Month: November 2000

Jul I 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

A Nationalist SM-79 and a CVT CR.32bis are rebuilt. The forces at Cordoba are ordered to remain in their defensive mode and not counterattack the disorganized Republican units in their area.

Loyalist Player Turn

An I-15 is rebuilt. The losses from the Cordoba disaster are made good, but there is no more supply to fuel offensive action.

Jul II 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

A Nationalist He111 is rebuilt. Units remain in a defensive posture.

Loyalist Player Turn

The Republican high command no longer sees any quick chance to penetrate the strong Rebel river and mountain lines in the south. Offensive operations are put on hold while an assessment is done as to where to make the next big push. In any event, it is decided that it will be necessary to stockpile supplies before any major operation, rather than to continue to run offensives on a shoestring. It will be some time before large stores of attack supply can be gathered. Without any major battles looming, the eyes of the world, never fully trained on the Spanish situation, begin to be drawn more and more toward Central Europe…

Jun I 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

A CTV CR.32bis, a Nationalist Me109, and a KL He111 are all rebuilt. Seeing no targets of opportunity and no chance to retake the initiative, the Rebels shuffle their lines and await renewed Republican attack.

Loyalist Player Turn

An I-15 is rebuilt. Some supply is brought up, but not enough for a cross-river assault. An air raid targets Sevilla this time. A KL Me109 aborts an I-16 but a Nationalist Sm-79 is killed of the ground.

Jun II 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

The Nationalist Sm-79 is rebuilt. The Rebels have suspended offensive air operations, preferring to husband their aircraft for DAS.

Many Loyalist units near Huelva and between that city and Sevilla are out-of-supply following their failure to capture the town. Continued Insurgent fears about losing artillery limit counterattack possibilities, but a small scale attack (no attack supply burned, not that the Rebels have any shortage of attack supply) is made on the IV X (U-2) just west of Sevilla (hex 3225). The brigade gives a surprisingly good account of itself before being overwhelmed (3:1 -1 = EX). The Rebels decline to pursue, chosing to remain in what they hope are safe positions south of the river.

Loyalist Player Turn

An I-16 is rebuilt. A large air battle erupts as the Loyalists attempt a direct assault on Cordoba. An I-16 aborts a CVT CR.32bis and 3 Republican fighters manage to bypass the Insurgent’s fighter screen. A CVT SM-79 is returned by an I-15 but manages to abort the fighters, while another I-15 kills a Nationalist SM-79. Both sides manage to get through some close support. The attack plan had relied on keeping Rebel ground attack aircraft away from the battlefield and the result is a fiasco (2:1 -1 = AH).

At Huelva, odds and ends are scraped up for another attack without attack supply on the 39 lll. This time, the Loyalist forces are larger the in the May attack, and manage to carry the day (3:1 0 = DR) (Defenders eliminated due to all adjacent land hexes being enemy occupied.)

May I 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

Then second Nationalist CR.32 is rebuilt. Franco orders all ground units in Andulasia to withdraw behind the Guadalquivir River, excpet for the units at Cordoba and the 39 lll at Huelva. Most air units in Castila la Viega amd Leon are also transferred to the south.

Loyalist Player Turn

An I-15 is rebuilt. More supply is brought up. Northwest of Cordaba, an attack is directed against the 3 Est XXX (hex 3220) which has not yet made it to the south bank of the river. The Insurgents make a strong effort in the air to get close support to protect the XXX till it can withdraw. An escorting KL Me109E aborts an I-16 flying CAP. The heavy DAS causes the attack to go in at poor odds, but the Republican press on in the face of air attacks (2:1 -1 = HX). Further west, the Loyalist forces show less ardor. An attempt to breach the river line just east of Sevilla (hex 3123) is beaten back by the reinforced 14 XX (3:1 -1 = AR). At Huelva, the 39 lll and Civil guard are taken somewhat by suprise. The attacker are out of supply, so the Insurgents there were not expecting an attack and didn’t call for air support. This allowed the Loyalists to get uncontested GS thru to the battlefield. Also, the weak attacking units included enough tanks to get miminal AECA. However, the lack of supply caused the
Republicans to break and abandon the battlefield (3:2 +1 = AR).

May II 39

Insurgent Player Turn.

A Nationalist CR.32 is rebuilt. An air raid on the airbase at Merida has only very limited success. A Nationalist Me109 is aborted by an I-16 and a Nationalist He111 is killed by an I-15, though return fire from the bombers does manage to abort the I-15. No hits are achieved on the airfield.

Many Loyalist units near Huelva and between that city and Sevilla are out-of-supply following their failure to capture the town. Continued Insurgent fears about losing artillery limit counterattack possibilities, but a small scale attack (no attack supply burned, not that the Rebels have any shortage of attack supply) is made on the IV X (U-2) just west of Sevilla (hex 3225). The brigade gives a surprisingly good account of itself before being overwhelmed (3:1 -1 = EX). The Rebels decline to pursue, chosing to remain in what they hope are safe positions south of the river.

Loyalist Player Turn

An I-16 is rebuilt. In another air raid on Cordoba, an I-15 kills an intercepting CVT CR.32bis, and 2 Insurgent bombers are destroyed on the ground. The Loyalists, having already expended all available attack supply, are in no position to launch any out-of-supply attacks either.