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.
Leave a Reply