Category: FWtBT AAR No 2 (Page 2 of 4)

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, which results in both sides getting close support. The attackers fail to succeed in the cross-river attack, and fall back in some disarray, though with casualties are light as they did not press the attack vigorously (3:1 -1 = AR). To the west, a very weak, unsupplies corps takes Badajoz from its intrinsic garrison (6:1 0 = DR).

Oct II 38

Insurgent Player Turn.

Rains come to northern Spain (Mud in Zone D, rough seas in the Atlantic), but as the northern fronts are mostly inactive, this has no effect on operations. The “F” XX is upgraded to form the FA, FN, & FV XX’s. The FN XX is sent to reinforce the 84 XX at Merida.

Loyalist Turn.

An R-Z is rebuilt. The attack on Merida is renewed. In the air, a KL Me109E kills an I-16, but both sides again get close support. The arrival of the FN XX makes a renewal of the cross-river assault dicey, but the Loyalists are more determined now, and manage to penetrate the river line with fewer casualties than might have been expected (2:1 -1 = HX). (Rolled another 6!)

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 taking Almendralejo is followed up by an attack on 21 XX and supporting units to the east (hex 2721). With the 2nd SB-2 back in service, the Loyalists are now able to fly in DAS, which contrbutes the the easy capture of the position, with the supporting units sacrificing themselves to allow the division to escape (5:1 -1 = DH).

Sep II 38

Insurgent Player Turn.

The Nationalist R0-37 is rebuilt. As Don Benito is now nearly surrounded, the difficult decision is made to abandon it and fall back on Merida itse

Loyalist Player Turn.

An R-Z is rebuilt. Don Benito is occupied and attacks are launched on the 21 & 19 XX’s (hex 2621). This time, both sides get close air support, but the Loyalists are able to push forward (4:1 0 = DR).

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 French border is opened. An I-15 is rebuilt. The 3 Est XXX is attacked (hex 2821). A successful attack will allow Loyalist forces to exert a ZOC on a stretch of the Sevilla-Caceres-Salamanca rail line. The Rebels again fly in DAS, which gets thru, though an I-16 does abort an escorting Nat CR.32. The Rebels give way with surprisingly little fight (3:1 0 = HX); even better from the Republican perspective, none of the divisions in 3 Ext XXX have cadres and all are eliminated

Aug II 38

Insurgent Player Turn.

The 1 Mad XX converts to 17 XX. Studying the map, the Rebel command notices that as long they control Merida, Loyalist units in Extramadura will have supply problems once bad weather hits. Therefore, the order goes out that Merida must be held. It’s decided that the best way to hold Merida is to hold Don Benito. Therefore, Insurgent movements this turn are directed to this goal, more so than eliminating the threat to the high-volume rail line to the south around 2821.

Loyalist Player Turn.

The French border reopens. An SB-2 is rebuilt; the PA air force has finally gotten all its available fighters back in service and is now able to start reforming its bomber force. The Insurgents have garrisoned Don Benito too strongly for it to be attacked at this time; instead the Peoples Army decides to take Almendralejo (hex 2722) to the west first. This battle is unusual in a couple aspects: niether side has any close air support, and the defenders are capable of AECD due to the presence of 2 lt arm III’s. The armor is unable to prevent the loss of the town (4:1 -1 = HX).

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 on them is considered but declined. The Insurgents have plenty of supply available at the front now, but are hesitant to risk any losses because they will be unable to easily replace any lost artillery.

Loyalist Turn.

An I-15 is rebuilt. The forces in the south continue to advance to occupy territory abandoned by the Rebels but don’t do anything to hurry them along. It is decided to make 1 strong attack instead of 2 weak ones. The 55 XX (+) (hex 2920) is selected as the target. The division has some armor support in the form of the Dro II, but not enough to achieve AECD. The Rebels do manage to get DAS thru again, and again an I-15 avoids the escorts only to be shot down by a unit in the mission force, in this case the Nat Mxd B. With greater strength on the ground, the Loyalists manage to carry the position in a hard fight (4:1 0 = EX).

Jul II 38

Insurgent Player Turn.

Some precious artillery is used to upgrade the 3 Sor XX to the 50 XX. The withdraw continues on the right flank.

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is closed. An I-15 is rebuilt. Almeria is retaken as its Civil Guard is overrun. Following up on the attack earlier in the month, the 54 XX (hex 2921) is attacked. This time, the air battle which results is unusually bloody. An I-15 kills a Mxd A unit but is itself aborted, while the Nationalist’s other Mxd A is killed by an I-16. Some DAS still gets thru, however, but it is not enough to allow the 54 XX to hold out (4:1 – 1 = EX). There was a bit of extra attack supply available, enough to allow another attack on the 21 XX (+) (hex 3019), although only a fraction of the attack force was fully supplied. In the end, it was just enough to let the Republicans carry the position (3:1 0 = EX).

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 of line pending the arrival of more guns to equip them with. There is no shortage of men to rebuild units with, but if losses continue, it is feared it will become necessary to send divisions to the front without artillery support.

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is closed again. An I-15 is again rebuilt. Attacks continue south of the Guadiana. The 14 XX and supporting units (hex 3019) are pushed back (4:1 0 = DR) while 60 XX and some non-divisionals (hex 2820), despite presence of DAS not made availabe to 14 XX, are wiped out in a bloody battle (3:1 -1 = EX).

Jun II 38

Insurgent Player Turn.

The losses sustain in the first part of the month and the shortage of artillery make it necessary to shorten the front. A pullback in eastern Andulasia is reluctanly authorized. The new line will be in easily defended mountain terrain east of Granada. Some other minor adjustments are made further north. Unfortunately, it will take some time for all units to reach the new positions.

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is reopened. An I-15 is rebuilt. An attack on the 10 Cor XXX at Don Benito (hex 2720) brings on another air battle. The Loyalists are again unable to prevert Insurgent DAS from getting thru. Even more embarrassingly, a Nationalist Mxd A units manages to abort an intercepting I-15 that managed to get past the escorts. On the ground, the Rebels stiffen and hold the town (2:1 0 = AS). The Republicans are unwilling to forgo further attacks, feeling to do so would stop the momentum they had enjoyed earlier in the month. Therefore, an attack is ordered on the 14 XX and some non-divisionals (hex 3020) despite the lack of any more attack supply. The attack is a complete failure, as the Loyalists troops break and take heavy losses when their ammo runs out (2:1 -1 = AH). In Andulasia, the Loyalist troops (mostly Anarchist units) follow the Rebel withdrawl, but don’t make any attempt to disrupt their retreat.

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 Loyalist forces has left their 2 XXX almost surrounded (hex 2517). Franco orders that it be destroyed. The Loyalists seem to be withdrawing in good order but are hit by addition Rebel forces as they retreat and collapse (5:1 -1 = DR) (ZOC Kill).

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is reopened. An I-15 is rebuilt. Plentiful manpower and equipment reserves mean that the troops lost in the destruction of the 2 XXX are quickly replaced. Intelligence reports indicating that the Insurgents have even larger manpower reserves are balanced by news that the Rebels are still quite short on artillery and have difficulty equiping any units that they must rebuild.

Despite the failures north of the rail line, the People’s Army command orders the offensive to continue. The 15 XX and some supporting units are targeted (hex 2819). Once again, the Loyalist air force has only fighters operational, so only the Rebels are able to fly any close support missions. However, the DAS is unable to prevent the loss of the reinforced 15 XX, although the Loyalists take a fair number of casualities (3:1 0 = EX).

The Loyalists are beginning to have trouble getting supplies to the forces on the front lines of the offensive. There is no problem yet in keeping basic supply flowing, but it is becoming difficult to get the extra ammunition needed to sustain the attacks foward. To help improve the supply situation, several weak divisions (2-3-5’s) are pulled out of line and ordered to begin carting supplies forward.

May II 38

Insurgent Turn.

The Insurgents, having no real plan for offensive action in 1938 beyond a vague idea that it may be possible to renew attacks along the high-volume rail line leading eastward to Madrid, merely shuffle the lines a bit and await the opportunity to launch local counterattacks such as April’s attack on 2 XXX. Air raids continue to be sent out, mostly ineffectively, though at Madrid a KL Me109B aborts an I-16 which was trying to bypass it and get to the bombers.

Loyalist Turn.

An I-16 is rebuilt in what seems to be becoming a bi-monthly routine. The use of weak divisions to bring up supply allows 2 attack to be launched. In both, Loyalist air units are unable to keep Rebel DAS from getting thru, while there are still no bombers or attack planes available to the Loyalists. Still, the People’s Army manages to push back the 55 XX (hex 2920) (3:1 0 = DR), while to the north, heavy casualties are inflicted on the Rebel 54 XX(reinforced) (3:1 0 = DH).

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 Nationalist CR-32 is killed by an I-15 but manages to abort its opponent. Loyalist AA guns score a victory here as well, aborting a Nationalist R0-37.

An attack is launched south of the Tajo into difficult, mountainous terrain (hex 2616). An advance here will clear the flank of the drive on Madrid and threaten the flank of the Loyalist offensive to the south. Despite GS, the terrain proves to much for the attackers and they are thrown back (3:1 -3 = AR).

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is closed again. An I-16 is rebuilt. The Loyalists follow the retreating Rebels across the Tajo and launch an attack against the 54 XX (hex 2415) to isolate the 4 Urg XXX at Talavera de la Reina. Pressing forward despite losses, they destoy the 54 XX and cut off the force at Talavera de la Reina (3:1 -1 = HX) (ZOC kill).

Continuing the offensive, the People’s Army attacks the 1 Mad XX (hes 2719). A disastrous showing in the air (both I-16’s aborted, 1 by the KL Me109B and 1 by a Nationalist CR-32) allows heavy DAS for the Insurgents, resulting in a botched attack (3:2 0 = AR). However, a renewed attack an the 14 XX (hex 3018), with the Insurgent air engaged further north, smashes the Rebel division (6:1 -2 = DE).

Apr II 38

No change in the weather.

Insurgent Turn.

Th KL He 45 is rebuilt. In yet another air raid on Gijon, an I-15 manages to kill a Nationalist CR32 escorting the bombers, which fail to hit any targets. The 4 Urg XXX attempts to break out of encirclement. Attacking (hex 2516) with help from units outside the pocket and air units flying support, it is able to extricate itself and in the process destroys the PA 47 XX ( 5:1 0 = DR) (ZOC Kill).

Loyalist Turn.

An 1-16 is rebuilt. The aerial victory over the CR32 at Gijon has left the Insurgent bombers based at Oviedo without any fighter protection. Trying to exploit this, the I-15 based at Gijon attempts to bomb the Insurgent airbase, but is aborted by AA fire.

Two attacks are made attempting to clear the flanks of the attack alonf the rail line. North of the rails,the 6 Nav XX is attacked (hex 2619). Both sides throw in a lot of planes. A large air battle breaks out, but the fighters on neither side accomplish much. Both sides manage to get their close support aircraft thru. The fact that the Loyalist troops are attacking across the river prevents a successful assault (2:1 -1 = AR). To the south, the 15 XX is attacked (hex 2919). Despite only Insurgent aircraft appearing over the battlefield here, the defenders are not protected by a river line and are pushed back (4:1 -1 = DR).

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 the iniative from passing entirely to the Loyalists, the Insurgents launch an attack on the 2nd XXX (hex 2516) along the Madrid rail line. The Loyalists are pushed back but are able to withdraw in good order (3:1 -1 = DR).

Loyalist Turn.

The I-16 is rebuilt. The spring offensive begins in a most inauspicious manner, as Insurgent forces repulse the initial attack (hex 2818) (2:1 0 = AS). Some Loyalists air units had provided GS, but Insurgent DAS was also an important factor in the battle. No counter attack is possible along the Madrid rail line at this time.

Mar II 38

No change in the weather.

Insurgent Turn.

An air raid on Murcia results in the loss of the Mxd T unit, killed by an I-15 which bypassed an escorting Nationalist CR-32.

The Insurgents follow up their earlier success with an assault on Talavera de la Reina. A wild air battle results as both sides attempt to provide close support. Honors in the air go to the Insurgents. A CTV CR-32 on CAP aborts an I-16 attempting to get to the bombers, and a KL Me109B bypasses escorting fighters to abort an R-Z. On the ground, the Insurgents again manage to push back the defenders, but the People’s Army is continues to fall back in good order (4:1 -2 = DR).

Loyalist Turn.

The French border is reopened. An I-15 is rebuilt. Despite the earlier setback and the fall of Talaver de la Reina, the Loyalist continue their offensive. Another big air battle erupts. This time, and I-16 is aborted by an escorting KL Me109B, but another I-16 gets past a Nationalist CR-32 and kills a Nationalist Ju.52. Therefore, no close support is available to either side in the ensuing ground attack. (The loss of the R-Z has left the Loyalists with only fighters operational, while other Insurgent aircraft were otherwise busy; see below.) The Loyalists are able to advance against the 2 Av XX (hex 2718) (3:1 -1 = DR.) Further south (hex 3018) a strong attack is stopped by the 14 XX and aircraft flying DAS (5:1 -2 = AS).

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 aborted I-16 is rebuilt. Loyalist troops are not quite prepared to launch their spring offensive. An air raid on Cordoba fails and an escorting 1-16 is aborted by a Nationalist CR-32.

Feb II 38

Bad weather returns to Spain–winter weather again hits the north while the mud returns in the south.

Insurgent Turn.

The Hue XX is upgraded to the 55 XX and the 3 Mad XX to the 24 XX. Even in the mud, air raids are continued. At Murcia, AA fire aborts a RO37. At Madrid, an I-16 manages to bypass an escorting KL Me109B and abort a CTV SM-79, though another SM-79 gets thru and hits the rail marshalling yards.

Loyalist Turn.

The mud precludes opening the spring offensive. The Loyalist forces conserve their strength and wait.