For Whom The Bell Tolls – Game Report No 2

Setup

I’ll say things got shaken up! I made some very unlikely die rolls for determining which units rebel. The rolls were generally very lucky for the Loyalists. Units a Toledo, Vitoria, Cordoba, Granada, Alerciras, Pontevdra, Zaragoza, and Salamanca stayed loyal. In addition, a few cities without units that historically rebelled failed to do so. On the other hand, the Insurgents didn’t pick up much that they didn’t get historically. The only units that joined the rebellion that didn’t historically were those at Malaga, Almeria, and Jaen. The Insurgents did get a bunch of extra cities without units, all in Andalusia. If you study the rebellion numbers, you’ll find that the use of the variable start rule generally will favor the Insurgents, but it sure didn’t here. I put to Insurgent capital in El Ferrol.

Turn Reports

• July 1936 - Jul II 1936 Insurgent Player Turn Units are ferried from Morroco by air and sea. Most units move 1 hex to begin connecting the rail net. No attacks in the offing. Loyalist Player Turn Units begin to connect the rail net. No attacks allowed
• August 1936 - Aug I 36 Insurgent Player Turn Single regiments screen the Loyalist units in Algerciras and Pontevdra while a bunch of weak units converge around Zaragoza. Efforts continue to hook up the rail lines. A security lll secures Guadix; the Loyalists in Granada will be cut off from the rest of Loyalist Spain The Mixed T […]
• September 1936 - Sep I 36 Insurgent Player Turn The 1 Cas XX is formed from the 1 LE III. Insurgent units in Aragon decline a chance to take a temporarily unoccupied Zaragoza and instead begin a withdrawl. Loyalist Player Turn Caceres is siezed form easily as it is held only by its intrinsic garrison (9:1 0 = […]
• October 1936 - Oct I 36 Insurgent Player Turn. The Loyalist Art III in Pontevedra dies from lack of supply, as do the PA & Anarchist units around Granada. A bit of luck here for the Insurgents, as 2 of the 6 Loyalists units would have been expected to survive. The 2 LE III is again used to […]
• November 1936 - Nov I 36 Insurgent Player Turn. The weather is now mud in Zone D, and there are rough seas in the Atlantic. The 2 LE III is again used to form a Division, the 2 Cas. The 2 Sor XX and supporting units move onto the rail line west of Talavera de la Reina, once […]
• December 1936 - Dec I 36 Insurgent Player Turn Weather over the Iberian Penisula worsens considerably (Winter in Zone D, Mud in Zone E, Rough in both sea zones). Both sides have supply problems along the border between Andalusia and Murcia, and to a lesser extent along the Cordillera Central. The 2 Av XX is formed from the […]
• Comment to Date - Comment to Date In Asturias, the Insurgents control Oviedo, Mieres, and not much else. Otherwise, the front lines run roughly along the borders of Andalucia, Estremadura, and Castilla la Vieja, except in the for inroad made by the Loyalist in the southern and eastern reaches of Castilla la Vieja. Both sides have suffered from a […]
• January 1937 - Jan I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. Seas turn rough in the Med., but otherwise the weather is unchanged from the latter half of December. Many Insurgent units head toward the northern Gobernitos area in preparation for the upcoming campaign. The continued good weather in the south prompts an attack along the rail line west of […]
• February 1937 - Feb I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. The bad weather continues except in the Med, which is calm. The ground units of the Kondor Legion and the CVT, as well as many of the better Nationalist units, begin to concentrate around Burgos, from which the drive into Asturias will be launched. Low rail capacity slows this […]
• March 1937 - Mar I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. The weather clears in the south while winter gives way to muddy spring weather in the north. Much consternation results in Franco’s headquarters when it is discovered that January’s attack west of Madrid was not only a total failure, but the supply consumed has not been replace, leaving forces […]
• April 1937 - Apr I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. Spring rains continue to make the ground to muddy to launch any attacks in the north, while the delay in attacking along the rails west of Madrid has allowed Loyalist reinforcement to strengthen their position to such an extent that the Insurgents decline to attack them. Loyalist Player Turn. […]
• May 1937 - May I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. The direct route into Santander along the rail line is deemed too strong to attack directly, so attempts are made on the flanks, with mixed success. In the mountains to the west, 2 XXX’s attack some unsupported Santandero X’s and succeed in destroying them despite the defensible terrain (6:1 […]
• June 1937 - Jun I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. Most units lost in recent fighting are rebuilt, but the artillery shortage means that most divisions are at either cadre or unsupported strength. Units north and west of Soria pull back a bit, trying to cover the hole in the line left by the loss of the fort at […]
• July 1937 - Jul I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. Jul I ’37 Insurgent Turn. The Nationalist and Italian CR.32’s are both rebuilt. The arrival of some artillery allows some cadres to be rebuilt to full strength and for some unsupported divisions to recieve support. It is hoped that this will stabilize the front lines. The 5 Ara XXX […]
• August 1937 - Aug I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. The 3 PN XX and some non-divisional CVT units are rebuilt. The success of the PA in attacking with out attack supply has convinced the Insurgents that they must establish a shorter, more defensible front line. It is not clear how far to pull back. Eventually, a limited withdrawl […]
• September 1937 - Sep I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. All 3 CR.32’s are rebuilt, and the mixed “F” XX is formed. An air raid on Santander destroys an R-Z. Loyalist Player Turn. The R-Z and an I-15 are rebuilt. In contrast to recent successes in bombing airfield, raids this turn all fail badly. At Oviedo, a Nationalist CR.32 […]
• October 1937 - Oct I 37 Insurgent Player Turn. The Atlantic clears. The Mov XX is converted to the 63rd XX. Another successful air raid on Madrid; bombers destroy an A-101. With the lines to the north stabilized, the units west of Madrid are slightly reinforced and attack more successfully (hex 2415 again), mauling a PA XXX, which […]
• November 1937 - Nov I 37 The weather remains muddy in the north and clear in the south, bu the Atlantic is now stormy and the Med calm. Insurgent Player Turn. The 105th XX is formed and the 5th(Req) XX is converted to the 5th XX. The SM-79 is rebuilt. The front lines are shuffled around somewhat, but […]
• December 1937 - Dec I 37 Winter weather hits the north, while the south finally turns muddy. Insurgent Player Turn. The 51st XX is formed. Loyalist Turn. The Po.504 is rebuilt. Dec II 37 Insurgent Player Turn. Nothing of note occurs, just more shuffling of the lines and some minor, ineffective air action. Loyalist Turn. No action to […]
• January 1938 - Jan I 38 Snow hits the north, and there are storms in the Atlantic. Insurgent Player Turn. A CTV SM-79 and a Nationalist CR-32 are rebuilt. In an air raid on Aviles, a KL He-45 is aborted by AA fire. Loyalist Turn. The French border is closed. An I-15 is rebuilt. Jan II 38 The […]
• February 1938 - Feb I 38 Muddy weather prevails in the north, the weather in the south is now clear. Insurgent Player Turn. The clear weather in the south brings on increased air raids. At Murcia, an escorting Nationalist CR-32 kills an I-15, while at Madrid, a CTV CR-32 and an I-16 abort each other. Loyalist Turn. The […]
• March 1938 - Mar I 38 The weather reverts to the same pattern as at the start of February–mud in the north and clear in the south. Insurgent Player Turn. The Nationalist RO-37 and CTV SM-79 are rebuilt. In yet another air raid on Madrid, an escorting KL Me109B kills an I-16. Making a desperate attempt to prevent […]
• April 1938 - Apr I 38 The weather is now clear everywhere. Insurgent Player Turn. The Nationalist Ju.52 is rebuilt. The Cac XX converts to the 16 XX. Insurgent air units continue to launch raids, now in the north as well as the south. At Gijon, a KL He45 is aborted by AA fire. At Murcia, an escorting […]
• May 1938 - May I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. A Nationalist CR 32 is rebuilt, but a CTV CR 32 remains out of action. The 2 AV XX is upgraded to the 60 XX. An air raid on Madrid destroys a SB-2 on the ground. The failed attack on the 6 Nav XXX and subsequent retreat of the […]
• June 1938 - Jun I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The Atlantic is experiencing rough weather. It’s also a rough time for the Insurgents, who aren’t able to do much but patch the front lines together. The artillery shortage is threatening to become critical, as several divisions exist only at cadre or unsupported strength and are being held out […]
• July 1938 - Jul I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The 2 Mad XX converts to the 18 XX. The withdraw in Andulasia continues; many units there have still not gained the safety of the mountains. The failed Loyalist attack on the 14 XX has left some of their forces in an exposed position (hex 2820) and an attack […]
• August 1938 - Aug I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The 1 Av XX converts to the 20 XX. An air raid on Madrid goes badly as an I-16 manages to get past an escorting Me109B and kill a Ju 52. In eastern Andulasia, all units are now in the new defensive line in the mountains. Loyalist Turn. The […]
• September 1938 - Sep I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. A Nationalist CR 32 is rebuilt and the 1 Sor XX converts into 19 XX. There are no good prospects currently for a counterattack so the Rebels concentrate on patching up the front. Loyalist Turn. The French border is closed again. The other SB-2 is rebuilt. The success in […]
• October 1938 - Oct I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The Lit XX converts to LA XX. All Insurgent forces in Extremadura withdraw to north of the Guadiana. Loyalist Turn. The Republicans try to breach the new Rebel line along the Guadiana with a direct assault on the reinforced 84 XX at Merida. An inconclusive air battle is fought, […]
• November 1938 - Nov I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The rainy weather in the north expands into southern Spain (Mud in both weather Zones). The Rebels hope the bad weather will hold off further Loyalist attacks until a new defence line can be patched together. One immediate effect of the mud is that the Loyalists now have some […]
• December 1938 - Dec I 38 Insurgent Player Turn. The Insurgents get a breather as the weather across Spain worsens (Winter in Zone D, Mud in Zone E, Storms in the Atlantic, and Rough in the Med.). The Nationalist CR.32 is rebuilt. With the return of mud in the south, the withdrawing Rebels pause in a delaying postion […]
• January 1939 - Jan I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. The Med clears up but otherwise poor weather continues. A Nationalist Mxd A unit is rebuilt. Carceres is abandoned except for its intrinsic garrison. Another air raid on Madrid only results in a KL He111 being aborted by AA fire. Loyalist Player Turn An I-15 is rebuilt. Caceres is […]
• February 1939 - Feb I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. No improvement in the weather; in fact it worsens somewhat as the Med is again rough. An air raid on Madrid finally scores a hit, as a SB-2 is destroyed on the ground. Loyalist Player Turn The SB-2 is rebuilt. Still waiting for the weather to break. Feb II […]
• March 1939 - Mar I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. The weather, while still wintery in Zone D, clears in Zone E. A Nationalist SM-79 is rebuilt. Ground forces await the inevitable Republican spring offensive. With the shortage of artillery still a major problem, there seems to be no chance to regain the initiative. Loyalist Player Turn The French […]
• April 1939 - Apr I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. The weather is now clear everywhere in Spain. A Nationalist Ro.37 is rebuilt. The Insurgents grimly await further attacks. Loyalist Player Turn The lack of supply only allows 1 attack (hex 3022). Another big air battle takes place. Though both sides get closse support aircraft thru to the battlefield, […]
• May 1939 - May I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. Then second Nationalist CR.32 is rebuilt. Franco orders all ground units in Andulasia to withdraw behind the Guadalquivir River, excpet for the units at Cordoba and the 39 lll at Huelva. Most air units in Castila la Viega amd Leon are also transferred to the south. Loyalist Player Turn […]
• June 1939 - Jun I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. A CTV CR.32bis, a Nationalist Me109, and a KL He111 are all rebuilt. Seeing no targets of opportunity and no chance to retake the initiative, the Rebels shuffle their lines and await renewed Republican attack. Loyalist Player Turn An I-15 is rebuilt. Some supply is brought up, but not […]
• July 1939 - Jul I 39 Insurgent Player Turn. A Nationalist SM-79 and a CVT CR.32bis are rebuilt. The forces at Cordoba are ordered to remain in their defensive mode and not counterattack the disorganized Republican units in their area. Loyalist Player Turn An I-15 is rebuilt. The losses from the Cordoba disaster are made good, but there […]
• Analysis - Analysis Game Outcome The game was obviously a Decisive Loyalist Victory by a rather rediculous margin. General Commentary The biggest factor was the variable start rolls went very badly for the Insurgents. They didn’t pick up much worthwhile, and lost several cities. The worst of it was that they lost 5 artillery units that the […]