Initial Phase
Again, no units are isolated or out of supply by rule 37C. 3 GC Sec III begins pacifying the good folk of Lerida, while 13 & 14 Inf III’s, 19 GC Sec III, 3 & 4 Cav III, 4th Eng III & 1 Car Bdr III’s do the same in the two hexes of Barcelona. Three X’s of Asturians are formed up in Gijon, while another three Santandero form up in Santander city. The 1st Bas X shows up at Bilbao, while the 2ndstarts its war at San Sebastian. The AmL Anarchist X begins terrorizing the city of Almeria, while the RIM An X does the same at Malaga. More such X’s show up in Murcia, Valencia and Barcelona, while that later city also ends up with a X of anti-Stalinist communists in the Le POUM X. Lastly, the 1st and 2nd Cat III’s form up in Barcelona as well. A mine damage check is passed, so the BBTF in Santander is safe while its crew murders its officers. No CAP is flown by rule, and neither side declares any naval patrol at this juncture.
Movement Phase
The Insurgents open the phase with two air missions, which the Loyalists kindly allow. The Mxd T transfers from Cadiz and its scant flak protection to Larache, out of range of all possible Loyalist a/c. The Bre19 in Valladolid then heads for La Coruna, similarly safe from Loyalist bombing. It is fairly important to note that the Nationalist AF is very brittle at the beginning of the game. They get only 1 ARP per 4 a/c in play, rounded down. They don’t get a 4th air unit until Jan I 37, so their first ARP doesn’t arrive till Mar I 37, some 7 ½ months after game start. Early losses, especially of the Mxd T, could be unrecoverable. Fortunately the interventionist CTV and Kondor Legion get their ARPs from a ‘round up’ perspective, so they have some staying power. Also, after the first turn through the first winter, the Loyalist will most often need his air units to help buck up his militia (all Loyalist units but arty & armor are militia, requiring militia reliability checks.) GS and DAS can help mitigate these reliability checks, so the Loyalists are often better served to get the double bonus of GS/DAS plus the +1 for the check, rather than the 1 in 6 chance of a successful bombing. But since the Loyalists cannot attack on turn 1, it serves the Insurgent to be well away from the Loyalist AF during this turn.
The Loyalist TF’s are unable to move, as they are busy killing off their officers at this point. However, LC-1 and 2 depart Cartagena for Barcelona, while the NT-3 naval unit at Santander runs for the safety of the naval base at Bilbao. All naval units spend the remainder of their turn replenishing and hiding in port. 5th Car Bdr & 16 GC Sec III’s depart Malaga to the NW, blocking the valley leading to the nearly surrounded city. The RIM Anarchists move east to protect the mountain flank of the city, and perhaps to threaten Granada. 18GC in Jaen scampers into the mountains, hiding from the advancing Insurgents no doubt. Over in Murcia, PA units move west towards Lorca, while the TL An X heads north towards Albacete, an Insurgent owned city right in the heart of Loyalist Spain. Units in Valencia head west and north towards Teruel and the coast road leading into Catalonia. Over in Catalonia, the 16th Inf III moves northwest out of Lerida, joined by the 4th Mtn II, which crosses the Cinca river, creating a 3 hex line along that river. The host of other units in Catalonia begin moving towards the front, except the An and POUM X’s in Barcelona, which remain in place. No doubt the PA enforcers in the city aren’t doing a sufficient job pacifying the city, so the Loyalist gov’t feels the need to being in even worse offenders (these 2 X’s will probably swap out as part of the pacification garrison next turn, hence their lack of mov’t.) Up near Madrid, units scatter in nearly every direction, moving north to secure the mtn terrain, west to take up positions in wooded rough the following turn, while c/m units and artillery move towards the heroic Insurgent city of Toledo, famed for its steel. Two III’s of troops move out of Badajoz in Estramadura towards Merida, flanking that city on two sides. Insurgent ZOCs prevent the town from swapping sides however.
Up in the far north, 2 Bas X’s and a PA III secure 3 wooded rough hexes south and west of Bilbao, while all units in San Sebestian hold up in preparation for a presumed siege. Two Santander X’s and 2 PA III’s likewise move south and west, hoping to seize good defensive terrain next turn. Finally, 3rd Ast X moves northwest to protect the town and port at Aviles, key to the aforementioned “Asturian Gambit.”
Combat Phase
None, per rule.
Exploitation Phase
No mov’t by Loyalist naval units. No c/m units are allowed to move due to the rising and revolution limit of 1 hex per turn, all having already moved in the move phase. The ancient Nieuports in Madrid launch a strafing mission against the empty air base at Toledo, but miss. The Vild flying boats transfer up to Bilbao, while the Bre19 transfers from Madrid down to Almeria, from which point it can both patrol the nearby coastal waters and protect against forth coming Insurgent offensives in southeast Andalucia.
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