrouping. Ground units represent companies, battalions and groups of irregulars (anywhere from 100 to 500 fighters).

Components: One 22" x 34" map on one sheet & 176 counters