AUG I 36 – Insurgent

The insurgents succeeded in linking up all portions of their rail net except Granada. This enabled them to rail strong forces into Oviedo and capture Gijon with naval support. The air and sea lift of troops from Morocco continued full-tilt. In Andalucia a strong insurgent force approached Malaga, scattering an Anarchist rearguard. The substantial People’s Army forces stationed in Malaga took to the hills. Nationalist troops advancing from Granada secured the port of Motril and penetrated into the mountains north of Almeria. Farther north, however, an insurgent attack on Jaen failed when Falangists broke rank. Loyalists hold at the Quadalquivir river. In Estremadura loyalists still constitute a threat to the tenuous line of communications between Sevilla and the north. In the north the insurgents operations are directed toward screening the vital Sevilla-Caceres-Salamanca-Valladolid-Burgos railway against both the substantial loyalist forces in the Madrid area and the hostile troops of the Biscay gobernitos. In Aragon the weak insurgent forces are attempting to form a line forward of Zaragoza and Huesca. Patrols have been pushed forward to the Cinca river. The mountain position at Teruel was reinforced to fend off a threat by strong People’s Army forces from Valencia. Albacete and Toledo, isolated deep in loylist-controlled territory, are still held by the insurgents.

AUG I 36 – Loyalist

In Asturias event took a dramatic turn with a determined raid against Gijon by government troops from Santander, supported by the Atlantic Fleet and all available aircraft. The raiders managed to recapture the city, which the insurgents had left too weakly protected. The few Bre-19 of the insurgent airforce attempted to bomb the fleet but failed ingloriously with heavy loss (2D6 roll of 2 on the AA table!). In Santander and the Basque provinces substantial local reinforcements were used to form a front line well forward of the three key cities Santander, Bilbao, and San Sebastian. On all other fronts, too, the loyalists started furious attacks with lavish expenditure of attack supply and resources for rail transport. Although massive forces are still tied down in ideological “purification” of Barcelona and other Catalan cities, a major offensive was launched in Aragon and is threatening Zaragoza. A second pincer, though not nearly as strong, advanced from Guadalajara and endangers the rear of the insurgent line in Aragon. In Andalucia a relief force from Murcia made headway toward Granada, taking the pressure off Almeria. Meanwhile, the Malaga troops attacked eastward toward Granada in an attempt to break out. However, this effort failed. Except here and at Caceres the loyalists were remarkably successful.

AUG I 36 STRATEGIC COMMENTARY

The insurgents succeeded to link up all portions of their rail net. This and expenditure of a resource point allowed them to transfer strong forces by rail to Oviedo and capture Gijon. However, they advanced so weak a detachment into the city that the loyalists were able to recapture it with air- and navy-supported PA troops from Santander. They now have a tenuous hold on the city with naval and air support. A nationalist attempt to bomb the ships failed ingloriously (a 2D6 roll of 2 resulting in an abort, putting the unit out of action for quite some time). An insurgent attempt to capture Jaen failed when Falanghists broke ranks. Malaga’s loyalist troops took to the mountains attempting a charge toward Granada, but where stopped. Strong insurgent forces are poised to attack Malaga after overwhelming an anarchist readguard. On all fronts the loyalists attacked fiercely and with liberal expenditure of attck supply and a resource point for rail cap increase. They inflicted significant losses at Guadalajara, San Sebastian, and in Aragon, where they are now threatening Zaragoza. An attack on Caceres from Badajoz was their only failure. Two still very porous front lines appear to be crystallizing: One around the northern coastal cities from Gijon to San Sebastian, the other forward of the loyalist-held cities Almeria, Jaen, Ciudad Real, Talavera, Madrid, Guadalaja, Valencia, Lerida. Loyalist forces in Estremadura still block Insurgent communications between Andalucia and Castilia.