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Category: FWtBT AAR No 5 (Page 1 of 2)

Loyalist Dec I 36 player turn

April 15, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

At the opening of the turn the French remain positively inclined towards the Loyalists and the French border remains open (1 rolled.)  As in the previous player turn, the Insurgents have 3 sections of the front out of supply, those east and northwest of Teruel (kept in fair shape via unit shuffling) and then the larger one north of Madrid.  As before, GSPs are used to feed most of the units in the center, while the ends use shuffling.  With 4 GSPs available this turn, 4 RE’s in 3 of the out of supply hexes are feed via GSP (so even the shuffling isn’t ‘necessary’ this turn, while the 2 Mad XX in the salient goes without at U-1 black.  For the Loyalists two 4 hex long sections of front are out of supply.  One NW of Teruel with units, three U-1 and one U-2.  The other is in SE Andalucia, with 3 units in the northern most hex of the section and 3 more in the other 3 hexes, all U-1.  As has been the case all game essentially, the PA units in the NGobs are isolated but in supply.  The PA generates 3 GSPs each in Madrid, Albacete, Lorca and Valencia.

All guard forces for Santander and Euzkadi are in place, with Asturias’ garrison having been released quite some time ago.  No pacification or purification efforts are undertaken.

It’s quite the reinforcement turn for the Loyalist, huge in fact, as they start getting full XX’s this turn, which along with the change in weather ensures that there won’t be a general collapse on the Loyalist side (Sam had indicated his previous fear of such after getting through this ini phase.)  Firstly, the 27 CM Inf XX shows up at Barcelona as does a Cat eng III and a Cat mtn X.  Two X’s of Internationals show up at Albacete, a rail Art X arrives in Madrid, and finally another X of Santanderos arrives in Santander itself.  Another such X is released, as is the 1st San Cons X.  Two Basque Inf X’s are released, the 9th & 10th.  A/S is imported at Bilbao, Valencia, & 2 pts at Alicante, and then 1.5Art at Bilbao and 4.0 Art at Tarragona are offloaded from Soviet ships.  The Soviets also provide a regiment’s worth of tanks (1 Arm RP.)  The 16th Bas is added to the garrison.  Then twenty XX’s enter the various form pools, 4 Asturian, 4 Basque, 8 PA, 3 Anarchist and a Catalunian.  By the end of the turn, the Loyalists will for the first time in the game outnumber the Insurgents (in terms of replacement value of troops, if not attack potential).  Also entering the replacement pool for formation are the 6th Tank II, the 4th Art, the 15th San Art & the 17th Bas Art.

Albacete goes into production for infantry points, so the Loyalists next receive 6.5 PA, 1 Ast, 1 Bas, 1 Cat, 0.5 San, 3 An, 1 POUM and 1 Int RP.  Factory production is equally large, with Bilbao producing 1 a/s, 1 res pt, 0.5 Arm and 0.5Art, and Gijon 1 res pt and 0.5 Art in the north.  In the south, Barcelona, Madrid and Murcia produce 3 a/s, 3 res pts, 0.5 Arm & 1 Art total.  The 12th Garabaldi Int X is replaced at Albacete, the new 6th Tank at Madrid, the 17th Bas Art at Bilbao, and the 40th Inf at Barcelona.  The new Cat Mtn X, the 130th, and the new 27 CM Inf XX are each equipped.  Next, using infantry units on map, the 6th Inf XX is formed at Barcelona, the 25th and 26th An XX’s in Murcia and Catalunia, the 30th Cat XX near Lerida, and the 3rd Ast XX in northernmost Santander province.  Finally, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bas XX’s are formed in garrison.  Truly a massive turn for reinforcements for the left wingers, anarchists, communists and other such riff-raff.

Movement Phase

In the north, the NT-3 moves to Gijon, loads the 7th Ast X, unloads it at Santander and returns to Bilbao.  The LtTF sails for Bilbao and replenishes, while all other naval units replenish in place.

In Cataluna, the northern part of the line moves up a bit forming a straight line from Lerida into the mtns NE, rather than bending along the Segre and into the mtns.  Otherwise the section of the line running from the Pyrenees into Valencia, around to Teruel, remains fairly static.  The new 30th Cat XX and the 130th Cat Mtn X are added to this section of the line.  Between Teruel and Guadalajara the line is stable as well, though c/m units are used (along w/ some rail/SMPs) to move GSPs into the area needing some, circa 3105.  North of Madrid things remain stable.  To the NE of Madrid, the 27th CM XX is railed into sector 2512 while the Mtn XXX pulls back to Madrid, going into reserve.  From hex 2612 to 3113 nothing moves, but the front from 3112 to 3612 (the Alcazar front) gets a big influx of troops.  The defensive strength per hex essentially doubles.  Rather than facing 3 pt hexes, the 4 main hexes have 6 or 7 pt stacks.  To the south sit 3 pt stacks, while the northern flank is 5 to 4 pt stacks all the way to the mtns northwest of Madrid.  Pushing further along this axis just got a lot harder.  The line in Andalucia remains static, though some units are used to cartage GSPs forward.  To get all the new units into the line 1 res pt was spent to temp increase rail cap, and there was a lot of cartaging and SMP’ing a/s and GSPs about as well.  However, with the Mtn XXX pulled into reserve and the poor weather, it doesn’t appear that the Loyalists have any plans for attacking in the south.

Up in the NGobs, the new 3rd Ast XX enters the line, while 3 Ast X’s are pulled out, 1 from Asturias itself, and 2 from the Santander gap at 1504.  Into 1504 flow new Santander X’s.  Further south, the Basques get frisky.  Bilbao is essentially denuded of troops (with only the intrinsic garrison and a pos AA defending) and 1702 and 1801 are stacked to the brim for an apparent spoiling attack against the Nationalists in 1802.

Combat Phase

There doesn’t appear to be any combat planned in the south, and the obvious attack in the north isn’t within range of any a/c, so no Insurgent missions occur.  In the north the Vild flies GS to 1802.  There, the 11 L Art and 12GC Sec III defend against a hodge-podge of Bas Inf, Eng, Art, Mtr & Art units, along with a single PA Mtn II providing ‘leadership’ I’m sure.  The attack uses 1 a/s from Bilbao, and at a high cost in Basque lives the sector eventually falls, but not without the defenders giving as good as they got (5:1 -3, partial a/s, rough terrain plus mud, 3 rolled for an EX.)  The Nat Art & Sec III’s die, as do the 3rd and 4th Bas Inf X’s.  A single Bas X advances, the 6th, perhaps to lure the Nationalists into an attack north of the 19xx hexrow and thereby free up the garrison?

Exploitation Phase

At sea NT-3 replenishes, the BBTF in Gijon harbor preps for NGS, the LtTF moves to Guernica and does likewise, and all other naval units remain in place.  On land, c/m mov’t is limited, with the 6th Tk II carrying 2 GSPs into the mtns at 3106, and 1st Arm X moving into the 2nd line at 3011.  In the air, the I-16’s and Bre19 attempt to bomb the airfield at Valladolid but miss with a 3 rolled.  Thus ends the turn.

Insurgent Dec I 36 player turn

April 15, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

Winter weather finally arrives in the south of Spain, when a 3 is rolled, resulting in mud across all of Spain.  A pair of 2’s at sea results in rough wx in the Atlantic and clear in the Med.  For the Insurgents the change in wx hasn’t made much impact.  The same sections of front are out of supply in the D wx zone, 2 hexes btw Teruel and the Aragon front (units kept at U-1 via shuffling), one hex NW of Teruel (U-1 again), and the dead zone north & NE of Madrid.  Here the edges of 5 hex section of front is kept at U-1 via shuffling.  GSPs feed 3 RE’s of the 5 RE’s in the central hexes, though one unfed unit is now U-3.  In the E zone, with better lines of communication, no part of the Insurgent front is out of supply.  Things are less rosy for the Loyalists.  They have better lines in the D zone so all units are in supply.  However, btw Guadalajara and Teruel 4 hexes go out of supply, unable to overland back to the Madrid-Valencia low volume rail line.  Likewise, in the eastern Cordillera Penibetica of SE Andalucia & NW Murcia 4 hexes go out of supply.  All these units are U-1, so now the Loyalists will have to start paying more attention to their supply situation and begin supply shuffles or sending in GSPs or both.  After the above supply calculus, the GSPs near the front are removed and 3 more each are created at Valladolid, Zaragoza, and Sevilla.

Pacification is completed at Osuna and Talavera, the latter helping to solidify the supply lines along the Talavera front.  Only two towns (off rail lines) remain unpacified in the Nationalist rear.

It’s a good turn for reinforcements, with the big Mov Inf XX arriving at Jaen, the Pos Inf XX at Valladolid, and the AGM Fal Inf X at Cordoba.  One pt of pos AA arrives at Cadiz, and 2 a/s each are imported at Sevilla, La Coruna, and Malaga.  4 Art RPs are imported to Vigo and then into the pool, while a new Arty III staff arrives (III to replacement pool for building.)  1 Res pt arrives at each of the two Insurgent factories, while 2 a/s is produced at Sevilla’s and one at Oviedo’s.  0.5 Arty is also produced at Sevilla.  Malaga and Badajoz both go into production for infantry, with a total of 9.5 Nat, 1.5 Col, 4.0 Fal, and 2.0 Req being added to the pool, as well as 1 NRP being produced at El Ferrol.  Using these and the accumulated points, the 1st LE Inf III, and 4th & 5th Lt inf II’s are replaced at Jaen, the 2nd LE Inf III, 1 Sev Fal X, & 6 GS Sec III at Valladolid.  The 2nd Cas Inf XX is then formed with the 2 LE Inf III, returning that III back to the pool.  The Mov, Pos, and 2nd Cas Inf XX’s are all equipped, and the new 1st Art III is built at Sevilla.  Finally, the sunk BBTF is returned at Ceuta with 2 hits using the 1 NRP just produced at EF.

In construction, +1 rail cap is permanently built at Sevilla using 2 res pts at Sevilla and 1 at LC, bringing the new rail cap total to 11.  Five entrenchments are begun, two SE of Talavera, two east of Guadalajara, and one at 4630 along the Aragon-Cataluna border.  No air declarations by either side are made.

Movement Phase

In naval mov’ts, the SS’s return to Ceuta and replenish, while the TF’s already at Ceuta replenish as well.  All these then wait out the phase.  The three NT’s in the Canaries load 1 AS, move it to Cadiz, then unload it, before moving towards the north of Spain, reaching a point about 60 miles west of Vigo before the end of the phase.

All along the Aragon, Teruel and Guadalajara fronts nothing much occurs beyond supply shuffling and one unit entering the line in Aragon.  To the rear, the 2nd Mech III slowly moves towards Zaragoza, with the Nats unwilling to spend rail cap on it.  North of Madrid, the east part of the supply dead zone remains fairly static, other than supply shuffling.  The Mxd T unit at Zaragoza air drops supply on the east side at 2407, with 1 of 2 pts landing undisrupted.  On the west side of this part of the line the 2nd Mad XX takes over the defense of the mtn salient at 2510, putting a stronger zoc on the defenders.  The arty moves out of the mtns and with non divs puts a 3 pt defense at 2410 at the edge of the salient.  The 2 Cas XX, 1 Sev Inf X and 6 GC Sec III at Valladolid move or admin to 2211, just behind Avila, cartaging 3 GSPs from the city as well.  The Pos Inf XX rails to 2211, then cartages those GSPs to 2311, which should feed the salient next turn.  The new 1st Art III at Sevilla rails to the lines at Avila, and the 7th & 8th Mtn II’s move into the line at 2313, thereby reconnecting a full line around the large Loyalist salient circa 2512 NW of Madrid.  SE of Talavera, some purposeful shuffling occurs, with some infantry type non divs entering the line, the big 2 P arty III pulling out of the line to the rails, and the two CTV units at 2714 remaining in the line but moving to 2613 along the rail line, where they can be moved easier next turn.

Btw Talavera and Ciudad Real the lines are fairly static, but very four very large stacks (btw 9 and 12 AS) form up btw 3213 and 3513 along the Alcazar front.  To the rear of these stacks, more units admin forward, not quite able to reach the front but forming a good reserve for any losses sustained upcoming.  South of 3513 the line is static, except for 2 units taking possession of two hexes evacuated by retreating Loyalists in their last turn.  One a/s pt is railed from Cadiz to the Alcazar front, while another is SMP’d from Puente-Genil (where it was previously moved to from Malaga).

Combat Phase

No DAS is flown by the Loyalists, though I’m not sure why.  Perhaps they didn’t wish to take on the CR32bis’s positioned for intercept at the 3414 field, though the I-16’s are better birds.  Regardless, with no Loyalist fighters in the area, bombers are free to fly GS unimpeded (by the enemy if not the weather.)  The Ju52’s and He51’s of the Kondor Legion fly GS to 3212, as does a Bre19 unit.  South of this, in the woods of 3414 Mxd float bombers fly GS over the heads of the Anarchist stack.

At 3213, just NW of Tomelloso, the 1 V Inf X and 1 Cab Art III are assaulted by two large stacks, a mixed bag of Nat and Col Infantry, the big Mov Inf XX, the Falanist VMS Cav X, the Colonial 2 O Cav II, machinegunners, Italian and German flak units and various other odds and sods.  After GS, the final odds are high but the defending loyalists still manage to retreat in good order, though retreat they do (6:1, -2, partial AS, 3 rolled for a DR.)  Thirty miles south, two X’s of Anarchists and the Anarchist CNT Art III are assaulted by more of the Army of Africa, including lots of Colonial Infantry and Cav, some Fal Inf, a pair of combat engineers, Lt Inf II’s and the O & E Art III’s, and even some German tankettes.  Despite this colorful group, the Anarchists also manage a fighting withdrawal (6:1, -3, partial AS, 4 rolled for another DR.)  The wx is definitely having an impact, but even so, after combat the town of Tomelloso faces enemy forces on 3 sides, and the Nationalists are just 30 miles from the critical Alcazar rail junction.  Whether it can be taken and held given the weather remains to be seen.

Exploitation Phase

The NT’s move to EF at night, replenish, then load 1 a/s and carry it across the bay to La Coruna (there’s no transportation line between EF and the rest of Spain, and I forgot to cartage the a/s point to the rail line on the first turn of the game).  They then head for Cadiz, making the port before the end of the turn.  The subs wait until the last substep, then moving along the African coast, then out to their patrol area off Cartagena at night.  The TF’s wait as well, moving to Cadiz at the end of the naval mov’t portion of exploit.

Ground mov’t is very limited.  The 2nd Mech III makes it Zaragoza.  The Bab Lt Arm II pulls out of the line SE of Talavera, joining the Nat 2 P arty III at 2514.  The German units on the Alcazar front remain where they are.  In the air nothing can occur as all planes have flown (the absence of expected DAS at 3212 allowed the 6:1 with heavy GS.  Had DAS flown, the 6:1 would have been 5:1 and a/c would have flown some exploit missions.)

Loyalist Nov II 36 player turn

April 14, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

The phase opens with some good news for the Loyalists on the political front, as a change in government policy in France occurs, opening the border between the two countries (1 rolled.)  In supply, things remain much as they have since the wx changed in the north.  For the Insurgents, 4 hexes north of Madrid are OOS, with GSPs nearby limiting the worst of the difficulties.  North of Teruel one hex/unit is U-1, while east and a bit south of Teruel 2 hexes with unit each are U-1.  For the Loyalists, all units are in supply except northwest of Teruel where one hex/unit is U-1.  All the PA units in the NGobs are isolated but in supply via the various cities inherent supply.
All border guard forces facing the NGobs are in place.  Cuenca is pacified, ending the impact of the raid a month or two ago.  The 1 L Art III is replaced at Madrid, while the 21st Inf X is replaced at Albacete (supported.)  The 1 Car Bdr III upgrades to the 3 Car Inf X at Valencia.  Due west of Madrid at sector 2713 another fort is q.c’d, while in the north two Asturian Cons X’s q.c. a fort at Aviles (which will take some time to complete, as the weather is poor.)  No ini phase air missions are flown.

Movement Phase

In the Bay of Biscay NT-3 loads the 10 Car Bdr III at Bilbao, carries it to Gijon, unloads it, then returns to Bilbao for replenishment.  The LtTF moves to Bilbao from the coast of Guernica, then replenishes before waiting out the rest of the phase.  In the Med, NT-4 and the Catalunian NT-1 along with LC-1 move to Mahon, load the attack supply there, move to Cast. de la Plana, then via protected waters to Valencia, where the a/s is unloaded.  These ships then return to Cast. de la Plana via protected waters and on to Barcelona, all avoiding any reaction by the Italian sub group off Cartagena.
In ground movement, along the Aragon front there is some unit shuffling but nothing is remotely offensive at this point, thanks to the rain and mud.  Likewise, along the Teruel and Guadalajara fronts only a few minor tweaks occur in the line.  The POUM’s Maur X catches trains from near Alcazar and heads for the fort at 2609, north of Madrid.  This frees the 11th Th. International X to move into 2511.  The new 3 Car Inf X rails from Valencia to 2412, but the units south consisting of the Mtn XXX at 2512 and two strong inf X’s at 2612 don’t shift.  An assault against the wooded rough at 2513 seems unlikely, but the 2411 Mtn XX is threatened a bit, defended by single unsupported point, despite the terrain and weather.  West of Toledo some more shuffling occurs, but nothing offensive appears in the works.  Along the Alcazar front, PA units take over the defense of Tomelloso, while Anarchist units are send to the woods in 3412, sacrificial lambs I’m sure as there are more An replacements than anything else for Loyalists at this point, and the CNT Art III only costs 0.5 Arty to replace as well.  Still, there’s no reason to think the front will hold back the Insurgent Army of Africa pushing towards Alcazar at this point.  South of Tomelloso sectors 3301 and 3302 are given up without a fight, creating a straight line that runs from 3512 to 3407 just east of Almeria, before hooking to the sea at 3508.  Along this sliver of Andalucia no movement occurs other than the giving up of the two aforementioned hexes.
In the north, in Asturias units shuffle south along the narrow strip of Asturias still in Loyalist hands, allowing three Inf X’s to leave zoc by entering northern Santander.  They’ll surely form up a XX next turn.  Other than these units entering Santander, no mov’t occurs in that gobernito.  Similarly, all units in Euzkadi remain in place, relying on good terrain, weather and the apparent desire of the Insurgents not to release the garrison to hold the lines; a fair bet.
To the rear, aside from minor rail mov’ts of units to the front, mostly covered already, 1 AS is sent by rail from Tarragona to Madrid, while another pt is shifted from Albacete to Madrid via SMPs.  On the insurgent side, the Mxd B (f)’s at Almeria transfer back to Malaga to limit airbase bombing targets.

Combat Phase

There appears to be only one possible attack, at 2411, planned by the Loyalists.  No Insurgent DAS can reach the spot, so no Insurgent a/c fly.  No Loyalist a/c fly either.  At 2411, the Loyalists do attack the defending 6 GC Sec III.  One a/s is spent to put the main Mtn XXX (1 Mtn Art III, plus 4 Mtn II’s), plus the 11 Th Internat’l X, 3 Car Inf X and 1 GA Sec X into attack supply.  Other attacking units go without.  PA morale holds (the last such roll of the game, as militia affects end next turn), and the hex is carried easily (13:1 -4, mtns, mud, partial a/s provided, 4 rolled for morale for NE, 6 rolled for combat for a DE.)

Exploitation Phase

The BBTF prep’s for NGS inside Gijon harbor, while the LtTF moves to Guernica’s hex and preps for NGS there.  The transports used for the a/s move to Valencia replenish at Barcelona.
In ground mov’t, the AAC Lt Arm retreats back from 2712 to Madrid proper, and the 1st Arm II moves into a second line position backstopping the Alcazar front (in the woods at 3411.)  Similarly, 1st Arm X backstops the line NW of Alcazar at 3012.  In the air, the Vild and Bre bomb the rail junction at 1909, just NE of Valladolid, but miss with a 1.  The I-15/t5’s transfer from Albacete to west Madrid.  The D.371 transfers from France to Bilbao, while the I-15/t22 that had been at Bilbao transfers to Albacete.

Insurgent Nov II 36 player turn

April 4, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

With a 3 rolled it remains mud in D and clear in zone E.  In the Atlantics storms roll in with a 6 rolled, while to the south and east in the Med, the clouds kick up rough seas (5 rolled.)
Supply issues remain much the same as last turn.  Five hexes north of Madrid are OOS, with 3 units going U-4 black but receiving supply via GSPs cartaged last turn.  Another unit is U-2 red, while ‘edge’ units and the cartaging XX are U-1 red.  In the south btw Teruel and the Aragon front 2 more hexes w/1 unit each are U-1 red, as is one hex NW of Teruel.  For the loyalists, just one hex NW of Teruel is U-1 black.  After GSPs are used to put units into supply the on map ones are removed, and 2 more generated at Zaragoza while 3 are generated at Valladolid.
A goodly number of cities are fully pacified this turn, including San Sebastian (which gains its intrinsic garrison thereby), Ubeda, Puertollano, Ciudad Real and Valdepenas.  To the rear, Osuna and Talavera have units begin pacification (Cadiz Fal X and 7th Cav respectively.)
In reinforcements and replacements, the 1st and 2nd LE Inf III’s are replaced at Caceres, having been used for XX builds.  They are each then used again to form the 1st and 2nd Avila Inf XX’s, which are in turn equipped, at all the cost of 5 Nat and 1 Art RP.  The 20 GC Sec III and ZMO Eng III, killed defending the airfield NW of Toledo in the Loyalist turn, are rebuilt at Sevilla and Valladolid respectively.
At 2714 the 2nd Soria XX begins entrenching.  No air declarations are made by either side.

Movement Phase

In naval mov’t, the 3 NT’s with an AS aboard at Sevilla unload, and then move to Ceuta, where they wait to join with other naval units.  The CATF uses the first substep to replenish, then waits.  The three CTV SS units all move to Ceuta and then replenish.  Twenty nmps into the 2nd step, the CATF and NT’s form one group, while the SS’s form a 2nd, both groups travelling together to 3111 at night, and then in the 3rd step running to 3511 at night, then towards Palma within reaction range of the enemy CLTF at Cartagena.  The Loyalists ignore this grand fleet (any reaction for combat would require the CLTF to fight the 6 pts of subs ‘screening’ the Insurgent surface units first, as submarine combat proceeds surface.)  The AS at Palma is loaded, and then the whole group proceeds to head back west, reaching 24:2409 before the naval portion of the move phase is completed.
In Aragon, ground mov’t is limited.  The weak 1 pt line along the Cinca remains in place.  Thirty miles west of Lerida, the ZC Eng III rails into 4429, allowing the 2nd Mech III to cross the Ebro in the mud to the rail line.  It can be railed back west later from this point.  3rd Mad XX moves into 4630, establishing a strong defensive unit at the bend in the line where the Insurgent line goes from running SW to W.  In turn, 16L Art & 10 GC Sec III’s shift 15 miles westward into the wooded rough, improving defense in that key piece of terrain.  An Eng III shifts west, and the 18th Inf III pulls out of the line for movement elsewhere in Spain next turn.  SE and NW of Teruel units do a supply shuffle, and while 5th Mtn II is added to the defense of 3303, by and large the area around Teruel remains static.  East of Guadalajara the Hue and 3rd Soria XX’s switch about, taking position in 2606 and 2706, where they can begin the slow process of entrenching next turn.  NW of Madrid, more supply shuffling goes on at the edges of the supply dead zone, while the ZMO Eng at Valladolid admin cartages GSPs forward (after the Mxd T attempts to drop GSPs from Zaragoza, with both again being scattered).  2nd Madrid XX moves into the line at 2410.  The mountains in 2410 are held weakly with a single point, while two mtn II’s rail into Avila from Santander province to join the 10th Cav already there.  Unfortunately they can’t quite reach 2313, so the mtns west of Avila are left undefended for the moment.  2nd Cav backs out of 2513 to defend the mountains at 2413, so the gap is at least limited to a single hex.  On the otherhand, 1st Madrid XX and the strong 1 P Art III move into 2513, while the 2nd Avila XX and 4 Lar Col Inf III are railed into Talavera and then move east a hex into the front line, joined by the 15L art from 2513.  7th Bdr III moves to 2614, and then 1stAvila XX is railed to Talavera, moving overland to 2714, where it is joined by the 26th III and the CTV’s Ter Art III and Bab Lt Arm II.  The PA salient at 2613 from last turn’s battle is pinched off and ready to be counterattacked next phase.  1 AS is already in Talavera, ready for just this purpose.
South of Talavera, 2nd Soria XX and some smaller units west of the Guadiana move up to re-engage the retreating Loyalist line.  The smaller units engage the PA’s 40th III, which couldn’t quite make the main line.  They are assisted by the Van Inf XX, which shifts north a hex into this area from Ciudad Real.  Along the Valdepenas front 4 strong stacks of attacking units form up for continued attacks into the Loyalist line that is constantly being pressured.  Two Loyalist stacks with hard to replace units are targeted, including one with the 12th Garibaldi X (an international X) and an Art III, and one with the 1st Mech III and the PA’s strong 1st Art III (a 1-2-6).  To the rear, a Sec and Col Inf III admin cartage some AS forward, while SMPs are used as well.  Only 2 AS can be moved to Linares or just east of that town, but they should be sufficient to feed the better units in the upcoming combat phase.  Down in southeast Andalucia, the line remains basically the same.  A temp airfield at Almeria is completed however.
In the north, the Nationalist line remains essentially the same.  Only some minor shuffling occurs to make up for the loss of the 2 Mtn II’s sent to Avila.  7 SMPs are used to move 1 res pt from Oviedo to 30 miles southeast of Leon.  The current plan is to move the res pt to Valladolid, for a later permanent rail cap build at the RMY there.  Of truly minor note, the 31st III continues gaining ownership of unowned hexes in northern Asturias.

Combat Phase

The phase starts with the PA air force flying DAS with Bre19s to 3513 to protect the Garibaldi group, escorted by I-16’s.  The CTV CR.32bis is in position to intercept, but I don’t wish to put the unit at risk of being damaged in air to air (or bypassing) since the DAS was presumed and accounted for.  The KL He51 and Mxd B floatplanes fly GS to the same hex, essentially canx’ing the DAS.
The first combat goes very well, east of Talavera.  The PA’s 21st X is smashed to pieces by a combined arms assault including CTV Arm and Artillery units, Nat Inf XX’s, Nat Art III’s and a Col Inf III (6:1 even, 6 RE’s supply plus the CTV inherent attack supply, no PA morale effects with a 5 rolled, 1 pt GS from Bre19, 6 rolled for combat for a DE.)  All Insurgent units west and northwest of 2613 advance, putting 7 pts of DS into the hex, no doubt sufficient to end the Loyalist offensive in this area.
Next, the 40th Inf III at 3014 is killed, albeit not without giving a good account of itself (5:1 -1, 2 rolled for morale, so no effect thanks to rough terrain, no AS provided, ½ pt DAS and 2 pts GS, 2 rolled for an HX, a shame since a DR would have resulted in a zoc kill.)  1st Sev Fal X is killed to absorb the HX, while three 1 pt unsupported units move into the hex.
The next attack goes in at 3513.  If cleared and then 3412 is successful, even with just a DR, another c/m raid can be launched in exploit.  The attack at 3513 is successful, eliminating the Garibaldi and the 1 L Art III, units requiring rare RPs to replace, albeit again at the cost of more Insurgent infantry, in this case, the 4th and 5th Lt Inf II’s (4:1 even, partial AS provided to the larger units, 3 rolled for no PA morale effect, a 2nd 2 rolled for combat for another HX.)  The 3rd Ceu Col Inf III, 2nd and 3rd Lt Inf II’s and E Art III advance into the hole in the Loyalist lines.  Unfortunately, the PA’s 1st Mech manages to fight yet another successful delaying action along this portion of the front (5:1 -3, no morale as both units are non-militia, partial AS provided to the better units, a 3rd 2 rolled, for an AS… the 2nd time this PA unit has been involved in a battle with an AS result.)  Unable to clear this hex, the KL c/m II’s that were poised to launch another raid behind the Loyalist line are stymied, as they couldn’t return to the lines by the end of exploit without this wooded hex in Insurgent hands.  This is indeed a shame, as Albacete had naught but a single pt of pos flak and an attack supply point in it.  The KL would easily have destroyed them both and then returned unscathed, while putting a crimp on the loyalist supply situation as well thanks to pacification issues.  Drat.
The PA I-16’s return to Albacete, while the PA Bre19 returns to west Madrid.  The Nat Bre19 returns to Caceres, while the He51 returns to the 3414 temp field and the Mxd B (f) to Almeria.

Exploitation Phase

In naval movement the CTV subs and CATF return to Ceuta and wait, with the subs eventually returning to station of Cartagena in the 10th substep.  The NT’s move to Sevilla, unload the AS point they are carrying, then move to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where they replenish and await their next opportunity to move attack supply to the front.
In ground mov’t the Dro Lt Arm II remains at 3313, unable to raid.  The 88th Lt AA does shift from 3313 to 3513, the hole in the Loyalist line that was punched in the first attack in this area.  This will bring the defense of the hex up to 6 pts and add some flak as well.  In the east the 2nd Mech III moves one hex along the rail toward Zaragoza, slogging through mud.
In the air, the CR32bis and the Ju52g4e launch airbase bombing raids against the Bre19 just returned to west Madrid.  Both get by flak, but neither manages to gain a hit.  This then ends the Insurgent turn.
This is as far as my current AAR carries me, even though we are currently playing the Loyalist Jul I 37 turn.  Now I’ve got my inducement to start writing again J  More to follow!

Loyalist Nov I 36 player turn

April 1, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

The French border stays closed with a roll of 2.  In supply issues, all Loyalist units but one NW of Teruel are in supply, but those in the northern gobernitos remain isolated.  For the Insurgents, two hexes btw the Teruel and Aragon fronts remain OOS, filled with U-1 red units.  NW of Teruel another hex/unit is U-1 red.  North and northeast of Madrid, 5 hexes with a number of units are OOS.  The ‘outer’ hexes are U-1 red, thanks to unit swaps with in supply hexes.  The central hexes, plus the arty in the salient at 2510 are U-2 or worse, but GSPs feed the arty and 2 of the 3 remaining U-2 or worse units.  The Loyalists generate no GSPs.
All gobernito guard forces are in place (with Santander and Euzkadi the ones remaining, as the Asturians have been released for some time.)  The pacification of Cuenca is completed.
This is a huge Loyalist reinforcement turn, just in time.  Ten PA inf X’s arrive, 2 each at each of Madrid and Barcelona’s hexes, plus 1 each at Albacete, Lorca, Murcia, Cartagena, Alicante & Valencia.  A number of An X’s show up as well, including 1 each at Murcia, Valencia, Tarragona and 2 at Barcelona.  Two more An X’s are likely permanently delayed, and go into the delayed reinforcements pool. The 12th Garibaldi Inf X (Int) shows up in Albacete.  In the gobernitos, the 2nd Basque Eng III forms up in Bilbao and the 1st Cat Art II in Barcelona.  The 7th & 8th Basque X’s are released for frontline duty in Euzkadi, while in Asturias the 2nd Eng III, 13th, 14th & 1st Exp Ast Inf X’s arrive at Gijon.  The 13th & 14th San X’s go into garrison, as do the 13th through 15thBas X’s.  One AS each is imported at Gijon and Cast. de la Plana, while 2 more arrive at the docs of Tarragona.  Further east, a massive number of artillery tubes arrive from the USSR, with some 7.5 Art RPs offloading.  Another point arrives in Bilbao.  The Soviets send a large shipment of tanks as well, with 1.5 Arm RPs offloading at Barcelona.  They ship in a pairs worth of Soviet piloted air units too, with type 6 I-16s shipped into Bilbao and type 22 I-15’s at Santander.  The Spanish piloted N.52 unit withdraws and the Spainards begin training on the new Soviet aircraft.  A French provided bomber unit, the Po.540 with Polish aircraft, is stuck in the France holding box as it works up (6 rolled for this ‘inop’ unit, resulting in a 6 turn delay before it will be allowed to cross into Spain, assuming the border is open.)  Trucks are shipped in from France as well, with the SMP total going to 10.  The 1st Tank X and 3rd and 16th Ast Art III’s are added to the replacement pool, while the 1st Mech becomes a delayed removal from same.
Production is high as well, with 6 PA, 1 Ast, 1 Bas, 1 Cat, 0.5 San, 3 An, and 1 POUM Inf RPs generated.  The new 1st Tank X is built at Madrid’s factory, while the AAC Arm Car III and 8 L Art are replaced there as well.  The 16th Ast Art III is built at Bilbao.  A mass of units killed in the last turn are replaced at Madrid, including the 1 V Inf X, 4th Inf III, 3 Eng III, 1st & 2nd Mtn II’s, 1stBicycle II & 4th MG II.  Additionally, the 4th Cav is replaced at Valencia and the 19 GC Sec at Barcelona.  Artillery is given out to the 16th through 23rd Inf X’s, bringing them all to 1-2-6* status.  At Madrid, the 4th Inf III converts to the 4th Ch Inf X, while at Toledo the 2nd Inf III converts to the 2 Ch Inf X.  The upgrades to the 6 Ch, 3 Car and 5 Car Inf X’s are delayed.
No entrenching or fort building occurs, and no air declarations are made.

Movement Phase

At sea, NT-3 loads the 16th Ast Art at Bilboa, carries it to Gijon and unloads.  It then returns to Bilbao and replenishes.  The LtTF sails for Bilbao and replenishes.  NT-4 uses protected waters in the south to move from Cartagena to Cast. de la Plana, avoiding reaction by Italian subs off Cartagena.  It then continues on to Barcelona, replenishes, and waits out the turn.  The Cat NT-1 loads the 19th GC Sec III at Barcelona, moves to Mahon, unloads the Sec III, loads the 1 Car Bdr III at Mahon, and then moves to Valencia via Cast. de la Plana and protected coastal waters.
In the front line from near the French border to just shy of the pass south of Teruel, pretty much nothing happens or even moves.  In that pass, the An POUM Inf X rails into the pass hex at 3403.  The new 1st Cat Art II (rail) head there as well, strengthening the hex significantly.  The PA 4th Cav joins the line just west of the pass, allowing units to shift northwards and fill the gap in the line created by last turn’s Insurgent attack at 3204.  Further north, the 16th & 17th X’s join the line east of Guadalajara, allowing the gap at 2906 to be filled with other units already nearby.  North of Madrid, nothing much moves, but northwest and west of Madrid, units are massed for continued attacks.  The Mtn Art III, along with the 4 PA Mtn II’s and the 1stBicycle II move to 2512, joining the 1st GA Sec X already there.  The 2nd & 4th Ch Inf X’s and the AAC Lt Arm III move into 2612.  Sector 2713 is filled with an even bigger selection of units, including the big 3 P Art III and ZM Eng III’s, the 1st Arm X, 1st Arm II, 3 MG II’s and the 21st Inf X.  To the SW, 2813 is filled out as well, with 23rd Inf and the Cab Art III joining the 7th Eng & 13th Inf already in place.  From 2914 to Tomelloso, then southwest to 3301 next to the eastern part of the Cordillera Penibetica a new defensive front is created with all the new units, with a minimum of 3 and as many as 5 DS in each hex.  A few units form a partial 2nd line as well to keep the Insurgent c/m units at bay.  In building this line however, the east bank of the Guadiana river is abandoned, essentially giving up a 5 hex salient without a fight (one unit, the 40th Inf III, cannot make the new main line and is left as a rearguard in 3014.)  Even the Anarchists are pushed into the main line, with an all An stack guarding Tomelloso itself.  From 3302 in the mountains to 3508 on the Med, the line is pretty much stable, though the new 19th Inf X (a supported unit) does join the line at 3405, screening the gaps in the mountains some 45 miles west of Lorca.
Up in the northern gobernitos nothing dramatic occurs.  Some shifting to add new units into the line and add strength, but nothing that would indicate any sort of mud offensive.  Some X’s do start shifting southeast in Asturias, probably headed for northern Santander, the first hex without an enemy zoc in it, which would allow Asturian XX’s to form up.  At the end of movement, the Insurgent Mxd B (f) unit transfers from Almeria back to Malaga for safety.

Combat Phase

Based on Loyalist moves, it seems like they may be trying any number of combination of attacks northwest of Toledo.  They could conceivable attack both 2513 and 2714 (putting 4 hex frontage on my airfield at 2613), 2613 and 2513, or 2613 and 2412.  The southern 3 of 4 hexes seem the most damaging to me, so the CR32’s fly CAP over 2513 prior to the end of movement.  The new He51’s then fly DAS there, which will allow them to land at Salamanca if the 2613 temp airfield falls.  The Bre19’s at 2613 fly DAS above their own field, while the Ju52g4e’s fly DAS to 2714 (probably the least likely hex facing attack, but also the only one that the Junkers can reach.)  No attacks on the Valdepenas front are possible, nor are any elsewhere.
In response, the PA Bre19’s fly GS over 2613.  Had there been any flak units in 2613, I’m sure this would have made for a confusing air battle, with both loyalist and insurgent Bre19’s flying ground missions in the same hex at the same time.  The PA’s first attack is against 2412, with the Mtn units leading the way.  Defending is the lone 10th Cav, but it manages a successful fighting withdraw, with few losses.  (Full AS provided, 12:1 -4 odds, no PA morale with 5 rolled, 1 rolled for a DR with no zoc’s.)  It retreats away to Avila, with only the 1 GA Sec X advancing.  Further south, at 2613, things go a bit poorer for the Insurgents, as the mass of troops supported by armor cannot be held off from the field.  The ZMO Eng III and 20th GC Sec III bravely hold the field as long as possible, while the large 1 P Art III manages to escape as do all a/c.  Eventually they are overwhelmed by armor units however (nearly all units provided AS, no PA morale with a 5 rolled, final odds at 3:1 +1, 5 rolled for a DH, killing the two infantry type units and allowing the Arty III to retreat to 2514.  The 21st PA Inf X advances, destroying the temp field as it does so.  The He51 lands at Salamanca, the Bre19 at Valladolid, and the Ju52’s return south to the 3414 field.  On the PA side, the Bre19’s return to west Madrid.

Exploitation Phase

The new I-16/t5’s transfer to west Madrid.  In the north, the I-15/t22’s fly an airbase bombing mission along with the Vild that stages in from Cartagena to Bilbao, against Burgos.  A 6 is rolled, generating a hit on the airfield.
At sea, the Cat NT-1 unloads the Bdr III at Valencia, then returns via protected waters to Cast. de la Plana to Barcelona, where it replenishes.  The LtTF in the north heads for 2932, where it preps for NGS.  The BBTF at Gijon preps for NGS.  The rest of the naval units wait out the phase.
No ground movement occurs as all Loyalist armor is either in zoc, attacked or both.

Insurgent Nov I 36 player turn

April 1, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

A 3 is rolled for ground weather, so it remains mud in D and clear in E.  A 3 for the Atlantic and 5 for the Med make for rough seas on either side of the Iberian peninsula.  In terms of supply then, 5 hexes with a bunch of units remain out of supply north of Madrid.  2 GSPs in 2309 pt the artillery in the salient and an Inf III in the main line north of the mountains back into supply before disappearing.  In the far south of Aragon, 2 more hexes worth of units are out of supply at U-1 red.  For the Loyalists, all units in the northern gobernitos are in supply, but PA units are isolated.  One Cav III northwest of Teruel, right in the middle of the mountains, is U-1 black.  3 GSPs each are generated at Zaragoza and Valladolid.
In political affairs, Martos, Velez-Malaga and Tineo complete pacification.  San Sebastian begins its second of 2 turns.  Pacification begins in Ubeda, Puertollano, Ciudad Real and Valdepenas.
In reinforcements the 1 Av, 2 Av, and 2 Cas Inf XX’s go to the form box, while 1st Mad, 2nd Mad & 3rd Mad XX’s go to Caceres, Valladolid & Zaragoza respectively.  The 1st Cons III forms up at San Sebastian, while the 2nd forms at Almeria.  The I-S Col Inf III arrives from Ceuta (from Ifni-Sahara) for mov’t to the mainland.  The first ground forces of the Kondor Legion are offloaded at Huelva, including a Lt Arm II, a lt AA II and a pos AA unit.  Two AS are landed at Sevilla, 2 more at Malaga, 1 at Cadiz, 2 at San Sebastian and finally 2 at La Coruna, while LC also gets a res pt.  Two Arty RPs hit the docks at Vigo, while the new KL He51 arrives at Almeria and the KL Ju52g4e arrives at Cadiz.  The brigade staff of the 1 RG [X] is ready ([X] is available for assembly, a good arty unit for efficient AS usage, assuming you can afford to give up an RE of arty to bring it on map.)
In production, 8.0 Nat, 1.5 Col, 3.5 Fal, 2.0 Req & 1 CTV ARP arrive (the first of the Andalusian cities taken early in the war are now in production, including Jaen, Jerez & Huelva).  The 2 O Col Cav III is then rebuilt in Ceuta, the O & E Mg II’s and 28 Inf III at Jaen.  The 1 LE Inf III is used to form the 2 Sor XX, and the 2 LE Inf III forms up as the 3 Sor XX.  2.5 Arty then equips these two, plus all 3 of the Madrid XX’s.  Unfortunately, a stray mine then finds its way into Ceuta’s harbor, striking the Espana and sending her down (12 rolled on random mine damage, so both sides have now suffered their mine damage fate.)  Neither side makes any naval patrol declarations, nor is CAP or harassment flown.

Movement Phase

Naval mov’ts begin first as always.  The 3 Nat NT’s load up the 2 O Col Cav III and the new I-S Col Inf III and carry them to Cadiz where they are unloaded.  They then return to Morocco, and using some friendly coastline, slip into Melilla unnoticed by the CLTF in Cartagena, where they load up an AS point, and make their way to Huelva.  The CATF replenishes in Ceuta and then waits out the turn, while the SS’s return from their patrol off Cartagena waters, replenish, and wait out the phase as well.
In southeast Aragon the front line forces remain mostly in place, while 3rd Mad XX cartages an AS point forward, reaching a point just 15 miles from the front line via admin mov’t.  In the eastern Cordillera Iberica, a few units do a supply shuffle to keep 2 hexes at no worse than U-1.  In the Teruel valley, units in Teruel, back up a hex, while the 1st Sor XX at 3203 moves into the town.  6th Req X is railed into 3203 with the units that departed the town, while 23rd Inf III rails and then moves into 3104, setting up for an 3 hex assault on 3204, which should eliminate the 4 hex frontage Teruel is currently facing.  1 AS is railed to 3103 from La Coruna to supply the planned assault.  East of Guadalajara the Hue and 3rd Soria XX’s move into the line, with a few non-div inf III’s and Fal X’s filling out the flanks and making for the first continuous Nationalist line of the game.  North of Madrid, at either end of the out of supply zone units do the supply shuffle, while 2nd Mad XX cartages 3 GSPs into the area just behind the main line.  West of Madrid (southeast of Talavera), having absorbed a Loyalist counterattack, the line is adjusted as new units enter the line to stiffen things.  Sector 2513 remains held by a cav and arty III, while 2613 sees the ZMO Eng III build a temp airfield.  1 P Art III remains in the hex as well, while the 20 GC Sec III is railed in to bring the defense of the rail line and new field up to 3.  2nd Soria XX moves into the line at 2714, allowing the CTV units Ter Art III and Bab Lt Arm II, along with the accompanying 26th Inf to occupy the empty 2715.  1st Mad XX admins in from Caceres to just behind the main line, while 7thCav moves toward the front as well, gaining zoc ownership of a mtn hex or two as well, ending its movement at Talavera, as yet unpacified.  An AS pt is railed from LC to Talavera.
The line running along the west bank of the Guadiana remains the same, but very large stacks (for the game so far) are formed up between Ciudad Real and Valdepenas, with 5 AS in Ciudad Real, 15 in 3314, and 9 in Valdepenas.  A three point AS stack sits in 3514, just to the southwest of Vald, so clearly the offensive along the Vald-Alcazar axis is still going strong.  The line from 3514 to the sea remains the same, with no unit’s shifting at all, though the new 2nd Cons III in Almeria does begin building a temp airfield, which it hopes to complete before mud arrives in the south of Spain.  To the rear in Andalusia, the KL c/m II’s and the 3 Lar and 3 ML Col Inf III’s cartage 2 AS from Sevilla to just west of Linares, with 2 SMPs used to get the points across the river and into town proper.  The c/m II’s continue admining forward, where they are positioned to join the main line in exploit.  The KL pos AA admins forward as best it can, while the Cadiz X continues its tour of rearward towns, moving to Osuna for more pacification duty (this unit should gain honorary police status, as it’s basically spent the whole war going from town to town searching out undesirable elements.)  Further to the rear, the 2 O Cav and I-S Inf III’s admin from Cadiz (where they were landed) to Sevilla, where they are positioned to cartage AS forward next turn.

Combat Phase

The PA air force sees what’s coming and flies DAS to 3313 and 3513.  Hex 3513 won’t be attacked, so that DAS is ignored.  However, the Bre19 flying to 3313 is unescorted since the N.52 is the only PA fighter available, so it’s easily intercepted by the CTV CR.32bis flying out of the temp field at 3414.  The CR32’s drive off the DAS, though damage is minimal (CR.32’s roll a 7 for an R, the Bre’s cannot return with their 0 AS.)  The first ground combat goes in NW of Teruel into the muddy mountains.  Shocked by the assault, the defending PA 4th Cav is routed (8:1 -4 goes to 16:1 -4, AS provided to most units, plus the Mxd T flies GS, PA morale of 1 for a halved result, combat roll of 5 for a DH.)  6th Req Inf X with the 14L Art III in support advance, securing the NW flank of the town.  In something of a surprise, patrol skirmishes from the Hue and 3rd Soria XX’s are fended off by the PA 10th Inf III in the wooded rough of sector 2806 (no AS provided, PA morale of 2 for no effect thanks to the terrain, 5:1 -4 attack, roll of 3 for an AS.)  Next, 30 miles west of Toledo in the wooded rough of 2814 the PA 4th Infantry is smashed by a multi-national, all arms attack (8.5:1 -2 planned, with 2nd Soria, 7 Bdr & 26th Inf attacking unsupplied, but the CTV’s Ter Art III & Bab Lt Arm II auto supplied via port, 1 rolled for PA morale, odds to 17:1 -2, 2 rolled for a DH.)  The two CTV units and the 26thInf attacking from 2715 advance.
Finally, the big attacks north of Valdepenas are launched.  Sector 3213, 30 miles due north of the town, is hit first, by everything in Ciudad Real and about ½ the units 3314, mostly Colonial troopers.  These veteran warriors easily slip around the militia Inf X defending, panic sets in, and then the Moroccans get in amongst the artillery, and slaughter the whole defending stack to a man (5:1 even attack, AS provided to about ½ the RE’s, including the colonial troopers, plus Bre19 flying GS, 3 rolled for PA morale, which is halved, resulting in a 7:1 even, 5 rolled for a DE.)  A large number of units advance, including 2 Col Inf III’s, a Sec III, an Inf III, 2 MG II’s, the Fal 1st Sev X and the E Art III.  The Van Inf XX is left behind to guard Ciudad Real, where it’s also pacifying the locals.  Finally, the remaining units in 3314 come out of the rough hills and assault 3313, along with the units in Valdepenas.  The PA here gives a better account of itself, managing to retreat in good order to Tomelloso (6:1 even attack, about ½ the units supplied again, no morale effects with a 4 rolled, 1 rolled for a DR.)  Two more Col Inf III’s, 3 Lt Inf II’s and the 3 L Art III advance, leaving 5 pts supported defending Valdepenas and 3 good col units in reserve back in the hills at 3314.  Moreover, a 2 hex gap is blown in the Loyalist line, through which the new KL c/m units can exploit and raid.

Exploitation Phase

The NT’s unload the AS point from Melilla at Huelva first, then return to Ceuta, replenish, then return to Melilla, load the 2ndAS point there and sail for Sevilla (using friendly coasts near Melilla itself).  The AS point remains loaded on the NT’s in Sevilla harbor.  The CATF waits out the turn, but the SS’s head back for waters off Cartagena per their current SOP.
In ground mov’t, the 88 Lt AA II shoots the gap in the Loyalist line, takes temp possession of 3113 and destroys the PA fort in the hex, then heads for Alcazar.  The Dro Lt Arm II heads directly to Alcazar, wrecking the rails in that important junction.  Joined by the 88th, the two KL units then possess the hex, leaving behind supporters of the Insurgent war effort (the town goes unpacified as it becomes temporarily Insurgent.)  They both then scoot back to Insurgent lines at 3313.  Alcazar goes back to being Loyalist owned thanks to zoc’s, but the damage has been done.
In the air, the Mxd B floatplanes bomb the Murcian rail yard, but fail to get a hit with a  4 rolled.  The new He51’s head up to the temp field at 2613, SE of Talavera, where the Bre19’s landed after combat.  The new Ju52g4e unit bombs Vild at the Cartagena airbase, but a 1 pt flak shot with a 3 rolled drives it off with an R.  Thus ends the turn.

 

Loyalist Oct II 36 player turn

March 27, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

The French border is closed on a roll of 3.  Supply remains an issue for the Insurgency.  In the south, btw the Aragon and Teruel fronts 2 hexes remain OOS, with 2 units U-1 red.  North of Madrid, some 5 hexes are OOS, with 3 units U-2 black and 3 U-1 red.  The 13L Art III in the salient & 30 Inf III to its NW rear are supplied by GSPs cartaged in by the 5th Cav last turn.  On the Loyalist side, only one hex btw the Teruel and Gaudalajara fronts is OOS at U-1 black.  The LV An X begins pacifying Cuenca, finally clearing out remnant supporters of the cavalry raid a month or two ago.  There is no production or reinforcement scheduled for this turn, but lots of replacements.  The 5GC Sec III is replaced at Madrid, then converting to the 1 GA Sec X.  The 4th Eng III, 13th Inf III, 4th MG II, 1L & 2L Art III’s are all also replaced at Madrid.  Southwest of Madrid, in the rough hills of 3113, the 2nd Cons X quick constructs a fort using conscripted labor from camps in and around Madrid.  Naval mechanics in Barcelona finally get their act together and repair LC-2 from its damaged state (1 rolled finally.)  No naval patrol, harassment or CAPs.

Movement Phase

Very little happens at sea.  In the north, the LtTF moves to Bilbao, while NT-3 shifts to Gijon, picks up a resource pt, and moves it to Bilbao.  Mud has cancelled any ideas of Loyalist offensives in the NW Teruel to Aragon fronts.  Other than a single supply-two-step, every unit along the line remains in place, satisfied with current dispositions.  Along the Guadalajara front and NW Teruel fronts, the units that had participated in the offensives of early Oct are stripped from the area, leaving a weak front, including a gap at 2906 in the lines.  As the Insurgent line is equally weak, albeit with one XX about to join the line with perhaps another to form up and join, presumably the Loyalists are satisfied to go back on the defensive here.  A weak line is held north of Madrid as well, with a few units joining while others depart.  The mass of troops, nearly all the Loyalist offensive power, masses against the new Insurgent salient at 2713, adjoining Toledo.  Clearly the Loyalist government sees the recent Nationalist offensive as an existential threat, as both of the ‘striking’ corps from last turn move to this area, including the whole of the Mtn XXX and the other XXX of II’s, supported by Eng & Inf units already in the area.  Eighteen AS of troops, in some 12.5 RE’s form up in an arc from 2612 around to 2813, the majority in 2712.  Obviously the Loyalists intend to launch a counter-offensive to straighten up their lines at the least.  Southwest of Toledo, the Loyalist bulge remains much the same, with the line running from Toledo to 2814, thence SW to the Guadiana, SE down to the headwaters of that river, then east to 3114 and then SW into the woods near Tomelloso. There the line runs roughly SW to the sea, with just one minor shift.  3514 is given up as untenable, surrounded on 4 sides.  The line running from SW of Tomelloso to the sea is 1 to 3 pts in DS, usually 1 or 2, with one 3 pt hex in the woods at 3412, and a few ½ pt hexes in mtn areas.  To the rear, in addition to the 3 pts of rail cap used to move units into position for attacks or to fill in holes near Tomelloso, 1 AS is railed from Tarragona to Madrid and 1 res pt is railed from Murcia to Albacete.  1 SMP moves an AS into Valencia from NE of the city, while 4 more SMPs move an AS from Manresa in Cataluna to the front line along the Aragon-Cataluna border.  This appears to be nothing more than prepositioning however, as no attacks in this area appear likely.  At the end of mov’t, the N.52 flies a CAP over 2713.

Combat Phase

Only one attack appears likely or planned, so the Insurgent AF flies the Bre19 on DAS over 2713, escorted by the CR32bis unit due to the N52 CAP.  Surprisingly, the N.52 switches to intercept and attempts to bypass the CR32… an average roll of 7 by the CR32 sees the N.52’s returned.  The Loyalist Bre19 then flies GS, just getting the odds to 3:1 +1 (10 RE’s attack, all provided supply, with 3 RE’s neutral and 1.5 RE’s in AECA capable units for a 1/7th ratio.)  A poor morale roll could see the odds drop to 2:1 +1.  In the actual event, the PA’s morale holds (thanks to no doubt to armored support), but their tactics leave a lot to be desired as they launch a series of frontal assaults, that, while ultimately successful, are highly wasteful of their men’s lives (4 rolled for morale for no effect, 1 rolled for an EX.)  The Nationalists lose 2 MG II’s, the 28th Inf III and the heavy 2 P Art III, while the PA’s AAC armored car unit, 1st and 2nd Mtn II, 1st Bicycle II and 4th MG II all die.

Exploitation Phase

No naval mov’t of significance, other than TF’s prepping for NGS at Gijon and Bilbao.  As all c/m units were in combat, no ground exploit occurs either.  The Vild bombs the airbase at Almeria, missing with a 2

Insurgent Oct II 36 player turn

March 27, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

In weather, a 4 is rolled for the ground conditions, which remain mud in the north (D) and clear in the south (E).  A 3 is rolled for the Atlantic, leaving it clear, but in a bit of a surprise, the Med wx rolls a 6 and the Med goes rough.  North of Madrid, 4 hexes remain OOS, with 3 units now U-2 black and 2 U-1 red.  PA units remain isolated in the north, while 1 hex/unit NW of Teruel is U-1 black.  Now that U status is starting to bite a bit, 2 GSPs are generated each at Zaragoza and Valladolid.
Santander and Euzkadi garrison forces are in place (I like to check in my ini phase too.)  Pacification is complete in Almeria, which will go into production on Dec II 36.  Clearing out leftist terrorists is finished in Don Benito as well, clearing the secondary line leading Don-Benito-Puertollano for supply traffic.  The Cadiz X begins pacifying Martos, the 2 Cord X Ubeda, the 2 GC Sec III Velez-Malaga, and the 31st Inf III Tineo.  Van Inf XX starts pacifying Puertollano, but it is expected this will be abandoned as offensive ops are considered.  13 GC Sec III, the only unit that advanced into San Sebastian begins routing out Basques that will surely somebody become the leaders of the ELA.
No reinforcement or production occurs, and only minimal replacement.  The 5th Cav III is rebuilt at Vallodolid, and the 4th Lar Col at Ceuta, both units having been destroyed in the area btw the Gaudalajara and Teruel fronts in the last Loyalist turn.  Meanwhile, 2 entrenchments are completed along the Aragon front by 1 Cas and Cac Inf XX’s.  No air activities occur by either side.

Movement Phase

NT-1 and 2 open the turn’s movements.  The each load a Col Inf III at Ceuta and Larache, and carry it to Cadiz.  Both return to Larache, pick up another III each, and head to Sevilla, dropping the second 2 III’s there.  Nationalist naval HQ decides now is the time to make a run to the Balearics, given the rough weather in the Med.  Therefore, NT-4 at Larache moves to 2511, where the BBTF & CATF at Ceuta move as well, as does the group of CTV subs off Cartagena.  The surface units form 1 group and the subs a second, and all proceed collectively to Palma, past the PA cruisers and sub in Cartagena.  Because sub combat comes before surface combat, the 6 pts of CTV subs are ensured first shot against any sortie by the 3 pts of Loyalist CL’s, before they could attempt anything against the 4 pts of Nat surface combatants, or the NT.  Not surprisingly, the Loyalists let this massive (for FWTBT) fleet pass by unmolested.  The combined fleet makes Palma, loads up the elite 36th Inf III (supported), and then runs by Cartagena to Almeria.  Again no response from the Loyalist fleet.  The III is offloaded at Almeria, and then the combined fleet heads back to Ceuta, unmolested.
On the Aragon front, all units remain static, except for the supply two-step which begins in the area btw the Aragon and Teruel fronts, circa 17:3632 & 23:3401.  In the Teruel area, 1st Soria XX moves into the line NE of Teruel, allowing the 10 L Art III to shift from that spot to the area just east of the town.  5th Mtn II moves from east of the town into the town itself, bring defense in town to 3, while east is 2 pts and NW is 3.  Further north, 1st Zar X moves into the mountains at 3104 now that 1stSoria is protecting the town’s rear, allowing 24th Inf to advance NW and extend the line towards the Guadalajara front, currently weakened by the loss of 2 units last turn.  There, Leon and Vald Fal X’s stand gamely in front of the PA Mtn XXX, waiting for the Hue Inf XX to make it into the line, it having admin’d forward to 2705, just behind these units at 2706 and 2606.  2 LE Inf III moves to San Sebastian and then takes high volume rail to Calatayud, where it offloads and hoofs it overland towards this front, sloggin through the mud thanks to a previous lucky airstrike against 2703, west of Calatayud.  It will form the basis for a new XX next turn (which I could have formed this turn, but that would have cost me rail cap getting the unit into the Guadalajara front.  Hopefully the mud here will encourage the Mtn XXX to move along (along with my attacks planned elsewhere!)
North of Madrid, a lot of logistical mov’ts occur.  At either end of the 4 hex long OOS zone, units two step back and forth to keep the ends no worse than U-1.  That won’t work for the 2 center hexes, or the artillery in 2510, the salient in the mtns which is the western end of the OOS zone.  The artillery needs to stay in the mtns should the wx shift.  First, the Mxd T at Zaragoza tries to airdrop GSPs in.  Two are dropped at 2309, outside any possible intercept or patrol zone.  Rolls are poor though and both points are scattered in the mud (50/50 shot of success for each.)  5th Cav, rebuilt at Valladolid, then cartages overland 2 GSPs to 2309.  The arty and one unit in the center will have supply, while the other goes without for the next two checks.
NW of Madrid things remain stable, but to the west of Madrid (SE of Talavera), the Insurgents launch a small offensive.  1 P Art III, ZMO Eng, & O & E MG II’s rail in from the San Sebastian area, having been released from northern operations, to 2613.  From there, they can assault 2713, defended by a sec & art III.  Following, an attack will strike at 2714 with zoc encirclement against a hex with naught but 2 eng III’s.  With luck, an arty and 3 units with replacement limitations will all die.  For the second assault, 1 LE Inf III and the CTV’s Ter Art III & Bab Lt Arm II rail in from the San Sebastian area, reaching 2614.  With these new units in the line, each of the units to the SW shifts one hex to the SW, extending the line to the Guadiana’s east bank.  Units on the west bank all shift 1 hex SE so that the line in western Castille la Nueva is fully joined.  In the Valdepenas front, Van XX abandons the pacification of Puertollano, leaving that to some Falangists for next turn.  It moves up to Ciudad Real, abandoned by the PA without a fight, from which point it can put full zoc’s on a greater number of enemy units.
Next, the mov’ts for an assault on Valdepenas itself and its flank are made.  An elite force of colonial infantry and cavalry III’s, Nat Lt Inf & Eng, supported with artillery assemble to assault the town from the northwest and west.  Once the town is seized, a secondary attack to its southwest will commence, with a smaller number of colonial inf, and Nat infantry, sec, bdr & Lt Inf leading the way, supported by the 2 E art III.  Within the western jump off point for the assault on Valdepenas, the ZME Eng III builds a temp airfield as well, which should provide an excellent location from which to control the immediate airspace.  The field is occupied by the CTV’s Ricci Lt AA II as well, for some point defense.  Other pos flak admins toward the field, but doesn’t quite make it.
South of this, the line is strengthened a bit.  With the addition of the elite 36th Inf III to Almeria, the 4 L Artillery in the city can move up and through Gaudix for the main fronts, as Almeria will remain at a 2 DS, sufficient to dissuade an Loyalist attempts to retake the city for the time being.  This allows some minor shifting to allow a Nat unit and a Fal X to garrison each pass facing Lorca, while single units take on the defense of the mountains and the area just north of Almeria itself.  To the rear in Andalucia, a X of Fal move to Ubeda for pacification duties, a III of Col Inf, Sec & Cons from the Canaries, admin/cartages an AS from Sevilla forward, with the Inf & Sec moving on when the Cons runs out of mps.  The AS pt is then within reach of projected attacks.  6 SMPs move another AS pt forward to Linares, sufficient to supply the northern attack on the Valdepenas front.  Further in the rear, 4 SMPs move an AS from Huelva to Sevilla (a pt was imported there when port capacity was an issue in an earlier turn, but Huelva’s access to the rest of Spain is via low volume rail, so moving it via rail would be prohibitively expensive.)  Finally, the 2 col Inf III’s landed at Cadiz are admin’d up to Sevilla for next turn’s cartaging efforts, while the 2 III’s landed at Sevilla simply admin forward (I considered cartaging for them as well, but then decided against as they only had 4 mps remaining, and cartaging would have cost them 2 more, so the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.)  At the end of the turn, the Italian CR32bis unit CAPs hex 2713, 30 miles west of Madrid, which should suffice to keep DAS away.
On the northern front, nearly all units remain in place… those in Euzkadi that weren’t railed away this turn following last turn’s assault on San Sebastian reform a 2 to 3 pt line along the 19xx row, which elbows northwest at sector 1902.  In northern Estramadura, the 7th Cav continues its tour of out of the way places, gaining ownership of a number of unowned hexes which completes the take-over of that province.  It ends the turn heading towards the Talavera front, still some 60 miles away.

Combat Phase

Two pairs of attacks are planned in the south, aligned to take advantage of possible DR zoc kill opportunities. Loyalists fly DAS to 2714, the weaker stack in the 1st pair of attacks, and 3514, the weaker in the 2nd pair, using the Bre19’s and Vild’s respectively.  The Nat AF counters with Bre19’s flying to 2714 and the Mxd B float planes flying to 3514 (the Bre19 staging through the new temp field; the Mxd B not actually increasing the odds, but modifying the potential for a militia failure on the PA side.)
The first two attacks, west of Madrid, are a smashing success.  At 2713, a 4:1 +0 attack (full AS, 4 rolled for PA morale for no effect) rolls a 6 for a DE and obliterates the defending 5 GC Sec & 1 L Art III.   The following attack at 2714 is similarly successful (4:1, +1, full AS, 6 for PA morale, no effect, 6 rolled for a DE), eliminating the PA’s 3rd and 4th Eng III’s.  Things don’t go quite so smoothly around Valdepenas, though success is achieved.  At Valdepenas (3413), the 5:1 even attack gets off to a poor start (nearly full AS, 3 rolled for PA morale, no effect) when a 1 is rolled, resulting in an HX.  Still, this is an acceptable cost, since the enemy units didn’t retreat away, as was possible.  Another 2 pts of PA infantry type units die, as does a second arty III, albeit at the cost of the 2 O Col Cav III.  Perhaps the poor showing by the attackers at Valdepenas carries over, as the attackers at 3514 do worse.  The 3:1 even attack fails to impress the PA defenders (nearly full AS provided, 6 rolled for PA morale, so again no effect), and the PA stand their ground despite being so heavily outnumbered (1 rolled for AS… would have been an EX at 4:1, had PA morale buckled.)  Still, after combat advances, there’s a 5 pt stack 16 miles from Madrid at 2713 and adjacent to Toledo, with a 3 hex wide hole in the Loyalist lines west of Madrid.  In the south, even with the AS at 3514, there’s a 2 hex gap in the line and the hex so well-defended this turn will almost assuredly be given up regardless in the Loyalist mov’t phase.  Still, killing another pt of PA artillery would have been very useful.  The CR32 and Bre19’s return to the new temp airfield at 3414, just west of Valdepenas, while the Mxd B returns to Malaga.  All PA a/c return to their starting bases (Madrid & Cartagena).

Exploitation Phase

NT 1 & 4 return from Sevilla to Ceuta, where they join NT-2 in loading an AS pt.  They carry this point from Morocco’s ‘as start’ forces to Sevilla, replenish in the city, enjoying some leave, and then return back to Ceuta.  The BBTF & CATF replenish and then wait out the turn.  The Italian subs replenish, enjoy some wine, and then head back out on patrol near Cartagena, following the coastal and night route to prevent any sort of reaction by the PA’s CL’s in the port.  No ground mov’t occurs, and given all a/c have flown, no air missions are launched either.

 

Loyalist Oct I 36 player turn

March 25, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

With a roll of 4, the border with France remains closed.  On the loyalist side, all PA units in the northern Gobernitos remain in supply but isolated.  On the Insurgent side, 4 hexes north and northeast of Madrid remain out of supply, and will be so for the foreseeable future.  Additionally, 2 hexes east of Teruel, and one northwest of that city are out of supply… All units in these hexes are no worse than U-1.
All border guards are in position, and purification is completed at Manresa and Tortosa, bringing all parts of Cataluna to heel under the PA’s boot.
It’s a massive reinforcement and replacement turn for the Loyalists.  The 1 V Inf X shows up at Madrid, while their first International X shows up, the Germans of the 11th Thalmann X, at Albacete.  Two X’s of Anarchists set to arrive in Andalucia are delayed (probably indefinitely), but 4 more do show up at Murcia, Valencia and Tarragona.  A pos AA pt is imported in at Bilbao, while 1 AS each arrives at the quays of Gijon, Tarragona and Cast. de la Plana.  Artillery tubes arrive as well, 1.5 RPs worth in Bilbao for the isolated north, and another 3.5 at Barcelona for the general pool.  Also arriving in Barcelona are various small tanks from the USSR, 2 RPs worth.  Santander releases a X of Inf for frontline service, while the Basques release 2 such X’s, plus a Cons X as well.  A X of Inf and one of Cons troops arrives in Gijon.  Two Sanander Inf X’s form up behind the lines in Santander (into the garrison box), while 4 such X’s are formed up in Euzkadi.  One Arty pt arrives in France, but gets held up by uncooperative French customs officials.  The staffs of a PA and Basque Tank II, a Bas and Cat Art III and a PA AA III arrive (units into the replacement pool for building.)
Production is hefty, with 6 PA Inf RPs, 1 Ast RP, 1 Bas RP, 1 Cat RP, .5 San RP, 3 An RPs and 1 POUM RP going into the pools.  Factories churn out goods as well, with 1 AS, 2 res pts, and .5 Arm and 1 Art arriving from the Gijon & Bilbao factories in the north, while the 3 in the south produce 3 AS, 3 res pts, and another .5 Arm and 1 Art.  All this production leads to another big influx of units, with the Basques building the N Tank II, their 14th Art III, and rebuilding their destroyed 3rd Inf X.  The new 1stTank II, and the wrecked 1st Mech III, 3 P Art III, 3rd Mcgh II & 4th Car Bdr III’s are all rebuilt at Madrid.  Finally, the new 11th Cat Art III forms up in Barcelona.
Cons and Eng units start a fort in Bilbao, using 1 res pt and quick construction.  The damaged LC remains so with a 3 rolled.  All air units go operative and no naval patrol declarations or CAP mission are flown.

Movement Phase

No naval mov’t occurs, beyond replenishment.  In the Aragon-Cataluna border front, movt is minimal.  A few units shift about in the line, and the new 11th Cat Art III joins the line via rail mov’t.  Along the southern Teruel front, practical no mov’t occurs, other than an An X joining the line, allowing one PA unit to shift northwest, to the west side of the town itself.  Along the west and northwest Teruel fronts, the PA Mtn XXX moves along the clear weather mtn line to engage the Nationalist 5th Cav at 3005.  Two additional PA units flank the 5th Cav, to ensure zoc’s surround it during the presumed ensuing combat.  Simultaneously, on the adjacent Guadalajara front, the 4th Lar Col Inf III is engaged by one of the units flanking the 5th Cav, while a mass of units attack from the opposite side at 2707, including the rebuilt 3 P Art III (a quality 2-6 Art III), some MG II’s, and the new 1 Arm II.  A bicycle II and Inf III round out the force.  North and west of Madrid the line remains fairly stable, though the new 11 Th International and Jou An X’s do take over the forts at 2609 and 2610, just north of east Madrid.  West of Madrid, the line is stable, though 4th Eng III moves from the aforementioned forts into the line, allowing it to be extended and connected to the new frontline position on the Valdepenas front.  Here, more significant mov’t is accomplished.  5th Car Bdr joins the line at 3115, creating a 3 pt unsupported stack while 3114 is held similarly, with 16GC Sec coming from south of Vald, 3 Inf abandoning Ciudad Real after putting a hit on the rail line, and 7th Eng railing in from the forts north of Madrid.  The new 1 V Inf X takes over at 3213, overland from Madrid, while 8 L Art rails in from the Cataluna front, creating a 3 pt supported stack.  1st Art III abandons Cuidad Real as well, taking 3313 just west of Tomelloso and northeast of Valdepenas, currently there alone.  However, 1st Mech moves in from Madrid and the AAC Armored Car III abandons the Teruel front and heads this direction as well, so there will be armored units available to assist in the clear terrain around Valdepenas in exploit.  From Valdepenas south, mov’ts are more limited.  Three points supported defend the town, while 2 pts supported protect its southwest flank, for the time being.  From there to the coast, dispositions remain the same as last turn, weak one pt units in the mountains with 2 pt stacks, usually Anarchist, guarding the passes.  To the rear, 2 pts of pos AA are railed about, an AS pt is railed from Murcia to 2709 to support upcoming attacks and a res pt is railed from Barcelona to Madrid.  SMPs shift AS forward a bit as well, while one An X moves up to Cuenca to reestablish Loyalist control in that town, following a previous Nat Cav raid.
In the north, units rebuilt or new move into the line, resulting in some minor hex to hex shifts, but for the time being the lines appear to be stable, at least after the fall of San Sebastian last turn.
With an obvious attack against the 4 Lar III planned, Italian CR.32’s fly CAP over the hex, anticipating a PA need for GS.

Combat Phase

As expected, the PA air force comes up to play.  The N52 escorts the Bre19 on a GS mission to 2806, over the 4th Lar.  Hq for the Insurgent AF doesn’t want the weak 52’s getting a free shot at the Italian birds, so the CR32’s convert to intercept and take on the escorts (I was mostly interested in getting after the PA airforce, less so worried about GS getting through.)  Neither plan rolls especially well though, so they fight an inconclusive engagement and the Bre19’s are able to drop their loads relatively unmolested (CR32’s roll a 7 for an R, while the N52’s roll a 6, also an R.)  Two attacks are launched by PA forces in the weak spots of the Nat line, btw the Guadalajara and west Teruel fronts, with a single attack supply point providing AS to the 2 arty units and 8 II’s participating.  First, 3005, with the 5th Cav, is attacked at 10:1 -4.  A 3 on the militia roll barely ensures the mountaineers’ morale holds, so the attack goes in at the anticipated odds, and a 5 rolled generates a DH with against the isolated Cav troop.  The second attack is successful as well.  Here, a combined arms force of Art, Inf, Bicyclists and MG II’s attack the 4th Lar Col Inf III, at 7:1 -4.  Morale is solid with a 5 rolled, but the combat roll is poor with a 1.  Even so, zoc’s kill the col III in the ensuing DR-generated retreat.  All air units return to their originating bases.

Exploitation Phase

Naval units remain stationary for the most part.  The BBTF at Gijon remains there and preps for NGS.  The LtTF moves to 2932, Guernica, and preps for NGS, where it can reach the defenders in the fort at 3031, and be within 5 hexes for naval interdiction of San Sebastian.  On the ground, 1st Mech joins the line at 3313, creating a 3 DS supported stack with AECD, while AAC abandons its westward mov’t and instead shoots north back to Madrid (where it has spent most Insurgent turns to be honest, protected by the intrinsic defense of the city, given it’s 0 DS strength.)  The new 1st Tank II remains at 2707.

Insurgent Oct I 36 player turn

March 24, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Initial Phase

In a terrible bit of luck for the Insurgents, at least relative to the previous planning for this turn, the weather changes dramatically.  On the first possible poor weather turn in the north, a 6 is rolled and it goes mud in weather zone D.  This will definitely impact that planned op against San Sebastian.  I think I can still make it work, but it’s going to cost me logistically.
In the meantime, I’ve got supply issues now in the north.  Four hexes north of Madrid go U-1 black… once the ground freezes up a bit, the overland supply line length will go from 2 to 3, and I can keep all the units at U-1 or less by doing a unit two-step.  Until then, I’m eventually going to have to let units be U-2 or worse, or dedicate transport to GSP mov’t.  We’ll solve that problem later.  5 hexes along the Teruel front go U-1 black as well, mostly due to the zoc behind the town and the shortened overland length.  Still, there are some hexes btw the Teruel and Aragon fronts that are too far due to distance.  More unit two steps there in the future.  Fortunately the Teruel front can be reached by rail, since that rail hit to the north is not at the junction at Calatayud.  I don’t think I’ll have to give up Teruel itself.  On the Loyalist side, only the northernmost unit along their side of the Teruel front is U-1.  I suppose the change in weather does make it less likely that the PA offensive near Teruel will continue.  They’ll have trouble reaching back to attack supply now that the overland length has dropped from 4 to 2… and the -2 mud DRM won’t help them at all.
Continuing with the initial phase activities, 7 cities are completely pacified, including Malaga and Badajoz which will go into production Dec I 36.  Both also gain their intrinsic defense forces.  The other 5 are Lucena, Antequera, Linares, Guadix and Mieres.  Pacification begins at Almeria and Don Benito.
It’s a big turn for Nationalist reinforcements… 1st Sor XX goes to Zaragoza, while the 2nd and 3rd Soria go into the form pool.  The Hue Inf XX arrives at Logrono, while 5th Req Inf X reports at Vitoria and 6th Req at Pamplona.  NT-4 is formed up at Ceuta, bringing the total lift capacity to 3 RE’s, sufficient to start moving attack supply.  Four more Fal Inf X’s show up, at Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba and Zaragoza, while in Morocco the 6 Xau Col Inf III arrives.  In addition, 3 units of Italians, forming the vanguard of the CTV, arrive at Sevilla, including both a good arty III and some lt tankettes.  Some flak is imported at Huelva and turned over to the Spanish.  Lots of bullets and bombs arrive, with attack supply totaling 6 pts, arriving at 5 different ports.  A res pt also arrives up at La Coruna, while 3 Art RPs arrive at Vigo… Clearly the Italian and German shipping lines are making out like bandits.  The Italians turn over their Mxd A at Cagliari, which arrives as a Mxd B (both are float planes) at Huelva.  Finally, the Req Redon Art III goes into the replacement pool for building.
New production is significant, amounting to 7.5 Nat, 1.5 Col, 3.5 Fal, 2.0 Req, plus the first ARP, a CTV one.  Factories churn out additional attack supply beyond that imported, including 2 pts at Sevilla and one at Oviedo.  Finally, Sevilla produces 0.5 Art pts worth of artillery tubes.
A lot of thought goes into figuring out what to rebuild and how to rebuild it.  Key is trying to figure out if the planned assault on San Sebastian can go forward.  It’s probably at its weakest point in terms of strength it has been or will be in the game, and leaving it in Loyalist hands only gives the Basques more replacement points than they should be getting (the city fell in the equivalent of the Sep II 37 turn historically).  Plans will go forward, admittedly at a higher cost in terms of logistics and the number of troops that would otherwise be involved, but it is judged to be worth the risk.  The 2 LE Inf III is rebuilt at Zaragoza, along with the 20 GC Sec III and the 24th Inf, all at the cost of 4.5 Nat points.  The 2 Mel Col Inf III is rebuilt at Ceuta using 2 Col RPs, and the Redon Art is formed up at Sevilla using 1 Arty.  Finally, the new Hue and 1st Sor Inf XX’s are equipped to their supported sides at the cost of an additional 1 Arty total.  Three res pts are spent to build a permanent RE of capacity at La Coruna, bringing that yard up to 2 RE’s, and the total available to the Nationalists to 9.5.  The two XX’s in the Aragon line continue building entrenchments.  An 8 is rolled on the random mine damage roll, so the Nat BBTF avoids damage.

Movement Phase

NT-1 and 2 start in the Canaries, so they load up the 24 GC Sec III and the Can Cons III, then unload them after transiting to Cadiz.  They then move to Ceuta and await the rest of the phase.  The NT-4 loads up the new 6 Xau Col Inf III and unloads it at Cadiz, returns to Larache and loads the 1 MT Col Inf III, and moves it to Sevilla.  The two TFs replenish and then await further developments in the port.  Lastly, the Italian subs return from their station off Cartagena to Ceuta, replenish, and then await the point at which they will return to Cartagenian waters (in exploit.)
In the southeastern Andalucia front, single units are the new standard.  Some Fal units move into the front to replace departing Nationalist units, with emphasis on placing them in the more defensible mtn terrain.  The 7th Inf admins past Gaudix from Antequerra, where it can join this front next turn, while the Eng III that just pacified Guadix fixes the rail hit to its northeast, then continues moving toward the Valdepenas front.  Southwest of Valdepenas 2 pt unsupported stacks are created.  The ZME Eng III joins two units just west of Valdepenas, while 2 Col Cav III’s that had cartaged attack supply join the line just northwest of this hex, creating a 4 pt and 6 pt supported stack respectively.  The CTV Ricci Lt AA II admins up to the front just to the rear of the line.  The Van Inf XX moves into Puertollano, abandoned by the PA last turn, while a 2 pt arty/inf stack protects it’s northwest flank.  The new 2 Sev Fal Inf X (along w/ Ricci) cartage/admin on AS forward, where SMPs take over and push it a bit further east, to hex 2802, where it can be used in an attack on this front this turn.  To the rear, the 2 Cord Inf X moves up to Ubeda, the Cadix Inf X moves into Martos, both for later pacification.  6 Xau, 24 GC Sec & the Can Cons III’s admin from Cadiz up to Sevilla, where they can admin/cartage additional attack supply forward next turn (I intentionally let units admin a little less forward, so they are positioned for cartaging in the following turn on a recurring basis… essentially, units arriving from Africa or rebuilt at Sevilla cartage in the current turn, while units landed at Cadiz move up to do so as well when available.  Units that cartaged in the previous turn become reinforcements/replacements/reserves for the current turn, in a continuing cycle in Andalucia.)  The pos flak pt at Huelva also admins forward.  Now that ZME Eng III is in the front, it can build a temp airfield and improve the air presence directly over this critical front for the Nationalist side (CR32’s basing out a temp base near Valdepenas can reach a goodly distance.)  Further north of the Valdepenas front, a pair of units occupy the west bank of the Guadiana, but a one hex gap still exists btw the Valdepenas front and the Talavera fronts.  The Talavera front remains static at this point, with no units shifting.  However, north of Madrid, units must now begin the two-step in and out of supply range, where that process can assist.  Even so, there are 2 hexes of the front line where even this back and forth cannot keep units in supply now that the weather has turned to mud.  GSPs will have to be the solution, later.  For now, this front remains static too.  East of Madrid, the 4 Lar, unable to rail over to San Sebastian because of the rail hit to its rear, instead advances southwest into the wooded rough at 2806, with a Fal X taking over defense of the rail line proper at 2706.  The Hue Inf XX admins south out of Logrono, where it can join this or the Teruel fronts eventually.  1st Soria XX admins through the gap at 2902, heading for Teruel itself, after attacks last turn weakened that area.  5th Cav moves into the mtns at 3005, to put at least a zoc on the forward PA unit at 3105.  Meanwhile, 24th Inf rails in from Zaragoza and occupies 3104, and the two units that had been protecting Teruel’s eastern flank move over the mtn hexside to 3203, creating a front that can protect the town’s rear supply line.  Units in the mtns east of 3303 then shift in, somewhat weakening the line leading into south eastern Aragon.  This is judged safe however, since the Loyalists weren’t interested in launching attacks out of Cataluna when the weather was good; they certainly won’t be doing so now that mud has arrived.  2nd Zar Fal X joins the Aragon front line on its left flank, at the headwaters of the Cuenca, allowing the 20th Inf to shift one hex northwest, ensuring the line’s flank rests on mountains and not out in the open.
The major muscle mov’ts this turn are into San Sebastian.  One res pt is spent to bring the rail cap up to 14.  The 1 LE Inf III, the 1 P Art III, Redon Art III, CTV’s Ter Art III and Bab Lt Arm II, O & E MG II’s all rail into 3230, where they join the 23rd Inf that held the rail line open for them and the recently arrived 6 Req X that crossed in over the muddy terrain from Pamplona, creating a 13 AS stack.  4th Req X slides east into 3131, joined by 5th Req that had to rail in due to poor wx from Vitoria, and 2 LE Inf III and 20 GC rail in from Zaragoza.  ZMO Eng III rails in from Valladolid, all joining the 2 units that had been in the hex previously, creating an 11 pt AS stack.  These mov’ts open a hole in the line at 3132, but Nat high command doesn’t believe the Basques will risk troops taking the empty hex despite the good terrain, simply because the hex can be attacked without releasing the Euzkadi garrison.  The rest of the northern front remains pretty static, though 2 Mtn II’s occuply an otherwise empty hex in Santander, which links the line except for the aforementioned abandoned hex in Euzkadi.  The LC Fal X joins the stack at Oviedo, and the 31st III that just pacified Mieres moves to Tineo to do the same, and likewise gains a bit more control over northern Asturias via zoc.  At the end of mov’t, the CR32’s fly a CAP over San Sebastian (my having failed to remember that the Vild’s departed for southern Spain when they went rail bombing last turn.

Combat Phase

Bre19’s launch DAS missions to Ciudad Real, just north of the planned attack against 3314, while Vilds launch DAS to 3514, another potential hex at risk.  Clearly the Loyalists expected a two pronged attack on either side of the Valdepenas attack, and not the one single strike at 3314, which will clear the last rough hex before Valdepenas and Alcazar, at least from the Cordoba-Linares-Valdepenas direction.  The new Mxd B floatplanes and the Bre19’s on the Nat side fly GS to 3314, while the Mxd T does the same at San Sebastian, which just gets the attack over the 6:1 -3 hump.
The attack at San Sebastian goes in first, at the aforementioned 6:1 -3 (all but one RE provided AS, either via an AS pt or being interventionist, 4 rolled for PA morale for no effect, 1 rolled for a DR.)  The San Sebastian stack could retreat into France, but the Basques cannot return to a province outside their operational area, and the PA high command apparently would prefer not to leave the artillery unit stuck in France for any period of time, so the units choose not to retreat across the border.  This forces a retreat into the empty 3229 hex just to San Sebastian’s southeast, which is covered by Nat zoc’s, killing the stack.  Sec units move into the city, and ½ of an RE of rail cap is added to the Insurgent total.  On the Valdepenas front, a 6:1 -1 attack goes off perfectly (had been planned as a 5:1, but PA morale is shaken by the large number of enemy aircraft dropping bombs on them, and the single sec III is ½’d with a 2 rolled, AS provided, odds up to 6:1 -1, 6 rolled for a DE.  The O Art III, 1 E Cav III and 3 Ceu Inf III advance, putting a two hex frontage on Valdepenas and opening up a 2 hex gap in the Loyalist lines.  All a/c land at their originating fields.

Exploitation Phase

NT-1 & 2 wait a bit at Ceuta till NT-4 arrives, and then all three load 1 AS at the port, move it to Huelva, and unload it.  They then return to Ceuta and replenish.  Both the BB and CA TF’s wait out the phase in the port of Ceuta.  The CTV subs wait out the first four substeps, and then head out to coastal Morocco, sailing along until just shy of Algeria, then the head off to their Cartagena stations at night.  There’s no reaction to this by the PA fleet in Cartagena.  No ground mov’t occurs.

 

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