In October of 1973 the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria, and almost a dozen other states launched a surprise attack against the Israeli- occupied territories in the Sinai and Golan Heights.

The October War, the Yom Kippur War, the Ramadan War—all these names described the largest and hardest-fought war in the long history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Never was there a conflict of this scope, featuring this much back-and-forth maneuver, or such dramatic turns of fortune. For the wargamer, this conflict provides armies more balanced in equipment and capabilities than any other mid-east war. It also saw the first widespread use of wire-guided antitank missiles and the first major generation of post-World War Two armored vehicles.

The Armies of October is the most comprehensive study of the belligerent armies available under a single cover. For the armies of Israeli, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Liberation Army The Armies of October features:

* Army organization

* Doctrinal strengths and weaknesses

* Detailed notes on equipment holdings

* Order of battle down to the battalion level

For Command Decision players we also include game organizations from division to battalion level and a complete list of weapons and combat vehicles with all game statistics.

The October War provides a unique conflict for study and gaming, a blend of the logical development of World War Two weapon systems encountering the early examples of late-century military technology in the form of wire-guided missiles, extensive mechanization throughout the force structure, and omnipresent light antitank weapons. The Armies of October is the indispensable guide to exploring that conflict.