
Frequently (not-?) asked Questions:

1.  The necessary ritual cease-fire violation that
 official triggered Yoav happened at noon on October 15,
but the scenario starts at 6 AM on October 16, why is that?

  To avoid having 4 turns where both sides would have most
of their units frozen while the Israeli commandos raided the
railroad and the Israeli Air Force bombed El Arish at sunset.

2. Speaking of the Israeli Air Force, if they were so effective
why do the Israeli columns get straffed so often and why are there
8 Egyptian Spitfires...?

  A lot of the straffing of Israeli columns represents
 mistaken attacks by the Israeli Air Force.  The famous 8 Spitfires 
attacked off and on throughout Yoav.  Always 8.

3.  If the real Israeli Objective was Beersheba, then why are
 Ramah and El Arish worth more points?

  In 1948 Beersheba was a small town and probably the largest place
south of Hebron that the Israelis could possibly have captured. 
Capturing Beersheba seems to have made very little difference to the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force, though politically it was a major event.
  The fall of Egyptian positions
 nearer the coast and further south would have been a real problem
for the Egyptian Army.

4. Speaking of Hebron, why is that worth so little?

  At this point in the south the Israelis were more interested in
opening a route to their settlements, not capturing cities with 
large Arab populations.  If they had captured Hebron, they almost 
certainly would have given it up again pretty quickly.

5.  Where is the Arab Legion?

    In the out-of-play area around Latrun and Jerusalem.     


6.   Where are the Harel and Etzioni Brigades?

    In roughly the same area as the Arab Legion.

7. What is this Israeli Artillery Brigade?
 
    An ad hoc formation for game purposes to cover the coast and/or
centralize the Israeli Artillery. 

8.  Why is the Negev Brigade not in the Negev?

   Note that the commando battalion of the Negev Brigade is there.
  It has returned for the operation.  The Negev Brigade was withdrawn
 and rebuilt before Operation Yoav.  The Yiftach Brigade inflitrated
and was supplied by airlift.  Note that Martin Gilbert
 (in his recent book _Israel_) appears to have missed that point even
though he uses Netanel Lorch's _The Edge of the Sword_ (my main source)
 as a source (but he uses the 2nd ed...so?)

9.  Airlift?

  Yes.  There was an airlift to the Negev (Shoval more exactly), to 
bring in fuel and supplies before the operation. 


10.  Places:  Three places on the map have very different names:

     Abozzem was apparently Faluja in 1948 and Masabim was Bir Asluj
 and Nitzana was Auja.