It looks like a lot of work, but I hope you guys keep posting turn reports here. It’s been a great read so far.
Thanks! Appreciation is appreciated.
The copy/cut/[paste and Powerpoint for generals is the most tedious part for me.
Once we get some traction, I’ll use what occurs for a first installment of of a Wargame Alternate History on the topic at a Website I hope to have up and running to my satisfaction by end of May, which will be dedicated to such things.
Turn 1: Nationalist Operational Movement Phase and Combat Declarations:
Area 1 - The North
We are not strong enough to relieve Oviedo yet. The terrain in the North is very rugged, with mountains favoring the defenders. We can launch an attack against the Asturias Militia column on the coast and we will. Three Columns under: Colonel López Pita, Major Ceano and under the overall command of Column Commander Colonel García Iglesias will handle this, with Naval support offshore (Combat A).
General Mola reviews Civil Guards before the attack.
Area 2 - Aragon
We fell back here in the North a bit, using the rivers to our defensive advantage; our positions are not vulnerable in and North of Zaragoza. We also moved a columnof Marines to the Northwest of Teruel, which will prevent its isolation.
Area 3 - The Alcazar
West of the Alcazar Colonel Monasterio Ituarte’s Cavalry Column and the Plasencia Garrison attack a Republican Column under Colonel José Riquelme y López Bago, a soldier who has remained loyal to the Godless Radicals (and betrayed his brother officers…). He’s supported by the Air Force units which have Spain in their Hearts (Combat B).
Area 4 - The South
The Army of Africa attacks the Almería Militia (Combat C), and various units are shuffled around. Only columns in towns or cities have Full Zones of Control during this column phase of the war. So only columns in towns or cities have a ZOC that prevents further movement (though they all can cut supply. My goal here is to secure the South and my lines of supply before moving on.
Now-General Juan Yagüe y Blanco ( R ) consults with General Franco before the attack NE of Huelva.
Godless Enemy of Eternal Spain, what are your reactions?
Ok, so let me see if I get this straight:
The 5-5-5 next to Huelva attacks the 0-1-2 at 5:1 odds with a +1drm due to Colonial vs. Columns.
Next to Toledo the two units attack with strength 3 against a 1 defense troop. +1 air support makes it 4:1 odds with a -2drm, thanks to attacking across a river and attacking north of hexrow 24xx (Nationalist ammo shortages).
Next to Avilés the attack is 4:2 with a neutral drm (+1 due to naval support, -1 due to Ammo shortages). The Republicans rally their air force, throwing their 2 air force units into this combat and changing the odds to 1:1 with neutral drm.
Ok, so because @Navaronegun asked for it, I am rolling for him. Going to do the rolls now…
Combat in Huelva is a 2.. +1 due to Colonial vs. columns is a 3. That’s 0/2. No attack loses, one defender loss and the attacker may advance into the hex and then spend one extra MF.
Combat in Toledo is a 2. (note that it said Huelva because of autocomplete failure, but it’s the second roll. With -2drm is a 0. A 1/0. One attacker eliminated.
Combat near Aviles is a 1. No drm so it stays a 1. In the 1:1 column that’s a 3/1. Three attacking units and the defending unit eliminated.
Horrible rolls for the Nationalist player all together.
That’s 4 loses to 2, but the Nationalist player has better units long term. Attacks in the game are bloody and hard (by looking at the CRT and attack modifiers). Because there’s no disruption loses hurt.
Of course, many, many more units are about to come up the coming turns (the game sort of shifts as it goes on).
Not so bad in Toledo, and if there had to be a mutual annihilation anywhere the North is where it hurt me least.
One man’s stock is going up, one man’s stock is going down.
Yes, as bad as the rolls were, it could have been worse.
I got the new turn, and this is what the colonial unit did:
Now, the Republicans are pissed.
WE DID NOT START THIS, GUYS!
So, as a great general once said, the best defense is a good attack (not that we can attack at all. The first two turns there are some nasty modifiers).
So instead of attacking, Republican leadership decides to get in the way.
Firs in the north, the mountains make it hard to take advantage of the debacle in the attack, so instead, the republicans take defensive positions.
Because the Nationalist unit in León exerts ZoC (it’s in a city that was in supply at the beginning of the turn), the 2-2-4 Asturian militia first moves to hex 3506 to exit the ZoC (the other Nationalist unit does not exert movement ZoC) and then moves to 3407. The 1-2-3 in the region takes a better defensive position.
To the right, in Santander, the 1-2-3 pivots left so when the 1-3-3 moves down it is still in supply (you can’t move to a position that would be considered OoS at that instant). The other 1-3-3 moves to Burgos, a move that would be ilegal (OoS) except it ends in a city, which makes it legal (cities are partial supply).
It is not marked, but that 1-3-3 is now out of supply in Burgos.
Supply rules are wanky here. Columns (early game units) do not exert movement ZoC except in cities (and only if the city is supplied) but they do exert supply tracing negating ZoC. This means those 2 Nationalist units are now OoS, and that León can’t receive reinforcements next turn.
Note that because supply status of units in checked at the beginning of the movement phase, if a unit is in a supplied city it does exert ZoC during that movement phase, even if it becomes surrounded halfway through it.
Supply is also checked before combat, so if I attacked those unit would be OoS, but I am not attacking.
Now, in Catalonia the Catalans have a harder time advancing:
They just take the ground freed by the nationalists.
Further south, we exploit an opening in the Nationalist line to isolate that unit in Teruel and its mate:
And in Andalucia, the masterstroke:
We maneouver the 0-1-3 next to Malaga to put the future 0-1-4 unit in supply at the end position, which blocks all supply going out of Cadiz and puts all Nationalist units in the South OoS.
No, this is not so dire. The Nationalist will get a pretty good unit in Cadiz next turn, and the OoS units can attack at halved strength.
What they can’t do is move to any OoS hex, only to hexes in supply and cities. And they do so at half MF.
This just buys me time in the south. 2 or 3 turns before they are able to break free.
It also blocks all reinforcements into Sevilla (OoS cities do not get reinforcements, and if there is no in supply hex in a radius of 2 hexes (there isn’t) they are delayed.
No it isn’t dire. But it is annoying.
Some last cleanup before Turn 2 begins:
D) END OF TURN PHASE
b) Fall of the Alcázar die roll (PB 16.1.1)
c) Check for removal of Ammo Shortage (15.16)
for b.) The Alcázar falls in game turn 1-3 on a “1” on a 1d6. There is a +2 to that roll if there is no Republican Unit in Toledo. Since President Raigada has neglected this, a roll does not matter; The Alcázar holds.
for c.), Rule 15.16 states: Nationalist Ammo Shortages
Starting with Game Turn 1 (July 1936), Nationalist troops north
of 24xx hexrow suffer a –1 drm on attacks (they defend normally).
This restriction is lifted for the rest of the game the first
time a Secondary Supply Source north of the 24xx hexrow can
trace a Line of Supply to the USS of the southern zone (Cádiz,
hex 1305) during the End of Turn Phase. After Game Turn 6, this
restriction is removed (lifted) regardless of what USS northern
Nationalist troops trace to.
Since I am out of supply and harassed by a lot of Free-Loving, Church-Burning, Nun-Defiling radical mobs in the South, there sure isn’t a supply line yet.
Anarchist militiamen pose for a celebratory group photo after burning the Church of the Convent of San Pedro to the ground in Osuna, Sevilla Province, Spain.
So all that is resolved. Markers moved forward and whatnot. Turn 1 has ended. Coming here in an hour of so, Turn 2 beginning with the Nationalist portion of the Mutual Administration Phase.
Remember to put the RML at 43 (I captured Burgos).
I forgot to do that…
Turn 2 Begins-August, 1936
So beginning Turn 2, the sequence is as follows to begin:
A) MUTUAL ADMINISTRATIVE PHASE (MAP)
(Nationalist, then Republican in all segments)
I. Event Chit Segment (6.0)
a) Draw chit
b) Add new chits (if appropriate)
II. General Mobilization Segment (Republican only, 7.10)
III. Resource Point and Reinforcement Segment
a) Withdrawals & Conversions
b) Receive RPs and Rebuild Units
c) Reinforcement Entry
IV. Strategic Movement Segment (11.0)
a) Sea Movement (11.5) & Paradrops (PB 17.5.5.12)
b) Rail movement
V. HQ and Reserve Formation Segment (12.1)
a) Flip all in-supply HQs to available side
We’ll go through the end of Nationalist III Segment. The The Republican rabble will go then,. Segment II, General Mobilization, cannot occur unless Republican Morale is 20 or less, which it is not. It is over 40.
So:
I. Event Chit Segment (6.0)
a) Draw chit
b) Add new chits (if appropriate)
President Raiaga drew his chit and it’s event was hidden, to be played later.
The Nationalists drew:
Event 8: “Victory” Convoy
This chit must be played when drawn. If pulled during Game Turns 1 (Jul 1936) - 3 (Sep 1936), the Nationalist player may select one of the Colonial Army columns scheduled for entry during a later turn and immediately place it on the map as a reinforcement.
This is good news! It shall be the Ceuta Regulares (from Turn 4) who are placed adjacent to Cadiz in hex 1306 (They should go in 1307 but that hex is out of supply, from the reinforcement rules, “If this hex is under enemy control, fully stacked or is not fully supplied (9.0), the unit must instead set up in any friendly controlled, fully supplied hex within two hexes of its scheduled hex for entry”).
Franco decides to risk sending a convoy from Spanish Morocco to Spain with troops. Spanish Bombers (aided by German and Italian Bombers, as well as the presence of the German ships Admiral Scheer and Deutschland) counter the Republican Blockade of Spanish Morocco and secure the safe landing in Cadiz of the Ceuta Regulares of the Army of Africa. The Republican Destroyer Alcalá Galiano is damaged and 29 sailors are killed or injured.
Now for:
III. Resource Point and Reinforcement Segment
a) Withdrawals & Conversions
b) Receive RPs and Rebuild Units
c) Reinforcement Entry
There are no withdrawals or conversions.
The Nationalists receive 1 Resource Point which is used to rebuild the Column under Colonel García Iglesias which is placed in Cadiz, 1305.
2 Columns of Colonial Infantry and one of normal Infantry due to arrive in Sevilla are delayed. The others arrive in Cadiz, La Corunna, Pamplona, Palencia (2) Valladolid and Avila.
Here is the Map at the end of Nationalist Resource Point and Reinforcement Segment. I now hand over to the President leading the radicals bent on destroying Spain.
All my reinforcements can enter without me making any decision.
As for RP, the northern RP will be used to rebuild the 2-2-4 at Gijón and the regular RP will be saved for a later turn (you can save up to 10 RP). Since I think I have bought some time, I’d rather use them to bring back units that matter.
Nationalist Strategic Movement Segment
IV. Strategic Movement Segment (11.0)
a) Sea Movement (11.5) & Paradrops (PB 17.5.5.12)
b) Rail movement
Firstly, since supply is checked for every unit of both sides at the moment of combat resolution and at the start of every…
• Strategic Movement Phase (A-IV);
• Operational Movement Phase (B-I and C-I);
• Exploitation Movement Phase (B-III and C-III); and
• End of Turn Phase (D-II-a).
…the units in hexes 1406 and 1307, respectively, are now no longer Out of Supply (OOS).
The Nationalists have no sea movement capability this turn but may make two rail movements.
In the North: The Gistau Column rails from Segovia to 3211 (SW of Burgos). The Angulo Column from 2709 to 3310 (West of Burgos).
In the South: The colonial Sáenz de Buruaga Column is railed from Cadiz to 1306 (adjacent). The Ceuta Regulares Column is railed from 1306 to 1506.
The South At the end of the Nationalist Strategic Movement Segment
Over to illegitimate President Raigada…
The unit on 3406 rails to 3307.
The unit in 1708 (north of Osuna) strategic moves to Malaga (it’s vulnerable to an advance).
Your move!
Turn 2 (August, 1936) Nationalist Operational Movement Phase
Once again, supply checks are made at the beginning of each Operational Movement Phase so now Sevilla and the Castejón Column in 1606 are back in supply. The Faoríe Column in 3410 is back in supply. The Republican Santander Militia Column in Burgos is out of Supply.
In the North, the Column in La Corunna advances along the North coast. Columns in and near Burgos move to surround it and maintain the line with the rabble to the North.
In Leon, the Merlo Column moves from Palencia to Zamora.,
In the South units shuffle about maintaining Supply integrity (I’d use the arrows but it would be incomprehensible).
After Nationalist Operational Movement, the map looks like this:
Turn 2 (August, 1936) Nationalist Operational Combat Phase-Attack and Support Declarations
North, Castile, Burgos:: Combat A
A: 9 attacking 3 defense (+1 DRM Defender OOS, +1 DRM Concentric Attack, -1 DRM Minor River, -1 Northern Ammo Shortages, -1 Provincial Capital, net -1 DRM).
General Mola Assaults a surrounded Republican Santander Militia in Burgos with 7 Columns.
Carlist Requetés reinforce Nationalist columns surrounding Burgos.
South , Andalucia, Huelva, Sevilla and Cadiz Provinces:: Combats B-E
B: 6 Attacking, 1 Defense.(+1 DRM Colonial, 1L Column Shift City)
C: 5 Attacking, 1 Defense (+1 DRM Colonial, -2 DRM Major River, net -1 DRM 1L Column Shift Marsh)
D: 3 Attacking, 1 Defense (no DRM or Shifts)
E: 4 Attacking, 1 Defense (No DRM or Shifts)
Multiple attacks in the south, General Juan Yagüe y Blanco leads attacks by the Castejón Column on Huelva and the Ceuta Regulares and the Vierna Column on Anarchists to the South of Huelva. Meanwhile, General Franco directs an attack by General Queipo de Llano from Sevilla with the Carranza Column supported by the Sáenz de Buruaga Colonials, while personally engaging the Communist Haro Column east of Jerez de la Frontera with the Figueroa and García Iglesias Columns.
General Sáenz de Buruaga y Polanco before the Battle of Puerto de la Encina, 16 August 1936
President Raigada, any declarations?