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
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