Crusade and Revolution: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• • 1.0 Introduction
  • 2.0 Components
    • 2.1 The Game Map
    • 2.2 The Playing Pieces
    • 2.3 The Strategy Cards
    • 2.4 The Player Aid Card
    • 2.5 The Markers Card
    • 2.6 Unit Abbreviations
  • 3.0 Symbols and Terminology
  • 4.0 Game Set-up
    • 4.1 Marker Set-Up
    • 4.2 Unit Set-Up
    • 4.3 Initial Strategy Cards
  • 5.0 Determining Victory
    • 5.1 General Rules
    • 5.2 Automatic Victory
  • 6.0 Game Sequence
  • 7.0 Action Phase
    • 7.1 General Rules
  • 8.0 Strategy Cards
    • 8.1 General Rules
    • 8.2 Operations
    • 8.3 Strategic Redeployment
    • 8.4 Replacement Points
    • 8.5 Events
  • 9.0 Stacking
    • 9.1 General Rules
  • 10.0 Movement
    • 10.1 General Rules
    • 10.2 Positions and Trenches
  • 11.0 Combat
    • 11.1 General Rules
    • 11.2 Combat Resolution
    • 11.3 Taking Losses
    • 11.4 Retreat
    • 11.5 Advance
  • 12.0 Strategic Redeployment
    • 12.1 General Rules
  • 13.0 Supply
    • 13.1 General Rules
    • 13.2 Supply Sources
    • 13.3 Out of Supply Effects
    • 13.4 Borders with France and Portugal
  • 14.0 Replacements
    • 14.1 General Rules
    • 14.2 Control of Territory and Replacements
  • 15.0 War Progress
    • 15.1 War Phases
    • 15.2 Deployment of Initial Corps-sized Units
  • 16.0 Special Rules
    • 16.1 Sieges
    • 16.2 Isolated Spaces
    • 16.3 Republican Morale
    • 16.4 Northern Front
    • 16.5 Winter
    • 16.6 Armor
    • 16.7 Naval Blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar
  • 17.0 War of the Columns
    • 17.1 Nationalist Ammunition Shortage (Nationalist Northern Zone Army)
    • 17.2 Railroad Lines and Initial Disorder
    • 17.3 Madrid: Priority Objective
    • 17.4 Republican Militias' Lack of Coordination
    • 17.5 First Game Turn Special Rules
    • 17.6 Army of Africa
  • Rules Clarifications
  • Card Clarifications
• Playbook
  • 18.0 Optional Rules
    • 18.1 Pro-Republican Rules
    • 18.2 Pro-Nationalist Rules
    • 18.3 Neutral Rules
    • 18.4 Optional Units
    • 18.5 Optional Combat Cards
  • 19.0 Scenario Set-Ups
    • 19.1 War of the Columns
    • 19.2 Collapse of the Northern Front
    • 19.3 Two Years of War
    • 19.4 Campaign Scenario
    • 19.5 Republican Collapse
  • 20.0 Combat Examples
    • 20.1 Combat Example 1
    • 20.2 Combat Example 2
  • 21.0 Advice For Novice Players
    • 21.1 War of the Columns Phase
    • 21.2 Mobilization Phase
    • 21.3 War of the Armies Phase
  • 22.0 A Brief History of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
  • 23.0 Card Historical Notes
    • 23.1 Nationalist Side
    • 23.2 Republican Side
  • 24.0 Extended Example of Play
    • 24.1 [A.1 – A.3] Draw Strategy Cards Phase
    • 24.2 [B] Action Phase
    • 24.3 Attrition Phase
    • 24.4 War Status Phase
    • 24.5 Replacements Phase
    • 24.6 End of Turn
  • Consulted Bibliography
  • Credits
  • Player Aid Card — Expanded Sequence of Play

1.0 Introduction

On July 17th, 1936, a military uprising started in the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, spreading to the Peninsula on the 18th and 19th. The uprising, which had been planned for many months by a group of military officers and rightist civilians, spread quickly but was not decisive. After a few days, the failure of the coup to seize power was evident; but equally evident was the Government's inability to suffocate the rebellion. Moreover, additional revolutionary movements began in the Government controlled areas, propelled by leftist political parties and trade unions.

The rebels (the self-styled "Nationalists") controlled the Army of Africa, 30,000 professional soldiers that could tilt the balance of power in the Peninsula. However, the Government (or "Republicans") controlled most of the Spanish fleet and blocked the Strait of Gibraltar, preventing their arrival in the Peninsula by sea. Thus began the first military "air bridge" in history. Initially, the Nationalists only had a few planes, but these were quickly reinforced with German and Italian aircraft. Army of Africa columns advanced rapidly towards the Spanish capital of Madrid, the main objective of the rebels. The fall of the capital seemed imminent, but against the odds, in November 1936 the Republicans were able to stop the Nationalist advance in the outskirts of the city.

As it became apparent that a rapid end of the war was unlikely, both sides hastened to mobilize their military, economic and diplomatic resources. After the first skirmishes between irregular columns in the early months of the war, large armies were mobilized to fight in bloody battles. Although Britain and France encouraged the creation of a "Non-intervention Committee", the Republicans would receive abundant aid from the Soviet Union and the Nationalists from Italy and Germany.

After nearly three years of fighting, on April 1st 1939, General Franco issued the last communiqué of the war announcing the end of the conflict in victory for the Nationalists. Spain had suffered a great tragedy and would need many years to recover. In addition to the immense economic loss, the human toll was at least a half a million dead. Not all had died fighting on the battlefields; many died in rear areas away from the front, where both sides used terror tactics and campaigns against their enemies.

Crusade and Revolution is a wargame for two players that seeks to simulate the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). One player controls the Nationalist forces, the other the forces of the Republican Government. The Nationalist Player has qualitative superiority and must adopt an aggressive approach - attacking incessantly to break Republican morale in a race against the clock. The Republican Player controls more territory and has more units, but the units are of lower quality. The Republican Player must try to contain the enemy and launch counteroffensives to stop his advance. Both players must successfully manage all aspects of the war if they wish to win: mobilization of reinforcements, replacements for depleted troops, movement of troops, offensives, construction of defensive lines, and diplomacy.

NOTE: Rule citations will be given in two formats: those rule citations located in the rulebook will simply recite the rule number; e.g. "(see 2.1.2)". For rule citations located in the playbook, the letters "PB" will precede any rule number; e.g. "(see PB 18.2.3)".

2.0 Components

• One Game Map.
• Six 16 mm small counters and 20 mm large counters Countersheets.
• One Rulebook and Playbook.
• Two Player Aid Cards (two copies of the same Card).
• Two Markers Cards (two copies of the same Card).
• 120 Strategy Cards (two decks of 60 Cards each).
• Two Six-Sided Dice.

Game components are briefly described below. Their use and effects are explained in detail through this Rulebook.

2.1 The Game Map

The game map consists of a map of Spain superimposed with squared spaces that are connected to one another by different types of lines, representing the key geographical areas and communication links where the war was fought.

2.1.1 Spaces

Each space on the map shows:

• The initial controlling side (Republican spaces in red and Nationalist spaces in blue).
• The majority terrain type of the space: Open or Mountain.
• Whether it is a VP Space that counts for Victory purposes (gold border around the space and a gold star near the space) or is a Main City (same as a VP Space, but also with a graphic in the center of the space).
• Whether it is a Province Capital (silver border around the space and a silver star near the space).
• Whether it is a Nationalist (blue color) or Republican (red color) Supply Source.
• Whether it belongs to a region of the Northern Front (Asturias = blue, Santander = yellow, or Basque Country = green).
• Whether it is a coastal space (space intersects the coast of Spain and either body of water).
• Whether it is a Mediterranean (white) or Atlantic (black) Port (in case of being a coastal space).

The Terrain Key (printed on the map) also shows the meaning of the symbols present on the map.

2.1.2 Connections

Connections between spaces are usually solid lines. River connections (as between Hellín and Murcia), are shown as a solid "blue and white" line and are considered solid line connections for all purposes. Two spaces connected by a single line (of any type) are said to be Adjacent to each other. Two spaces connected by one or more connection lines crossing only friendly-controlled spaces are said to be Connected to each other.

NOTE: This means that all Adjacent spaces are "Connected", but Connected spaces are not necessarily "Adjacent". E.g. Madrid is Connected to Barcelona at the start of the Campaign Game since the Republican Player can trace from Madrid to Barcelona along connection lines going only through friendly-controlled spaces, but Madrid is not Adjacent to Barcelona.

There are also some special connections:

• The possible invasion Beach Head on Mallorca is Adjacent to Mallorca with an arrow. This Beach Head space is only available after the appropriate Republican Event Card is played. Otherwise, ignore this space; it may not be used.
• Connections to France and Portugal are shown by dotted lines. These connections are only used for limited supply (see 13.4.2.).
• The Oviedo and Puerto de Leitariegos spaces are connected with a line of blue circles, which is only used if playing with the Optional Rule "The Corridor of Grado" (see PB 18.2.3).

2.1.3 Charts and Boxes

The game map also contains a wide range of information, as well as a number of charts and boxes where units are placed and various game functions are tracked.

2.2 The Playing Pieces

2.2.1 Combat Units

There are two types of Combat Units: Division-sized Units and Corps-sized Units.

• Division-sized Units represent forces of between 1,000 and 10,000 men (columns, regiments, brigades or divisions, depending on the War Phase) and are 16 mm counters.
• Corp-sized Units represent large bodies of troops (Army Corps with up to 35,000 men) supported by artillery, air units, support services, etc., and are 20 mm counters.

All Division-sized and Corps-sized Units are printed on both sides of the counter. Each side is called a step, and almost all Combat Units have two steps. The front side represents the unit at full strength, and the reverse side represents the unit at reduced strength.

Each counter shows a unit's abbreviation, size symbol (X = Brigade, XX = Division, XXX = Corps), type symbol (Infantry, Cavalry, or Armor), Combat Factor, Movement Factor, and, on the reduced-strength side, a diagonal stripe. A black circle on a counter means it cannot take Replacements. Corps-sized Units also show a colored header bar (blue = Nationalist, red = Republican, black = International — AXIS or SOV), a Loss Factor, and, where relevant, the Event number that brings the unit into play.

Note that, for most units, the reduced strength side has a weaker Combat Factor than the full strength side of the unit, while the Loss Factor and Movement Factor remain the same. If a counter has only one side with factors, that side is its full strength (i.e. it is a one step unit). The number of Combat Units is limited to those provided.

A Combat Unit with a N## or R## on the right side of the counter is a reinforcement that only enters play when the corresponding Card is played for the Event. Of these, the various armor units (T-26, PZ-I and CV-33) are special in that they can gain a Die Roll Modifier (DRM) when attacking if they meet certain conditions (see 16.6) – this special ability is denoted by the white combat factor for these units on their full strength sides.

2.2.2 Game Markers

There are several different types of Game Markers (on both large and small counters) that are placed on the game map or on the Markers Card. Markers with a R## or N## on the right side of the marker only enter play when the specified Card is played for the Event.

2.2.2.1. General Information Markers. These are used to record general game data such as the current Turn, Victory Point (VP) and Republican Morale (RM) levels, number of Replacement Points (RP's) for each side, etc.

2.2.2.2. Specific Rules Markers. These are used to record specific game data on the map such as the current Republican Government, which side controls the Strait of Gibraltar, whether Ammunition Shortage continues to affect the Nationalist Player, etc. The Special Supply Source marker indicates the status of Badajoz (see 13.2.4).

2.2.2.3. VP and RM Markers. These are placed on the Markers Card to remind the Players of played Events and actions that modify VP and/or RM. If associated with an Event, they have the corresponding Card number across the top (as in Marker "31" for the Pact of Santoña Event, below).

2.2.2.4. Reminder Markers. These are helpful in remembering the ongoing effects of key Events when they are played. They have the corresponding Card number (R## for Republican; N## for Nationalist) on the right side of the counter.

2.2.2.5. Siege and Isolated Space Markers. Siege Markers are used to denote both the location of important sieges that resulted from the outbreak of war, as well as to represent how close the besieged location is to being conquered (see 16.1). Isolated Space Markers start on two Nationalist enclaves within Republican territory and are reminders of their limited capabilities (see 16.2).

2.2.2.6. Action Markers. These are used to record the Action choice for each Player during each Action Round.

2.2.2.7. Move/Attack Markers. These are used to designate spaces that a Player intends to Activate either for Movement, or for Combat (see 8.2).

2.2.2.8. Control Markers. These are used to help designate spaces where control has changed from that of the original owner.

2.2.2.9 Supply Markers. These are placed on spaces that are Out of Supply or are supplied through the French or Portuguese border to indicate the units therein have restricted capabilities (see 13.3 and 13.4).

2.2.2.10 Position/Trench (and Modifier) Markers. These are used to mark the location of on-map Positions and Trenches (see 10.2). The "DRM modifier" Markers aids in subsequent placement attempts. Position/Trench Markers are a strict counter limit and some only become available upon play of specific Events.

2.2.2.11. Beach Head Marker. This is used when the Republican Player invades either Mallorca (see 8.5.4) or a coastal space via the Event Plan "P" (see 8.5.6). It is a temporary space that can be Activated for Movement or Combat and is treated like a regular, Open terrain space with a Port for all purposes (unless noted otherwise).

2.2.2.12. Bonus VP and RM Markers. These are placed per the Republican Strategic Counterattack rules (see 8.5.5) to represent extra RM or VP modifiers to specific spaces on the map.

2.2.2.13. Retreated and Victorious Attack Markers. Retreated Markers are used to mark Combat Units that have retreated in that Action Round (they may be destroyed if retreated to a space subsequently attacked in the same Action Round, see 11.4.6). Victorious Attack Markers are used to indicate the winner in a Combat, either the Nationalists (blue side) or Republicans (red side). This is particularly useful for Republican Counterattacks (see 8.5.5).

2.3 The Strategy Cards

Each player has his own deck of 55 Strategy Cards, subdivided into three groups: 18 War of the Columns Cards, 20 Mobilization Phase Cards, and 17 War of the Armies Cards. Each player also has 5 Optional Strategy Cards (see PB 18.4 and 18.5), some or all of which are only used if both players agree to use them.

2.4 The Player Aid Card

There are two copies of the Player Aid Card (PAC), one for the Nationalist Player and one for the Republican Player. The PAC includes most, if not all, of the important charts that are frequently consulted during the game. It also includes a summary of the main rules of the game, as well as a Sequence of Play.

2.5 The Markers Card

There are two copies of the Markers Card. Use one to place Event Markers that reflect changes in Victory Points and/or Republican Morale. These markers are associated with specific Events or circumstances of the game, and serve to help remember any changes. The back of the Markers Card has a list summarizing most of the Combat Units and Markers used in the game.

2.6 Unit Abbreviations

• A.C. - Army Corps
• AFR - Army of Africa
• AST - Asturian
• BAS - Basque Country
• CAV - Cavalry
• CNT - Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (Anarchists)
• CTV - Corpo di Truppe Volontarie (Italian Army Corps)
• CV-33 - Italian Carro Veloce 33 light tanks
• ERC - Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Catalonian Nationalists)
• INF - Infantry
• INS - Insurrection
• INT - International Brigades
• ITA - Italians
• MIL - Militias
• NAT - Nationalists
• NAV - Militias from Navarre (Carlist Militias called Requetés)
• POL - Police Forces (Civil Guard, Assault Guard and Carabineers)
• POUM - Partido Obrero Unificado Marxista (anti-Stalinist Marxists)
• PSUC - Partido Socialista Unificado de Cataluña (unified Socialists and Communists)
• PZ-I - German Panzer I light tanks
• REP - Republicans
• RPA - Republican Popular Army (Regular Troops)
• SAN - Santander
• SOV - Soviets
• T-26 - Soviet T-26 tanks

3.0 Symbols and Terminology

*(Asterisk): If a Strategy Card with an asterisk is played as an Event (even as a CC Event), it is permanently removed from the game after resolution of the Event effects. It is not removed from the game if it is played for Operations, Strategic Redeployment, or Replacement Points (instead place it in the Discard Pile).

Activated: When a space is Activated for Movement or Combat during an Action Round, all units in the space are considered Activated and can conduct the action indicated by the Activation Marker (Move or Attack).

Active Player: The Player who is taking an action during an Action Round.

Adjacent: Two spaces are considered Adjacent if Connected by a single solid, river or Beach Head connection line (see 2.1.2).

Atlantic Sea Zone: Any of the coastal spaces between and inclusive of Pontevedra and San Sebastián.

Balearic Islands: The spaces of Mallorca, Menorca and the Beach Head space Adjacent to Mallorca.

Coastal Space: Any space on the map that borders the sea, with or without a port. The following are coastal spaces on the Atlantic Ocean: San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santoña, Santander, San Vicente de la Barquera, Gijón, Pto. de la Espina, Castropol, La Coruña, and Pontevedra. The following are coastal spaces on the Mediterranean Sea: Huelva, Cádiz, Algeciras, Málaga, Vélez Málaga, Motril, Adra, Almería, Garrucha, Águilas, Cartagena, Alicante, Gandía, Valencia, Castellón, Vinaroz, Tortosa, Tarragona, and Barcelona.

Column Left (CL) Shift / Column Right (CR) Shift: The shifting of one or more columns in the indicated direction before resolving fire on the Fire Tables. Shifts to the left (CL) are detrimental and shifts to the right (CR) are favorable. Determine the net total shifts, then apply them. Attacks cannot be shifted off the Fire Table – use the lowest or highest column, as appropriate.

Combat Card (CC): A Strategy Card with a special type of Event that can only be played during the Combat Phase. Most CC's can last more than one Action Round, provided the owning Player wins the Combat in which they are used. However, CC's that contain the phrase "Only affects one Combat per Turn" are immediately discarded after use; i.e. they may not affect more than one Combat per Turn. CC's with an asterisk also may not affect more than one Combat, but unlike the above, they are permanently removed from the game after they are used.

Combat Factor (CF): A measure of a unit's ability to inflict damage in combat. It is used to resolve combat on the Fire Tables.

NOTE: A Division-sized Unit may be weaker in combat than a Corps-sized Unit with a lower CF number because Corps-sized Units execute their Offensive or Defensive Fire on a better Fire Table than Division-sized Units.

Connected: Two spaces are considered Connected if an unbroken line of Adjacent, friendly-controlled spaces can be traced from one space to the other (see 2.1.2).

Control (of a Space): Each space on the map is initially controlled by either the Republican Player (red) or the Nationalist Player (blue). Players gain control of a space when they move into an enemy controlled space, or if an enemy controlled space is Out of Supply when checking Attrition (see 6.0 C).

Die Roll Modifier (DRM): The number that is added, or subtracted, from a die roll.

Discard Pile: The pile of Strategy Cards where each Player places his Cards that have been played as Operations (OPS), Strategic Redeployment (SR), Replacement Points (RP), or Events (without asterisk), or those discarded from his hand at the beginning of the Turn. The exception is certain CC's, which might last multiple Action Rounds. Discard Piles may never be inspected by either Player (only the top Card may be seen).

Draw Pile: The pile of Strategy Cards from which each Player takes his Cards at the start of a Turn.

Event name: The title, or name, of each Strategy Card. If the Card is played as an Event, the effects described in the Card's text are applied. An underlined Event Name indicates the Event is a prerequisite for another Event of that same Player. An underlined Card Number indicates that the Event is a prerequisite for another Event of the enemy Player.

Friendly Supply Source: A Nationalist Supply Source (blue symbol) is Friendly for the Nationalist side, and a Republican Supply Source (red symbol) is Friendly for the Republican side. A Player may only use his own Friendly Supply Sources, and only if that space is not under enemy control. A Supply Line must finish at a Friendly Supply Source. Note that Madrid is not a Supply Source for either Player. Badajoz is a Special Republican Supply Source (see 13.2.4).

Isolated Space: A Nationalist space completely surrounded by Republican spaces at the beginning of the game (see 16.2). There are two Isolated Spaces: Oviedo and Granada.

Loss Factor (LF): The ability of a unit to withstand damage. The Loss Number obtained by the opponent in Combat must be equal to or greater than a unit's LF for it to be damaged.

Loss Number: The result from the Fire Table during Combat. Each side rolls to determine the Loss Number inflicted on his opponent's units.

Main City: A space with its name in red capital letters with a graphic in the center of the space is a Main City; it also has a gold star to the left. The control of these spaces affects Victory Points (VP's), Republican Morale (RM) and Replacement Points (RP's). There are six Main Cities on the map: Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, and Zaragoza. All but Sevilla and Zaragoza begin the game under Republican control.

Mediterranean Sea Zone: Any of the coastal spaces between Huelva and Barcelona (inclusive), including the spaces of the Balearic Islands.

NOTE: Huelva, Cádiz and Algeciras are technically Atlantic coastal spaces, but they are included in this zone for all game purposes.

Movement Factor (MF): The maximum number of spaces a unit may move to during an Action Round when it is Activated for Movement.

Northern Front: The spaces near the Atlantic coast controlled by the Republican Player at the beginning of the game. It starts separated from the main Republican zone and includes the Asturias, Santander and Basque Country regions.

Northern Zone: The spaces Connected to La Coruña, Valladolid and Zaragoza controlled by the Nationalist Player at the beginning of the game. It starts separated from the Nationalist Southern zone and suffers from the Ammunition Shortage rule until linked with the Southern zone (see 17.1).

Open Space: A space without a Position or Trench marker that is also not a Main City or Mountain.

Operations Points (OPS): The number of spaces that a Player may Activate for Movement and/or Combat when he plays a Card for OPS.

Out of Supply (OOS): A unit is OOS when it cannot trace a Supply Line to a Friendly Supply Source. An OOS unit is severely restricted, and is permanently eliminated during the Attrition Phase if still OOS. A space changes control to the enemy if OOS during the Attrition Phase.

Province Capital: Any space bordered in silver with a silver star next to the space. When a Player gains control of any of these spaces, Republican Morale is adjusted per the Republican Morale Table (generally +1/-1 RM for Republican/Nationalist capture).

Regional Units: Republican Division-sized or Corps-sized Units that pertain to each one of the three regions of the Northern Front: Asturias, Santander and Basque Country.

NOTE: Catalonian units are NOT considered Regional units.

Replacement Points (RP's): These are used to return on-map reduced strength units to full strength and to recreate eliminated units.

Replacement Point (RP) Value: The number of RP's that a player records when he plays a Card for Replacement Points.

Republican Morale (RM): RM reflects the Republican side's confidence in victory and the general will to continue the war.

Siege: Each Siege represents Nationalist resistance forces that are besieged in Republican territory at the beginning of the game. There are three Sieges: the Alcázar of Toledo (in Toledo), the Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary (in Pto. de Valderrepiso) and the Simancas Quarter (in Gijón).

Strategic Redeployment (SR): The movement of units over great distances, by land or by sea, or from the Reserve Box to the map (and vice versa). A Corps-sized Unit costs three SR Points to move and a Division-sized Unit costs one SR Point.

SR Value: The number of SR Points that a Player may use when he plays a Card for Strategic Redeployment.

Supply Line: A string of contiguous, friendly-controlled spaces leading from a unit to a Friendly Supply Source. A Supply Line may be traced across a single Sea Zone via friendly controlled ports.

Victory Points (VP): Victory points are the measure by which victory in the game is determined. VP's are gained by the capture of key cities/towns, various Events, and other (generally beneficial) actions. They abstractly measure the success of the Nationalists in winning the war; so pro-Nationalist Events or control changes will result in an increase in the VP marker (while pro-Republican Events or control changes will result in a decrease in the VP marker).

NOTE: VP's move in the opposite direction of RM! I.e. a pro-Nationalist occurrence (e.g. capturing Madrid) will lead to a decrease in RM and an increase in VP's.

VP Space: A space with its name in black capital letters and surrounded by a gold border, with a gold star located to the left. When a Player gains control of one of these spaces, the VP Marker and the RM Marker should be adjusted per the Victory Point Table and Republican Morale Table (generally +1/-1 VP and –1/+1 RM for Nationalist/Republican capture).

NOTE: All VP spaces are also Province Capitals, which is why there is also a –1/+1 RM benefit for their capture (caveat - even though Cartagena is not technically a Province Capital, it is marked as a VP space on the map to signify its importance as the main port of the Republican Fleet).

War Phase: Determines which group(s) of Strategy Cards may be in each Player's Draw Pile. There are three phases in the game: the War of the Columns Phase (Turns 1–5), the Mobilization Phase (Turns 6–11) and the War of the Armies Phase (Turns 12–18).

4.0 Game Set-up

There are five scenarios in Crusade and Revolution. Two begin on Game Turn 1: the War of the Columns scenario (covering Turns 1-5) and the full Campaign scenario (Turns 1-18). The Collapse of the Northern Front scenario (Turns 6-11) and the Two Years of War scenario (Turns 6-18) both begin on Game Turn 6. The Republican Collapse scenario (Turns 12-18) begins on Game Turn 12. Initial set-ups for all scenarios are listed in the appropriate scenario description in the Playbook.

4.1 Marker Set-Up

4.1.1 Each Player places his six Action Markers, numbered from 1 to 6, near his Action chart.

4.1.2 Place five Move/Attack markers near the Nationalist Player. He will take the first action.

4.1.3 Place all other markers not specified in the scenario set-up rules within easy reach for later use.

4.2 Unit Set-Up

4.2.1 Place the initial units for both the Nationalist and the Republican Players in the spaces listed in the Initial Units Set-Up in their respective scenario description.

4.2.2 Place all other units within easy reach for later use.

4.3 Initial Strategy Cards

4.3.1 In scenarios that begin on Turn 1, the Nationalist Player starts the game with the Air Bridge Strategy Card (Card N1) in his hand and must play that Card for its Event on the 1st Action Round of the 1st Turn.

In other scenarios, there is no restriction on the first Card play.

4.3.2 In scenarios that begin on Turn 6, remember that both Players must start with at least one Corps-sized Unit Reinforcement Card in their Hand (see 15.1.2).

5.0 Determining Victory

5.1 General Rules

5.1.1 At the end of the last Turn of each scenario, victory is determined by comparing the current Victory Point (VP) total with the scenario requirements. Each scenario lists its VP requirements (see scenario descriptions).

5.1.2 The VP number changes when key enemy towns, cities and spaces are taken, as well as by the play of certain Events. The exact effects of all actions that impact the VP number are listed on the Player Aid Card. Pro-Nationalist actions increase VP number, while pro-Republican ones reduce it. If an action is not listed on the Player Aid Card as impacting the VP number, its effect is +/- 0 (i.e. no effect).

5.2 Automatic Victory

5.2.1 All scenarios have Automatic Victory conditions based on Republican Morale (RM) level (see 16.3). Automatic Victory is checked in the War Status Phase of each Turn. Should either Player achieve an Automatic Victory, the game ends immediately, regardless of the VP number.

5.2.2 The following table lists the Republican Morale levels required for an Automatic Victory for each Player in each Game Turn.

Automatic Victory (Republican Morale required, by Turn)

Turn	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
REP	NO	29+	28+	28+	27+	26+	25+
NAT	NO	17-	16-	14-	12-	11-	10-

Turn	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
REP	24+	22+	20+	19+	18+	17+	NO	NO	NO
NAT	9-	8-	7-	6-	5-	4-	NO	NO	NO

Note: the printed table's headers for Turns 1-9 leave the Turn 8 and 9 REP/NAT cells blank, as no Automatic Victory condition is listed for those Turns.

The Republican Player achieves an Automatic Victory if the RM is at the indicated level or above, and the Nationalist Player achieves it if the RM is the indicated level or below. There are several Turns on which it is not possible to achieve an Automatic Victory based on RM level.

EXAMPLE 1: On Turn 5, the Republican Player has a RM of 29. Since this is equal to or above the "28+" listed in the table, the Republican Player has achieved an Automatic Victory.

EXAMPLE 2: In the middle of Turn 15, the Nationalist Player reduces the RM to 4. If the Republican Player can't increase to 5 or higher, the Nationalist Player will win an Automatic Victory at the end of Turn 15 as his requirement is "4-", or "four or less". Assuming the Republican Player captures a Province Capital and the Turn ends with a RM of 5, there will be no additional chance for either Player to achieve Automatic Victory as Turns 16–18 have no Automatic Victory conditions listed.

5.2.3 In addition to the above, either Player can win an Automatic Victory during the War Status Phase by controlling ALL Main Cities.

5.2.4 The Nationalist Player can also achieve an immediate Automatic Victory during an Action Round by playing the Casado's Coup Event.

5.2.5 If both sides qualify for Automatic Victory during a War Status Phase, the side gaining Automatic Victory via RM limits (5.2.2) is the winner.

6.0 Game Sequence

Crusade and Revolution is played in a series of Game Turns, each of which is subdivided into Phases and Segments which must be conducted in the order listed below.

A. DRAW STRATEGY CARDS PHASE

A.1 Check War Phase (see 15.1): If the War Phase has changed, new Cards are added to the Draw Piles and then the Draw Piles and Discard Piles are shuffled together to form new Draw Piles.

A.2 Discard: A Player may discard any Combat Cards (CC's) he is holding before drawing new Cards. Non-CC's may not be discarded.

A.3 Draw Cards: Each Player draws Cards from his Draw Pile to fill his hand; hand size is usually seven Cards but may vary depending on the Republican Morale level (see below). Whenever a Player draws the last Card from his Draw Pile before filling his hand, shuffle the Discard Pile and continue drawing Cards. If a Player has insufficient Cards in his deck (even after reshuffling the Discard Pile) to fill his hand, he takes all available Cards and begins the next Turn with less than a full hand (do not add Cards from the next War Phase!).

Republican Morale and Card hand:

• If Republican Morale is 15 or lower, the Nationalist Player increases his hand to eight Cards.
• If Republican Morale is 10 or lower, in addition to the above, the Republican Player reduces his hand to six Cards.

Changes to hand size based on RM level only impact the starting hand size for the Players. Cards are not lost or gained in the middle of an Action Round for any RM changes.

EXAMPLE: RM drops to 10 in the middle of an Action Round. The Republican Player does not lose a Card then, but if he cannot increase RM above 10 by the start of next Turn his hand size will be six, while the Nationalist hand size will be eight!

B. ACTION PHASE

Each Action Phase is divided into twelve identical Action Rounds: six for the Nationalist Player and six for the Republican Player. Each Action Round allows the Active Player to take one Action (see 7.1.3). The Nationalist Player takes his Action first in each Action Phase.

C. ATTRITION PHASE

C.1 The Nationalist Attrition Segment takes place immediately upon the conclusion of the 6th Nationalist Action Round (i.e. before the Republican Player has conducted his 6th Action Round).

C.2 The Republican Attrition Segment takes place immediately upon the conclusion of the 6th Republican Action Round.

Each Player eliminates all of his Out of Supply (OOS) Division-sized and Corps-sized Units in his corresponding Attrition Segment. OOS Division-sized and Corps-sized Units eliminated due to Attrition are permanently removed from the game. Control of spaces unable to trace a Supply Line can also change (see 13.3.6).

D. WAR STATUS PHASE

D.1 Check the Victory Point and Republican Morale tables and make any changes that are called for under the "During War Status Phase" section of the table.

D.2 Determine if either Player has won an Automatic Victory (see 5.2).

E. REPLACEMENT PHASE

E.1. Republican Segment: The Republican Player spends any RP's accumulated through play of RP Cards this Turn, as marked on the General Records Track. Any RP's not spent are lost.

E.2. Nationalist Segment: The Nationalist Player spends any RP's accumulated through play of RP Cards this Turn, as marked on the General Records Track. Any RP's not spent are lost.

F. END OF TURN

F.1 Both players may voluntarily eliminate any of his own Position or Trench Markers.

F.2 If Turn 5, remove any Isolated Space Marker and replace it with an OOS Marker.

NOTE: As this is after the Attrition segment, the Nationalist Player has the following Turn to establish a Supply Line to previously Isolated Spaces.

F.3 If Turn 6 or later, subtract one from the number of assaults each Siege can resist on the General Records Track (see 16.1).

F.4 If the war has not ended and the last Turn of the scenario has not been reached, advance the Game Turn Marker to the next Turn on the Turn Record Track and begin the Sequence of Play again with the Draw Strategy Cards Phase (A., above).

7.0 Action Phase

7.1 General Rules

7.1.1 There are twelve Action Rounds per Action Phase (six for the Nationalist Player and six for the Republican Player), and in each one of them the Active Player is allowed to take one action.

7.1.2 The Nationalist Player always conducts the first action in a Turn, with Players alternating actions thereafter.

7.1.3 Each Player must take one of two possible actions:

• Play a Strategy Card as OPS, SR, RP, or Event.
• Take an Automatic Operation with one OPS Point without the play of a Strategy Card.

7.1.4 Player places the numbered Action Marker corresponding to this Action Round on his Action Chart to indicate which action he conducted.

EXAMPLE: On the first Game Turn, the Nationalist Player places his "1 Action Marker" on the "Event" spot on his Action Chart to indicate that during Action Round 1, he played a Strategy Card as an Event.

7.1.5 Players continue to alternate taking actions until each Player has taken six actions.

7.1.6 Some action choices (SR, RP or Reinforcement Events) are limited on how often they can be played during a Game Turn.

8.0 Strategy Cards

8.1 General Rules

8.1.1 In Crusade and Revolution, the Strategy Cards are the engine of the game. The Players initiate all actions, including movement and combat, through the play of Strategy Cards.

EXCEPTION: Automatic Operations (see 7.1.3).

8.1.2 Each Player has his own deck of Strategy Cards that is divided into three groups: War of the Columns Cards, Mobilization Cards, and War of the Armies Cards. Each scenario will specify which Strategy Cards the Players begin with. The other groups of Cards are added to each Player's deck as the game progresses (see 15.1).

8.1.3 Each Strategy Card can be used in one of four ways: for Operations (OPS), for Strategic Redeployment (SR), for Replacement Points (RP), or as an Event. A Card can only be used in one way each time it is played, but the Card may be used differently on subsequent plays.

EXCEPTION: Certain Events allow the same Card to also be used for OPS during the same Action Round.

8.1.4 Players are not allowed to look at the Draw Piles, nor the contents of the Discard Piles (though in the latter case, they can always see the top discarded Card). Players may count the number of Cards remaining in the Draw Piles and may always look at permanently removed Cards.

8.2 Operations

8.2.1 If a Strategy Card is played as an OPS Card, the Player may Activate a number of spaces equal to the OPS Points of the Card.

8.2.2 Only spaces occupied by friendly units may be Activated.

8.2.3 A space may be Activated for either Movement or Combat, but not both. A Move or Attack Marker must be placed on each space as it is Activated corresponding to whether the friendly units in that space are going to Move or Attack.

8.2.4 After all Activated spaces are marked, the Active Player may move his units situated in spaces marked with a Move Marker (see 10.0).

8.2.5 After all movement is completed, the Active Player conducts any Combats that he wishes from spaces marked with an Attack Marker (see 11.0).

8.3 Strategic Redeployment

8.3.1 If a Strategy Card is played as a SR Card, the Player may use Strategic Redeployment to move Division-sized and/or Corps-sized Units (see 12.0 for the exact procedure to conduct a SR move).

8.3.2 The Player receives a number of SR Points equal to the SR Value of the Card.

EXCEPTION: In Turns 1 and 2 subtract one Point from the SR Value of any Card (see 17.2).

8.3.3 A Player may not play Strategy Cards as SR Cards in consecutive Action Rounds of the same Turn.

NOTE: A Player may play a SR Card in the last Action Round of one Turn and in the first Action Round of the next Turn.

EXAMPLE: For the Republican 3rd Action of Turn 2, the Republican Player plays a Strategy Card for SR. He places the "3 Action Marker" on the "SR" space of his Action Chart. He cannot play another SR Card until the 5th Action Round, since SR Cards cannot be played on consecutive Action Rounds of the same Turn.

Anatomy of a Strategy Card: Each Card shows its OPS Points value, SR Value, and RP Value in the corners; the Event's Name in the center (underlined if it is a prerequisite Event for another Event of that Player); the War Phase the Card belongs to (War of the Columns, Mobilization, or War of the Armies) in a colored banner; the Event's text and any restrictions on playing the Event; the Card Number (underlined if it is a prerequisite for another Event of the enemy Player); and, for Combat Cards, a "CC" designation. An asterisk (*) next to the Event's Name means the Card is permanently removed from the game if played as an Event.

8.4 Replacement Points

8.4.1 If a Strategy Card is played as a RP Card, the Player adds the number of Replacement Points listed on the Card to his current total on the General Records Track (GRT).

EXCEPTION: Axis and Soviet RP may not be recorded until the Axis Military Aid and the Soviet Military Aid Events are played, respectively.

8.4.2 The Player conducts no other actions besides marking the RP's during this Action Round.

8.4.3 A Player may not play Strategy Cards for RP in consecutive Action Rounds of the same Turn.

NOTE: As with SR Cards, a Player may play a RP Card in the last Action Round of one Turn and in the first Action Round of the next Turn.

8.4.4 Replacement Points are spent during the Replacement Phase of each Turn (see 14.0).

8.5 Events

8.5.1 General Rules

8.5.1.1 If a Strategy Card is played as an Event, the instructions on the Card must be followed.

8.5.1.2 Some Events have restrictions on when they can be played and/or prerequisite Events that must have been previously played. It does not matter if the prerequisite Event was played in a previous Turn or a previous Action Round of the current Turn. A Card cannot be played as an Event if all of its restrictions and prerequisites are not met. Cards that are prerequisites for other Events of the same side have their Event Name underlined. Cards that are prerequisites for other Events of the opposing side have the Card Number underlined.

EXAMPLE: The "Munich Agreement" Event (Card N42) has both its Event Name underlined and its Card Number underlined, as it is a prerequisite Event for both Players.

8.5.1.3 If a Strategy Card with an asterisk (*) symbol is played as an Event, that Card is permanently removed from the game after this Action Round. The Card is not removed from the game if it is played as an OPS, SR, or RP Card.

EXCEPTION: In certain circumstances, several Cards without asterisk are permanently removed from the game if played as OPS, SR or RP. Those particular cases are specifically indicated on the text of each Card in red font at the bottom of the Card.

8.5.1.4 Some Event Cards contain a Victory Point or Republican Morale modifier (positive or negative). When such an Event Card is played, the corresponding marker on the General Records Track is increased or decreased a number of spaces equal to the listed modifier.

8.5.1.5 There are several Event Cards that have additional rules regarding their play. They are detailed in the following sections.

8.5.2 Reinforcement Events

8.5.2.1 Each Player may bring new units (Reinforcements) into play through the play of Reinforcement Events. The Republican Player may only play one Republican Reinforcement Card and one Soviet Reinforcement Card per Turn. The Nationalist Player may only play one Nationalist Reinforcement Card and one Axis Reinforcement Card per Turn. In other words, no more than one Reinforcement Card of the same type can be played per Turn.

8.5.2.2 A Player may only play a Reinforcement Card if he can legally place all the specified reinforcements on the map.

8.5.2.3 Reinforcing Division-sized Units: Reinforcing Division-sized Units are placed as explained in the text of the Card: some are deployed on the map and others to the Player's Reserve Box. Units that go to the map must be deployed in controlled and supplied spaces (except in Badajoz, see 13.2.4). In cases where multiple reinforcing Division-sized Units are entered from a single Card play, they do not have to enter at the same space (though they may, if the controlling Player so desires, without exceeding stacking limits).

8.5.2.4 Reinforcing Corps-sized Units: When the war reaches the Mobilization Phase, the first Corps-sized Units (Army Corps) enter the game via special deployment rules (see 15.2).

For Corps-sized Units received later through the play of Reinforcement Cards, and for those recreated from the Eliminated Units Box via RP expenditure, use the following deployment rules (that is, Corps-sized Units recreated with RP's follow the same deployment rules as those received with a Reinforcement Card).

General Rule: Reinforcing Corps-sized Units are deployed in any Friendly Supply Source and/or in Madrid. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied. In cases where multiple reinforcing Corps-sized Units are entered on a single Card play, they do not have to enter at the same space (though they may, if the controlling Player so desires, without exceeding stacking limits).

There are several exceptions:

Badajoz (Republican Player only):

• No Corps-sized or Division-sized Units may be deployed in Badajoz, as it is a Special Supply Source (see 13.2.4).

Northern Front (Republican Player only):

• The Basque Euzkadi Corps-sized Unit must be deployed in Bilbao.
• The Santander Corps-sized Unit must be deployed in Santander.
• The Asturian Corps-sized Units must be deployed in any friendly-controlled and supplied space in Asturias (blue dot).
• No Non-Regional Republican Corps-sized Units may be deployed in the Northern Front. This limitation is ignored while the Northern Front is connected with the main Republican zone (see 16.4.3.1).

CTV:

• The CTV Corps-sized Unit must be deployed in a friendly controlled and supplied Port space.

Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca and Beach Head):

• Corps-sized Units and armor Division-sized Units (CV-33, PZ-I and T-26) may not be deployed in any space in the Balearic Islands, nor may they be moved to those spaces via SR.

8.5.2.5 Removal of Division-sized Units: Each time a Player plays a Reinforcement Event Card that introduces Corps-sized Units into the game, he must permanently eliminate from the game (before or after deploying the reinforcements) one Divisions-sized Unit. The unit can be at full or reduced strength, and it must be removed from the map (it has to be supplied) or from the Reserve Box. If this is not possible, a Division-sized Unit is taken from the Eliminated Units Box instead. Units that may be removed are:

• Nationalists: MIL, POL, CAV, INF and AFR units.
• Republicans: Non-Regional MIL (except POUM, which may not be removed), POL (though not from the Northern Front) and RPA units.
• Other types of Division-sized Units may not be removed to fulfill this rule.

If a Player cannot remove an appropriate Division-sized Unit, the Strategy Card may not be played as a Reinforcement Event.

8.5.3 Combat Cards (CC's)

8.5.3.1 CC's are a special form of Event Cards that are played during Combat, first by the Attacker and then by the Defender. CC's are the only Cards that can be played during the opponent's Action Round (see 11.2.4).

8.5.3.2 If a Player plays one or more CC's and wins the Combat, the Player places any CC's used in that combat face-up in front of him as "retained CC's". Such retained CC's can be used in other Combats in future Action Rounds of the same Turn. CC's are considered played even if their DRM's are not applied (e.g. if an opposing CC such as Bad Weather (R37) cancels a DRM).

EXCEPTIONS: CC's that state "Only affects one Combat per Turn" must be discarded after the Combat in which they are used, even if the Player wins. CC's with an asterisk () must be permanently removed from the game immediately after the Combat in which they are used, even if the Player wins.*

EXAMPLE: In a Combat over Oviedo, the Nationalist Player plays both the "García Morato" and "Militia's Lack of Discipline" CC Events. Regardless of whether they win or lose the Combat, the "Militia's Lack of Discipline" Event will be permanently removed after the Combat.

8.5.3.3 A Player discards any used CC's in a Combat where he is not the winner. This affects Cards played from the Player's hand, and also those saved from previously won Combats (assuming they were committed to the current Combat).

8.5.3.4 A CC may be used a maximum of once per Action Round until it is discarded.

EXAMPLE (cont): If the Nationalist Player loses the Combat over Oviedo, then the "García Morato" CC will be discarded (not permanently removed, as it is not an "" Card). However, if the Nationalist Player wins the Combat, he would keep the "García Morato" CC face-up in front of him to use in one additional Combat each subsequent Action Round, until the end of the Turn, or until he does not win a Combat in which the "García Morato" CC was committed.*

8.5.3.5 At the end of each Turn, all CC's that remain face-up in front of either Player must be discarded. Place the Cards in the Player's Discard Pile.

8.5.3.6 Note that in the Draw Strategy Cards Phase (at the very beginning of each Turn), both Players have the opportunity to discard any or all CC's in their hand immediately before they draw new Cards. Place the discarded Cards in the Player's Discard Pile. CC's are the only Strategy Cards that may be voluntarily discarded.

8.5.4 Disembark in Mallorca (Republican Event)

8.5.4.1 When the Republican Player plays the Disembark in Mallorca Event, place the Beach Head Marker (with its "Mallorca" side face-up) in the space connected to Mallorca via the arrow. This space (hereafter "the Beach Head space") is treated as a normal space for Movement and Combat, is considered to have a Port in it, and is Adjacent (Connected) to the Mallorca space. The Republican Player also deploys two Republican MIL units in the Beach Head space. The Disembark in Mallorca Event is not considered a Reinforcement Event Card play.

8.5.4.2 On subsequent Action Rounds, the Republican Player may send additional units to the Beach Head space using SR, if desired. These may not be Corps-sized Units or armor units (see 8.5.2.4).

NOTE: Catalonian MIL units can be sent from the Reserve Box to the Beach Head space even if it does not contain another Catalonian unit. This is an exception to the rule that limits their SR (see 12.1.8).

8.5.4.3 If the Beach Head space is occupied by any Nationalist unit, it is permanently eliminated and no longer considered a space. Remove the Beach Head Marker from the map, and immediately move the Nationalist unit(s) that eliminated it to Mallorca.

8.5.4.4 Once the Disembark in Mallorca Event is played, the Republican Player has two Turns to gain simultaneous control of the Mallorca and Beach Head spaces. The Republican Player must fulfill this objective before the War Status Phase of the Turn after the one in which he played the Event (place the "Turn of Embark" Marker on the Game Turn track as a reminder). For example, if he plays the Event on Turn 2, he has until the end of Turn 3 to meet the above objectives.

NOTE: The Event can be played on Turn 5, giving the Republican Player until the end of Turn 6, even though the game has reached Mobilization Phase.

8.5.4.5 Embarking of the Republican Forces: If the above objective is not met by the Turn indicated, Republican units in the Beach Head space are embarked and moved to the Reserve Box. The Beach Head Marker is removed and the Beach Head space is considered permanently eliminated.

8.5.4.6 If the Republican Player has conquered Mallorca, the Beach Head Marker is also removed, but any Republican units on it are moved to the Mallorca space. The Beach Head space is considered permanently eliminated.

8.5.5 Strategic Counterattacks (Republican Events)

8.5.5.1 The Republican Player has four Strategic Counterattack Cards. Three of them (Brunete, Belchite and Teruel) give him the possibility of increasing Republican Morale (RM) by one point each, and the fourth one (El Ebro) allows him to obtain an additional Victory Point (VP) so long as the prerequisites indicated on the Card's text are fulfilled. Only one Strategic Counterattack Event may be played per Turn.

8.5.5.2 When the Republican Player plays a Strategic Counterattack Event, he conducts OPS with the Card's value and adds a +1 DRM to all attacks he makes during that Action Round, as indicated in the Card's text.

8.5.5.3 In one (and only one) attack in which he was the winner (see 11.2.9), if any Republican unit advanced, the first conquered space will add an additional point to RM or subtract one from the VP total, according to the Card. The Republican Player chooses the attack taking into account the following restrictions:

• Brunete and Belchite: The Republican Player may choose any attack made during this round in which he was the winning Player (the choice is made after all attacks are resolved – use the "Victorious Attack" Markers to aid in remembering who won each battle).
• Teruel and El Ebro: The Republican Player must choose the attack that had the terrain effects cancelled, as indicated in the Card's text. If the Republican Player did not win in this attack, then no bonus RM or VP is obtained, even if the Republican Player is able to advance into the attacked space.

NOTE: Remember that to be the winner in a Combat, the Republican Player must generate a higher Loss Number result than his opponent. Eliminating his opponent and advancing into the space is not considered "winning" if the Nationalist Loss Number was equal to or greater than the Republican Loss Number.

8.5.5.4 The corresponding RM or VP Marker is deployed in the first space advanced into by the Republican units in the chosen attack, and the RM or VP value is changed accordingly (+1 RM or -1 VP). Additionally the usual changes are applied if it is a VP Space, Province Capital or Main City.

8.5.5.5 The Nationalist Player will recover the RM or VP if he recaptures the space. In that case, the RM or VP Marker is permanently eliminated from the game and the space no longer is worth one additional RM or VP.

8.5.6 Plan P (Republican Event)

8.5.6.1 When the Republican Player plays the Plan "P" Event, he places the Beach Head Marker (on its "Plan P" side) next to any Nationalist coastal space within three spaces from a supplied Republican controlled space (see 8.5.6.2). The Beach Head Marker cannot be deployed next to a coastal space in the Atlantic Sea Zone; nor next to a space from Algeciras (included) to the west if the Strait of Gibraltar is under Nationalist control (see 16.7). This space (hereafter "the Beach Head space") is treated as a normal space for Movement and Combat, is considered to have a Mediterranean Port in it, and is Adjacent (connected) to the chosen coastal space.

8.5.6.2 The three-space range is counted through land connections and from any supplied Republican space. Count the target Nationalist space, but not the originating Republican space.

EXAMPLE: Cartagena is Republican controlled, so the Republican Player can place the Beach Head Marker next to Águilas, Garrucha, or Almería. If Baza was also Republican controlled, he could place it next to Motril or Vélez Málaga, but would still be out of range of Málaga itself.

8.5.6.3 The Republican Player deploys an RPA Division-sized Unit (full or reduced strength, his choice) from his Reserve Box to the Beach Head space. If there is no RPA Division-sized Unit in the Republican Reserve Box, the Event may not be played.

8.5.6.4 If the Beach Head space is entered by any Nationalist unit(s), it is removed from the game and is no longer considered a space (remove the Beach Head Marker from the map). Immediately move the Nationalist unit(s) that eliminated it to the space connected to the Beach Head Marker. If this results in the stacking limit being exceeded, move any excess Nationalist unit(s) to the Reserve Box (taken from any unit(s) entering via this immediate deployment).

8.5.6.5 Unlike in the Disembark in Mallorca Event, in this case there is no time restriction on conquering the space connected to the Beach Head space.

9.0 Stacking

9.1 General Rules

9.1.1 A maximum of three Combat Units, regardless of type or size, may stack in one space.

EXAMPLE: A space may hold three Division-sized Units, three Corps-sized Units, or a combination of Division-sized Units and Corps-sized Units totaling three units.

9.1.2 Stacking limits are in effect at all times, except during Movement and during Strategic Redeployment. That is, units may move and SR through spaces exceeding the stacking limit, but they may not finish the Action Round violating that limit.

9.1.3 Units of opposing sides may never be stacked together.

9.1.4 If the stacking limit is exceeded, the opposing Player eliminates units in that space until the stacking limit of three is reached. If the space is OOS, or in a situation where the units could not perform a legal retreat if forced to retreat in Combat (see 11.4), the units are instead permanently eliminated.

10.0 Movement

10.1 General Rules

10.1.1 Combat Units may move when their space is Activated for Movement during an Operation. You must complete the Movement of one stack before moving another. A "stack" in this case is one or more units, moving together.

10.1.2 All units in a space marked with a Move marker need not move; some may move while others stay in the Activated space. In fact, one may wish to Activate a space for Movement and not move units from the space (see Positions and Trench building – 10.2).

10.1.3 The Movement Factor of a unit is the number of Movement Points that the unit can spend entering new spaces when activated for Movement. All spaces cost one Movement Point to enter, regardless of terrain type.

10.1.4 Movement is made from one space to an Adjacent space via a solid line connection. Spaces may not be skipped.

EXCEPTION: After playing the Disembark in Mallorca Event, the arrow that connects the Beach Head space with the Mallorca space is considered a solid line connection, as long as the Beach Head Marker is on the map.

10.1.5 Dotted lines indicate border connections with France and Portugal and cannot be used for movement.

10.1.6 A unit may never move more than its Movement Factor in a single Action Round.

EXCEPTION: This limitation does not affect Strategic Redeployment (SR), as it is a special type of unit movement (see 12.0).

10.1.7 Units may never enter a space containing an enemy Combat Unit.

10.1.8 Units may not move between the Beach Head and Mallorca spaces unless the Beach Head Marker is in the Beach Head space (see 8.5.4).

10.1.9 Players immediately gain control of each vacant space their units enter or move through.

10.1.10 Unused Movement Points cannot be accumulated for future Action Rounds, nor transferred to other units.

NOTE: The next two rules are important to remember.

10.1.11 Units may move through, but not end their Movement in, a space containing an Attack Marker.

10.1.12 A unit may enter or pass through a maximum of two unique spaces that were enemy-controlled spaces at the beginning of that Action Round. A unit may pass through the same enemy space multiple times, but the total number of unique enemy-controlled spaces it moves through may not be more than two (see example below).

EXAMPLE OF RULE 10.1.12: Each of the two Nationalist units Activated for Movement have a Movement Factor of 3. However, they can only move through a maximum of two spaces that begin the Action Round as enemy-controlled spaces, although they may pass through the same space multiple times (for example, a unit could advance two spaces to Tremp and then return back to Barbastro). Even though one unit moves after another, it must be taken into account which spaces were enemy controlled at the beginning of the Action Round. That is, even if one of the units moves to Balaguer, thereby gaining control of the enemy spaces it passes through, the other unit would not be able to move beyond Balaguer. This is because that would suppose moving through more than two spaces that were enemy controlled at the beginning of the Action Round.

10.2 Positions and Trenches

Positions:

10.2.1 If a space is Activated for Movement, one (and only one) Division-sized or Corps-sized Unit in the Activated space may attempt to construct a Position instead of moving. Other units in the space may move freely, if desired.

10.2.2 After all units are done moving, the Active Player checks for construction of Positions:

• A Corps-sized Unit automatically constructs a Position. Place a Position Marker in that space.
• If a Division-sized Unit is attempting to construct a Position, the Active Player makes a Position Construction Roll (one D6) for each such space. If the modified die roll is 1, 2 or 3, place a Position Marker in that space.

If a Division-sized Unit fails a Position Construction Roll, place a "-1 DRM Modifier" Marker on that space to show that the next attempt to construct a Position will gain a –1 DRM. If this subsequent attempt is again unsuccessful, the modifier increases to –2 (flip the Marker over). If, at the end of an Action Round, the space is vacant of friendly units, or if a Position is successfully placed in the space, remove the "DRM Modifier" Marker. Position Construction Rolls are never modified by more than a –2 DRM.

EXAMPLE: The Nationalist Player wishes to Activate Granada to attempt a Position Construction Roll, even though it is currently an Isolated Space (see 16.2). Since it can be Activated for Movement, this is allowed. The Nationalist Player Activates the space and does all other movement. Then he rolls for the Position and gets a '4', failing. A "-1 DRM Modifier" Marker is placed on Granada and the next time the Nationalist Player Activates Granada for Movement, if he decides to attempt a Position Construction Roll he will succeed on a 1-4 (and if he rolls a '5' or '6', the "-1 DRM Modifier" will become a "-2 DRM Modifier").

Trenches:

10.2.3 If a space already containing a Position Marker is Activated for Movement, one (and only one) Corps-sized Unit in the Activated space may attempt to construct a Trench instead of moving. Division-sized Units cannot attempt to construct a Trench. As with Position construction, other units in the space may move freely if desired.

EXCEPTION: No Republican unit may attempt to construct a Trench in the Bilbao space. Playing the Iron Belt Event is the only way to place a Republican Trench Marker in Bilbao. However, after the Nationalist Player plays the Plans of the Iron Belt Event, neither a Republican Position nor Trench may be constructed in Bilbao for the duration of the game.

10.2.4 After all units are done moving, the Active Player rolls one die for each space that has a Corps-sized Unit attempting a Trench Construction Roll. If the modified die roll is 1, 2 or 3, replace the Position Marker in that space with a Trench Marker (flip the Marker over).

If a Corps-sized Unit fails a Trench Construction Roll, place a "–1 DRM Modifier" Marker on that space to show that the next attempt to construct a Trench will gain a –1 DRM. If this subsequent attempt is again unsuccessful, the modifier increases to –2 (flip the Marker over). If, at the end of an Action Round, the space is vacant of friendly units, or if a Trench is successfully placed in the space, remove the "DRM Modifier" Marker. Trench Construction Rolls are never modified by more than a –2 DRM.

NOTE: A Division-sized Unit can "hold" the –1/-2 DRM on failed Trench Construction Rolls if the Corps-sized Unit leaves the space. It just can't complete the Trench on its own.

10.2.5 A space may contain a maximum of one Position or Trench (not one of each).

10.2.6 Positions and Trenches remain in a friendly space even if the space is vacant.

10.2.7 If a Combat Unit enters a space containing an enemy Position or Trench, or if the space changes control for being OOS, that Position or Trench Marker is removed and returned to the owning Player for possible future deployment.

10.2.8 All units in a space receive the combat benefits of Positions and Trenches, as listed on the Terrain Effects Chart: a one column left shift to the Attacking units, and (for a Trench) a one column right shift for the Defending units. Units in a Trench also have the option of canceling a retreat result (see 11.4.3).

10.2.9 The number of available Position and Trench Markers is limited to the counters provided. The Republican Player has twelve markers, and the Nationalist eight. Note that each marker has a Position on one side and a Trench on the other.

EXCEPTION: There are six additional Republican Trench Markers for Madrid (two), Bilbao and the Fortifications Event (three). Once removed from the map, these extra Trench Markers cannot be used again.

10.2.10 In the End of Turn Phase of each Turn, Players can voluntarily remove any friendly Position and/or Trench Markers from the map, if desired.

11.0 Combat

11.1 General Rules

11.1.1 Only Combat Units in an Activated space with an Attack Marker (see 8.2.3) may initiate Combat. Combat is voluntary and all units in an Activated space need not attack. A Player may even decide not to attack from an Activated space.

11.1.2 The Active Player is the Attacker and the Non-Active Player is the Defender.

11.1.3 Each Combat involves only one defending space. Any number of units that are Activated for Attack can participate in a Combat against a defending space, but all attacking units must be in spaces Adjacent to the defender (i.e. connected by a solid line – see 10.1.4 for Beach Head space Adjacency). All units in the defending space must take part in the Combat.

11.1.4 Activated units in a single space do not have to participate in the same Combat; they may attack different Adjacent spaces.

11.1.5 Each unit may participate in only one Combat per Action Round. A unit's Combat Factor (CF) cannot be divided between multiple Combats. A space can be attacked only once each Action Round.

11.1.6 Combat Units with a CF of zero may attack by themselves or with other units. If they attack with other units, they will add nothing to the Combat Strength of the Combat, but they can be used to absorb losses.

11.1.7 Only attacking units participating in a Combat may take losses, or advance (see 11.5). If there are non-participating units in the space Activated for the Combat, they may not take losses or advance.

EXAMPLE: The Republican Player has a Corps-sized Unit and a Division-sized Unit in Madrid. The Nationalist Player has a single INF Division-sized Unit adjacent to Madrid in Illescas. Assuming Madrid is Activated for Combat, the Republican Player can choose to only attack with the Corps-sized Unit. This way, the Division-sized Unit is protected from taking any losses… But it also cannot advance if the INF in Illescas is killed or forced to retreat.

11.2 Combat Resolution

11.2.1 Each Combat is resolved using the following procedure (in sequential order):

1. Designate the Combat
2. Determine Combat Strengths
3. Play Combat Cards
4. Determine DRMs
5. Determine Fire Columns
6. Determine Results
7. Take Losses
8. Determine Combat Winner
9. Defender Retreats
10. Attacker Advances

11.2.2 Designate the Combat: The Active Player designates which space is being attacked, and all Adjacent units that are attacking the space. Remember, units can only attack if they have been Activated for Combat this Action Round.

11.2.3 Determine Combat Strengths: Each Player totals the Combat Factors (CF's) of his units involved in the Combat to determine his Combat Strength. This step is conducted simultaneously.

11.2.4 Play Combat Cards (CC's): The Attacker may play any number of CC's whose conditions are met in this Combat. The Attacker also announces which (if any) CC's that are already face up in front of him will be used; such CC's may be used if their conditions are met in this Combat and they have not been used in a previous Combat during this Action Round. After the Attacker designates CC's, the Defender has the opportunity to play and select CC's using the same procedure outlined for the Attacker.

11.2.5 Determine Die Roll Modifiers (DRM): Both Players examine all played CC's to determine the final DRM's for this Combat. Attacks with Republican MIL units on Turn 1 (see 17.5), with armor against certain spaces (see 16.6), or versus Mountain spaces in Winter Turns (see 16.5), also incur a DRM.

11.2.6 Determine Fire Column: Each Player determines which Fire Table he will use. If the Player's units include one or more Corps-sized Units, the Player fires on the Corps-sized Units Table; otherwise, the Player uses the Division-sized Units Table. Each Player finds his Combat Strength on the appropriate Fire Table and, if necessary, shifts a number of columns depending upon the Terrain Effects of the defending space and any played CC's. All column shifts are cumulative, but cannot cause the Fire Column to be off the Table. Any shift above the rightmost, or below the leftmost, column is ignored. This step is conducted simultaneously; determine the net column shifts before applying.

EXAMPLE 1: The Nationalist Player has three 2-1-3 Division-sized INF Units attacking a reduced strength Republican 2-3-3 Corps-sized Unit. The Nationalist Player will roll on the '6' column of the Division-sized Units Table and the Republican Player will roll on the '2' column of the Corps-sized Units Table.

EXAMPLE 2: If the Nationalist Player had a single 2-2-3 reduced strength Corps-sized Unit attacking (instead of one of the three INF units), even though this unit only adds an additional two Combat Strength, it would allow the Nationalist Player to now roll on the '6-8' column of the Corps-sized Units Table; resulting in, on average, a Loss Number two higher than in the previous example where he had to roll on the Division-sized Units Table!

Sierra of Madrid: In the two spaces representing the Mountains (Sierra) of Madrid (Somosierra and Guadarrama), any attack into or out of those spaces incurs a one column shift left penalty in addition to any other terrain effects. These spaces are marked with a "1CL" as a reminder of that penalty.

EXAMPLE: An attack from Segovia to Somosierra is shifted two columns left (one for the Mountain and one for the Sierra of Madrid penalty). An attack from Somosierra to Aranda de Duero is shifted two columns left (one for the River and one for the Sierra of Madrid penalty).

11.2.7 Determine Results: Each Player rolls a die, modifies it by any applicable DRM, and cross-references it with his Fire Column to determine the result he inflicts on his opponent. This result is the Loss Number. A die roll can never be less than one or greater than six; treat any modified die roll below one as a one and any modified die roll above six as a six. This step is conducted simultaneously.

11.2.8 Take Losses: Each Player must now apply the combat losses required by his opponent's result (see 11.3). The Defender must assign losses before the Attacker, but the losses do not affect the Loss Number he achieved when he threw the die.

NOTE: This can be done simultaneously if desired.

11.2.9 Determine Combat Winner: The Player who inflicts the higher Loss Number on his opponent wins the Combat. He is allowed to keep on the table before him any played CC's that are not single use per Turn, or that do not contain an asterisk (see 8.5.3). The other Player discards all designated CC's. If both Loss Numbers are the same, both Players are considered to have lost and both must discard all CC's designated for that Combat.

EXAMPLE 1: The Nationalist Player inflicts a Loss Number of '3' on a defending Republican stack. The Republican Player inflicts a Loss Number of '1'. The Nationalist Player is the victorious Player in the Combat and can keep any designated CC's that are multi-use CC's. The Republican Player would need to discard any designated CC's.

EXAMPLE 2: The Republican Player attacks a single Division-sized Unit and achieves a '2' Loss Number, eliminating it. However, the Nationalist Player also achieves a '2' Loss Number. Even though the Nationalist Player's units were completely eliminated, both Players are considered to have lost the Combat, as both Loss Numbers were the same.

EXAMPLE 3: The Nationalist Player achieves a Loss Number of '2' against a reduced strength Division-sized Unit. The Republican Player achieves a Loss Number of '1'. Even though the Republican Player can only absorb one step loss, the Nationalist Player is still the winner in the Combat as his Loss Number (2) is greater than the Republican Loss Number (1).

11.2.10 Defender Retreat: If the Attacker wins and has at least one surviving attacking unit, all surviving defending units must retreat (see 11.4). The Defender may have the option of canceling the retreat by taking an additional step loss (see 11.4.3). The Attacker never retreats as a result of Combat.

11.2.11 Attacker Advance: If the Defender retreated or was completely eliminated, the Attacker has the option to advance with any remaining units that participated in the Combat (see 11.5). The Defender may never advance after Combat.

11.3 Taking Losses

11.3.1 The result obtained by each Player on the Fire Table is the Loss Number that his opponent must suffer.

11.3.2 Losses are taken by reducing or eliminating Combat Units. Each step removed from a unit fulfills as many losses as that unit's Loss Factor (LF). A full strength unit that loses a step is flipped to its reduced side. A reduced strength unit that loses a step is eliminated and is moved to the corresponding Eliminated Units Box of the owning Player.

IMPORTANT: An eliminated Corps-sized Unit is immediately replaced by a Division-sized Unit from the Reserve Box (see 11.3.5).

11.3.3 Any Out of Supply (OOS) unit (Division-sized or Corps-sized) eliminated in Combat is permanently removed from the game, and may not be recreated with Replacement Points (see 13.3). An OOS Corps-sized Unit eliminated in Combat is still replaced by a Division-sized Unit from the Reserve Box (see 11.3.5).

11.3.4 Each Player must fulfill as much of his Loss Number as possible, without taking more losses than his Loss Number. A Player may not take fewer losses than required if it is possible to take the exact Loss Number, but may end up taking fewer losses if unable to take the exact Loss Number (this includes taking into account Corps-sized Units being replaced with Division-sized Units when eliminated). A Player may never take more losses than the Loss Number.

IMPORTANT: This requirement supersedes any requirement for "first loss" due to using Army of Africa units (see 17.6.5) or armor units (see 16.6.2).

EXAMPLE 1: A full strength Nationalist Corps-sized Unit (Loss Factor (LF) of 3) and a reduced strength Nationalist Corps-sized Unit (LF 3) suffers a '5' Loss Number. The Player must eliminate the reduced strength Army Corps and replace it with a Division-sized Unit (LF 1 – using up three of the five Loss Number). The Division-sized Unit then must take two step losses and be eliminated – using up the last two of the five Loss Number. The full strength Army Corps remains at full strength. The Nationalist Player could not take a step loss from the full strength Army Corps (LF 3) and the reduced strength Army Corps (LF 3) because this would exceed his Loss Number (five).

EXAMPLE 2: Had both Corps-sized Units been at full strength, the Nationalist Player would have reduced one (using up three of the five Loss Number) and that is all he would have lost (as reducing either of the reduced or full strength Corps-sized Units would have required three additional Loss Number).

11.3.5 A reduced strength Corps-sized Unit that is eliminated in Combat is immediately replaced in its current space by a full strength Division-sized Unit from the Reserve Box, if such a Division-sized Unit is available. If a full strength Division-sized Unit is not in the Reserve Box, it may be replaced by a reduced strength Division-sized Unit from the Reserve Box.

IMPORTANT: If no Division-sized Unit is available in the Reserve Box, the Corps-sized Unit is permanently eliminated from the game and may not be rebuilt through Replacement Points.

11.3.5.1 Even if a Player has no Division-sized Units in his Reserve box to replace Corp-sized Units, he must still calculate his losses as if he had them. This is required in order to fulfill as much of his Loss Number as possible, for the possible permanent elimination of Corps-sized Units (see the example below). Under no circumstances may a player avoid losses by assigning them to nonexistent units.

EXAMPLE: A Player has no Division-sized Units capable of replacing Corps-sized Units in his Reserve Box. If in one of his spaces a full strength Corps-sized Unit (LF 3) and a reduced strength Corps-sized Unit (LF 3) suffers a LN result of four or five, the reduced strength unit must be permanently eliminated, as if there was a Division-sized Unit in the Reserve box to absorb the 4th and/or 5th losses. While the Player will suffer only three actual losses, he will not be able to avoid the permanent elimination of the reduced strength Corps-sized Unit by assigning the initial loss to the full strength Corps-sized Unit. This is because, had the player actually had an available Division-sized Unit, the initial loss would have been required to be assigned to the reduced strength Corps-sized Unit in order to fulfill as much of his Loss Number as possible.

11.3.5.2 Due to the variety of units, and to the different regions and nationalities, there are some restrictions on which Division-sized Units may be used to replace an eliminated Corps-sized Unit:

• Republican Non-Regional Corps-sized Units may be replaced by either RPA or Non-Regional MIL Division-sized Units.
• Republican Regional Corps-sized Units (Asturian, Santander and Basque) may only be replaced by Division-sized Units of their same region. Regional Division-sized Units may not be used to replace any other Republican Corps-sized Units.
• Nationalist Corps-sized Units may be replaced by either MIL or INF Division-sized Units.
• The CTV Corps-sized Unit may only be replaced by an ITA Division-sized Unit. ITA Division-sized Units may not be used to replace any other Nationalist Corps-sized Units.
• AFR, CAV, POL, INT and armor (T-26, CV-33, and PZ-I) Division-sized Units may not be used to replace any Corps-sized Unit.

11.3.6 Army of Africa and armor: In any Combat involving units from the Army of Africa as the Attacker, with or without other units, the first loss must be suffered by a unit from the Army of Africa, if doing so does not exceed the Loss Number or result in a smaller portion of the Loss Number being satisfied than all other alternatives (see 11.3.7).

Likewise, in any Combat involving armor units as the Attacker, with or without other units, when the armor unit qualifies for a +1 DRM (see 16.6.2), the first loss must be suffered by an armor unit, if doing so does not exceed the Loss Number or result in a smaller portion of the Loss Number being satisfied than all other alternatives (see 11.3.7).

11.3.7 Loss Priority Order: Occasionally it may happen where the Attacker has multiple "first loss" requirements. In these situations, the priority order is as follows: always attempt to meet the LN exactly, with a loss being taken by both an AFR unit and an armor unit (if both involved and requiring a "first loss"). If the LN cannot be exactly met while taking both of those required first losses, meet the LN exactly while taking one of the required losses (AFR first, if involved and requiring a "first loss"). If that is not possible, then meet the LN exactly and ignore the "first loss" requirements. Finally, if it is impossible to exactly meet the LN, then repeat the above logic with "LN-1" instead of "LN" (i.e. try to meet exactly LN-1, with a loss begin taken by either/both involved "first loss" units, etc.).

NOTE: The morale of the story is, a "first loss" requirement can never allow a Player to suffer fewer losses, if there is another way to take more losses (up to exactly meeting the LN). If there are multiple ways to take the same number of maximum losses, then the "first loss" requirements come into play.

11.4 Retreat

11.4.1 If the Attacker wins the Combat and any attacking units survived, all surviving defending units must retreat, regardless of the number of steps removed by each side.

11.4.2 The number of spaces of the retreat depends upon the difference in the Loss Numbers of the Attacker and the Defender. If the difference is one, the Defender must retreat one space. Otherwise, the Defender must retreat two spaces.

11.4.3 Defending units in a Mountain space, a space with a Trench, or in a Beach Head space may chose to cancel the retreat by taking one additional step loss. The step loss may be taken from any defending unit. One additional step loss cancels the entire retreat, regardless of the number of spaces required to be retreated, provided at least one defending step remains after that additional loss.

EXAMPLE: Two defending full-strength Division-sized Units (LF's of one) take a LN of two while inflicting zero losses on their opponent. If they were in an Open space, they would need to take two step losses (each satisfying a LF of one) and retreat two spaces. However, they are in a Mountain space, so they suffer the two step losses (reducing both units to reduced-strength), then chose to take a third step loss (eliminating one of the units) to cancel the two space retreat.

11.4.4 Units that cannot fulfill the entire retreat (see below), nor cancel the retreat by taking an extra step loss, are permanently removed from the game and may not be rebuilt with Replacement Points.

11.4.5 Units retreat one by one and must follow the restrictions/conditions below:

• May not enter a space containing an enemy Combat Unit.
• May not enter an empty space that contained an attacking unit in the beginning of the Combat (even if it is empty after applying losses).
• May not retreat back into the original defending space.
• May end their retreat Adjacent to the original defending space if retreating two spaces as long as the units entered two different spaces during the retreat.

EXAMPLE: A unit retreating two spaces from Belchite could retreat to Cariñena and then end the retreat in Zaragoza.

• Multiple units required to retreat need not retreat to the same space.

When retreating, units must retreat based on the following priority order:

• Must always retreat into friendly-controlled spaces, if possible.

EXAMPLE OF EXTENDED RETREAT: The reduced strength I A.C. Republican Corps-sized Unit in Montblanch suffers a four LN while inflicting three losses on the Nationalist. It is removed and replaced with a full strength Division-sized Unit (satisfying 3 of the LN), then the Division-sized Unit takes a step loss (satisfying the last of the four LN). As it is only one step, it cannot cancel the retreat. Both Gandesa and Villafranca del P. are potential retreat paths, however Villafranca del P. has priority as it is a friendly-controlled space and Gandesa is not. Even though Villafranca del P. is fully stacked, it is valid due to the Extended Retreat rule. The Republican Player retreats the reduced strength Division-sized Unit to Villafranca del P., then utilizes Extended Retreat to retreat one more space – to Barcelona.

• Must end their retreat without violating the stacking limits, if possible. If not possible, must retreat into a friendly-controlled space in violation of the stacking limits if they can use Extended Retreat (see 11.4.5.1) to end without violating the stacking limits.
• May retreat into empty enemy-controlled spaces if there is no alternative, or if the retreat to friendly-controlled spaces would cause their elimination (see 11.4.4). They do not gain control of enemy-controlled spaces they retreat through; but they do gain control of spaces where they end their retreat.
• Must end their retreat in supply, if possible.

11.4.5.1 Extended Retreat: A unit may retreat into a location where it finds itself overstacked if it may retreat one additional space, but only to a friendly-controlled space that would not be in violation of the stacking limits. If no such space exists and no other valid retreat path exists, the unit is permanently eliminated from the game (see 11.4.4).

11.4.6 If any defending units retreat into a space that is attacked later in the same Action Round, the units which already retreated do not add their CF to the Combat against that space. In addition, if a Loss Number of at least one is achieved, the already-retreated units are immediately eliminated and do not count towards fulfilling the Loss Number.

11.4.7 Attacking units never retreat.

11.4.8 Retreating from a space does not cause control of that space to change to the other side. Enemy units must still occupy the space to control it.

11.5 Advance

11.5.1 If the defending units retreat, or are completely eliminated, some or all of the remaining attacking units (owner's choice) may advance.

11.5.2 If all defending units are eliminated (regardless of the difference in Loss Number, including situations where the Defender was the "Winner" in the Combat), or if they retreat one space, the advancing units may only enter the defending space.

11.5.3 If defending units retreat two spaces, the attacking units may advance into any empty spaces that the retreating units vacate in their retreat. However, advancing units must stop upon entering a Mountain space.

11.5.4 Advancing units may not enter a space containing enemy units.

11.5.5 Defending units never advance.

11.5.6 Advancing units gain control of all spaces they enter.

11.5.7 If a unit must retreat two spaces and there is only one space available, it will be permanently removed as above (see 11.4.4). Attacking units may advance into the defending space and – if terrain allows it - to the single space where the defending units could have retreated.

12.0 Strategic Redeployment

12.1 General Rules

12.1.1 Strategic Redeployment (SR) is used to move units long distances through friendly-controlled territory or to/from the Reserve Box.

12.1.2 Each SR Point allows the Player to SR one full or reduced strength Division-sized Unit. It takes three SR Points to SR one full or reduced strength Corps-sized Unit.

12.1.3 No unit may SR more than once in each Action Round.

12.1.4 SR points may be split up among different units and spaces as a Player sees fit. A Player may SR some units from a space and not others without any penalty.

12.1.5 Units must be in supply to use SR.

12.1.6 SR by land: Units may SR by land from their space to any other Connected friendly-controlled and supplied space by using solid connection lines. The route between the two spaces may be as long as desired, but it may only pass through friendly-controlled spaces. In addition:

• Units may never SR through an enemy unit or enemy-controlled space.
• Republican units may SR from, to or through spaces with a Siege (see 16.1).

12.1.7 SR by Sea: Division-sized Units may also SR by sea from one friendly-controlled and supplied Port space to another friendly-controlled and supplied Port space. Units that SR by sea may not combine this with SR by land. They must start and end in a friendly-controlled Port space.

12.1.7.1 The Republican Player may only SR to or from Port spaces in the Mediterranean Sea Zone. The Nationalist Player may use any friendly-controlled Port spaces, subject to restrictions based on whether they control the Strait of Gibraltar (see 16.7).

12.1.7.2 Corps-sized Units may never SR by sea.

12.1.8 SR from the Reserve Box: Units may SR out of the Reserve Box into any space containing a friendly Combat Unit, into any Friendly Supply Source, or into Madrid, within the stacking limit. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.

EXCEPTIONS:

• Republican Regional Division-sized Units (Asturian, Santander and Basque) may only SR from the Reserve Box to spaces inside their respective regions (fulfilling all other conditions) or to spaces that contain at least one supplied unit of their same region, observing the Non-Cooperation rule (see 16.4.2).
• With the exception of Regional and POL Division-sized Units, no Republican Division-sized Unit may SR from the Reserve Box to the Northern Front as long as it is isolated (see 16.4.3).
• Republican Catalonian MIL Division-sized Units in the Reserve box may only SR to Barcelona and/or to spaces that contain at least one supplied Catalonian MIL unit. Exception: Disembark in Mallorca (see 8.5.4.2).
• Republican T-26 armor units may only SR from the Reserve Box to a friendly-controlled and supplied Mediterranean Port space (even if there is no friendly unit in the space).
• Nationalist PZ-I and CV-33 armor units may only SR from the Reserve Box to a friendly-controlled and supplied Port space (even if there is no friendly unit in the space).

12.1.9 Supplied Division-sized Units may SR from the map to the Reserve Box.

12.1.10 Neither Corps-sized Units nor armor units (T-26, CV-33 and PZ-I) may ever SR to a space in the Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca, or the Beach Head space).

13.0 Supply

13.1 General Rules

13.1.1 Units must be in supply to perform most actions; Out of Supply (OOS) units suffer many penalties (see 13.3).

13.1.1.1 Supply for units and spaces is checked:

• At the instant a space is Activated by placement of a Move or Attack Marker (see 8.2).
• At the instant SR is going to be used, or RP's are applied.
• At the beginning of each Combat resolution (see 11.2).
• During the Attrition Phase of each side.

13.1.2 To be in supply, units must trace supply through any number of friendly-controlled, Connected spaces to a Friendly Supply Source (see 13.2).

EXCEPTION: Nationalist units in an Isolated Space at the beginning of the game are considered supplied (see 16.2).

13.1.3 Units may not trace supply through an enemy controlled space.

NOTE: The Republican Player may trace supply through a space containing a Siege (see 16.1).

13.1.4 Units may also trace supply to a friendly-controlled Port space, and then by sea directly to a Friendly Supply Source Port space, or to another Port space that is Connected overland to a Friendly Supply Source space. No more than two Ports may be involved when tracing a supply line by sea.

13.1.4.1 The sea supply line may not use Ports in two different Sea Zones. Both Ports must be in the same Sea Zone (Atlantic or Mediterranean).

13.1.4.2 The Republican Player may only use Mediterranean Ports to trace sea supply lines (he cannot use Atlantic Ports).

13.1.4.3 As long as the Republican side controls the Strait of Gibraltar, the Nationalist Player may not use Mediterranean Ports to trace sea supply lines. This limitation ends when the control of the Strait passes to the Nationalist side (see 16.7).

13.1.5 For attrition (see 13.3.5) purposes only, Republican Division-sized Units from Asturias are always considered supplied in Asturias. They are not eliminated in the Attrition Phase if they are in Asturias. This does not affect the space itself, only the units, so if an OOS space is empty, it will still revert to Nationalist control in the Attrition Phase (see 13.3.6).

IMPORTANT: This means that these Division-sized Units are not permanently eliminated from the game when the rest of the Northern Front is conquered. They must be attacked and eliminated by the Nationalist Player to finalize the conquest of the Northern Front.

13.2 Supply Sources

13.2.1 There are Nationalist (symbol in blue) and Republican (symbol in red) Supply Sources.

13.2.2 Units may only use a Friendly Supply Source. To be a Friendly Supply Source, the Supply Source must be that side's Supply Source and may not be enemy-controlled.

13.2.3 When a side captures a space which is an enemy Supply Source, it may not use that captured Supply Source (neither may the enemy).

13.2.4 Badajoz: Special Supply Source

13.2.4.1 The space of Badajoz is a Special Republican Supply Source: It may only be used for tracing supply. It cannot be used for deploying reinforcements or combat units rebuilt with Replacement Points (see 8.5.2).

13.2.4.2 In addition, once the Nationalist Player captures Badajoz, the space will no longer be a Republican Supply Source of any type for the rest of the game (flip its marker). That is, if the Republican Player loses control of Badajoz, even if he later recaptures the space, it will no longer be considered a Republican Supply Source. Regardless, Badajoz remains a VP Space, with the usual changes in VP and RM when its control changes from one side to the other.

NOTE: Historically Badajoz was not an important logistic center. However, in the game it is a Republican Supply Source to reflect its importance during the first weeks of the war, and to simulate that the Nationalist columns from the south could not simply ignore that capital during their advance through Extremadura.

13.3 Out of Supply Effects

13.3.1 Out of Supply (OOS) units may not be Activated for Movement or Combat when spending OPS Points.

13.3.2 OOS units may not use Strategic Redeployment nor receive Replacement Points.

13.3.3 OOS units may not build a Position or Trench, though they still receive the benefits of a Position or Trench already in their space.

13.3.4 In Combat, OOS units may not receive the benefit of any CC's. OOS units eliminated in Combat are permanently removed from the game and may not be rebuilt with RP's. They are otherwise unaffected during Combat (i.e. they defend with their full Combat Factors – remember, they cannot be Activated for attacking).

13.3.5 Units which are OOS during that side's Attrition Phase are eliminated and permanently removed from the game and may not be rebuilt with RP's. The space they occupy then becomes enemy controlled per 13.3.6 below. OOS Corps-sized Units eliminated during the Attrition Phase are not replaced by Division-sized Units, unlike OOS Corps-sized Units eliminated in Combat (see 11.3.3).

EXAMPLE: A Republican Corps-sized Unit is caught OOS in the Republican Attrition Phase. It is permanently eliminated from the game and the space switches to Nationalist control; however, the Republican Player does not also have to eliminate a Division-sized Unit from his Reserve Box.

13.3.6 During the Attrition Phase, any vacant friendly-controlled space that cannot trace a Supply Line to a Friendly Supply Source becomes enemy-controlled.

EXCEPTION: Borders with France and Portugal (see 13.4).

13.3.7 Each side's Attrition Phase occurs at the end of that Player's 6th Action Round of the Turn.

13.4 Borders with France and Portugal

13.4.1 Some spaces on the map have dotted line connections to either France or Portugal. These are "border spaces" and the connections are termed "border connections".

13.4.1.1 Only Nationalist units may use the border connections to Portugal. Portugal is "friendly" to the Nationalist Player.

13.4.1.2 Only Republican units may use the border connections to France. France is "friendly" to the Republican Player.

13.4.2 France and Portugal provide limited supply to a unit that is Connected to those Countries. An otherwise OOS Republican unit Connected to France through a border connection may be Activated for Movement (only) and will not be eliminated during the Attrition Phase. However, such a unit remains OOS and may not be Activated for Combat, construct Position or Trench, receive RP's, or use SR (exception: they may use Special SR, see below). The same conditions apply to otherwise OOS Nationalist units Connected to Portugal.

13.4.3 Special Strategic Redeployment through the border: A Player may still SR an otherwise OOS unit that is Connected to a friendly border (French border for Republican units; Portuguese border for Nationalist units). The cost and effects of a Special SR are:

• The Special SR of a Division-sized Unit costs one-half SR Point, and the unit is moved to the Reserve Box at its reduced strength side (regardless of original facing).
• The Special SR cost for a Corps-sized Unit is one and a half SR Points; the unit is placed on the Game Turn track two Turns ahead. During the Replacement Phase of that Turn, the unit is returned to the map at reduced strength as if rebuilt from the Eliminated Box.

EXAMPLE: An OOS Corps-sized Unit conducts a Special SR on Turn 10. At the end of Turn 12, during the Replacement Phase, the unit is placed at reduced strength into any Friendly Supply Source or Madrid (if friendly-controlled and supplied).

NOTE: Remember, this only applies to units that are OOS and Connected to a friendly border!

13.4.3.1 Republican Regional units (Asturian, Santander and Basque) cannot conduct a Special SR.

13.4.3.2 After the France Recognizes Nationalist Spain Event is played, no Republican unit may conduct a Special SR.

13.4.4 Spaces connected to a friendly border: An OOS space that is Connected to a friendly country (France for the Republicans; Portugal for the Nationalists) will not change sides in the Attrition Phase.

14.0 Replacements

14.1 General Rules

14.1.1 During the Replacement Phase, each player can spend the number of Replacement Points (RP's) recorded on the General Records Track by the RP Markers.

14.1.1.1 The Nationalist Player has one marker for Nationalist RP's and another for Axis RP's. The Republican Player has one marker for Republican RP's and another for Soviet RP's. The Axis RP Marker and the Soviet RP Marker are only used after the corresponding Event Cards are played.

14.1.1.2 Republican Side:

• A Republican RP may be spent to replace any Republican unit except the International Brigade Division-sized Units and T-26 armor units.
• A Soviet RP may be spent to replace any Republican unit, including the International Brigade Division-sized Units and T-26 armor units.
• Soviet RP's are not gained until the Soviet Military Aid Event is played.

14.1.1.3 Nationalist Side:

• A Nationalist RP may be spent to replace any Nationalist unit except PZ-I armor units and Italian units (ITA Division-sized Units, CV-33 armor units and CTV Corps-sized Unit). It may also be used for Sieges (see 16.1.8).
• An Axis RP may be spent to replace any Nationalist unit (including PZ-I armor units and Italian units), except units in Isolated Spaces (see 16.2.4.2). It may not be used for Sieges.
• Axis RP's are not generated until the Axis Military Aid Event is played.

14.1.2 RP's not spent during a Replacement Phase are lost; they may not be saved for use in a future Turn. RP's may be spent on a reduced strength unit (on the map or in the Reserve Box) to replace its lost step, or to rebuild an eliminated unit – returning it to play at its reduced or full strength side.

NOTE: RP's are spent one of two ways; to "rebuild" an eliminated unit or to "replace" a lost step on a reduced strength unit. Keep in mind that terminology when referring to the RP rules, below.

14.1.3 It costs one-half RP to replace a Division-sized Unit step, and one RP to replace a Corps-sized Unit step.

14.1.4 A rebuilt Division-sized Unit is always placed in the Reserve Box. It may be rebuilt at reduced strength (for one-half a RP) or at full strength (one RP).

14.1.5 A rebuilt Corps-sized Unit is placed as if it was a Reinforcement (see 8.5.2.4). It may be rebuilt at reduced strength (for one RP) or at full strength (two RPs).

14.1.6 Army of Africa units and the Insurrection special unit may never take replacements. These units are marked with a black circle on the right side of the counter.

14.1.7 Regional Corps-sized Units (Asturian, Santander and Basque) may not take replacements if they are outside their region of origin and cannot trace a supply line to the Friendly Supply Source inside their region of origin.

14.2 Control of Territory and Replacements

14.2.1 Losing control of Main Cities reduces the RP's each side receives. At the start of the game, the Republican Player controls four Main Cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao (Bilbao is a special case, see below) and the Nationalist controls two: Sevilla and Zaragoza.

14.2.2 During the Replacement Phase, a Player loses RP equal to the difference between the number of currently owned Main Cities and originally owned ones (i.e. four for the Republican Player and two for the Nationalist Player). Note that the specific Main Cities are not important, so if the Nationalists had lost Zaragoza but captured Madrid, neither side would lose any RP's this Turn. This modifier is applied to the NAT RP's for the Nationalist Player, and to the REP RP's for the Republican Player. Players are encouraged to use one of the appropriate RP Markers to serve as reminders of any net RP modifiers for that side.

EXAMPLE: If the Republican Player controls only two Main Cities (two fewer than initially controlled), two REP RP's would be subtracted in the Replacement Phase. To serve as a reminder, the Republican Player uses the "REP RP Marker" with the "-2" side face up.

14.2.3 Controlling a greater number of Main Cities does not increase your own RP's, but simply reduces your opponents.

14.2.4 The RP penalty due to lost Main Cities never reduces total REP or NAT RP value to less than zero.

14.2.5 Bilbao: The Republican Player does not suffer the adverse effects of losing the Main City of Bilbao until the Nationalist Player controls all three Supply Sources in the Republican Northern Front (Bilbao, Santander and Gijón). If the Nationalist Player does not control all three of the Supply Sources, the Republican Player is considered to retain control of that "Main City" (even if he has lost Bilbao itself) for purposes of replacements (but changes to VP/RM are otherwise applied). Solely for the purpose of determining the number of Main Cities controlled by the Nationalist Player (see 14.2.2), the Nationalist Player is not considered to control the Bilbao Main City until he controls all three Republican Northern Front Supply Sources (see Example, below).

EXAMPLE: The Nationalists control Bilbao, but not Santander or Gijón, so the Republicans still suffer no adverse effects on their RP's. If the Nationalists have also lost Zaragoza, the Republicans will suffer no adverse effects on their RP's, but the Nationalist will lose one NAT RP per Turn as, effectively, they are down one Main City until they capture Santander and Gijón (or capture/recapture another Main City).

15.0 War Progress

15.1 War Phases

15.1.1 The Campaign and Two Years of War scenarios go through more than one war phase.

15.1.2 At the end of Turn 5 (January/February 1937), the game enters the Mobilization Phase. Each Player adds his Mobilization Cards and his current Discard Pile (but not permanently removed) to his Draw Pile and reshuffles to form a new Draw Pile. His Draw Pile will now consist of his Mobilization Cards and his War of the Columns Cards that are not in his hand currently.

IMPORTANT: At the beginning of Turn 6, if a Player does not draw at least one Corps-sized Unit Reinforcement Card, he may reveal his complete hand, discard it, return those Cards to the Draw Pile, reshuffle, and draw a new hand. This may be repeated until a hand containing at least one Corps-sized Unit Reinforcement Card is drawn.

15.1.3 At the end of Turn 11 (January/February 1938), the game enters the War of the Armies Phase. Each Player adds his War of the Armies Cards and his current Discard Pile (but not permanently removed Cards) to his Draw Pile and reshuffles it to form a new Draw Pile. His Draw Pile will now consist of his War of the Armies Cards and his War of the Columns and Mobilization Cards that are not in his hand currently.

15.2 Deployment of Initial Corps-sized Units

15.2.1 At the end of Turn 5 (January/February 1937), the War of the Columns Phase ends. Before starting Turn 6 (March/April 1937), both Players must deploy to the map their initial Corps-sized Units. These units are listed below:

Initial Nationalist Corps-sized Units:

• I Army Corps
• V Army Corps
• VI Army Corps
• VII Army Corps
• VIII Army Corps
• Aragón Army Corps
• Marroquí Army Corps
• Navarra Army Corps
• Extremadura Army Corps
• CTV (Corpo di Truppe Volontarie)*

Initial Republican Corps-sized Units:

• I Army Corps
• II Army Corps
• III Army Corps
• IV Army Corps
• V Army Corps
• VI Army Corps
• Euzkadi Army Corps (Basque Army Corps)
• Santander Army Corps
• I Asturian Army Corps
• II Asturian Army Corps

EXCEPTION: If the Nationalist Player has not played the Axis Military Aid Event during the War of the Columns Phase, he cannot deploy the CTV Corps-sized Unit now. If he later plays the Card as the Event, he will deploy that unit as if it was a Reinforcement (see 8.5.2.4).

To deploy initial Corps-sized Units to the map the Players follow the procedure explained below.

15.2.1.1 Starting with the Nationalist, Players alternate deploying Corps-sized Units to the map one by one. Each Player may deploy the above Corps-sized Units in any order he chooses.

15.2.1.2 Each of the initial Corps-sized Units may be placed in one of the following: in a space with at least one friendly Combat Unit, in a Friendly Supply Source, or in Madrid. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied. No more than one Corps-sized Unit may be placed in the same space (though see exceptions below). If upon deploying a Corps-sized Unit the stacking limit is exceeded, one Division-sized Unit in that space must be moved to the Reserve Box.

EXCEPTIONS:

• The Nationalist Player must deploy at least one Corps-sized Unit in, or adjacent to, each of the three regions of the Northern Front (Asturias, Santander and Basque Country). A minimum of three Corps-sized Units in total must be deployed, even if one is Adjacent to two regions (more may be deployed if desired, but remember - no more than one Corps-sized Unit per space). If there are no free spaces that fulfill this condition, the Corps-sized Unit must be deployed as near as possible to the region. If all spaces of a region are under Nationalist control, the Nationalist Player is not required to deploy a Corps-sized Unit in or adjacent to that region.

EXAMPLE: The Nationalist Player has conquered Bilbao and all the Basque spaces. No Corps-sized Unit need be placed in or adjacent to a Basque Country space.

• The CTV must be deployed to a space containing at least one supplied Italian (ITA or CV-33) unit, or in a Port space controlled by the Nationalist Player.
• Republican Regional Corps-sized Units (Asturian, Santander and the Basque Euzkadi) must be deployed to a space with at least one supplied unit from its same region, or to the Friendly Supply Source inside its region of origin (if friendly-controlled). They must be deployed inside their respective region, if possible. More than one Regional Corps-sized Unit may be deployed to the same space if there is no other option (see below).

NOTE: It may be necessary to deploy a regional Corps-sized Unit outside of its region of origin, even in another region of the Northern Front, under these circumstances: 1) The Friendly Supply Source in its region has been captured; 2) There are no supplied Division-sized Units from its same region inside that region; and 3) There is at least one supplied Division-sized Unit from its same region on the map.

As there are two Asturian Corps-sized Units, in their case, it may also happen that there is only one remaining available space for deployment within Asturias – requiring the other to be deployed outside of Asturias, if possible. If that is not possible, both Corps-sized Units are deployed in the same space.

• If the above conditions are met and the only space available to deploy the Regional Corps-sized Unit is where another Corps-sized Unit of the other Region must also be deployed, then both Corps-sized Units may be deployed to the same space. Similar logic may be applied to a third Corps-sized Unit forced to deploy to this same space.

EXAMPLE: The Nationalists have conquered the Santander region, but a lone Santander Division-sized Unit, along with an Asturian Division-sized Unit, remains in Cangas de Onís. If there are two additional Asturias spaces controlled by the Republican Player, they must deploy the Santander Corps-sized Unit to Cangas de Onís and the two Asturian Corps-sized Units to those other spaces.

However, if the only Asturias spaces controlled by the Republican Player were Cangas de Onís and Gijón, then the Republican Player would deploy one Asturian Corps-sized Unit and the Santander Corps-sized Unit to Cangas de Onís. One of the Division-sized units would then move to the Reserve Box.

Finally, if only Gijón was controlled by the Republican Player in Asturias, then both Asturian Corps-sized Units and the Santander Corps-sized Unit would be deployed to this space. The Division-sized units would move to the Reserve Box.

• No Republican Non-Regional Corps-sized Units may be deployed to the Northern Front while it is isolated (see 16.4.3).

If any of the initial Corps-sized Units cannot be legally deployed to the map, they are permanently eliminated from the game. A Player may not pass on deployment (though the Republican Player may end up deploying his ninth and tenth Corps-sized Units without a Nationalist Unit deployed between them if the CTV Corps-sized Unit is not available to be deployed).

15.2.2 Deployment of Corps-sized Units ends after the Republican Player deploys his tenth Corps-sized Unit. Each Player then verifies his Reserve Box (see 15.2.2.1), and if necessary, removes Division-sized Units from the map and places them in the Reserve.

15.2.2.1 Each Player must have at least the following Division-sized Units in their Reserve Box after deployment of all of the First Corps-sized Units (additional Division-sized Units are acceptable, provided the units listed below are in the Reserve Box):

Nationalist Player's Reserve Box:

• One Italian ITA unit*.
• Six Nationalist MIL and/or INF units.

Republican Player's Reserve Box:

• One Basque MIL unit.
• One Santander MIL unit.
• Two Asturian MIL units.
• Four Republican MIL and/or RPA units.

EXCEPTION: If the Nationalist Player has not played the Italian Reinforcements Event, it is not necessary to have an ITA unit in the Reserve Box.

The following Division-sized Units are NOT counted when considering the above requirements:

• Nationalists: AFR, CAV, POL, PZ-I and CV-33 units.
• Republicans: POL, T-26, and INT units.

15.2.2.2 If a Player does not meet the above Division-sized Units requirement, he must remove some of his Division-sized Units from the map until they satisfy the above requirements. The only units which can be removed are those Division-sized Units which would help satisfy the above requirement, and only from supplied spaces (remember: Oviedo or Granada, if still an Isolated Space at the end of Turn 5, is no longer an Isolated Space and, as such, is NOT in supply at this point in the Turn). Beginning with the Nationalist, Players alternate removing Division-sized Units from the map to the Reserve Box, one by one. Obviously, if only one Player fails to meet the above requirements, they are the only Player that will be removing units. Units moved to the Reserve Box may be at full strength or reduced strength. When a Player reaches the requirements described above, he stops removing units from the map. A Player may not voluntarily remove extra Division-sized Units from the map.

15.2.3 Republican Militarization: After the Reserve Box for both Players is set, the Republican Player may substitute up to five in-play MIL Division-sized Units (on the map, in the Reserve Box or in the Eliminated Unit's box) for RPA Division-sized Units. If the removed unit is at reduced strength, the substitute must be deployed at reduced strength. The five MIL units are permanently eliminated from the game.

IMPORTANT: Regional MIL Units (Asturian, Santander and Basque) cannot be substituted, nor can the POUM unit. Catalonian MIL units may be substituted.

16.0 Special Rules

16.1 Sieges

16.1.1 At the beginning of the game, there are three Nationalist resistance locations under siege by the Republicans. Markers represent the Sieges on the map and on the General Records Track (the back of each marker states where to place the marker). The Simancas Quarter is in Gijón space, the Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary in Pto. de Valderrepiso space, and the Alcázar in Toledo space. Each of these resistance locations is considered besieged, even if there is no Republican unit in the space (they were small groups that were easily contained). The only thing they can do is wait for liberation, or be forced to finally surrender.

16.1.2 The presence of a Siege Marker has no additional effect on that space. The space is considered controlled by the Republican Player for all purposes, and the Siege Marker does not obstruct Movement, building of a Position or Trench, SR, supply lines, etc.

16.1.3 Liberation of a Siege: If a supplied Nationalist Combat Unit enters or passes through a space that contains a Siege Marker, the Siege is lifted and the garrison is considered liberated. The Siege Marker is removed from the space, the Siege Resist Marker is removed from the General Records Track, and the appropriate RM and/or VP effects occur (see 16.1.7). If the space is OOS in the Attrition Phase, such that it reverts to being controlled by the Nationalist side, the Siege is also considered liberated.

16.1.4 Republican assaults: Each besieged enclave has a resistance capacity against Republican assaults, indicating the number of successful assaults it takes to force it to surrender. The Siege Resist Marker on the General Records Track records these, and each Siege Resist Marker begins at the following numbers:

• Simancas Quarter: 1.
• Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary: 2.
• Alcázar of Toledo: 3.

16.1.4.1 To launch an assault, the Republican Player must have at least one Combat Unit in the space with the Siege Marker, and he must Activate the space for Attack. At least one unit in the space must take part in the assault. If there is more than one unit, the others may attack Adjacent spaces.

16.1.4.2 During Combat resolution, the Republican Player rolls one die. On a result of 1-3, the assault is successful. Modifiers that are applied to this die roll are:

• During Turn 1: +1 DRM.
• More than one Division-size Unit, or at least one Corps-sized Unit participating in the assault: -1 DRM.

For each successful assault, move the corresponding Siege Resist Marker on the General Records Track one space closer to 0.

NOTE: Combat Cards may not be used in assaults against Sieges.

16.1.5 Surrender of a Siege: When a Siege Resist Marker is moved to the 0 space of the General Records Track, the besieged enclave immediately surrenders and the Siege Marker is removed from the space. There are no RM or VP benefits for forcing a Siege to surrender, but the Nationalist Player is denied any gain from liberating them.

16.1.6 Beginning on Turn 6, at the end of each Turn reduce the Siege Resist Number for each Siege by one, as if it had been successfully assaulted. This may result in the surrender of a besieged enclave.

16.1.7 Effects of the liberation of Nationalist besieged enclaves:

• If a Siege ends through liberation, subtract one point from Republican Morale.
• If the Alcázar of Toledo is liberated, also add one VP (that is, a total of -1 RM and +1 VP).

Once a Siege surrenders, it may never be liberated – remove the Siege Marker from the map and the Siege Resist Marker from the General Records Track.

16.1.8 Sieges and Replacement Points: In the Replacement Phase, the Nationalist Player may use Nationalist RP's (not Axis ones) to "reinforce" a besieged enclave.

16.1.8.1 A maximum of one RP may be used for each Siege in a given Turn. The spending of an RP on a Siege increases the Siege Resist Marker by one, but not above the initial resistance level for that enclave (per 16.1.4).

NOTE: This represents superhuman will to resist, promises of an early liberation, help delivered by planes, etc.

16.1.8.2 Once a Siege Marker has been removed from the map (via being forced to surrender or by being liberated), the Siege can never be "resurrected" using an RP.

16.1.8.3 Once the War of the Columns Phase ends, RP's may not be used to increase the Siege Resist Marker.

16.2 Isolated Spaces

16.2.1 At the beginning of the game, there are two spaces controlled by the Nationalist Player which are completely surrounded by spaces controlled by the Republican Player: Oviedo and Granada. Both of these spaces begin the game as "Isolated Spaces" – place an Isolated Space Marker on each space.

16.2.2 Oviedo and Granada are considered Isolated Spaces until the Nationalist Player can trace a normal supply line to them (per 13.1), until the end of Turn 5 (see 16.2.6), or until the Republican Player conquers them. At that point, immediately remove the Isolated Space Marker and, if conquered, apply any RM or VP effects (corresponding to the type of space and/or the bonus for capturing Oviedo while isolated – see 16.2.5).

16.2.3 Prior to removal of the Isolated Space Marker, any Nationalist unit located in an Isolated Space, or in a space Connected to an Isolated Space, is considered supplied, and may be Activated for Movement but NOT for Combat.

16.2.4 Reinforcements, Replacements and Strategic Redeployment are seriously limited in the Isolated Spaces and in Nationalist spaces connected to Isolated Spaces, as detailed below.

16.2.4.1 Reinforcements: As general rule, reinforcements cannot be deployed to an Isolated Space, nor to a Nationalist space connected to an Isolated Space.

16.2.4.2 Replacements: In the Replacements Phase a maximum of one RP may be used in each Isolated Space or in a group of Nationalist spaces Connected to that Isolated Space, and the cost for all expenditures is doubled (i.e. replacing a Division-sized Unit step costs the full one RP). Only Nationalist RP (not Axis) may be expended.

EXAMPLE: Assuming the Republican Player abandons Guadix, next to the Isolated Space of Granada, the Nationalist Player could move one of the units from Granada into Guadix (perhaps attempting a Position in Granada with the other unit). During the Replacement Phase he could spend one RP (total) among the units in both Granada and Guadix, noting that the one RP would be sufficient to only restore one Division-sized Unit step.

16.2.4.3 Strategic Redeployment: No unit may SR from an Isolated Space, or from a Nationalist space Connected to an Isolated Space, to the Reserve box. A maximum of one Nationalist MIL Unit per Turn may be moved from the Reserve Box to each Isolated Space (including any Nationalist spaces Connected to that Isolated Space).

EXCEPTION: Militias from Navarre (MIL-NAV Units) may not SR to an Isolated Space.

16.2.5 If the Republican Player conquers Oviedo (not Granada) while it is an Isolated Space, he earns one VP in addition to the usual changes in VP and RM for capturing that space.

16.2.6 If the Isolated Space Markers have not been previously removed, they are removed at the end of Turn 5, and any Isolated Spaces and Nationalist spaces connected to the Isolated Spaces are now Out of Supply (OOS). That is, if the space is still OOS at the end of the Nationalist 6th Action Round of Turn 6, any Nationalist units will be permanently eliminated and the space will pass to Republican control.

NOTE: Capturing Oviedo this way does not modify VP's, because it is no longer an Isolated Space.

16.3 Republican Morale

16.3.1 The Republican side starts the game with a predetermined morale level depending on which scenario is being played (e.g. the Campaign Game starts at 26). The morale level represents the Republicans' confidence in final victory and the general will to execute the war.

16.3.2 As the game goes forward, Republican Morale (RM) will change, increasing or -more often- decreasing. As the RM level decreases, it has a number of game effects such as modifying the number of Cards each Player may have in his hand (see 6.0 A) and giving the Nationalist Player the ability to play certain Events. This includes the Casado's Coup Event, which results in the unconditional surrender of the Republican side and ends the game. Finally, on a Turn by Turn basis, the RM level is used to determine whether either Player has achieved an Automatic Victory (see 5.2). Unless stated otherwise, any condition that results in a change to RM results in that change occurring immediately.

NOTE: The General Records Track is numbered from 0 to 29, but the RM may surpass those values. If the RM goes below zero, flip the counter over to its "NEG" side. If it exceeds 29, the Republican Player may taunt his opponent and force him to keep track of the additional morale.

16.3.3 Modifiers to Republican Morale:

• Nationalists capture a Province Capital/VP space¹: -1.
• Nationalists capture a Main City (except Madrid): -2.
• Nationalists capture Madrid: -3.
• Nationalists liberate a Siege (see 16.1.7): -1.
• Nationalists isolate the Republican zone from the French border²: -2.
• Republicans capture a Province Capital/VP space¹: +1.
• Republicans capture a Main City (except Madrid): +2.
• Republicans recapture Madrid³: +3.
• Republicans isolate the Nationalist zone from the Portuguese border⁴: +2.

¹ A silver border denotes a Province Capital space and a gold border denotes a VP space (see Terrain Key).

² The Nationalist Player must control all border spaces Adjacent to France. If he loses the control of any of these spaces, he loses the modifier (but would regain it if, later, he regains control of all the border spaces again).

³ Obviously this only applies if they had lost Madrid previously.

⁴ The Republican Player must control all border spaces Adjacent to Portugal. If he loses control of any of these spaces, he loses the modifier (but would regain it if, later, he regains control of all the border spaces again).

Only ONCE per game:

• Republicans connect the Northern Front with their main zone⁵: +2.
• End of the Northern Front⁶: -2.

⁵ The Republican Player gains this if a Friendly Supply Source located outside the Northern Front can trace a supply line to a Friendly Supply Source inside the Northern Front. Cannot be gained after Nationalists conquer the Northern Front (see below).

⁶ The Nationalist Player gains this when he controls all of the spaces of the Northern Front.

NOTE: Remember, Asturian Division-sized Units inside the Asturias region will not be automatically removed even after the Nationalist Player conquers all Republican Supply Sources in the Northern Front. These units must be eliminated via combat.

Only after the Mobilization Phase begins, and only ONCE per game:

• Nationalists divide the Republican zone into two⁷: -1.
• Republicans divide the Nationalist zone into two⁷: +1.

⁷ For a zone to be considered divided, each of the resultant two fragments must include a minimum of eight supplied spaces Connected within them.

16.3.4 Republican Strategic Counterattacks: The Republican Player has three Strategic Counterattack Cards that allow him an opportunity to increase the Republican Morale (see 8.5.5).

16.4 Northern Front

16.4.1 At the beginning of the game, the Republican Player controls a group of spaces near the Atlantic coast separated from the main Republican zone. This territory is called the Northern Front, and it is formed by the regions of Asturias, Santander, and the part of Basque Country still Republican controlled. Units that belong to each of those three regions defend it.

There are some special rules and exceptions applied to the Northern Front.

16.4.2 Non-Cooperation Rule

16.4.2.1 Other than the exceptions noted below, units from each region may only end their move in spaces that are in their own region (indicated on the map with a certain color: blue for Asturias, yellow for Santander, and green for the Basque Country), or that do not belong to another region in the Northern Front. This includes SR and advance after Combat. This rule does not apply to other units (e.g. the POL unit that begin the game in the Northern Front).

EXAMPLE: Asturian units may move into any Asturian space (marked on the map with blue dots) or end their move in any space not in Santander or the Basque Country: Lugo, Ponferrada, León, etc.

16.4.2.2 A maximum of one Division-sized Unit from each region may end its move in a space belonging to one of the other regions. A Regional Corps-sized Unit may never voluntarily end its move in another region.

EXAMPLE: One (and only one) Asturian Division-sized Unit may end its move in Santander or the Basque Country.

16.4.2.3 Retreats: If a Regional unit is forced to retreat in Combat, it may retreat to or through spaces inside another region in the Northern Front without constraint (i.e. the Non-Cooperation rule does not apply to retreats).

16.4.2.4 If, as a result of a retreat, more than the one allowed Division-sized Unit is outside its home region and inside another region, the next time a space containing one of that region's units that is outside its home region is Activated for Movement, uses SR or advances in Combat, it must go back to its home region, if possible. If it is not possible, or if the Nationalist side controls all spaces in its home region, the Non-Cooperation rule no longer applies to that unit, and the unit can move freely (including SR and advance in Combat).

NOTE: Even if the above exception to the Non-Cooperation rule applies to the movement of certain units, it continues to apply for the rest of situations (i.e. the Player may not voluntarily move more units to another region using SR, etc.).

16.4.3 Republican Units Allowed in the Northern Front

16.4.3.1 If a Republican Friendly Supply Source in the Northern Front (Gijón, Santander or Bilbao) cannot trace a supply line to another Friendly Supply Source outside of the Northern Front, the Northern Front is considered isolated.

16.4.3.2 While the Northern Front is isolated the following limitations are applied to the type of Republican units that can be in that zone:

• Only Asturian, Santander and Basque units, and up to two POL Division-sized Units may be in the Northern Front. This also affects spaces not in any of the three regions if those spaces can only trace a supply line to Gijón, Santander, or Bilbao.

NOTE: This refers to any Nationalist spaces that the Northern Republican forces capture while the Northern Front is still isolated.

• Units received by play of a Reinforcements Card may not be placed in the Northern Front.
• Only Regional units and POL units may SR to the Northern Front from the Reserve Box. In addition to the other restrictions on SR, Regional units may only SR from the Reserve Box to spaces inside their respective regions and/or spaces that contain at least one supplied unit from their same region, observing the Non-Cooperation rule.
• Regional Corps-sized Units rebuilt with RP's are restricted on where they enter (see 8.5.2.4).

16.4.3.3 If a Republican Friendly Supply Source in the Northern Front (Gijón, Santander or Bilbao) can trace a supply line to another Friendly Supply Source outside of the Northern Front, the Northern Front is no longer considered isolated. For as long as this situation is maintained, the limitations on the types of units that can be in the Northern Front (per 16.4.3.2) are canceled. If the Northern Front is later isolated again, all the Republican units present in the Northern Front will be able to stay, even if they are now in violation of the above rules.

16.5 Winter

16.5.1 January/February Turns are considered Winter Turns (denoted by a blue tint on the Game Turn Track). Accordingly, there are three winters during the game: 1937, 1938 and 1939, corresponding to Turns 5, 11, and 17.

16.5.2 The following rules apply during a Winter Turn:

• Each Player may play a maximum of three Cards for OPS¹. There is no limit to the number of Automatic Operations (one OPS, see 7.1.3) that may be taken.
• Attacks to a Mountain space subtract an additional –1 DRM.

¹ Played Events which allow two or more spaces to be Activated (either through granted OPS or by placement of Attack Markers) count towards this limit (e.g. Condor Legion, Strategic Counterattack, Offensives, etc.). However, the Communist Interference Event does NOT count towards this limit because it only grants one OPS.

16.5.3 Severe Winter: If the Republican Player plays the Severe Winter Event, the following winter will be especially harsh. Instead of rule 16.5.2, the following rules apply during the next Winter Turn:

• The limit on Cards played for OPS (or Events with multiple Activations) is two Cards.
• Attacks into a Mountain space receive a –2 DRM, instead of the usual –1 DRM.

EXAMPLE: The Republican Player plays the "Severe Winter" Event in one of his Action Rounds of Turn 5 (the first Winter Turn). The "Severe Winter" Marker is then placed on Game Turn 11 (the "following Winter Turn") to serve as a reminder that Turn 11 will be restricted to only two Cards played for OPS and all attacks to Mountain Spaces will suffer a –2 DRM in addition to the 1CL shift associated with Mountain spaces.

16.6 Armor

16.6.1 By play of Event Cards, both sides may receive armor units. The Republicans may obtain the Soviet T-26 units, and the Nationalists may obtain the Italian CV-33 and German PZ-I units. Armor units are received by play of a Reinforcements Card, and are restricted on where they may enter play (see Card text) and SR (see 12.1.8).

16.6.2 The following special rules apply to the use of armor units in combat:

• An Activated, full-strength armor unit attacking an Open space (i.e. without Mountain, Main City, Position or Trench) not across a river may add a +1 DRM to that side's combat roll.
• If an armor unit is used to gain the +1 DRM, it may be required to suffer a first loss (see 11.3.6 – 11.3.7). An armor unit that is not used to gain a DRM is never required to be a mandatory first loss, even if other armor units are used for the DRM.
• The DRM bonus for armor can never be higher than +1 no matter how many armor units are involved in the attack.
• Use of the DRM gained by armor is not mandatory, but its use must be declared before rolling the die to resolve the combat.

16.7 Naval Blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar

16.7.1 At the beginning of the game, the Republican side has naval control of the Strait of Gibraltar. While this control is maintained, the Nationalist Player may not trace a supply line nor SR by sea beyond the Strait; that is, he may not use the Mediterranean Ports from Algeciras (included) to the East (including Balearic Islands). The game effect of this restriction is that the Nationalist Player may only SR by sea to/from Cádiz and may not trace sea supply in the Mediterranean Sea (since both Ports for supply must be in the same Sea Zone – see 13.1.4.1).

EXCEPTION: Italian ITA Division-sized Units and all armor units (CV-33 and PZ-I) may SR to any friendly-controlled and supplied Mediterranean Port space, regardless of who controls the Strait.

16.7.2 When the Nationalist Player plays the End of the Strait Blockade Event (Card N6), the Republican side loses control of the Strait and the above limitations no longer apply. Instead, from that point on the Republican Player may not trace a supply line, nor SR by sea, beyond the Strait, that is, he may not use the Mediterranean Ports from Algeciras (included) to the West.

17.0 War of the Columns

During the first phase of the war, Turns 1-5, the following special rules apply:

17.1 Nationalist Ammunition Shortage (Nationalist Northern Zone Army)

17.1.1 At the start of the game, the Nationalist forces are divided into two zones: the Northern zone (those spaces that begin the game Nationalist-controlled and Connected to La Coruña, Valladolid and Zaragoza) and the Southern zone (those spaces that begin the game Nationalist-controlled and Connected to Sevilla). This rule applies until the Nationalist Player is able to connect these two zones, or until War of the Columns Phase ends (whichever comes first). The two zones are considered connected when a Nationalist Friendly Supply Source in the Northern zone (La Coruña, Valladolid or Zaragoza) can trace a supply line to a Nationalist-controlled Sevilla. This penalty, once removed, is never reinstated, even if the Republican Player manages to again divide the Nationalist zone.

17.1.2 Ammunition Shortage effect: The Nationalist Player may only Activate one space for Combat in the entire Northern zone in each Action Round. There is no limit on the number of spaces in the Northern zone that may be Activated for Movement.

17.1.3 The supply line to Sevilla must be traced via land connections (only) for the purpose of removing the Ammunition Shortage. The Mallorca space is not affected by the Ammunition Shortage rule.

17.2 Railroad Lines and Initial Disorder

17.2.1 During the first two Game Turns the following penalty is applied to both sides: If a Strategy Card is played for SR, one SR Point must be subtracted from it.

EXAMPLE: If a Player plays a three value Card for SR, he may only use two SR Points.

17.2.2 For each Card played for SR, the Nationalist Player may SR a maximum of one Army of Africa unit.

17.2.3 These restrictions are lifted on Turn 3.

17.3 Madrid: Priority Objective

17.3.1 At the start of the war, Madrid was the primary objective for the Nationalist side. As such, if the Nationalist Player does not conquer Madrid before the end of the War of the Columns Phase he will suffer a Victory Points penalty.

17.3.2 At the end of the War of the Columns Phase (i.e. the end of Turn 5) the effort of the Nationalist Player in taking Madrid is assessed, and the VP Marker is adjusted accordingly. Only a single VP adjustment is made, that being the most favorable to the Nationalist Player of the following:

• The Nationalist Player has occupied Madrid, even if the Republican Player has retaken the space: 0 VP.
• The Nationalist Player has attacked the Madrid space: -1 VP (note: this was the historical result).
• The Nationalist Player has not attacked Madrid, but has attacked or occupied a space Adjacent to Madrid (attacks to Guadarrama do not count for this purpose, but the occupation of the space does): -2 VP's.
• The Nationalist Player has not attacked or occupied any space Adjacent to Madrid: -3 VP's.

17.4 Republican Militias' Lack of Coordination

17.4.1 Until the militarization of the Republican Militias by play of the Event Largo Caballero's Government, or at the end of Turn 5, the Republican Player may not attack an enemy space from more than one Adjacent space with only Militia (MIL) units (including the Regional ones).

17.4.2 To attack an enemy space from more than one Adjacent space, there must be a minimum of one non-MIL unit taking part in the attack in each of the additional spaces. That is, there can be only MIL units in one attacking space, but in each of the other spaces there must be at least one non-MIL unit.

EXAMPLE: If Republican units attack an enemy space from three Adjacent spaces, two of those spaces must contain at least one non-MIL attacking unit (POL, RPA, INT or T-26). For example, if both Ademuz and Rubielos de Mora have MIL units, only one of those spaces could join a POL unit in Barracas in attacking Teruel.

17.4.3 Catalonian Militias: Catalonian Militias (all MIL units with a red filled symbol: MIL-CNT, MIL-ERC, MIL-POUM and MIL-PSUC) were slow to militarize (especially the CNT and POUM units). Rules 17.4.1 and 17.4.2 apply to the above Catalonian MIL units until the end of the War of the Columns Phase, even if the Republican Player plays the Largo Caballero's Government Event previously.

17.5 First Game Turn Special Rules

17.5.1 During Turn 1, any Republican attack (not defense) that includes at least one MIL unit has a –1 DRM.

17.5.2 During Turn 1, any Republican assault on a Siege has a +1 DRM (see 16.1.4.2).

17.6 Army of Africa

17.6.1 Once the mandatory Air Bridge Event has been played, the Nationalist Player begins receiving reinforcements from the Army of Africa. These units are deployed on the map in a different way than normal reinforcements.

17.6.2 Game Turn 1 begins with the first unit from the Army of Africa (AFR) deployed on the map (in Sevilla). The following AFR units (until a total of seven) arrive at the specified time, one by one (this is also printed on the map):

• Turn 1 (August 1936), NAT Round 2: One unit.
• Turn 1 (August 1936), NAT Round 5: One unit.
• Turn 2 (September 1936), NAT Round 2: One unit.
• Turn 2 (September 1936), NAT Round 5: One unit.
• Turn 3 (October 1936), NAT Round 2: One unit*.
• Turn 3 (October 1936), NAT Round 5: One unit*.

* EXCEPTION: If the Nationalist Player plays the End of the Strait Blockade Event before his 2nd Action Round of Turn 3, AFR reinforcements that arrive on Turn 3 are accelerated and arrive, respectively, in NAT Rounds 1 and 2 of that Turn.

17.6.3 In an Action Round when AFR reinforcements arrive, the Nationalist Player deploys the unit on the map before doing any other action (EXCEPTION: if the End of the Strait Blockade Event is played on the NAT 1st Action Round of Turn 3, the accelerated AFR unit is deployed after resolving the Event). This is a free placement and he may play a Card as OPS, SR, RP or Event without restriction. The newly arrived AFR unit may be Activated normally and move, attack or SR.

EXCEPTION: In Turns 1 and 2 only one unit from the Army of Africa may be moved with each SR action (see 17.2.2).

17.6.4 Deployment of AFR reinforcements: The Nationalist Player may deploy arriving units only to a friendly controlled and supplied Sevilla or Cádiz. If neither of these spaces are controlled by Nationalist Player, or if the reinforcement would exceed the stacking limit in the space, the unit that is scheduled to arrive in that Round may not be deployed. It will stay in Morocco (leave it in its deployment box printed on the map), and may be moved to the Peninsula later by SR, but only to Sevilla or Cádiz.

17.6.5 AFR units may not receive RP's, and if destroyed they are permanently eliminated from the game. In addition, in any attack (not defense) that includes at least one AFR unit, the AFR may be required to suffer the first loss (see 11.3.6 – 11.3.7).

Rules Clarifications

Map

Terrain effects and Events: Even if an Event cancels terrain effects, the terrain still exists in the space, that is, a space with Mountain, Main City, Position or Trench is not considered an Open space. This applies to combat events like Artillery Concentration and to armor units, which cannot gain a +1 DRM against non-Open spaces. Note that the Captured Bridge Event does allow an armor unit to gain a +1 DRM if attacking an Open Space. In Winter Turns attacks to Mountain spaces have a negative DRM even if terrain effects are cancelled.

Card Clarifications

Operation Orders Captured (R7): If after assigning losses the Nationalist Player does not have at least one full strength armor unit, he may not add the DRM for armor. However, the first loss rule for armor units –if the Nationalist Player had declared its use- would have still applied when applying the losses.

Nyon Conference (R31): This Event cancels the -1 Soviet RP per Turn effect, however this Event is not retroactive. If played the same Turn as Italian Submarines, the Republican Player still does not receive any Soviet RP's for that Turn.

Opening of the French Border (R42): The additional SOV RP only applies if the Republican Player plays at least one Card as RP's on that Turn and accumulates at least one SOV RP. That is, if the Republican Player has not accumulated any SOV RP's on the General Records Track (zero SOV RP), the additional SOV RP's is not obtained (SOV RP are still zero).

Limited Offensive (R45): If the Attacker can allocate his losses in different ways, he must start with the loss of Division-sized Units steps before Corps-sized Units steps, in such a way that he cancels a Division-sized Unit step before a Corps-sized Unit step.

French Intervention Threat (R51): The four space radius is determined counting from French territory, through the dotted line connection that indicates a border connection and through normal connections. Only spaces in Spanish territory are counted.

Interruption of Axis Aid (R52): The Event applies retroactively. That is, the Nationalist Player does not receive any Axis RP's this Turn, even if he played Card(s) as RP's before this Event was played. Place the AXIS "NO RP" Marker side face-up as a reminder.

Defection (N14): Once declared, the Republican attack must be resolved. Eliminating the POL unit does not incur the Republican Militias' Lack of Coordination effects – i.e., the attack continues with all Activated spaces, even if there are now multiple spaces containing only MIL units. In the situation where the only attacking unit is a single Republican POL that is then removed by this CC, there is considered no Combat. Any other CCs are treated as unplayed (returning to the player's hand, if necessary).

Molotov Cocktail (N18): If the Republican Player has declared that he is applying the +1 DRM associated with armor attacking an Open space, the T-26 unit must still suffer the first loss if possible (even though it is cancelled by this Event).

Italian Submarines (N30): The Event applies retroactively. That is, the Republican Player does not receive any Soviet RP's this Turn, even if he played Card(s) as RP's before this Event was played. Place the SOV "NO RP" Marker side face-up as a reminder.

Insurrection (N48): At the end of the Turn, if the Insurrection unit is OOS, it is removed and the space becomes controlled by the other Player, as usually.

For God, Country and King (N57): If this CC is played in the same Combat as Tupolev SB "Katiuska" (R59), both cards cancel each other and the Nationalist Player rolls the die as usual.

Tupolev SB "Katiuska" (R59): If this CC is played in the same Combat as For God, Country and King (N57), both cards cancel each other and the Nationalist Player rolls the die as usual.

Playbook

18.0 Optional Rules

READ FIRST: Take care in using Optional Rules! Play balance is a delicate thing, which has been intensely tested. Optional Rules may greatly alter this balance, especially if many of those with High Influence are used. It is highly recommended that novice players not use any Optional Rules until they become familiar with the game.

The Optional Rules below can be used by the Players for play balance, or to simply add additional simulation or historical flavor to the game. Some Optional Rules have a greater impact on play than others, so each rule includes an approximate value for guidance: Low (1), Medium (2) or High Influence (3).

Players may use as many of these rules as they wish, as long as they agree before starting to play.

18.1 Pro-Republican Rules

18.1.1 Burgos, Capital of Nationalist Spain (1)

If the Republican Player conquers Burgos, he obtains one additional Republican Morale point (+1 RM). This bonus may only be gained once per game, but it is permanent and it is not lost even if the Nationalist Player regains control of the space.

NOTE: Capturing the rebels' capital would have been a great morale and propaganda success for the Republican side.

18.1.2 The Threat of a Moroccan Revolt (2)

The Nationalist Player must leave the last reinforcement unit from the Army of Africa in Morocco (the one that normally arrives in the fifth NAT Round of Turn 3). In practical terms, that unit is considered permanently eliminated from the game.

NOTE: The Republican Government tried to incite a pro-independence revolt in the rebel-controlled Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, but their pitiful attempts failed completely. This Optional Rule assumes greater success by the Republican agents when trying to generate a real insurrection threat in Morocco.

18.1.3 La Gloriosa (1)

When used as a CC, the Polikarpov I-15 "Chato" CC (Card R5) is not discarded until the end of the Turn, even if the Republican loses a Combat while using it (see 8.5.3). This benefit ceases once either the Condor Legion (Card N27) is played as the Event or the Messerschmitt BF 109 CC (Card N38) is played as a CC.

NOTE: The Republicans called their air force "La Gloriosa" (The Glorious). From the arrival of the first Soviet aircraft in Autumn 1936, until the Germans improved the quality of their aircraft in Spring 1937, the Republicans enjoyed air superiority.

18.1.4 Madrid: Objective of the African Columns (1)

To qualify for the -1 VP penalty for the "Madrid: Priority Objective" rule (see 17.3), at least one Army of Africa unit must take part in the Nationalist attack. If the Nationalist Player has occupied Madrid, the result will always be -0 VP.

NOTE: The Nationalist attack on Madrid in November 1936 was led by the elite troops from the Army of Africa, showing the interest and determination of the rebels for conquering the capital.

18.1.5 The North Can Wait (1)

As long as the "Madrid: Priority Objective" Marker is in the -3 VP space (see 17.3), only one Army of Africa unit (total, not per Action Round) may finish Movement or SR in, or Adjacent to, a space in the Northern Front that was Republican controlled at the beginning of the game.

NOTE: During the first months of the war, the rebels' main objective was Madrid, so they avoided committing their best units to secondary fronts. It is recommended to use both 18.1.4 and 18.1.5 together to more accurately reflect the importance of these elite troops to the Nationalist cause.

18.1.6 Republican Elite Units (3)

After deploying the first Corps-sized Units, the Republican Player replaces five MIL Division-sized Units with five RPA Division-sized Units (see 14.2.3). Instead of normal RPA Division-sized Units, the Republican Player places the five RPA ELITE Division-sized Units.

NOTE: The Republican Popular Army had crack divisions, which took part in the main battles of the war: the 11th, 35th, 46th, and 70th divisions, for example. These units are already reflected in the Republican elite Corps-sized Units, but this Optional Rule gives them more prominence and assumes that their training and equipment was better than historically.

18.1.7 Spanish-Italian friction (2)

If any non-Italian unit is in the same space as the CTV Corps-sized Unit, the cost to Activate that space for Combat is two OPS instead of one. The cost to Activate the space for Movement is still only one.

NOTE: From the moment the CTV arrived, there were quarrels between its commanders (eager to operate autonomously and direct the course of operations) and Nationalist commanders (who wanted to maintain leadership and whose pride had been wounded by Mussolini's arrogance).

18.1.8 Tension in Europe (2)

From the beginning of the War of the Armies Phase (Turn 12), the Nationalist Players suffers a penalty of -1 AXIS RP in the Replacements Phase of each Turn, until he plays the Munich Agreement Event.

NOTE: The Anschluss and the crisis of the Sudetenland provoked a strong political tension in Europe. Considering the threat of war, Germany reduced its shipment of war material to the Nationalists. The Munich Agreement dispelled the danger of an imminent war.

18.1.9 XIV Guerrilla Army Corps (2)

At the beginning of the War of the Armies Phase (Turn 12), the Republican Player receives the XIV Guerrilla Army Corps Marker. He may use it once per Turn (beginning in the mentioned Turn 12). Before the Action Phase begins, he must choose one of the following effects:

• Guerrilla: Put the marker in a Nationalist space Adjacent to a Republican-controlled space that is in supply. The cost to Activate that space for the Nationalist Player (for Movement or Combat) is increased by +1 OPS. Once the space is Activated, the marker is removed (that is, the penalty is only suffered once, afterwards the space is Activated normally). If the space is not Activated, the marker is retired at the end of the Turn.

NOTE: The marker may not be used this way in the Northern Front if it is isolated (see 16.4.3).

• Intelligence: The Republican Player rolls a D6 and applies the effect shown by this table:

  Roll	Effect
  1	Selective assassination: The Nationalist Player must discard a Card from his hand (chosen by the Nationalist Player).
  2-5	The number obtained on the die is the number of cards from the Nationalist Player's hand (chosen randomly) that must be revealed to the Republican Player. These Cards are kept revealed until played, or the Turn ends.
  6	No effect.

• Sabotage: The Nationalist Player suffers a penalty of -1 NAT RP this Turn (down to a minimum of zero RP).

IMPORTANT: The Republican Player may not choose the same effect on two consecutive Turns.

NOTE: Observant players may note that there is no XIV Corps-sized Unit for the Republicans. In truth, the Euzkadi Army Corps was renamed XIV Army Corps in August 1937. After its destruction, the XIV Army Corps was recreated at the end of 1937, but as a guerrilla unit. It was not a real Army Corps, but a smaller unit destined to carry out guerrilla and sabotage operations in the enemy rearguard. Its influence in the war was minimal. This Optional Rule assumes it had a greater effectiveness.

18.1.10 Historical Date of the End of the War (1)

On Turn 18 (the last Turn of the game), only three Action Rounds are played. I.e., at the end of the third Republican Action Round, the game ends.

If this Optional Rule is used, the Nationalist "Insurrection" Event (N48) cannot be played at all on Turn 18.

NOTE: The Spanish Civil War ended on 1 April 1939, so the last turn of play (March-April 1939) should technically be shorter.

18.2 Pro-Nationalist Rules

18.2.1 Inexperienced Militias (1)

Until the militarization of the Republican Militias (by the play of the Largo Caballero's Government Event or at the end of Turn 5 (whichever comes first), any Republican attack including at least one MIL Division-sized Unit suffers a -1 DRM.

NOTE: During the first months of the war, the Republican militias paid dearly for their inexperience in combat, and nearly all offensive plans failed. This rule is already applied on Turn 1 - do not apply it twice.

18.2.2 Banderas and Tabores (1)

Once per game, the Nationalist Player may replace one Army of Africa unit that is still in Morocco for the two Banderas and Tabores Division-sized Units. They are units from the Army of Africa for all purposes, but they only have one step each. In the corresponding Action Round, they are moved together to Cádiz or Sevilla, and they may be deployed to the same or different spaces.

NOTE: The terms "bandera" and "tabor" were used – and are still used today - in the Legion and Regulars to designate battalion-sized units.

18.2.3 The Corridor of Grado (2)

The Oviedo and Puerto de Leitariegos spaces are Connected with a blue dotted line which represents the Corridor of Grado. This special connection may only be used by the Nationalist Player, and only as long as Oviedo is an Isolated Space (see 16.2).

If the Nationalist Player still controls Oviedo (as an Isolated Space) and conquers Puerto de Leitariegos, this special connection is automatically established between both spaces through the Corridor of Grado connection. As long as the Nationalist Player controls both of the above spaces, the following special rules are applied:

• If still an Isolated Space at the end of Turn 5, Oviedo will continue to be an Isolated Space and will not be considered OOS after Turn 5 (see 16.2.6).
• Nationalist Division-sized Units may move and SR to and from Oviedo (without the restrictions for it being an Isolated Space), using the Corridor of Grado as a normal Adjacency connection. Nationalist Corps-sized Units may not move or SR through the Corridor of Grado, however.
• Units in Oviedo may still not be Activated for Combat if Oviedo is an Isolated Space, even if the Corridor of Grado has been established.
• RP's may be freely spent in Oviedo without any effects of Oviedo being an Isolated Space (i.e. no restrictions or the higher cost).

IMPORTANT: This rule ceases to apply as soon as Oviedo is no longer an Isolated Space. The Republican Player does not obtain the -1 VP for conquering Oviedo after Turn 5, even if it still is an Isolated Space at this time. If Oviedo is still an Isolated Space during deployment of the first Corps-sized Units (see 15.2), no Nationalist Corps-sized Unit may be placed in Oviedo during this initial deployment.

NOTE: In October 1936, after three months of isolation, the Nationalist managed to precariously connect with Oviedo's garrison through a narrow corridor that resisted multiple attacks.

18.2.4 Captured Tanks (1)

If the Republican Russian Tanks (Card R12) and Nationalist Armor Reinforcements (Card N24) Events are both played, the Nationalist may replace one of his armor units (CV-33 or PZ-I) with the Nationalist T-26 Division-sized Unit. If the Nationalist Armor Reinforcements Event (Card N24) is played first, this replacement occurs immediately for any CV-33 or PZ-I on the map, in the Reserve Box, or in the Eliminated Units Box when the Russian Tanks Event is played. Otherwise, this replacement occurs prior to deployment of the two armor units gained when he plays the Armor Reinforcements Event and must replace one of the two armor units gained via the Armor Reinforcements Card.

EXAMPLE: The Republican "Russian Tanks" Event has already been played when the Nationalist Player plays his "Armor Reinforcements" Event. The Nationalist Player chooses to replace the PZ-I that would go to the map with the captured T-26 unit; placing the CV-33 in the Reserve Box (as called for on the Card).

NOTE: Throughout the war, the Nationalist side captured almost 50 Republican T-26 tanks, which were used against their former owners.

18.2.5 Bilbao: Industrial City (3)

Bilbao is considered a normal Main City for control of territory and Replacements (see 14.2). That is, upon the loss of Bilbao (only), the Republican Player is considered to control one less Main City for the purpose of rule 14.2.5. The Nationalist Player need not also control Santander and Gijón for this penalty to apply.

NOTE: Bilbao and its region were by far the main industrial zone of the Northern Front, and also the area with the greatest population.

18.2.6 Limited Resources in the Northern Front (2)

As long as the Northern Front is isolated (see 16.4.3), Republican Regional units (Asturian, Santander and Basque, in total), may only receive a maximum of two REP RP's per each Republican controlled Supply Source in the Northern Front. I.e. if the Republican Player controls all three Republican Supply Sources of the Northern Front (Gijón, Santander and Bilbao), he may spend up to six REP RP's on Regional units during the Replacements Phase. If he only controls two, up to four REP RP's, and if only one, up to two REP RP's.

In addition, the Republican Player may not spend SOV RP's on Regional units if there is not at least one Republican Supply Source in the Northern Front connected to France.

POL Units present in the Northern Front are also affected by this Optional Rule.

NOTE: The human and material resources of the isolated Northern Front were limited. After being separated from the French border, the situation got even worse. Furthermore, from the beginning of the war, the Nationalists established a blockade over the Atlantic ports restricting the available outside aid.

18.2.7 Blockade Fleet (2)

The Nationalist War of the Armies Card Blockade Fleet (Card N49) is added to the Nationalist Mobilization Phase deck, so that it enters the Draw Pile at the end of Turn 5 (see 15.1.2). However, in addition to the other prerequisites, the Event may not be played unless the Republican Player controls at most one Atlantic Port space.

NOTE: The Nationalist fleet dedicated to the blockade of the Republican ports was quickly moved from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean after the fall of the Northern Front. This Optional Rule allows the Nationalist Player to blockade the Mediterranean ports without waiting for the War of the Armies Phase, but it adds another prerequisite to the Card. One port in Republican hands was easy to blockade and allowed moving the main part of the fleet.

18.2.8 The Decisive Northern Front (3)

After the end of the Northern Front (see 16.3.3), the Nationalist Player receives +1 NAT RP at the end of each Turn. This extra RP is received even if the Nationalist Player has not played a Card for RP's that Turn.

NOTE: The fall of the Northern Front was a decisive event in the Spanish Civil War. The Republican side lost almost a quarter of their military forces, as well as crucial territories with many industrial, mining and human resources. Once in their hands, the Nationalists made good use of them in their own war effort.

18.2.9 Greater Cost to Cancel Retreats (2)

If the defender in a Combat loses by a difference of three or more, the cost to cancel the retreat (if it is possible, see 11.4.3) is doubled. I.e., to cancel the retreat the defender must suffer two additional steps losses.

IMPORTANT: Even if it is a Pro-Nationalist Optional Rule, it is applied to both sides.

NOTE: The sacrifices demanded of the troops to retain territory was greater when the enemy offensive was more successful, as it happened in the Campaign of Levante or in the Battle of the Ebro.

18.2.10 Capture of Positions and Trenches (3)

The regular Position and Trench Markers (i.e. those not marked with a Card number on them) that are eliminated by the enemy (when moving through the space or advancing after Combat) are moved to the Eliminated Units Box. To be able to use them again it is necessary to rebuild them spending RP's. The cost for each Marker is ½ RP and any type (AXIS, NAT, REP or SOV) may be used.

The regular Position and Trench Markers voluntarily eliminated by the Players do not go to the Eliminated Units Box, but may be used again without cost.

NOTE: Fortifications included war materiel for its defense, as machine guns, mortars, artillery, etc. That materiel was lost if the fortification was captured, and replacing it supposed an additional cost. This is considered a pro-Nationalist rule since the Republicans are expected to lose more Position/Trench Markers than the Nationalists – taking away valuable RP's from rebuilding Combat Units.

18.2.11 Historical Plan P (1)

If the Republican Player attempts to play the Plan P Event (Card R50), he must roll a D6. With a modified result of 1-3, the disembark will not occur and he must treat the Card play as if it was for OPS (though the Card is still permanently discarded as if the Event had been implemented). The following modifiers are applied to the roll:

• The Nationalist Player has not played the End of the Strait Blockade Event: +1.
• The Nationalist Player has not played the Blockade Fleet Event: +1.
• The Republican Player has not played the Sinking of the Cruiser Baleares Event: -1.
• Republican Morale is 10 or less: -1.

NOTE: The disembark of a brigade in Motril in January 1939, planned by General Rojo as part of his Plan P, was never carried out. The troops were embarked, but last minute objections from the Republican navy's command thwarted the plans.

18.2.12 Nationalist Disembark (2)

The Nationalist Player may carry out one disembark in the War of the Armies Phase. From Turn 12 on, in any Action Round where he plays a Card as OPS, he may spend 1 OPS to carry out the disembark (he may later use the remaining OPS normally, but he may not Activate the Beach Head space).

For the disembark, the exact same rules as for the Republican Plan P Event are followed (see 8.5.6), changing "Republican" for "Nationalist" and vice versa. The only differences are:

• To carry out the disembark, the Nationalist Player must have played the Blockade Fleet Event.
• The Nationalist Beach Head Marker is used.
• The Beach Head Marker may be deployed next to either coast.
• The reference to the control of the Gibraltar Strait is ignored, as it will be under Nationalist control.
• The Nationalist Player deploys an INF or MIL-NAV Division-sized Unit from his Reserve Box (full strength or reduced) to the Beach Head space.

IMPORTANT: Neither Player may deploy his Beach Head Marker next to a coastal space that already has the Beach Head Marker of the other Player Adjacent to it.

NOTE: Near the end of the war, the Nationalists studied the possibility of carrying out an invasion of the Republican coast, to speed up the fall of Catalonia, but ultimately chose against it. This Optional Rule assumes it was actually carried out.

18.2.13 A Quick End (1)

If RM ever goes down to zero (0), the game ends instantly as a Nationalist Victory.

NOTE: It is rare that the RM level would go down to zero, and even rarer that it would be on zero while the VP level was not at the required level for Nationalist Victory. However, this Optional Rule installs equal importance towards reducing RM as to increasing VP's by insuring that a RM = 0 will always be a Nationalist Victory.

18.2.14 More Realistic Opening of the French Border (1)

If the Republican Player plays the Opening of the French Border Event (Card R42), a minimum of four of the five SOV RP's must be spent in the Reserve Box or in spaces connected to France (this includes recreating Corps-sized Units on those spaces).

NOTE: When France temporally opened its border in the spring of 1938, Catalonia was already separated from the rest of the Republican territory, making it very difficult to send war material to other fronts.

18.2.15 More Difficult Republican Automatic Victory (2)

Option 1: The Republican Morale (RM) level necessary for the Republican Player to achieve an Automatic Victory increases by +1 on every Turn.

EXAMPLE: At the end of Turn 7 the Republican Player would obtain an Automatic Victory if the RM level is at 28 or more (instead of 27 or more, as listed on the chart).

Option 2 (courtesy of Ion Calafel and Pablo Álvarez): The Republican Player may only obtain an Automatic Victory by meeting the Republican Morale (RM) level requirements for two consecutive turns.

EXAMPLE: At the end of Turn 7 the RM level is at 27 (i.e. in the '27+' range for Republican Automatic Victory). However, the game continues and the Republican Player only qualifies for an Automatic Victory if the RM level is still 26 or higher at the end of Turn 8 (i.e. in the Automatic Victory range for the second consecutive Turn).

NOTE: Automatic Victory means that the player has notably improved the historical situation of his side at that time. The level required for both players is - in theory - balanced, but in practice it is a bit more feasible for the Republican Player to achieve, especially during the Mobilization Phase (turns 6 to 11). There are two reasons for this: 1. The Nationalist Player is forced to continuously, and expeditiously, reduce the RM to avoid the risk of a Republican Automatic Victory. 2. The Republican Player has several options for increasing the RM with limited effort in an attempt to gain an Automatic Victory, even if such operations are expected to be short-lived (for example, capturing a space that the enemy will easily recover later). During the development of the game the Automatic Victory levels were carefully considered and tested. Ultimately, we decided on the levels listed in the chart, since that gave the Republican Player a feasible option of winning if he plays aggressively; and to oblige the Nationalist Player –who keeps the initiative in the game- to maintain a constant progression (as they did historically). It is recommended to apply this Optional Rule in the first few games, and especially if the Nationalist Player has little experience with the game.

18.3 Neutral Rules

18.3.1 Withdrawal

NOTE: Inherent to the Crusade and Revolution/Paths of Glory-type game system is a situation called "the dance of death", where players make a series of maneuvers designed to open holes in the front, penetrate through them, and leave as many enemy units as possible out of supply (to force their permanent elimination).

This situation, which often provokes the fast collapse of the game, does not have to occur, as it depends completely on the players' decisions and actions.

As this "dance of death" is ahistoric and may be frustrating (especially for novice players), this optional rule serves to mitigate it, without complicating the rules and without affecting the game system. This optional rule is recommended for those who dislike the possibility of this "dance of death" and might also be considered by novice players.

Before resolving a Combat, the Defending Player may announce the withdrawal of the defending units, provided the following conditions are met:

• There must be at least one Corps-sized Unit attacking. The defending force must be only one or more Division-sized Units.
• If there is only one defending unit, it must be a full strength Division-sized Unit.

Once the withdrawal is declared, the Combat is resolved normally, with the following modifications to losses, results and retreats:

• Losses: Each player applies combat losses as usual. If all the defending units would be eliminated, the Defending Player instead must choose one of those units to survive. For now, the unit will stay in the defending space at reduced strength.

IMPORTANT: The unit chosen may not be an Army of Africa or armor unit, unless it is the only unit present in the defending space.

• Results: Regardless of the results obtained by both Players, the Attacking Player is considered the winner of the Combat.
• Retreats: Any surviving defending units must always retreat ONE space (only) and they may not finish their retreat Adjacent to any enemy unit. If unable to retreat to a valid space, they are eliminated instead (obviously a Player should not apply the "Withdrawal" rule if there is not a valid space for retreat). Even if all the attacking units are eliminated, the Attacking Player is still considered the winner of the Combat and any surviving defending units must still retreat.

18.3.2 Free and Secret Discard

In Segment A.2 of the Draw Strategic Cards Phase, both Players may discard any Cards they wish (not only CC); these Cards are placed in the Discard Pile face down (or at the bottom of the Discard Pile), so the opponent does not know what they are.

NOTE: Through this Optional Rule, discarding is made more flexible and the fog of war is increased. Obviously, if discarded face down those cards are flipped before shuffling the Discard Pile.

18.3.3 Increased Hand Size

The hand size of each Player is increased from 7 to 8 Cards (see 6.0.A.3). All other rules are followed normally, except that if the level of Republican Morale calls for an increase to the Nationalist hand or a reduction to the Republican hand, Players will receive one more Card than indicated in the Rulebook (9 and 7 cards respectively).

NOTE: Through this Optional Rule, Players gain greater control over their Card decks.

18.3.4 New Doctrines for the Use of Armor

Beginning in the Mobilization Phase (Turn 6), both Players' armor units (CV-33, PZ-I and T-26) which are Activated for Movement may finish their Movement in a space Activated for Combat (stacking limits still apply). They are considered Activated for Combat and may attack in that same Action Round.

NOTE: The Spanish Civil War was not very innovative in the tactical use of armor. This Optional Rule reflects the hypothetical situation of military advisers for both sides applying new doctrines, similar to those that were going to be applied shortly thereafter in World War II.

18.3.5 Development of the Intelligence Services

This Optional Rule affects the S.I.P.M. (Nationalist) and S.I.M. (Republican) Cards (Cards N32 and R27, respectively). If played for their Event in the Mobilization Phase, they allow the Player to examine half (rounded up) of the Cards in the other Player's hand, chosen at random. Lay these Cards face-up in front of the owning Player, as the specific Cards that the Player who used the Event gets to see does not change each Action Round. The Player may still conduct OPS with the Card as normal. At the end of his Action Round, the Player may either remove the Card from the game (as normal when playing an Event with an asterisk) or add it to the War of the Armies Phase Cards deck (so the Card will enter the game again later).

If these Cards are played for their Event in the War of the Armies Phase, their effects are applied as written on the Card, and they are removed from the game as normal.

NOTE: This Optional Rule simulates the progressive development of the Intelligence Services of both sides. Players have the option of using their espionage services twice, at the cost of keeping a low OPS value Card in the game.

18.3.6 Captured Supply Sources

Both Players may use captured enemy Supply Sources as if they were their own. That is, they may use a friendly-controlled enemy Supply Source as a Friendly Supply Source to trace a Supply Line to, to deploy Reinforcing units in, or units rebuilt with RP's.

NOTE: The logistical centers captured by the Nationalist side during the war were later used for its own gain (the Republican side was not able to capture any). To that end, even though it applies to both sides, this Optional Rule is Pro-Nationalist as the Nationalist Player will usually capture more enemy Supply Sources than the Republican.

18.3.7 More Disembarks in Mallorca

This Optional Rule affects the Republican Plan P Event (Card R50) and the Optional Rule "Nationalist Disembark" (PB 18.2.12). In both cases, the disembark may be in Mallorca, if the space is under enemy control.

If the Optional Rule "Nationalist Disembark" (see PB 18.2.12) is not used, consider this Optional Rule as Pro-Republican.

NOTE: Mallorca was a strategic place in the Mediterranean, and would have been an interesting objective for both sides if carrying out an invasion.

18.3.8 Elimination of Beach Heads

If the Nationalist Player eliminates a Republican Beach Head, Republican Morale is reduced by one point (-1 RM). If the Republican Player eliminates a Nationalist Beach Head, Republican Morale is increased by one point (+1 RM).

If the Republican Beach Head is eliminated as a consequence of the re-embarking of the Republican force (see 8.5.4.4), the RM is not affected. If the Optional Rule "Nationalist Disembark" (see PB 18.2.12) is not used, consider this Optional Rule as Pro-Nationalist.

NOTE: Eliminating an enemy Beach Head would have been a morale boost (or a loss of morale for the enemy).

18.3.9 Random Set-up

For Scenarios beginning on Turn 1, within each region except the Republican Northern Front listed in the set-ups below (e.g. "Aragón", etc), pull all the units listed and, instead of placing the units per the listing, randomly draw one unit from the total for that region for each unit to be placed in a space. When drawing for a reduced strength unit, the pulled unit is placed at reduced strength. The only exceptions to this are the MIL-NAV units and the AFR unit (e.g. the latter always begins in Sevilla with 2 other randomly determined units).

EXAMPLE: In the Campaign set-up for the Southern Front, the Nationalist Player would pull 1 CAV, 2 POL, 2 MIL and 4 INF. From these 9 units, one at random would go in Huelva, 2 in Sevilla with the AFR unit, 2 in Granada (one at reduced strength), etc.

NOTE: The exact location of the various militia, police and "regular" forces was not pre-determined at the outbreak of the war. This rule reflects that the movement and characteristics of the forces could have been radically different in August 1936. While this Optional Rule is listed as Neutral, it may end up with a pro-Republican Set-up, as the Nationalist deployment is more sensitive to changes than the Republican one.

18.3.10 Limiting the Luck Factor

When resolving a Combat, each player rolls the die three times (or rolls three dice). The highest and lowest results are discarded, and the player keeps the remaining result. If multiple rolls are the highest or lowest, only one of those rolls are discarded for each highest/lowest result.

This rule only applies to Combats – all other rolls are still a single die.

EXAMPLE: The attacker rolls three dice, obtaining the following results: 1, 5 and 6; he discards the lowest (1) and the highest (6) results, keeping the remaining result: 5. The defender rolls 2, 2 and 4; he discards one of the 2's and the 4, keeping the other 2.

NOTE: This Optional Rule reduces the possibility of obtaining extreme results, and consequently the luck factor is limited. Even if it is considered a neutral rule, in the long term it may be pro-Nationalist, as it favors an attritional war strategy that the Nationalist Player usually uses against his opponent.

18.4 Optional Units

18.4.1 Armored Corps

There are two optional armored corps, one for each side. Players must agree to use these optional units, and if they do, there are three possibilities:

1. Use both armored corps, so each player can introduce his unit in the game if he complies with the requirements explained below.
2. Use only one of the armored corps (the Nationalist or the Republican). Obviously, this means giving an advantage to that player.
3. The use of an armored corps is conditioned on the previous play of the other one. That is, a player (Republican or Nationalist) is chosen, and he will be able to freely introduce his armored corps in the game (as long as he complies with the requirements). The other player may only introduce his armored corps in the game after the first player has done it. This gives a small advantage to that first player.

18.4.1.1 Republican Armored Corps (RAC)

To introduce the RAC in the game, the Republican Player must play the Tanks Reinforcements Event (R26 Card). Next, the Republican Player must remove three T-26 units from the game (they may be on the map, in the Reserve Box, in the Eliminated Units Box or they may have been permanently removed from the game). Only one T-26 unit stays in the game, and it is deployed in the Reserve Box. The Republican Armored Corps (RAC) is deployed in a space of the map previously occupied by at least one of the T-26 units, in a Mediterranean Port, or in Madrid. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.

Characteristics of the RAC:

• It may only receive Soviet RP's.
• If it is eliminated, it may be replaced by a T-26 armor unit or by a Republican Division-sized RPA or non-regional MIL unit. If there is a T-26 unit in the Reserve Box, it has priority over other units for replacing the destroyed RAC (even if it is at Reduced Strength).
• If it is rebuilt with RP's, it is deployed in a Mediterranean Port, or in Madrid. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.
• It may add a +1 DRM if it attacks a space without Mountain or Main City and not across a river.

NOTE: Unlike T-26 units, the RAC may use its DRM against a space with a Position or Trench. Besides, the RAC may use its DRM both at Full Strength and at Reduced Strength.

• If it uses its DRM, the RAC must suffer the first loss if possible (see 11.3.6 – 11.3.7).
• The DRM bonus for armor (T-26 and RAC) can never be higher than +1, no matter how many armor units are involved in the attack.
• CC that affect armor units (Molotov Cocktail, T-26…) also affect the RAC. If the Nationalist Molotov Cocktail CC is used in defense, the DRM of the RAC is cancelled regardless of the terrain being attacked.

NOTE: Historically there were not enough armored vehicles in the Republican side to organize a corps-sized unit. This optional unit reflects a counter-factual situation, that is, something that did not happen but that could have happened. The Soviet Union could have sent more tanks to the Republican side, enough to organize a large armored unit, to put into practice the ideas of marshal Tujachevski (assuming he had not been purged by Stalin in May 1937).

18.4.1.2 Nationalist Armored Corps (NARC)

To introduce the NARC in the game, the Nationalist Player must play the Armor Reinforcements (N24 Card). Next, the Nationalist Player must remove three armor units (CV-33 and PZ-I) from the game (they may be on the map, in the Reserve Box, in the Eliminated Units Box or they may have been permanently removed from the game). Only one armor unit (CV-33 or PZ-I) stays in the game, and it is deployed in the Reserve Box.

NOTE: If the "Captured Tanks" Optional Rule (18.2.4) is applied, the Nationalist T-26 is the unit that stays in the game and it is deployed in the Reserve Box.

The Nationalist Armored Corps (NARC) is deployed in a space of the map previously occupied by at least one friendly armor unit, in a Friendly Supply Source or in a Port. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.

Characteristics of the NARC:

• It may only receive Axis RP's.
• If it is eliminated, it may be replaced by a CV-33 or PZ-I armor unit (or Nationalist T-26 if Optional Rule 18.2.4 is being applied), or by a Nationalist Division-sized INF or MIL unit. If there is an armor unit in the Reserve Box, it has priority over other units for replacing the destroyed NARC (even if it is at Reduced Strength).
• If it is rebuilt with RP's, it is deployed in any Friendly Supply Source, in Madrid, or in a Port. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.
• It may add a +1 DRM if it attacks a space without Mountain or Main City and not across a river.

NOTE: Unlike CV-33 and PZ-I (and Nationalist T-26) units, the NARC may use its DRM against a space with Position or Trench. Besides, the NARC may use its DRM both at Full Strength and at Reduced Strength.

• If it uses its DRM, the NARC must suffer the first loss if possible (see 11.3.6 – 11.3.7).
• The DRM bonus for armor (CV-33, PZ-I and NARC –and Nationalist T-26) can never be higher than +1, no matter how many armor units are involved in the attack.

NOTE: Historically there were not enough armored vehicles in the Nationalist side to organize a corps-sized unit. Moreover, the tanks sent by Italy and Germany were light and clearly inferior to their Soviet counterparts. This optional unit reflects a counter-factual situation, that is, something that did not happen but that could have happened. Italy and Germany could have sent more tanks to the Nationalist side, better armored and armed (like Panzer II), enough to organize a large armored unit, to put into practice the ideas of general Guderian.

18.4.2 Expeditionary Corps

There are two expeditionary corps optional units, one for each side. Players must agree to use these optional units. If they do, there are three possibilities:

1. Use both expeditionary corps, so each player can introduce his unit in the game in the way explained below.
2. Use only one of the expeditionary corps (the Soviet for the Republican or the German for the Nationalist). Obviously, this supposes giving an advantage to that player.
3. The use of an expeditionary corps is conditioned on the previous play of the other one. That is, a player (Republican or Nationalist) is chosen, and he will be able to freely introduce his expeditionary corps in the game. The other player may only introduce his expeditionary corps in the game after the first player has done it. This gives a small advantage to that first player.

18.4.2.1 Soviet Expeditionary Corps (SEC)

This optional unit is associated with an optional card. If players agree to use it, the Republican Player must add the corresponding card (R56) to his Draw Deck at the start of the Mobilization Phase (see 15.1.2).

Characteristics of the SEC:

• As it is explained in the card's text, introducing the SEC in the game incurs a +1 VP penalty.
• It may only receive Soviet RP's.
• If it is eliminated, it may be replaced by a Republican RPA or non-regional MIL Division-sized Unit.
• If it is rebuilt with RP's, it is deployed in any Friendly Supply Source, in Madrid, or in a Mediterranean Port. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.
• Soviet tenacity: The SEC may add a +1 DRM in defense (not in attack).

NOTE: Historically, the Soviet Union was by far the main supplier of war material to the Republican side. It also sent military advisors and soldiers to operate the Soviet airplanes and tanks. Nevertheless, Stalin never thought about sending land troops to Spain. This optional unit reflects a counter-factual situation, that is, something that did not happen but that could have happened. Like Italy did with the CTV, the Soviet Union could have sent an expeditionary force to help the Republican side: a small army corps formed of two well equipped infantry divisions. Even if they were not elite troops, they could have shown the Soviet defensive tenacity that later would define their performance during World War II. In the chaos of the thirties, sending land troops and the resulting increase of tension across Europe would have had a political cost for both Stalin and the Republican side.

18.4.2.2 German Expeditionary Corps (GEC)

This optional unit is associated with an optional card. If players agree to use it, the Nationalist Player must add the corresponding card (N56) to his Draw Deck at the start of the Mobilization Phase (see 15.1.2).

Characteristics of the GEC:

• As it is explained in the card's text, introducing the GEC in the game incurs a -1 VP penalty.
• It may only receive Axis RP's.
• If it is eliminated, it may be replaced by a Nationalist INF or MIL Division-sized Unit.
• If it is rebuilt with RP's, it is deployed in any Friendly Supply Source, in Madrid, or in a Port. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied.
• Mountain troops: The GEC may add a +1 DRM if it takes part in an attack against a Mountain space or if it defends in a Mountain space.

NOTE: Historically, Germany sent abundant military aid to Franco. In addition, at the end of 1936 it organized the Condor Legion, an air unit that would have a prominent effect during the war. There were German soldiers operating tanks, but Hitler did not send infantry men to Spain. This optional unit reflects a counter-factual situation, that is, something that did not happen but that could have happened. Like Italy did with the CTV, Germany could have sent an expeditionary force to help the Nationalist side: a small army corps formed of two well equipped infantry divisions. It is feasible that they would have been mountain units (considered elite troops), suitable for the rugged Spanish geography. In the chaos of the thirties, sending land troops and the resulting increasing of tension across Europe would have had a political cost for both Hitler and the Nationalist side.

18.5 Optional Combat Cards

There are eight optional Combat Cards (CC's): four for the Nationalist side and four for the Republican side. If players agree, these cards may replace several of the usual CC's, or be directly added to the decks. There are three possibilities for using the Optional CC's, and players may choose the one they prefer:

1. Random election: Before starting the War of the Columns Phase, each player takes out from his deck the CC indicated below:

   • Nationalist Player: Defection (N14)
   • Republican Player: Operations Order Captured (R7)

   That card is shuffled with the two optional cards available for that phase and that side, and one of them is randomly chosen (that is, the CC that was set aside may be chosen). That card is added to the Draw Deck, and neither player can inspect which card was added until it is drawn normally. The two remaining cards are retired and cannot be consulted.

   Before starting the Mobilization Phase the same operation is made. The CCs that must be taken out are:

   • Nationalist Player: Captured Bridge (N25)
   • Republican Player: Guadalajara is not Abisinia (R28)

   There are no optional CCs for the War of the Armies Phase.

2. Direct election: Players make what has been explained in the previous paragraph ("Random election"), but each player freely chooses the CC to be added to his Draw Deck. The other player cannot examine the chosen card.

3. Free: Player may agree to use the Optional CC's as they prefer: they may add several or all of them to their decks, replace –or not- the CC's mentioned above, make it public or secret, etc. It is entirely up to their decision.

19.0 Scenario Set-Ups

19.1 War of the Columns

19.1.1 Duration

Begins: Turn 1 (August 1936). Ends: Turn 5 (January/February 1937). Game Length: 5 Turns.

19.1.2 Initial Information Marker Deployment

The same as in the Campaign Scenario (see PB 19.4.2).

19.1.3 Initial Unit Deployment

The same as in the Campaign Scenario (see PB 19.4.3).

19.1.4 Victory Conditions

In addition to Auto-victory during the game, Victory is determined at the end of the scenario per the following:

• 8 or less VP: Republican Victory.
• 9 or 10 VP: Draw.
• 11 or more VP: Nationalist Victory.

In the case of a draw, the Nationalist Player wins if he has played the Famine Event and Republican Morale is 20 or less.

19.1.5 Special Rules

Victory Point Modifications

At the end of the scenario prior to determining Victory, the VP number is modified as follows:

• Apply any penalization corresponding to the "Madrid: Priority Objective" rule (see 17.3).
• If the Nationalist Player has played the Axis Military Aid Event and the Republican Player has not played the Soviet Military Aid Event: +1 VP.
• If the Republican Player has played the Soviet Military Aid Event and the Nationalist Player has not played the Axis Military Aid Event: -1 VP.
• Depending on the Republican Morale (RM) level at the end of the scenario:
  • RM 18 or less: +1 VP.
  • RM 19 to 22: No effect.
  • RM 23 or more: -1 VP.

19.1.6 Strategy Card Decks

The same as in the Campaign Scenario (see PB 19.4.6).

19.2 Collapse of the Northern Front

19.2.1 Duration

Begins: Turn 6 (March/April 1937). Ends: Turn 11 (January/February 1938). Game Length: 6 Turns.

19.2.2 Initial Information Marker Deployment

The same as in the Two Years of War Scenario (see PB 19.3.2).

19.2.3 Initial Unit Deployment

The same as in the Two Years of War Scenario (see PB 19.3.3).

19.2.4 Victory Conditions

In addition to Auto-victory during the game, Victory is determined at the end of the scenario per the following:

• 12 or less VP: Republican Victory.
• 13 VP: Draw.
• 14 or more VP: Nationalist Victory.

In the case of a draw, the Republican Player wins if the Northern Front has not been completely conquered (that is, if the Nationalist Player does not control all the Asturias, Santander and Basque Country spaces).

19.2.5 Special Rules

The same as in the Two Years of War Scenario (see PB 19.3.5); and the following:

Victory Point Modifications

At the end of the scenario prior to determining Victory, the VP number is modified depending on the Republican Morale (RM) level:

• RM 11 or less: +1 VP.
• RM 12 to 15: No effect.
• RM 16 or more: -1 VP.

19.2.6 Strategy Card Decks

The same as in the Two Years of War Scenario (see PB 19.3.6).

19.3 Two Years of War

19.3.1 Duration

Begins: Turn 6 (March/April 1937). Ends: Turn 18 (March/April 1939). Game Length: 13 Turns.

19.3.2 Initial Information Marker Deployment

19.3.2.1 General Records Track (GRT) Markers

VP Marker: in the 10 box of the GRT. RM Marker: in the 20 box of the GRT. RP Markers: the NAT, AXIS, REP and SOV RP Markers on the "0" box of the GRT.

19.3.2.2 Siege and Isolated Space Markers

• Sta. Mª Cabeza Siege Marker: in the Pto. de Valderrepiso space (and the corresponding Siege Resist Marker in the 2 box of the GRT).
• Simancas Siege Marker: not used.
• The Alcázar Siege Marker: not used.
• Isolated Space Markers: not used.

19.3.2.3 Other Markers

Game Turn Marker: in the Turn 6 (March/April 1937) box of the Turn Record Track. Ammo Shortage Marker: with the "Removed" side face-up. Madrid Priority Objective Marker: not used. Control of the Strait: with the "Nationalist Control" side face-up. Government of the Republic: with the "Largo Caballero" side face-up. Nationalist Command: with the "Franco Takes Command" side face-up. Badajoz Special Supply Source: with the "Cancelled" side up.

19.3.3 Initial Unit Deployment

Nationalists

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Nationalist side. All units are Division-sized Units.

Reserve Box: 3 INF, 2 MIL, 1 MIL-NAV, and 1 ITA. Eliminated Units Box: 1 INF. Permanently Eliminated: 3 AFR.

• Northern Front: Castropol: 1 INF, (1 AFR). Pto. de Leitariegos: 1 INF. León: 1 INF. Oviedo: 1 INF, 1 MIL, Trench. Dobro: 1 INF. Pancorbo: 1 MIL. Vitoria: 1 CAV, 1 ITA. Beasain: 2 MIL-NAV. San Sebastián: 1 MIL-NAV.
• Aragon: Jaca: 1 INF. Huesca: 1 INF. Leciñena: 1 POL. Zaragoza: 1 INF. Belchite: 1 MIL. Vivel del Río: 1 CAV. Teruel: 1 POL. Albarracín: 1 MIL. Molina: 1 CAV.
• Castile/Extremadura: Ariza: 1 MIL. Almazán: 1 ITA. Aranda de Duero: 1 INF. Cuéllar: 1 POL. Segovia: 1 INF. Arévalo: 1 CAV. Illescas: 1 INF, (1 AFR). Toledo: 1 INF, (1 AFR). Guadalupe: 1 CAV. Trujillo: 1 CAV. Mérida: 1 INF. Zafra: 1 POL.
• Southern Front: Peñarroya: 1 CAV. Córdoba: 1 POL, 1 MIL. Priego de Córdoba: 1 INF. Granada: 1 INF, (1 AFR). Motril: 1 MIL.

Republicans

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Republican side. All units are Division-sized Units. All units are Non-Regional Units unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Reserve Box: 2 MIL-AST, 1 MIL-SAN, 1 MIL-BAS, 2 MIL and 2 RPA. Eliminated Units Box: 4 MIL, 1 RPA, 1 POL and 1 MIL-BAS. Permanently Eliminated: 2 MIL and 1 POL.

• Northern Front: Pto. de la Espina: 2 MIL-AST. Pto. de Pajares: 2 MIL-AST. Gijón: 2 MIL-AST. Pto. del Escudo: 2 MIL-SAN. Orduña: 2 MIL-BAS. Bilbao: the special "Bilbao" Trench. Durango: 1 MIL-BAS, 1 POL.
• Aragon: Boltaña: 1 MIL-ERC. Barbastro: 1 MIL-POUM. Sariñena: 1 MIL-PSUC, 1 MIL-CNT. Candasnos: 1 MIL-CNT. Caspe: 2 MIL-CNT.
• Valencia/La Mancha: Morella: 1 MIL. Rubielos de Mora: 1 MIL. Barracas: 1 POL. Ademuz: 1 MIL. Cuenca: 1 RPA.
• Castile/Extremadura: Brihuega: 1 MIL, 1 INT-XII. Somosierra: 1 MIL, 1 POL. Guadarrama: 1 MIL. Madrid: 1 MIL, 1 POL, a special "Madrid" Trench. San Martín de Vega: 1 MIL, 1 RPA, (1 INT-XI), a special "Madrid" Trench. Urda: 1 MIL, 1 POL. Anchuras: 1 MIL. Puerto Peña: 1 MIL. Don Benito: 1 MIL. Castuera: 1 MIL.
• Southern Front: Pozoblanco: 1 MIL. Pto. de Valderrepiso: 1 MIL. Montoro: 1 MIL, 1 RPA. Jaén: 1 POL, 1 INT-XIII. Guadix: 1 MIL, 1 RPA. Adra: 1 MIL.

19.3.4 Victory Conditions

The same as in the Campaign Scenario (see PB 19.4.4).

19.3.5 Special Rules

19.3.5.1 Post Deployment Requirements:

Armor

• The Nationalist Player deploys one CV-33 armor unit to any controlled space on the map and one reduced strength PZ-I armor unit to one controlled Port space (these can be the same Port space).
• Then the Republican Player deploys one T-26 armor unit to any controlled space on the map (except in the Northern Front) and one reduced strength T-26 armor unit to one controlled Mediterranean Port space (these can be the same Port space).

Positions and Trenches

• Next, the Nationalist Player places one Position Marker in any controlled space.
• Then the Republican Player deploys a Position Markers to any three controlled spaces (one Marker per space). Exception: a maximum of one Position in the Northern Front.

Army Corps

• Next both Players must deploy their first Corps-sized Units, as per 15.2 of the Rulebook. Players skip point 15.2.2 (as the Reserve box is correct), but 15.2.3 is still performed.

19.3.5.2 Previous Events/Actions:

• It is considered that the Nationalist Player has suffered a penalization of -1 VP (already applied to the initial VP level) for the "Madrid: Priority Objective" rule (see 17.3).
• Sieges: It is considered that the Simancas Quarter has surrendered and the Alcázar of Toledo has been liberated (both effects already applied to the initial VP and RM levels).
• Famine: Nationalist Event Famine is active and RM will be reduced by -1 at the end of turns 11 and 17 (Winter turns), or by -2 if Winter is severe (see 16.5.3).
• Oviedo starts the scenario Out of Supply (OOS). If it is still OOS at the end of the Turn, the Nationalist units will be permanently eliminated and the control of the space will pass to the Republican Player.

NOTE: If both players agree to apply the Optional Rule "The Corridor of Grado" (see PB 18.2.3), the space of Oviedo starts the scenario being an Isolated Space.

19.3.6 Strategy Card Decks

19.3.6.1 Eliminated Cards

The following Cards are removed from the game (they are considered to have been played as their Event and their effects have been applied, including changes to VP and RM):

• Nationalists: 1, 2, 4, 6-9, 11, 14-16 and 18.
• Republicans: 1, 2, 4, 7-12, 14, 15 and 17.

19.3.6.2 Initial Nationalist Deck and Hand

Shuffle together the remaining Nationalist War of the Columns Cards (after removing the Cards listed above) and their Mobilization Cards to create the Nationalist Draw Pile. The Nationalist Player randomly draws seven Cards to create his initial hand. Remember, at least one of these Cards must be a Corps-sized Unit Reinforcement Card (see 15.1.2).

19.3.6.3 Initial Republican Deck and Hand

Shuffle together the remaining Republican War of the Columns Cards (after removing the Cards listed above) and their Mobilization Cards to create the Republican Draw Pile. The Republican Player randomly draws seven Cards to create his initial hand. Remember, at least one of these Cards must be a Corps-sized Unit Reinforcement Card (see 15.1.2).

19.4 Campaign Scenario

19.4.1 Duration

Begins: Turn 1 (August 1936). Ends: Turn 18 (March/April 1939). Game Length: 18 Turns.

19.4.2 Initial Information Marker Deployment

19.4.2.1 General Records Track (GRT) Markers

VP Marker: in the 7 box of the GRT. RM Marker: in the 26 box of the GRT. RP Markers: the NAT and REP RP Markers on the "0" box of the GRT. The AXIS and SOV RP Markers are kept off-map until their appropriate Event Cards are played.

19.4.2.2 Siege and Isolated Space Markers

• Simancas Siege Marker: in the Gijón space (and the corresponding Siege Resist Marker in the 1 box of the GRT).
• Sta. Mª Cabeza Siege Marker: in the Pto. de Valderrepiso space (and the corresponding Siege Resist Marker in the 2 box of the GRT).
• The Alcázar Siege Marker: in the Toledo space (and the corresponding Siege Resist Marker in the 3 box of the GRT).
• Isolated Space Markers: in the Oviedo and Granada spaces.

19.4.2.3 Other Markers

Game Turn Marker: in the Turn 1 (August 1936) box of the Turn Record Track. Ammo Shortage Marker: with the "Active" side face-up. Madrid Priority Objective Marker: on the "-3 VP" box on its respective track. Control of the Strait: with the "Republican Control" side face-up. Government of the Republic: "José Giral", as printed on the map (do not put any marker in the box). Nationalist Command: with the "No Single Command" side face-up. Badajoz Special Supply Source: with the "REP Special Supply Source" side up.

19.4.3 Initial Unit Deployment

Nationalists

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Nationalist side. All units are Division-sized Units.

Reserve Box: 1 MIL.

• Northern Front: Villalba: 1 INF. Lugo: 1 INF. Ponferrada: 1 INF. León: 1 INF. Oviedo: 1 INF, 1 MIL, Trench. Dobro: 1 INF. Pancorbo: 1 MIL. Vitoria: 1 CAV. Beasain: 2 MIL-NAV. Pto. Velate: 1 MIL-NAV. Pamplona: (1 MIL-NAV).
• Aragon: Jaca: (1 INF). Huesca: 1 INF. Leciñena: 1 POL. Zaragoza: 1 INF. Belchite: 1 MIL. Vivel del Río: 1 CAV. Teruel: 1 POL. Albarracín: 1 MIL. Molina: 1 CAV.
• Castile/Extremadura: Ariza: 1 MIL. Almazán: (1 INF). Aranda de Duero: 1 INF. Valladolid: 1 POL. Segovia: 1 INF. Arévalo: 1 CAV. Ávila: 1 MIL. Béjar: 1 CAV. Navalmoral de la Mata: 1 INF. Trujillo: 1 CAV. Cáceres: 1 INF.
• Southern Front: Huelva: 1 CAV. Sevilla: 1 INF, 1 POL, 1 AFR. Écija: 1 MIL. Córdoba: 1 POL. Priego de Córdoba: 1 INF. Granada: 1 INF, (1 MIL). Arcos de la Frontera: (1 INF).
• Balearic Islands: Mallorca: 1 INF.
• Army of Africa Display: Army of Africa: 6 AFR.

Republicans

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Republican side. All units are Division-sized Units. All units are Non-Regional Units unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Reserve Box: 2 MIL.

• Northern Front: Castropol: 1 MIL-AST. Pto. de la Espina: 2 MIL-AST. Pto. de Leitariegos: 1 MIL-AST. Pto. de Pajares: 2 MIL-AST. Gijón: 2 MIL-AST. Pto. del Escudo: 2 MIL-SAN. Santander: 1 MIL-SAN. Orduña: 1 MIL-BAS. Bilbao: 1 POL. Durango: 2 MIL-BAS. San Sebastián: 2 MIL-BAS.
• Aragon/Catalonia: Boltaña: (1 MIL-ERC). Barbastro: 1 MIL-POUM. Sariñena: 1 MIL-PSUC, 1 MIL-CNT. Candasnos: 1 MIL-CNT. Caspe: 2 MIL-CNT. Barcelona: 1 POL.
• Valencia/La Mancha: Morella: 1 MIL. Rubielos de Mora: 1 MIL. Barracas: 1 POL. Valencia: 1 RPA. Ademuz: 1 MIL. Cuenca: 1 MIL.
• Castile/Extremadura: Brihuega: 1 MIL. Somosierra: 1 MIL. Guadarrama: 1 MIL. Madrid: 2 POL. Cebreros: 1 MIL. Toledo: 1 MIL. Talavera de la Reina: 1 MIL, 1 POL. Guadalupe: 1 MIL. Don Benito: 1 MIL. Mérida: 1 POL. Badajoz: (1 RPA), 1 MIL, Position.
• Southern Front: Riotinto: 1 MIL. Santa Olalla: 1 MIL. Peñarroya: 1 MIL. Montoro: 1 RPA. Jaén: 1 POL. Guadix: 1 MIL. Ronda: 1 MIL. Antequera: 1 MIL. Loja: 1 MIL. Vélez Málaga: 1 MIL. Motril: 1 MIL.

19.4.4 Victory Conditions

19.4.4.1 The Campaign Scenario immediately ends when any Player achieves an Automatic Victory; otherwise, it lasts until the end of Turn 18 (March/April 1939).

19.4.4.2 If an Automatic Victory has not been achieved, the VP number at the end of the Campaign Scenario determines which side (if any) has won. The winner is determined as follows:

• Nationalist Victory: 20 or more VP.
• Draw: 19 VP.
• Republican Victory: 18 or fewer VP.

19.4.5 Special Rules

None.

19.4.6 Strategy Card Decks

19.4.6.1 Eliminated Cards

None.

19.4.6.2 Initial Nationalist Deck and Hand

The Nationalist Player starts the game with the Air Bridge Strategy Card (Card N1) in his hand. Shuffle the remaining 17 Nationalist War of the Columns Cards to create the Nationalist Draw Pile. The Nationalist Player randomly draws six Cards from his Draw Pile to create his initial hand (totaling seven Cards, including the Air Bridge Card).

NOTE: The Nationalist Player must play the Air Bridge Strategy Card for its Event on the 1st Action Round of the 1st Turn.

19.4.6.3 Initial Republican Deck and Hand

Shuffle the 18 Republican War of the Columns Cards to create the Republican Draw Pile. The Republican Player randomly draws seven Cards to create his initial hand.

19.5 Republican Collapse

19.5.1 Duration

Begins: Turn 12 (March/April 1938). Ends: Turn 18 (March/April 1939). Game Length: 7 Turns.

19.5.2 Initial Information Marker Deployment

19.5.2.1 General Records Track (GRT) Markers

VP Marker: in the 13 box of the GRT. RM Marker: in the 12 box of the GRT. RP Markers: the NAT, AXIS, REP and SOV RP Markers on the "0" box of the GRT. The REP RP Marker has a penalty of -1 (see 14.2).

19.5.2.2 Siege and Isolated Space Markers

None.

19.5.2.3 Other Markers

Game Turn Marker: in the Turn 12 (March/April 1938) box of the Turn Record Track. Ammo Shortage Marker: with the "Removed" side face-up. Madrid Priority Objective Marker: not used. Control of the Strait: with the "Nationalist Control" side face-up. Government of the Republic: with the "Juan Negrín" side face-up. Nationalist Command: with the "Franco Takes Command" side face-up. Badajoz Special Supply Source: with the "Cancelled" side up.

19.5.3 Initial Unit Deployment

Nationalists

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Nationalist side. All units are Division-sized Units, unless stated as a Corps-sized Unit (A.C.).

Reserve Box: 3 INF, 1 MIL, 1 MIL-NAV, 1 ITA and 1 PZ-I. Eliminated Units Box: 2 INF, 1 MIL-NAV and 1 ITA. Permanently Eliminated: 4 AFR, 3 MIL, 1 INF and 1 CAV.

• Northern Front (all spaces in the Northern Front are under Nationalist control): Pto. de la Espina: 1 INF. Pto. de Pajares: 1 INF. Cangas de Onís: (Reserve A.C.), 1 INF. Santander: 1 MIL-NAV. San Sebastián: 1 MIL-NAV.
• Aragon: Jaca: 1 INF. Huesca: Urgel A.C., 1 INF. Leciñena: 1 POL. Zaragoza: V A.C., 1 INF. Cariñena: 1 MIL, 1 ITA. Vivel del Río: Maestrazgo A.C., 1 CAV. Teruel: Turia A.C., 1 INF. Albarracín: 1 MIL. Molina: 1 CAV.
• Castile/Extremadura: Ariza: 1 MIL. Almazán: Soria-Somosierra A.C., 1 POL. Aranda de Duero: VII A.C., 1 INF. Cuéllar: 1 POL. Segovia: Ávila-Segovia A.C., 1 INF. Arévalo: 1 CAV. Illescas: I A.C., 1 INF, (1 AFR). Toledo: VI A.C., 1 INF, (1 AFR). Guadalupe: Extremadura A.C., 1 CAV. Trujillo: 1 CAV. Mérida: 1 POL. Zafra: 1 INF.
• Southern Front: Peñarroya: VIII A.C., 1 CAV. Córdoba: 1 POL, 1 MIL. Priego de Córdoba: Córdoba A.C., 1 INF. Granada: Granada A.C., (1 AFR). Motril: 1 MIL.

Republicans

NOTES: A unit in ( ) is at reduced strength. Set it up on its reverse side. All the spaces behind the front line are controlled by the Republican side. All units are Division-sized Units, unless stated as a Corps-sized Unit (A.C.). All units are Non-Regional Units.

Reserve Box: 2 RPA, 1 MIL, 1 INT-150 and 1 T-26. Eliminated Units Box: 2 MIL, 1 RPA, 1 POL, 1 INT-XI and 1 INT-XII; also 8 MIL, 2 POL, 3 MIL-CNT, 1 MIL-POUM and ALL Asturias, Santander and Basque Regional units.

• Northern Front: all spaces in the Northern Front are under Nationalist control.
• Aragon: Boltaña: 1 MIL-ERC. Barbastro: X A.C., 1 RPA. Sariñena: 1 MIL-PSUC, 1 RPA. Candasnos: XI A.C., 1 MIL-CNT. Belchite: 1 RPA, (1 INT-XV). Caspe: XII A.C., 1 RPA, (1 INT-XIV).
• Valencia/La Mancha: Morella: 1 MIL. Rubielos de Mora: XIII A.C., 1 MIL. Barracas: XIX A.C., 1 POL. Ademuz: 1 MIL. Cuenca: 1 RPA.
• Castile/Extremadura: Brihuega: IV A.C., 1 MIL. Somosierra: I A.C., 1 MIL, 1 POL. Guadarrama: 1 MIL. Madrid: II A.C., 1 MIL, 1 POL, a special "Madrid" Trench. San Martín de Vega: III A.C., 1 MIL, 1 RPA, a special "Madrid" Trench. Urda: VI A.C., 1 POL. Anchuras: 1 MIL. Puerto Peña: VII A.C., 1 MIL. Don Benito: 1 MIL. Castuera: 1 RPA, (1 INT-XIII).
• Southern Front: Pozoblanco: VIII A.C., 1 MIL. Montoro: 1 MIL, 1 RPA. Jaén: IX A.C., 1 POL, 1 MIL. Guadix: XXIII A.C., 1 RPA. Adra: 1 MIL.

19.5.4 Victory Conditions

The same as in the Campaign Scenario (see PB 19.4.4).

19.5.5 Special Rules

19.5.5.1 Post Deployment Requirements:

Positions and Trenches

• The Nationalist Player places four Position Markers and one Trench Marker in any controlled space (one Marker per space).
• Then the Republican Player deploys six Position Markers and two Trench Markers in any controlled space (one Marker per space).

Maneuver Armies

• Both Players have several additional Corps-sized Units that must now be deployed to the map:
  • Nationalist Units: Aragón A.C., Castilla A.C., Galicia A.C., Marroquí A.C., Navarra A.C., CTV A.C.
  • Republican Units: V A.C., XVIII A.C., XX A.C., XXI A.C., XXII A.C.
• Starting with the Nationalist, Players alternate deploying the above Corps-sized Units to the map one by one (the exact units in any order chosen by the player).
• Each of the Corps-sized Units must be placed in one of the following: in a space with at least one friendly Combat Unit, in a Friendly Supply Source, or (for the Republican Player only) in Madrid. The space must be friendly-controlled and supplied. More than one Corps-sized Unit may be placed in the same space. If upon deploying a Corps-sized Unit the stacking limit is exceeded, one Division-sized Unit in that space must be moved to the Reserve Box. A maximum of three Corps-sized Units may be in the same space.
• After the Nationalist Player has deployed his sixth Corps-sized Unit, the Republican Player may, if he wishes, change the location of one of his Corps-sized Units. Simply pick the unit up and move it to a space that is Republican controlled, supplied, and contains at least one friendly unit. The stacking limit cannot be exceeded on this move.

Armor

• The Nationalist Player then deploys their remaining three Armor units [1 CV-33, 1 PZ-I and (1 CV-33)] in any controlled space on the map (more than one Armor unit may be deployed to the same space), provided the stacking limit is not exceeded.
• Next the Republican Player deploys their remaining three Armor units [2 T-26 and (1 T-26)] in any controlled space on the map (more than one Armor unit may be deployed to the same space), provided the stacking limit is not exceeded.

Attrition

• To reflect the additional attrition caused by the lengthening of the war, both players must apply losses to their combat units.
• The Republican Player rolls one die, and the result shows the losses that must be suffered by both sides:
  • 1-2: 5 losses
  • 3-4: 7 losses
  • 5-6: 9 losses
• The Nationalist Player applies all losses first, then the Republican Player. Losses are suffered as if incurred in Combat (see 11.3.2), with the following restrictions:
  • All damage must be applied such that the losses are fully met (see 11.3.4).
  • Losses can only be applied to combat units adjacent to enemy units or in the Reserve Box.
  • Losses may only be applied to full strength units to flip them to their reduced side – no reduced strength unit can be eliminated during this application of losses.
  • Otherwise, losses can be applied to any units (i.e. no "first loss" requirement for Armor or AFR units).

19.5.5.2 Previous Events/Actions:

• The Nationalist Player is considered to have suffered a penalization of -1 VP (already applied to the initial VP level) for the "Madrid: Priority Objective" rule (see 17.3).
• Sieges: It is considered that the Simancas Quarter and Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary have surrendered and the Alcázar of Toledo has been liberated (effects already applied to the initial VP and RM levels).
• End of the Northern Front: It is considered that the Republican Player has suffered a penalization of -2 RM (already applied to the initial RM level) for the End of the Northern Front (see 16.3.3).
• Famine: Nationalist Event Famine is active and RM will be reduced by -1 at the end of turn 17 (Winter turn).

19.5.6 Strategy Card Decks

19.5.6.1 Eliminated Cards

The following Cards are removed from the game (they are considered to have been played as their Event and their effects have been applied, including changes to VP and RM):

• Nationalists: 1-9, 11, 14-16, 18-25, 28-32, 35 and 37.
• Republicans: 1-4, 7-12, 14-28, 30-34 and 38.

19.5.6.2 Initial Nationalist Deck and Hand

Shuffle together the remaining Nationalist War of the Columns and Mobilization Cards (after removing the Cards listed above) and their War of the Armies Cards to create the Nationalist Draw Pile. The Nationalist Player randomly draws eight Cards to create his initial hand (his hand has eight cards because the Republican Morale is under 16 points, see 6.0.A.3).

19.5.6.3 Initial Republican Deck and Hand

Shuffle together the remaining Republican War of the Columns and Mobilization Cards (after removing the Cards listed above) and their War of the Armies Cards to create the Republican Draw Pile. The Republican Player randomly draws seven Cards to create his initial hand.

20.0 Combat Examples

Two examples of combat are explained below. In the first one the combat steps described in the Rulebook are followed one by one. In the second one the combat is described in a more narrative way, presenting three possible situations depending on the dice.

20.1 Combat Example 1

We are in the War of the Columns Phase so there are only Division-sized Units on the game map. The Nationalist Player plays a card as Operations (OPS) and Activates two spaces for Combat: Cáceres and Zafra.

1. Designate the Combat: The Nationalist Player decides that all units present in the two activated spaces are going to attack Badajoz.
2. Determine Combat Strengths: Adding up all the Combat Factors of his three units, the Nationalist Player has a Combat Strength of six. The Republican Player has a Combat Strength of two.
3. Play Combat Cards: The attacker (the Nationalist Player in this case) plays Combat Cards (CC's) first, and decides to play García Morato. The Republican Player opts not to play any CC.
4. Determine Die Roll Modifiers (DRM): The Nationalist Player has a +1 DRM thanks to the played CC. The Republican Player has no DRM.
5. Determine Fire Column: Since only Division-sized Units are in the Combat, both players fire on the Division-sized Units Fire Table. For his Combat Strength, the Nationalist Player would fire on the 6 column, but since he must shift one column to the left for the Position in the defending space, he will fire on the 5 column.

NOTE: Even though there is a river between one of the attacking spaces (Cáceres) and the defending space, it does not affect the Combat, because in order to suffer the column shift to the left for river, all attacking units must attack across the river; since the units in Zafra are not attacking across a river, there is no penalty for the attacker.

The Republican Player fires on the 2 column.

6. Determine Results: Both players roll the die. The Nationalist Player rolls a 2, and adds his +1 DRM, for a total of 3. On the 5 column of the Fire Table a modified roll of 3 generates a Loss Number of 2. The Republican Player rolls a 4, which on the 2 column of the Fire Table yields a Loss Number of 1.
7. Take Losses: The defender must assign his losses before the attacker. The Republican Player has a full strength MIL unit and a reduced strength RPA unit. He decides to apply all the damage (2) to his MIL unit, so it loses two steps and is eliminated. The Nationalist Player has three units in the combat, but one of them is a unit from the Army of Africa (AFR), and AFR units in an attack must suffer the first loss (11.3.6) in this situation. So the AFR unit suffers the damage (1), loses a step and is flipped to its reverse side.
8. Determine Combat Winner: The Loss Number caused by the Nationalist Player is 2, and the Republican Player's is 1. So the Nationalist Player, having obtained the greater result, wins the Combat. He can keep the played CC on the table and he will be able to use it again in future combats this Turn.

NOTE: If the Republican Player had played a CC, it would be discarded for having lost the Combat.

9. Defender Retreat: Since the attacker won, all defending units must retreat.

NOTE: In this case, the defender cannot cancel the retreat by suffering one additional step loss because terrain does not allow it: retreat may only be canceled in a Mountain, Trench or Beach Head space. Even if terrain had permitted, in this case the retreat could not be canceled because after the additional loss at least one step must survive.

Having lost the combat by a difference of 1, the Republican Player must retreat his only surviving RPA unit one space (had he lost by 2 or more he would have retreated two spaces). The Republican Player decides to retreat the RPA unit to Mérida.

NOTE: Retreating to Jerez de los Caballeros would be a bad idea, because it is almost certain that the unit would be Out of Supply after the enemy advances, as we will see.

10. Attacker Advance: If the defender retreats, the attacker has the option of advancing with any or all surviving units that participated in the Combat. The units advance to the defending space (in this case, Badajoz). The Nationalist Player decides to advance with two units from Zafra (INF and AFR), while the INF unit in Cáceres stays in its space. The units take control of the space with the advance after combat, eliminating the Republican Position (the marker is available for future use this Turn).

NOTE: Badajoz is a Victory Point (VP) space, so when conquering the town the Nationalist Player wins 1 VP and the Republican Morale (RM) goes down 1 point.

The Combat is over. Now another Combat would be resolved.

20.2 Combat Example 2

We are in the Mobilization Phase. The Republican Player plays the Strategic Counterattack (Belchite) Event, which gives him 3 OPS and a +1 Die Roll Modifier (DRM) in all attacks during this Action Round.

He uses 1 OPS for Movement and the other 2 OPS to Activate two spaces to attack Teruel.

The Republican Player has 9 Combat Factors, and the Nationalist Player has 5. The Republican Player plays the Polikarpov I-16 Mosca CC, which gives him a +1 DRM (which combines with the effect of the already played Event, giving him a total of a +2 DRM). The Nationalist Player has the Messerschmitt BF 109 CC on the table; he played it in an earlier combat this Turn and as the winner, was able to keep it. He decides to use it in this Combat and receives +1 DRM.

Both players have at least one Corps-sized Unit taking part in the combat, so both will fire on the Corps-sized Units Fire Table. The defending space is a Mountain space, so the attacker must shift one column to the left. The Republican Player will fire on the 6 column and the Nationalist Player on the 5.

We are going to describe three possible situations that could occur in this combat depending on three different results of the Players' throws:

20.2.1 Situation I

The Republican Player rolls a 1, to which he adds his +2 DRM for a total of 3, that generates a Loss Number of 4 on the 6 column of the Fire Table. The Nationalist Player rolls a 3 and adds his +1 DRM for a total of 4 on the 5 column of the Fire Table, which also gives a result of 4.

The Nationalist Player assigns his losses (4) by reducing his Corps-sized Unit and his Division-sized Unit. The Republican Player must suffer the same Loss Number (4) and reduces one of his Corps-sized Units and one of his Division-sized Units.

The Loss Numbers for both Players were the same, so both are considered to have lost. Both Players must discard their played/used CC's.

Since the attacker did not win, he does not advance and the defender does not have to retreat; the Combat is over and none of the Event's special effects take place (as it requires the Republican to be the winner a Combat).

20.2.2 Situation II

The Republican Player rolls a 2, to which he adds his +2 DRM for a total of 4, that gives a 4 Loss Number on the Fire Table. The Nationalist Player also rolls a 2 with the die and he adds his +1 DRM for a total of 3, which generates a 3 Loss Number on the Fire Table.

The Nationalist Player assigns his losses (4) reducing both the Corps-sized and the Division-sized Units. For the Republican Player reducing one of his Corps-sized Units absorbs all his required losses (3). The Republican Player won the Combat because he has caused a greater Loss Number than the Nationalist. He may keep the CC he played on the table for future use during this turn; the Nationalist Player must discard his CC for having lost the Combat.

Now the defender (in this case the Nationalist Player) is required to retreat all his surviving units one space for having lost the Combat by a difference of 1. However, the defending space contains Mountain and that terrain gives the option of canceling retreat by suffering the additional loss of one step. The Nationalist Player wants to retain Teruel, so he decides to cancel the retreat by applying an additional step loss to the POL Division-sized Unit. Since the unit is already reduced (turned over), it is eliminated when losing this step.

Since the defender canceled his retreat, the attacker cannot advance and the Combat is over (and like the previous situation, none of the Event's special effects take place – as in this case, the Republican was the winner, but did not get to advance into the vacated space).

20.2.3 Situation III

The Republican Player rolls a 4, to which he adds his +2 DRM for a total of 6, that gives a 5 Loss Number on the Fire Table. The Nationalist Player rolls a 3 on the die and adds the +1 DRM for a total of 4, which generates a 4 Loss Number on the Fire Table.

The Nationalist Player assigns his losses (5) reducing his Corps-sized Unit and eliminating his Division-sized Unit. The Republican Player takes his losses (4) by reducing one Corps-sized Unit and one Division-sized Unit. The Republican Player won the Combat because he has caused a greater Loss Number than the Nationalist. He may keep the CC he played on the table for future use during this turn. However the Nationalist Player must discard his CC for having lost the Combat.

Now the defender (in this case the Nationalist Player) is required to retreat all surviving units one space for having lost the Combat by a difference of 1. However, the defending space contains Mountain and that terrain gives the option of canceling the retreat by suffering an additional step loss. The Nationalist Player wants to keep Teruel, but he faces a dilemma: to cancel the retreat he must suffer the additional loss of one step, and he only has one reduced Corps-sized Unit in the space. If he cancels the retreat he would have to eliminate the Corps-sized Unit, which will be replaced by a Division-sized Unit from his Reserve Box. The Nationalist Player will have to decide if retaining Teruel is worth the elimination of the Corps-sized Unit.

The Nationalist Player decides the extra step loss needed to cancel retreat is too great a price to pay to hold Teruel, and he retreats one space for having lost the Combat by a difference of 1. The Republican Player may now advance any participating units into the defending space. He decides to advance with both Corps-sized Units and with one of the Division-sized ones. The other Division-sized Unit may not advance because it would violate the stacking limit.

As the Event was one of the special Republican Counterattacks, he follows the Event text and applies the normal VP and RM modifiers for capturing Teruel, along with the additional +1 RM associated with the Event Strategic Counterattack (Belchite). He then places the corresponding +1 RM Marker in Teruel as a reminder that this space is now worth an additional +1 RM until recaptured by the Nationalists.

21.0 Advice For Novice Players

21.1 War of the Columns Phase

Nationalist Player

From the very beginning you have to keep the initiative with a very aggressive attitude. The Republican Player controls more territory than you and has more units to defend it, but your units are better, especially the Army of Africa. You have to take advantage of your superior quality to attack at all times, but do not forget that your units will also suffer losses and wear down.

If you look to the map you have several objectives:

• Connect the two zones under your control, south and north, to cancel the "ammunition shortage" rule.
• Close on Madrid and attack the capital.
• Relieve the Sieges.
• Connect to the Isolated Spaces.
• Defend your controlled territory and conquer new Republican spaces that will make future operations easier.

As you will see, it is very difficult to fulfill all these objectives, so every turn you will have to choose the optimal approach to achieve the best possible success.

Operations:

To move and attack with your units you will need to play cards as Operations (OPS). The first clear objective is to try to connect the small zone you control in the south with the larger zone in the north to cancel the ammunition shortage. The logical – and historical – path to do this is through Extremadura, with the friendly Portuguese border protecting your flank. Besides, you should try to conquer Badajoz as soon as possible, because it can become a serious nuisance as it is a Republican Supply Source.

Once the two zones are connected, you should remember that Madrid is your "priority objective" and not making a serious effort to attack the capital can lead to the loss of Victory Points (VP). After Madrid, there is a wide range of possibilities: Eastern Andalucía, Northern Front, Aragón, or Ciudad Real… You will have to decide where you want to attack, without forgetting that you have to protect your territory and that the enemy can counterattack you at vulnerable points, especially if he has his superb T-26 units.

Defending Isolated Spaces and liberating Sieges is important. Although the results seem less meaningful in the short term, in the long term these VP and Republican Morale (RM) points can make the difference between victory and defeat. Oviedo is a nice shot for the Republican Player (he gets 1 VP if he conquers it while it is an Isolated Space), but it is well defended and in the beginning the Asturians suffer from the militia's lack of coordination. You will benefit from making contact with Granada to avoid its fall and also to threaten Eastern Andalucía. Liberating a Siege is always a triumph, but the big prize is the Alcázar, which gives you 1 VP. However, be careful when liberating an Isolated Space that you don't overextend and have yourself cut off, since then the space will go OOS and not just isolated.

Events:

There are some historical events that you should definitely play. The most obvious ones are those that can only be played during this phase and modify VPs (Franco Takes Command and Italy and Germany Recognize Nationalist Spain). I would not recommend playing Red Terror yet, because it is a valuable card that you can play in the next phase.

The events related with Foreign Aid are extremely important. You will have to decide how to play them depending on what order you get those cards and the actions of your opponent. Usually it is worthwhile to play Axis Military Aid as soon as possible, not just because you will be able to play the foreign reinforcements, but also for the extremely valuable Axis Replacement Points (RP). As it is a 5 OPS value card you will be tempted to use it in some other way and wait for it to come back into your hand later, but the delay can prove to be very expensive. The Italian and armored units will be very useful when you start to feel a shortage of units to attack with, or to fill the front lines. Some of these cards may even rise to the level of importance that if you dealt them the turn before they are able to be played, you may want to consider keeping them in your hand unplayed until the next turn.

You have some very useful Combat Cards (CC) that can help you to avoid Republican counterattacks, or force them to fail, such as Airplanes Disperse Militia, Defection and Militia's Lack of Discipline. If you are able to play them, do so, because they can save you from nasty situations and you will not be able to use most of them as CCs after this phase. This also helps to reduce the size of your deck, allowing the more important cards to cycle through quicker (this is especially true in the next phase).

You may wonder whether or not to play the End of the Strait Blockade event the first time you hold this card. It is true that it does not have a spectacular effect and it might seem more useful in the short run to use it for OPS or another action, but do not forget that speeding up the arrival of Army of Africa units is always valuable. Regardless, you will have to play this event some time in order to use the Mediterranean ports and play the powerful Blockade Fleet event in the War of the Armies Phase.

Famine is an event that does not give immediate results, but in the long run it can be decisive. You will have to decide whether to play it or save it as a high value card in your deck. If you are going to try to reduce Republican Morale as much as possible you should use this as an event before the end of the War of the Columns phase, especially if your opponent has played Severe Winter.

Other actions:

Do not neglect Replacement Points (RP). Even though you will likely suffer fewer losses than the Republican Player, you also have fewer units and you could get to a point in which you do not have enough units to cover the whole front and to launch attacks. Remember that the Army of Africa's units cannot receive RP, so as they wear out you will have to bear the burden of attrition with your other units. Your card Alféreces Provisionales is especially useful when played for RP's, so try to utilize it for that purpose if possible.

Specific tips:

You must hold Sevilla. It is your only Friendly Supply Source in the South and without it all your units in that zone will be left Out Of Supply (OOS), unless you have connected with the north zone. If you do lose Sevilla prior to this connection, your disadvantage will be so great that it probably will be better to just surrender and start again…

In this phase of the game, the Army of Africa units will always suffer the first loss in an attack, but not the rest. So always include other units in the attack so that they can absorb the rest of the damage. Try to avoid leaving Army of Africa units alone in a space, because the Republican Player will attack them with the goal of wearing them out quickly.

The Republican CC Operations Order Captured can really hurt. You cannot avoid its use, but try to foresee and plan for its use, if possible.

The Militia unit that starts the game in your Reserve Box is extremely valuable because, at the beginning of the game, it is the only unit that you will be able to use to reinforce either an Isolated Space or Mallorca against a possible invasion. Try to keep it in Reserve until there are additional units there as well, or the danger has passed.

The Disembark in Mallorca event is a real threat. If it happens, defend Mallorca as well as you can: bring the Militia from the Reserve, move units from your ports if you control the Strait, relocate units from the map to the Reserve to reinforce Mallorca later, try to build a Position, and use your CCs. Take into account that if you lose Mallorca you will have lost one VP forever and your opponent will win one Morale point, because it is impossible to retake the island (unless Optional Rules 18.2.12 and 18.3.7 are being used). Also, it will be much harder to play the Blockade Fleet event in the War of the Armies Phase. Usually, if you put up a strong defense, the invasion will fail.

Republican Player

You start the game with more controlled spaces and units than the Nationalists, but the quality of your troops is much lower and you will be forced into a defensive posture. The Nationalist Player can only defeat you by achieving his victory conditions, so it is up to him to attack and conquer territory. Your strategy will be to combine a flexible defense with judiciously selected localized counterattacks.

Looking at the map, you have several objectives:

• Slow down the advance of the African columns from Sevilla.
• Reinforce your army and your front lines.
• Reduce the Sieges.
• Conquer the Isolated Spaces.
• Vigorously defend key spaces and counterattack whenever the odds are good.

Achieving success in everything is nearly impossible, so you must prioritize in order to gain success in this phase; there may be some rounds where you will face hard choices.

Operations:

Preventing the advance of the enemy from Sevilla through Extremadura is nearly impossible. If the Nationalist Player commits to it, he will connect his two zones sooner or later. It is up to you to slow down that advance and make it more costly. But do not sacrifice too many units in indefensible positions, because you will need them in other key zones. Here is a maxim that you will have to apply all the time: sacrificing some units to slow down and wear out the enemy is a good idea, but do not go crazy and sacrifice too much unless it is a very important space.

During this phase your important zones are the Northern Front, Aragon, Ciudad Real, Eastern Andalusia, and above all, Madrid and its surrounding spaces. No doubt you will lose some spaces, but your objective is to keep these territories as intact as possible. Extremadura and Málaga are difficult zones to defend and most of the times they will fall.

Although your main concern is defense, you should also launch some counterattacks, if possible. However, they should be limited and with a clear objective. The inferior quality of your troops, your militia's initial lack of coordination, and enemy CC's discourage launching too many offensives on your part. Remember also that if you attack a vulnerable enemy front you may attract reinforcements that could launch a counterattack and get you into serious problems.

The Sieges are more important than it appears at first glance. In principle, the Simancas Quarter should not worry you (it is in a safe zone and it will fall sooner or later), but you should pay attention to the Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary and the Alcázar of Toledo. The capitulation of any Siege is a success (and avoids the loss of precious Republican Morale points), but the surrender of the Alcázar will avoid the loss of 1 VP. If you cannot get OPS to launch assaults, try to at least prevent the Nationalists from relieving them before the end of this phase (something quite difficult in the case of the Alcázar).

The two Isolated Spaces put you in different situations. It is feasible to conquer Granada if your opponent does not focus enough attention on it and it is a good mountain position to defend Eastern Andalusia. Oviedo is attractive because you get 1 VP if you conquer it while it is an Isolated Space, but do not fool yourself: it is a tough one to take and you suffer from the militia's lack of coordination. The Nationalist Player can reinforce it, and worst of all, you may weaken the outer defenses of Asturias and make it easier for a disastrous enemy penetration.

Events:

As in the case of your opponent, your card deck has some events related to the gain or loss of VP that you should play, specifically Largo Caballero's Government, which will cost a one VP penalty if not played before the end of this phase, while Foreign Political Support adds one VP. Try not to use White Terror now, because it is a valuable card that you will be able to play in the next phase.

Events related to Foreign Aid are very important for you. Soviet Military Aid will activate the Soviet RP's, and also allows you to play the vital Russian Tanks reinforcements. The magnificent T-26 units (the best Division-sized Units in the game) can save you in a crisis and allow you to attack the enemy in places where he felt safe before.

The event ¡No Pasarán! is vital for the defense of Madrid. Be very careful playing this card as any other action just because you think the enemy is far away. He could make a swift advance and conquer the capital before the event returns to your hand. When you play the card it is usually a good idea to put the second Trench in San Martín de la Vega, creating a solid front between Madrid and Madridejos.

Other actions:

Replacements Points (RP) are more important for you than for the Nationalist, as you will suffer more losses. You should play a card, hopefully a high value one, as RP every turn. Plan well where you spend the accumulated RP. For example, remember that in the Northern Front you can only use regional units, so do not forget to "fix" reduced units and rebuild some that were destroyed or you will find yourself without troops to defend that territory. Like the Nationalists, your card The Fifth Regiment is especially useful when played for RP's, so try to utilize it for that purpose if possible.

Specific tips:

The Army of Africa units bear the brunt of the Nationalist attacks. They are excellent units, but remember that they must suffer the first lost when they take part in an attack in this phase. So try to have at least two combat factors when you defend against them and you will almost certainly (any roll but a "1") make them lose a step. If the Nationalist Player leaves African Units alone in a space, you can attack to wear out them, since there are no other units to absorb these losses.

Your Operations Order Captured card is very powerful and you should make sure you use it in the right moment. Try to play it when you have at least three Combat Factors and never less than two. Of course, the dice can let you down, but you could potentially do a lot of damage to the Nationalists.

Disembark in Mallorca is a tempting option. The card is valuable, but a successful conquest of the island is truly worth it. You will have to spend OPS and probably send reinforcements with SR to the Beach Head and even then the chances of success are not good against a determined defense by the Nationalist Player. But take into account that the conquest of Mallorca means that you permanently win one VP and one RM point (unless Optional Rule 18.3.7 is being used), and also make it extraordinarily difficult for him to play his Blockade Fleet event. If the invasion fails, console yourself by knowing you have gained two Militia units.

Building Positions is always a good idea, both in currently threatened fronts and in those that will be later (such as the Northern Front or Aragon).

The Severe Winter event poses a dilemma. On the one hand, playing it will remove a low value card from your deck and will slow enemy operations during the next winter. On the other hand, it will also cost you an additional Morale point if the Nationalist Player plays Famine. You will have to weigh the pros and cons of playing the event.

At last, you should keep your attention over some key spaces in the front line: Somosierra and Brihuega to the north of Madrid and Cuenca to the East. The loss of any of these locations can mean a disastrous hole, so send reinforcements as soon as possible, and if you can, build Positions in these spaces. This also applies to the Loja, Guadix and Jaen spaces, which open up many avenues for the Nationalist player if not adequately defended.

21.2 Mobilization Phase

Nationalist Player

Once the War of the Columns ends, the first Corps-sized Units (Army Corps) are deployed and the game enters a very different phase. You will keep your qualitative superiority and you will still have the initiative, but the Republican Player will have more and more forces and will improve his capability to counterattack considerably.

Your first objective should be to finish off the Northern Front. It is isolated from other Republican territory, cannot receive new reinforcements, and its conquest will give you VPs, reduce the RM, subtract one Republican RP every turn and free up many units for other fronts.

Before starting the new phase, both players will deploy your first ten Corps-sized Units. The placement of these units is very important, as it will greatly affect the course of operations. Always put them in the front line, either near places you plan to attack, or where they can protect vulnerable zones.

To attack the Northern Front successfully, you will need a strong force. Take into account that if you deploy fewer Army Corps, your advance will be slow and the enemy will have time to build Positions and Trenches and recover losses through replacements. It is also true that deploying a lot of Corps-sized Units will put you at a disadvantage on other fronts. You have to look for equilibrium. Usually, around four or five Army Corps in the Northern Front seems wisest, concentrating most of them either in Asturias or the Basque Country.

Operations:

As the Northern Front is your first objective, you have to plan your operations well to conquer it as quickly as possible. You have to take advantage of the Non-Cooperation that affects the units of the three regions, attacking each one separately and in turn. The first decision is where to start the offensive.

Attacking Asturias first means opposing the region with more units, and not giving them time to strengthen their defenses. Even more, it means advancing from the West towards the East, getting your units nearer to future objectives, especially Aragon. Starting from the Basque Country has the incentive that there is a pair of events—Plans of the Iron Belt and Pact of Santoña–which are interesting to play quickly and will make the advance much easier. Usually it is a poor choice to start from Santander, as the fall of either of its neighboring regions will make it possible to avoid the mountains.

While you carry out the Northern Campaign, you will be numerically inferior in other fronts, so you will have to keep an eye out for Republican attacks. You can give up some low value spaces, but defend the key points that would be costly to recover later: Teruel, Granada, etc.

It can also happen that you may see a good opportunity in another front. Take advantage of it, bringing reinforcements if it is necessary, but do not weaken your primary offensive in the Northern Front.

Once you have finished with the Northern Front, you will have to decide on your next objective, and bring units there that have just finished the conquest of the North.

One thing to be aware of, once the fall of the North seems ordained, it may be wiser to take losses on reduced strength Corps-sized Units, as they can then be rebuilt with RP's at another front. Other options are slow (i.e. moving them with OPS at three spaces per move) or expensive (via SR at three SR points per Corps-sized Unit).

Events:

The events that grant VP remain vital. You will want to play Red Terror during this phase, as you cannot do it later. Bishops' Collective Letter can be used later, but as it is only a three value card it would be good to play it as soon as possible.

Communist Interference is an interesting event that, with a relatively low cost (make only 1 OPS in that round), will give you security against large Republican offensives during that turn. It is unusable after Negrín's Government, so play it as soon as it comes to your hand.

You should play May Events as soon as it gets to your hand, as it will subtract two RM points if the Republican Player has not yet played Negrín's Government. Even if it subtracts only one point, it is worth it. Also, if you play it in the last round you can force the Republican Player to use OPS or SR when he would have preferred to play for RP's or an event.

Offensive is very useful to boost your attacks, but you can choose to reserve this event for later, as it is a valuable four OPS card.

Specific tips:

Play Nationalist Reinforcements (Corps-sized Units) every turn. Not doing so means delaying the mobilization of your Army and putting you in numerical inferiority against the Republican if he plays his reinforcements cards on time. This may even mean saving an extra Nationalist Reinforcements card to play in the following turn.

Playing 2 OPS value cards with an asterisk as events is always a good idea, as you will take low value cards out of your deck, and speed up the recycling of the more valuable ones.

You must try to reduce RM as quickly as possible. Your first objective is to get it down to 15 points or less, as it will give you an additional card in your hand.

From this phase on, cutting the enemy zone means one lost RM point (once per game). Keep the Republican Player from cutting your zone and recovering that RM.

The End of the Northern Front means subtracting two RM points, but remember that to finish it you have to control all of its spaces. The Asturian Division-sized Units are not eliminated when they are OOS in Asturias, so you will have to eliminate them in combat.

Republican Player

The change of phase means a big change in the game. You will still suffer from the inferior quality of your forces, but your defensive capability will dramatically improve and you will be able to start launching effective and threatening counterattacks.

When you deploy your first ten Corps-sized Units, you will notice that there are not many alternatives for deploying the four of the Northern Front. Anyway, as the Nationalist Player deploys his units first, you can take advantage and look for badly defended zones in which to put your last Corps-sized Units. A good strategy is to place your regional Corps-sized Units first, since – as noted above – their placement options are limited.

Operations:

Do not fool yourself. Unless the enemy makes some major errors, the Northern Front is doomed. However, you will still want to defend it as best as possible with the existing regional units, trying to delay the inevitable. With the goal of delaying the fall of the North, you can launch diversionary operations on other fronts.

While the Northern Front exists, it is likely that the Nationalist Player will have fewer forces in other zones. You should take advantage of these situations to launch attacks, forcing the enemy to send reinforcements and with luck you may even conquer valuable spaces. Do not forget that attracting the focus of the Nationalist Player is dangerous, because it may cause a brutal counteroffensive.

Under no circumstances can you neglect the key zones of Madrid and Aragon. In fact, try to use the start of this phase to prepare defenses (positions and trenches) that will be very important to stop the future Nationalist offensives.

Events:

If possible, never leave events that give VPs unplayed. You must play White Terror during this phase, because later it will not be possible. You can leave the use of Guernica for later, but as it is only a three value card it would be good to play it as soon as possible.

The big decision in this phase is whether or not to play Negrín's Government. The benefits are clear: it nullifies the Nationalist event Communist Interference, reduces the RM loss for May Events to one point, adds one RM point and allows the play of many powerful events. However, when you play it you lose a 5 OPS card and it allows your opponent to play Withdrawal of International Brigades in the War of the Armies Phase. You will have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages based on your particular circumstances, but usually it is an event worth playing sooner or later.

The Strategic Counterattacks are important, so you will have to choose carefully when and where to use them. The best of the three (Teruel) is a valuable 4 OPS card that you can reserve for later, or use it to counter the decline of RM and to conquer a valuable space.

Specific tips:

Play a Republican Reinforcements (Corps-sized Units) Card every turn. Not doing so means delaying the mobilization of your Army and putting you in numerical inferiority against the Nationalist if he plays his reinforcements cards on time. This may even mean saving an extra Republican Reinforcements card to play in the following turn.

Tanks Reinforcements should be played because the quality of your armored units makes them very valuable, both in defense and in attack.

From this phase on cutting the enemy zone means one RM point (once per game). Preventing the Nationalist Player from cutting your zone during the game is very difficult. If you have the option of cutting the enemy zone, do not hesitate to try it, it is well worth it.

RP's are still vital. Try to accumulate enough RP's to keep your army strong.

21.3 War of the Armies Phase

Nationalist Player

The last seven turns are when the game will be decided. Obviously, what has happened until now will directly affect your chances of victory, but there is still room for surprises. Remember that the Republican Player wins if he merely resists enough, so this phase can become a race against the clock.

Operations:

At this point the Northern Front has already fallen (if this is not true things are going badly for you, unless you have obtained a huge success in another front), so you will be able to focus all your units on only one line, although it will be very long. You will have to choose where to attack and do it with energy and speed, without letting the Republican Player construct trenches and prepare solid defenses.

You have several options in choosing objectives, but without a doubt the places where the VPs are concentrated are Catalonia and Madrid. The capital is usually well defended and, although it can be worth trying to envelop it, will be extremely difficult against a competent enemy. The advance towards Catalonia has the additional benefit of isolating the Republican zone from the French border, which subtracts two valuable RM points. The South is less interesting, but it is not wise to neglect a front if there are any VPs within your reach. Valencia is almost always the most difficult of all objectives to attain.

Be careful with Republican counterattacks, because losing an important space at this point of the game can dangerously delay your advance. Try not to leave important zones that are near to the front unguarded.

Events:

You should play Reduction of Soviet Aid and Blockade Fleet as soon as possible, since they are events that reduce Republican RP.

Helter-Skelter is a key combat event and you should take maximum advantage of when you use it. Its effects are devastating for any Republican defense, but be careful with its limitations: it cancels enemy trenches, but not the effects of mountains and you will have to win the combat to make the enemy retreat. After its use you will have to discard it, so it will only get to your hand two or three times before the end of the game.

Munich Agreement is another essential event. You should play it as soon as possible because its effects are very important.

Playing Casado's Coup means a victory by checkmate. In order to play this, the situation must be very favorable to you, in particular that means RM is very low. It may be that you can already achieve your victory conditions and the event is unnecessary. Its real value is in guaranteeing a chance of victory in the case that you have not gained enough VP, but have managed to reduce the RM to a very low level.

Specific tips:

In this phase's card deck there are only two Reinforcements cards, both valuable (4 OPS), but the units are not of high quality. Still it is usually worth playing them to avoid becoming outnumbered or to build up more Corps-sized Units in a particular front.

Lowering RM is even more important now. If it reaches ten or less the Republican Player will only have six cards in his hand, but above all you will be able to play some great events.

Be careful with concentrating too many Corps-sized Units in a stalled front, because it is very costly to quickly redeploy them to another place, and the Republican Player could take advantage of the situation to attack other distant points.

Republican Player

Without any doubt, your motto in the final phase is "to resist is to win". If you can manage to avoid a Nationalist victory, you win. Therefore, you will have to suffer, and defend as well as possible and use everything in your hand to disrupt the enemy advance.

Operations:

You have to redouble the defense of your shrinking territory, especially in the most valuable zones. Never forget Madrid, it is too important and losing the capital will mean a nearly certain defeat. Valencia is easily defendable if you keep a margin of mountain spaces in front of it. It may look that the danger is smaller in the South, but do not neglect your defenses, especially if the Nationalist Player has already advanced well towards the East. The war can be (and often is) decided in Catalonia, a territory with many good approaches, and where four VPs are concentrated, including a Main City. It also offers the Nationalist the tempting possibility of isolating the Republic from the French border. You will have to fight tooth and nail to defend it.

If possible you should build a second line of defense to prevent ruptures of the front and to make strategic retreats easier. The Fortifications event can be very helpful for this.

Counterattacks you launch may be the key to victory, as long as you make them in the right time and place. With them you can disrupt the Nationalist advance or, more frequently, distract him from his main offensive efforts and force him to lose time.

Events:

French Intervention Threat is a powerful event that can interrupt the Nationalist advance towards Catalonia for a whole turn. It cannot be played after Munich Agreement, an event that the Nationalist Player will use as soon as possible (although he cannot before turn 14). If you do not play this event at least you will keep a 4 OPS card in your deck.

Opening the French Border is a 5 OPS card, so it may be worth conserving; however, the event is valuable and can save you in a critical moment. Remember that if you want to play it you will need a Friendly Supply Source connected to the French border.

Strategic Counterattack: Ebro is your most powerful counterattack card and it gives you one VP as long as you keep the captured space. However, it allows the Nationalist Player to play his dangerous event, Counteroffensive, so if you play it try to wait until late in the game and try to anticipate the enemy's reaction.

Furthermore, it is always wise to play all the events left in the deck that increase RM, to ensure that it does not get too low.

The two Reinforcements cards in this phase's deck are very valuable (4 OPs). However, it likely will be absolutely imperative to play them to avoid being clearly outnumbered and to reinforce your crumbling defenses.

The To Resist is to Win CC is very important because it allows you to stop a Nationalist advance or, even better, counter the event Helter-Skelter. You will be able to use it only once, so make it count.

Use Last Mobilization only in extreme situations and never before the last two or three turns, because its effects will drastically weaken your army from that point on.

Specific tips:

If you've played Negrín's Government, the Nationalist Player will be able to play an event that forces you to remove all the International Brigades. Since they are likely to be removed anyway, try to make them take as many combat losses as possible.

Be wary of the Nationalist combat card Helter-Skelter, because it cancels the effects of trenches. As such, you will not be able to cancel a retreat if you lose the combat. Luckily it does not affect Mountain and cannot be used in Madrid or in spaces adjacent to the capital.

Remember that if the Nationalists take Barcelona all your units north of the city will be isolated and become OOS, although they will not die if they are connected to the French border. If there are lots of Corps-sized Units, this will create a big problem, as you will not have them to defend other fronts. Your only consolation is that they will delay the enemy from easily capturing the French border.

Keep an eye on RM, as its decline will have greater and greater negative consequences for you. To avoid these consequences, play events that increase it, launch attacks to conquer RM spaces and do not forget that your Strategic Counterattack cards can also give you some points, even if just temporarily.

Finally, more than ever try to accumulate as many RP's as you can, as they are the key to keeping a strong defensive line. The RP penalties for losing Main Cities and for certain Nationalist events may force you to play more than one card each turn for RP's. Don't be afraid to do so to accumulate enough points.

22.0 A Brief History of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Introduction and Caveat

The Spanish Civil War is an episode of recent history that has generated many pages of writing. Surprisingly, most of the published books talk about the social, economic and political aspects of the conflict, while only a few of them treat the military operations. Even so, there are interesting monographs about battles and campaigns, and also works about the war in general, some of them already mentioned in the Crusade and Revolution bibliography.

This article is not a detailed history of the Spanish Civil War. It merely tries to provide a brief outline of the most relevant facts, focused on the military events. It has been divided in three major sections that match the three phases of the game.

I will not try to analyze the origins or causes of the conflict. Those who are interested in the topic will easily find plenty of facts, analyses and opinions already published.

Lastly, it is worth noting that the Card Historical Notes have a lot of information that complements what is written in here, so I have tried, whenever possible, not to repeat the information contained on them. The titles of some cards are included in the text for reference, marked in bold to make the reader's work easier.

War of the Columns — July 1936 to February 1937

Failed coup d'état, beginning of the war and first operations

The rebels planned for a classic rebellion, with a popular uprising throughout Spain and the Protectorate of Morocco, led by the military and supported by rightist civilian elements. General Mola, considered the brains of the operation and nicknamed "The Director", had planned most of the operations in detail, but left the success of the uprising in certain zones almost to luck. The conspirators had little confidence of success in some key capitals, like Madrid and Barcelona, so they had planned for the formation of military columns from regions nearby to take over those cities quickly. There was a direct reference in the plan to using extreme violence to achieve its objectives.

The coup d'état started prematurely in the Moroccan Protectorate on July 17th 1936, and it spread to the Peninsula on the 18th. Its uneven success depended on diverse factors, some of which were quite random. This led to a confused situation in which the rebels had not triumphed, but could not be quickly defeated either. In fact, it ignited what the conspirators where trying to avoid: a full-scale revolution.

In areas not controlled by the rebels, a leftist revolutionary movement broke out, started by leftist parties and trade unions. This took power away from the Government and brought chaos to Spain.

During the first days of the war, both sides spent time eliminating resistance points and securing, in a precarious way, something similar to a front line. We must also note the disorder and power vacuum that existed, the scarce number of combatants, the extreme precariousness of their resources, and the beginning of the White Terror and the Red Terror in both rear areas.

Neither side really had the capability to organize offensive operations early on, with their main worries centered on securing their own territory. As was expected, the uprising had failed in Madrid, so Mola organized columns that advanced towards the capital from the North. However, these were stopped by forces that came out of Madrid to defend the nearby mountains. Militia columns, mostly anarchists, departed from Barcelona, where the rebellion had also failed, towards Zaragoza, but after conquering most of Aragon, they were also stopped before reaching their main objective.

Initial balance of forces

From the last days of July to the first days of August, the situation had become clearer, and it was possible to draw a line on the map between the two Spains.

At first, the balance of forces seemed to favor the Republican side, as it controlled a larger territory, more population and, especially, the industrial zones and the treasure of the Bank of Spain. The peninsular Spanish Army (approximately 120,000 men) had divided more or less equally, and the same happened with the police forces (65,000 members). Most of the fleet had remained in Government hands, as well as two thirds of the aviation assets. However, the 35,000 professional soldiers of the Army of Africa were fully on the rebel side.

But the situation was not as pro-Republican as it appeared. First of all, the army in the Republican zone (the areas where the rebellion had failed) had nearly disappeared. In an attempt to shut down the coup, the Government had ordered the disbandment of the military. However, the rebels did not follow that order, and the loyal military forces were drastically weakened. Another significant fact is that most of the officers joined the rebels, and they would become the core of the future Nationalist Army. Most of the warships were in Republican hands, but as their officers had been assassinated or arrested, they had no qualified leaders. The Government controlled most aviation assets, but the planes were antiquated and ineffective compared with the modern ones that would soon arrive through foreign aid.

The key factor that negated any possible advantage was the collapse of the Republican State. The taking of arms by leftist forces and the resulting revolutionary outbreak took power away from the Government and gave it to a disorganized mob that barely listened to their own party and trade union leadership.

On the other side, the opposite happened. From the beginning the military had full command over the Nationalist zone (where the initial rebellion had succeeded) and the civil authorities were subordinated to the Army. An iron discipline and unity was imposed with a single objective: to achieve victory.

A few days after the hostilities began, the situation was one of apparent balance. Neither side was ready for war. Both needed quite a lot of time to mobilize their material and human resources and neither were able to launch significant attacks against the enemy. But this balanced situation would change quickly.

Crossing the Strait and the advance towards Madrid

The main asset of the self-named Nationalists was the Army of Africa, composed of soldiers with experience in the long and cruel colonial wars in Morocco, and under the command of General Franco. However, the Government's fleet controlled the Strait of Gibraltar, preventing any movement to the Peninsula by sea. As a solution, the first military Air Bridge of history was organized, in which planes sent by Germany and Italy played a decisive role, responding to the rebels' urgent request for help.

The African units that started to arrive in Andalusia, although few in number, made it possible to secure the zone and organize the first columns that left from Sevilla towards Madrid on August 5th.

The column was a small combat unit, typically colonial, formed from several hundred to a few thousand combatants. Columns, along with their materiel and support were quite heterogeneous. Their organization was adequate to operate in a fluid front, especially against a disorganized enemy.

The shortest route to Madrid was through the Despeñaperros Pass. However, Franco preferred to follow the slightly longer but more secure route of Extremadura, as this kept his left flank covered by the friendly border with Portugal, whose Government was sympathetic to the rebels. Moreover, it was faster that way to connect with the Nationalist northern zone, which was suffering a serious ammunition shortage.

The advance of the African columns was lightning quick, advancing 120 kilometers in the first four days, and encountering nearly no opposition worthy of the name. On August 11th they conquered Mérida and on the 14th they clashed with the first organized resistance in Badajoz, easily overcoming it and taking the town. The two Nationalist zones were united and the route for supplies to the Northern zone was secured.

Nationalist forces then turned East toward Madrid. The Republican Government, alarmed by the rapid Nationalist advance, tried to organize a more effective defense and sent all available reinforcements, but the inexperienced militiamen were no match for the African veterans. On September 3rd, the Nationalists took the important communications junction of Talavera de la Reina, little more than 100 kilometers from the capital. Its fall provoked the resignation of president Giral and the formation of Largo Caballero's Government, which immediately tried to recover power and discipline, militarize the militias, and create a true army, named the Republican Popular Army (Ejército Popular de la República). This would require a great deal of effort and, above all, time.

Non-Intervention Committee and the beginning of foreign aid

The European Powers looked at the events in Spain with great interest, calculating how they could manipulate them for their own advantage. Italy and Germany sympathized with the rebel forces from the beginning, and they quickly answered requests with increasing quantities of hardware.

Great Britain feared the Spanish war could generate international tensions or even provoke a European war so they tried to isolate the problem, supporting the Non-Intervention Committee.

The leftist French Government sympathized with the Republican side, and they sent war materiel during the first weeks of the war. However, the French were forced to support the British foreign policy position, and they were deep in their own serious political, economic and social crisis - which an intervention in Spain would certainly aggravate. Their border was closed on August 8th.

For the Soviet Union, Spain was a far away and unknown theater, but Hitler and Mussolini's interference, British and French inaction, and the requests for help from the Republican Government, provoked Stalin's intervention.

The Non-Intervention Committee, signed by all of these powers, would be one of the biggest masquerades of the period between the wars, as the Nationalist received Axis Military Aid and the Republicans Soviet Military Aid.

The Alcázar of Toledo and the Battle of Madrid

From Talavera de la Reina, the advance of the Nationalist troops towards Madrid did not stop, but it started to slow down. On the one hand, the African columns were starting to show signs of attrition and were feeling the consequence of longer supply lines. On the other hand, the Republicans were closer to their supply bases; they mobilized more units and received the first shipments of Soviet weaponry, and launched their first counterattacks, which, although unsuccessful, delayed the enemy's progress.

In late September, with his forces less than 50 kilometers from Madrid, Franco ordered his soldiers to turn away from that advance and liberate the Alcázar of Toledo. It was a strategically questionable decision, as it gave the defenders of the capital precious time, but it had unquestionable symbolical value. Since July 22nd, 1800 pro-Nationalist military personal and civilians were resisting in the Alcázar, under siege by Republican forces. It had become an obsession for both sides.

On September 28th, in a big propaganda success, the Nationalists liberated the Alcázar of Toledo and on October 1st the military leaders of the rebellion agreed that Franco would Take Command as "Generalísimo" of all the armies and as Head of State.

On November 6th the Nationalist columns arrived at the suburbs of Madrid and the Republican Government abandoned the city that looked about to fall. The Battle of Madrid was starting. It was in fact a series of battles that would see Nationalists and Republicans fighting for control of the capital for five months.

Relying on the superiority of his troops, Franco ordered a frontal assault on the city, but repeated Nationalist attacks failed in the face of stubborn Republican resistance. The Nationalists did not have enough troops for such an ambitious objective and their tactical superiority was reduced in the dense urban terrain. Meanwhile, the Republicans received materiel and human reinforcements (the first International Brigades and Mixed Brigades), they had the advantage of fighting defensively, and their morale was increasing every day. Ultimately, the troops in Madrid proved the slogan "They shall not pass!" true, and the city proved to be impregnable.

On November 23rd, Franco halted the attacks and chose to take the capital through enveloping maneuvers. The Battle of La Coruña's Road, which lasted until January 15th 1937, was the first attempt, through the Northwest sector. The Nationalist offensive had some initial success, but later it was stopped. Both sides concentrated more and more troops, and it was impossible to break the balance of forces around Madrid.

Once it was clear that the attack in the Northwest had failed, the Nationalists tried to break the front in the South, gathering a powerful force there. The Battle of Jarama started on February 6th with an initial Nationalist advance, but it was also soon stopped by the arrival of Republican reinforcements, which counterattacked but were unable to recover the lost terrain. It was the biggest battle to date, and the first one where foreign war materiel played a significant role.

Both the Battle of La Coruña's Road and the Battle of Jarama ended in a draw. The Nationalists would try a third maneuver to surround Madrid, this time from the Northeast, towards Guadalajara.

The other fronts of the war and the war at sea

During the first months of the war Madrid was the main focus for both sides, but there was also activity in other fronts, where the Nationalist side made the better showing.

In August, the Republicans attempted to Disembark in Mallorca, but the operation failed because of the defenders' resistance, the inexperience of the militias, and the disunion of the Republican leaders.

That same month, Republican columns attacked Córdoba, nearly reaching the gates of the city, but the intervention of enemy aviation made the attempt fail. With the help of the African reinforcements, the Nationalists secured their positions in eastern Andalucía and connected with the isolated city of Granada.

In the North, the well-disciplined Nationalist Carlist militia units (known as "requetés") advanced from Navarra, conquering the towns of Irún and San Sebastián in September, so the Republican Northern Front was isolated from the French border. Their advance continued towards the West, occupying the entire Guipuzcoa province, but in October the firm resistance of the Basque militias stabilized the front in the mountainous areas of Biscay.

In November a powerful Basque column launched an offensive towards Vitoria, but it was stopped in Villarreal de Álava, suffering a large defeat and heavy losses.

In Asturias, the Republicans quickly conquered the besieged Simancas barracks in August. The town of Oviedo remained surrounded by the Asturian militias, resisting their attacks within a fortified defensive perimeter. Several Nationalist columns left from Galicia to help Oviedo, and on October 17th they managed to connect with Oviedo through a precarious 75-kilometer long corridor. Both the corridor and the city would be severely attacked in the following months, but they would not fall.

On February 5th 1937 the Nationalists attacked Málaga, whose defenders were still as disorganized as in July 1936 and had hardly received any weaponry. Italian Reinforcements sent by Mussolini headed the offensive, and it achieved an incredibly quick success, conquering the town only two days later.

At sea, the Nationalist fleet, although numerically inferior, was much more aggressive and active than the Republican one, as the Republicans suffered from a serious lack of commanders. In the first months it put a blockade on the Atlantic coast and on September 29th it defeated Republican ships in front of Gibraltar, which brought about the Ending of the Strait Blockade.

Mobilization Phase — March 1937 to February 1938

Two armies face to face

During the first weeks of the war both sides had to fight with the available human resources: army units in varied states of readiness (very few in good shape on the Republican side), police forces, and several thousand enthusiastic volunteers integrated in the militias.

They were very few combatants for such a vast front (2000 kilometers) and not enough for a long war, so both sides began conscription, and by the beginning of 1937 Nationalists and Republicans had already initiated 12 drafts.

Organizing and uniting those hundreds of thousands of soldiers required time and effort, and there was the additional problem of equipping them. Spain hardly had a national war industry, so military aid from foreign powers was essential.

The development and growth of the Nationalist Army and the Republican Popular Army followed similar paths. The initial columns became organized into battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, corps and, lastly, armies. The number of combatants increased until there were a million soldiers on each side by 1938.

The Nationalists had unquestionable advantages over the Republicans. They had more professional officers, especially in the middle ranks, and they trained numerous sergeants and "Alféreces Provisionales" (provisional second lieutenants) to fill the needs of noncommissioned officers. The supply of armaments from the Italians and Germans was consistent, and the direct intervention of their powerful aviation decisive (Legionary Aviation and Condor Legion). Mussolini also sent a full army corps, named CTV (Corpo di Truppe Volontarie).

The Republicans had to start nearly from scratch, overcoming the political fallout that the militarization of the militias generated amongst most of the leftist political parties and trade unions (only the Communist Party and its Fifth Regiment supported it from the beginning). There were plenty of high-ranking officers, but the lack of mid-level officers and technicians was drastic. They tried to make up for that shortage by training sergeants and lieutenants "in campaign", but their performance never was as good as those of the enemy. The Soviet Union supplied abundant weaponry, but the closing of the French border and the Nationalist blockade of the Mediterranean routes made its arrival irregular.

Moreover, there was no political or command unity in the Republican side, since the central Government had to share power with several juntas, committees, and regional governments. Many months were needed to recover the control of the situation, although in some zones, as the Northern Front and Catalonia, the lack of coordination and distrust lasted throughout the war.

The Battle of Guadalajara and the beginning of the Northern Campaign

In March 1937 the CTV had completed their deployment and had 35,000 men in four well-equipped motorized divisions in Spain. After the successful conquest of Málaga, the Italians designed an ambitious modern operation that hoped to resolve the Battle of Madrid, attacking from the Northeast towards Guadalajara.

The offensive started on March 8th, achieving a break through at the front and reaching Brihuega. However, Republican reinforcements arrived rapidly; they stopped the enemy advance and counterattacked, routing the Italian troops and recovering part of the lost territory. The defeat of the CTV, although exaggerated by propaganda, was indeed the definitive failure in the Nationalist attempts to surround Madrid.

Franco was forced to rethink his strategy and search for a new objective. There were many reasons to choose the Northern Front: it was isolated from the main Republican zone and its ports were under blockade, so it could receive little aid, and it contained important industrial and mineral resources. Its defenders had many troops, but these were inexperienced, poorly equipped and still in the process of militarization. Last, there was serious political disunity among the three Republican regions of the North, whose governments waged war on their own without relying on the others or following the guidelines of the Central Government.

Franco decided to start the offensive in Biscay, and on March 31st the Northern Campaign started.

The fall of Bilbao and the Battle of Brunete

The attack, led by brigades from Navarre and supported by heavy artillery and modern aviation, would prove to be unstoppable. Only the broken terrain, the stubborn resistance of some Republican units, and rainstorms would slow the Nationalist advance.

German and Italian aircraft bombed towns near the front such as Durango and Guernica, with Guernica becoming a symbol of the horror of the war.

The Iron Belt was easily broken, provoking the withdrawal of the defensive forces, and on June 19th the Nationalists entered Bilbao with hardly any opposition, capturing the important industry of the zone intact. The advance did not stop there, and the whole province of Biscay was conquered in July.

In the meantime, major events were happening in the Republican zone. The May Events in Barcelona - a civil war within a civil war - had hastened the resignation of Largo Caballero and the assembly of Negrin's Government. Lieutenant Colonel Vicente Rojo, an efficient technician and strategist, had become chief of the Republican Central General Staff and he intended to make a decisive change in the course of the war.

However, Rojo was aware of the limitations of his army, and after the defensive success in Madrid, he wanted to evaluate its offensive capacity. He designed two limited operations for it, one against Segovia in May and the other towards Huesca in June. Both failed, demonstrating that even though the Republican forces had improved, they still had serious shortcomings.

The only way to help the Northern Front was to launch a big offensive from the Republican central zone. The first assaults had not prevented the fall of Bilbao and in July Rojo designed a much more ambitious operation which was to surround the Nationalist forces that were besieging Madrid. In the battle of Brunete, despite some initial success, the Republican Army did not achieve any of its tactical or strategic objectives, and it hardly slowed the Northern campaign.

The Battle of Belchite and the end of the Northern Front

The loss of Biscay had weakened and demoralized the Republican troops, and the unstoppable Nationalist advance continued in August. To make things worse, the battalions controlled by Basque nationalists surrendered on their own to the Italians in the Pact of Santoña, contributing to crumbling of the front. Santander fell on August 26th.

Two days earlier, a new Republican strategic counterattack had started in the forgotten and quiet Aragonese front, with the intention of threatening Zaragoza and stopping the Nationalist offensive in the North. The forces that had taken part in Brunete, reinforced and reequipped, again achieved some initial success, but their advance soon came to a standstill and their efforts were wasted attempting to capture towns with no strategic relevance. The Battle of Belchite showed again the offensive ineffectiveness of the Republican Popular Army and how easily Franco could overcome a crisis with no need to change his strategic plans.

At the end of August, Asturias was the only region in the North Front under Republican control, completely isolated and with no hope of relief. The Nationalists immediately began its conquest with overwhelming force, trying to conclude the campaign before winter.

The advance would be slow and costly, through broken terrain and against the tenacious defenses of the Asturian militias. After several weeks of fierce fighting, the campaign was finally decided, and on October 21st the Nationalists entered Gijón, ending the Northern Front.

The Northern Campaign had been a hard and decisive defeat for the Republican side, which had lost 14 divisions, around 150,000 soldiers and their respective armaments. Many of those men would join the ranks of the National Army. Moreover, Franco obtained control over a zone rich in industrial and mineral resources. The Nationalist fleet of the Bay of Biscay was free to move to the Mediterranean Sea and increase the pressure on Republican convoys.

In short, the fall of the Northern Front was a definitive change in the balance of forces, and made it clear that Nationalist victory was only a matter of time.

The Battle of Teruel

Franco now had his powerful and experienced Army of the North available for use against a new objective. He decided to try Madrid again, attacking through Guadalajara as the Italians had tried months ago, but with a new plan and more resources. Immediately the Nationalists started to move troops, services and materiel towards that front.

In early December the Republicans detected the concentration of enemy forces. Rojo was planning several strategic alternatives, but he was forced to face the new and imminent danger that menaced Madrid. Once again, he designed a diversionary operation, trying to distract the attention of the enemy to another front.

On December 15th three Republican army corps attacked the ill-defended city of Teruel by surprise, managing to surround it completely. Franco decided to respond to the enemy challenge, cancelling the planned Madrid offensive and sending many reinforcements to the zone. In this way the Battle of Teruel started, under the very hard conditions of a Severe Winter.

The Nationalist forces besieged in the town resisted until January 8th 1938, while all the attempts to liberate them from outside failed. It was the first - and only - provincial capital that the Republican side took during the war, and in that moment it was a substantial success and increased morale. Rojo believed erroneously that the battle had ended, but Franco kept sending reinforcements into the zone, forcing the Republicans to answer with more units. On January 17th the Nationalist counterattack started, after very fierce engagements the Republican lines gave way, and Teruel was reconquered on February 22nd.

Both sides had suffered great losses, but the Republican Army took the worst part of the exchange and was heavily battered. Moreover, the final defeat after the initial success had a very serious effect on morale.

War of the Armies Phase — March 1938 to April 1939

The offensive of Aragón and the splitting of the Republican zone

After the Battle of Teruel, Rojo supposed that the Nationalists would stop to rest and reorganize, but they did not. Franco decided to take advantage of enemy weakness and attack strongly and rapidly in Aragon, and on March 9th the offensive started. The Nationalist superiority and the Republican demoralization provoked the Helter-Skelter rout of some units and the front was almost immediately broken.

The battle turned into a continuous Republican withdrawal towards the East. On April 3rd the Nationalists conquered Lérida, and on 15th they reached the Mediterranean Sea through Vinaroz, cutting the Republican zone in two.

Catalonia was left isolated and defended by very weakened troops, so it looked logical to attack it and give a coup de grâce to the Republic. However, against the opinions of several of his generals, Franco decided to turn South and advance through the mountainous region of the Maestrazgo, towards Valencia.

Much has been discussed about this controversial decision, although the most probable cause was Franco's fear of a French Intervention Threat. Those were days of crisis and tension in Europe, provoked by Hitler's aggressive foreign policy, and the presence of German and Italian troops near its southern border worried the French Government. Moreover, it was clear that a victorious Franco would be an ally for the Axis.

The Campaign of Levante

In their offensive against Valencia, which started on April 21st, the Nationalists met with unexpected resistance. The Republican Popular Army defended efficiently, making good use of the broken terrain and consecutive lines of Fortifications deployed in depth.

Slowly, and with heavy losses, the Nationalists advanced until they conquered Castellón on June 14th. However, enemy resistance did not decrease.

In the meantime, the Republican High Command took advantage of Franco's decision to reinforce and militarily reorganize Catalonia during the Spring and Summer of 1938. New drafts were mobilized, and the temporary Opening of the French Border allowed them to replace worn out armaments. With a core formed by veterans of two years of war, the Army of the Ebro was created, the best on the Republican side.

On May 25th Rojo decided to try the offensive capacity of the Catalonian forces in order to alleviate the pressure over Levante, launching a Limited Offensive at Tremp and Balaguer. It started with some success, but soon it ground to a halt and Rojo stopped the operation so his troops would not wear down too much.

On their side, the Nationalists took advantage of the circumstances to launch secondary offensives in June and July in the forgotten fronts of Andalusia and Extremadura, managing to capture some territories and straightening the front line, moving it away from Portugal.

In early July the Nationalists continued with the hard Campaign in the Levante, where even with new reinforcements and a concentration of aviation, artillery and armor, their advance was slow. At the end of the month they were near Valencia, which worried the Republican High Command greatly, because even with the good defensive performance of their troops, it looked as they could only delay the inevitable. And the fall of Valencia could represent the end of the war.

However, the Nationalist offensive was stopped suddenly when the Republican Army crossed the Ebro river by surprise.

The Battle of the Ebro

The strategic counterattack carefully designed by Rojo had a military objective, and also a political one. First of all, it was imperative to stop the Nationalist offensive of Levante and save Valencia, so once again he opted for a diversionary attack destined to draw in enemy reserves.

But the attack was also a response to Prime Minister Negrín's approach and his motto "To Resist is to Win". A military victory over the Nationalists was already impossible, but the Republican side could still hope for a peace accord through international mediation. Or in the worst case, to extend the war long enough to join in with what was seen as an imminent general European war, in which the Republicans hoped they would be helped by France and Great Britain against Franco, allied with Italy and Germany.

On July 25th at dawn the Battle of the Ebro started. Two corps crossed the river and overwhelmed the Nationalist defenders and advanced towards Gandesa, while diversionary operations were made to the north and south. The enemy reaction was immediate, but before the offensive was stopped, the Republican forces managed to conquer a large swath of terrain, of no economic or military value but of great morale and political significance.

As before, Franco decided to face Rojo's challenge, refusing to accept the loss of any territory and turning the battle into a matter of prestige. Against the advice of several of his generals, he stopped the Valencia offensive and sent enormous reinforcements to the Ebro, planning a frontal Counteroffensive against the enemy army.

The Battle of the Ebro was the biggest and longest of the whole war and its results would be decisive. One hundred thousand men from each side clashed on a front just 30 kilometers long in fighting similar to the trench warfare of World War I. The main innovation was the huge deployment of the Nationalist air force, vastly superior to the Republican one.

The best Republican units defended a broken and mountainous terrain against repeated enemy frontal assaults, in a bloody battle of attrition. Finally, after nearly four months of fighting, the last Republican defenders withdrew across the Ebro on November 15th.

Losses on both sides had been terrible, but the Republicans just could not replace theirs. The Battle of the Ebro was the biggest effort of the Popular Army, and with its defeat the military capacity of the Republican side was exhausted.

Political crisis in Europe and the Munich Agreement

While they were fighting on the Ebro, both adversaries were aware of what was happening elsewhere in Europe, where a political crisis provoked by aggressive German expansionism threatened to trigger a war that Negrín hoped for and Franco feared.

After the annexation of Austria in March 1938, Hitler aspired to control the ethnically-German Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia. In September a conference took place in Munich to resolve the crisis and, in the name of appeasement, Great Britain and France handed over the Sudetenland to Germany. It was a big disappointment for Spanish Republicans, because if the democracies did not defend Czechoslovakia, they would certainly not defend the Spanish Republic.

In this way, the Munich Agreement guaranteed that the end of the war through international mediation was not going to happen.

The Catalonia Campaign

After his victory in the Ebro, Franco decided to attack Catalonia. It was a logical objective: the best Nationalist troops were deployed in the zone, the menace of a French intervention had disappeared, enemy forces had been severely weakened after the Battle of the Ebro, and the region was isolated from the rest of the Republican zone.

Rojo knew that a Nationalist offensive was imminent, and he had to resort once again to a diversionary operation on another front. He based it in a project he had tried to carry out some time ago, which he named "Plan P". It combined three operations: an amphibious disembarkation in Motril to attract the enemy reserve, and after that two big attacks, one in Extremadura and the other in Madrid. Organizational problems forced the delay of the start of the Plan P, which was not launched ahead of the enemy attack.

After a postponement caused by bad weather, the Nationalist offensive in Catalonia started on December 23rd. Six army corps, with about 300,000 men and abundant artillery, armor and air resources, attacked 200,000 Republican defenders, poorly armed and with very low morale.

During the first days of combat, Republican forces were able to stop the enemy advance at a few points and even launch some counterattacks. But very soon it was clear that the offensive was unstoppable and the Nationalists overran all the defensive lines, forcing the Republican troops to continuously withdraw.

Rojo launched Plan P, but on a much smaller scale than he wanted, as the disembarkation of forces at Motril and the attack from Madrid were both discarded. On January 5th 1939 the last Republican offensive of the war started, in the zone of Peñarroya-Valsequillo. In heavy combat over three weeks, the Nationalists lost 10,000 and the Republicans twice that number, without affecting the campaign in Catalonia.

The Republican withdrawal continued and on January 15th Tarragona fell. There was still some who dreamed of repeating in Barcelona the heroic deeds of Madrid that happened two years before, but the circumstances were completely different. On January 26th the Nationalists entered the city against hardly any resistance. From that moment on they just pursued the Republican troops that, mixed with civilian refugees, fled in a rout to the French border.

On February 10th the border with France was completely in Nationalist hands and the campaign for Catalonia ended.

The end of the war

Now the Republican side, isolated from any border and with its ports strangled by the Blockade Fleet and Nationalist aviation, held only one third of Spain. They had around half a million soldiers, facing twice as many enemies. Their inferiority in equipment was even more pronounced, and over all, the Popular Army suffered total demoralization. Nevertheless, Negrín favored continuing resistance, and he was supported by the Communists, although nearly all the military leaders and the rest of the political forces were against that option.

The collapse of the Republican side was quick. The Surrender of Menorca and the Insurrection in Cartagena were clear symptoms of it. On March 5th the decisive Casado's Coup started, which caused combat in Madrid between those in favor of the coup, who wanted to finish the war, and the defenders of Negrín's Government. Casado's forces prevailed. When that short civil war within the civil war ended, Casado tried to achieve some type of negotiated surrender with Franco, but Franco would have none of it.

Franco demanded the unconditional surrender of the Republic and announced that his troops were going to launch a general offensive. On March 26th the Nationalists began to advance along all fronts with no resistance. All Republican forces surrendered and the war ended officially on April 1st 1939.

23.0 Card Historical Notes

23.1 Nationalist Side

23.1.1 War of the Columns

Air Bridge: The coup d'état as planned by General Mola expected that rebelling troops on the Peninsula would be enough to take Madrid and knock out the Government. However, a few days after the revolt began it was clear that the rebels were not going to win a quick triumph and would not easily defeat the Republican forces. The Army of Africa, which had revolted in Morocco, could change the situation of the Nationalists, but it had to be moved to the Peninsula, and the Strait of Gibraltar was controlled by warships loyal to the Government. There was only one possible route: by air. History's first air bridge started with meager means: just four planes. Italy and Germany responded to the Nationalists' request for help; nine S-81s arrived on July 30th and twenty JU-52s on August 5th. With them the transit from Morocco to Spain was sped up.

Airplanes Disperse Militia: When the war started, the small Republican columns were filled with enthusiastic militiamen, but notably lacked military training or combat experience. On several occasions the mere presence of enemy planes completely stopped the Republican offensives, making the militiamen flee, and they needed hours or even days to reorganize.

Alféreces Provisionales: Command staff shortages on the Nationalist side were resolved by provisional "alféreces". These were young men who usually didn't have much training (normally secondary education), who after three months of instruction went into combat as junior officers with the rank of "alférez" (a Spanish rank similar to second lieutenant). Always in the front, they suffered high losses, as it shows the creation of the phrase "provisional alférez, effective corpse".

Axis Armor: The armored vehicles supplied to the Nationalists were always of lower quality than those received by the Republic. Both the Italian Carro Veloce 33 and the German Panzer I were no more than light tanks armed with machineguns, or occasionally with a flame thrower, and they could not compete with the Soviet T-26. That is why captured enemy tanks were a treasure that was quickly used against their old owners. A reward of 500 pesetas was offered for the capture of a T-26.

Axis Military Aid: German and Italian aid to the Nationalists started in July 1936 with the provision of planes that sped up the air bridge over the Strait of Gibraltar. At first it was thought that the rebels would achieve a quick victory, but it soon became clear that Spain was in a civil war, during which both sides asked for and consumed huge and increasing quantities of war materiel. Despite signing the Non-Intervention pact, Mussolini and Hitler would help Franco decisively during the conflict.

Defection: After the revolt, more than half of the police forces were in the Republican camp. Nevertheless, a lot of guards sympathized with the rebels and during the first months they used the arrival of Nationalists at the front to defect, sometimes in entire units.

End of the Strait Blockade: The initial uprising failed on most of the warships. Consequently the Republican fleet had overwhelming superiority over the Nationalist one, and could control the Strait of Gibraltar from the start of the rebellion. Nevertheless, the assassination of most of the rebelling officers on Republican-controlled ships meant that they lost effectiveness, as they did not have qualified commanders. In September 1936, the Republican Government moved the bulk of the fleet to the Bay of Biscay, trying to help the isolated North. In El Ferrol, controlled by the rebels, there were two modern cruisers in the final phase of construction. That same month the Nationalists finished one of them, the Canarias, which along with the cruiser Cervera was moved to the Strait, expelling the Republicans and gaining control. The Government ordered the return of the Republican fleet, which crossed in front of Gibraltar during the night without facing the Nationalists. They would never dispute the control of the Strait again and the Nationalists could cross it by sea freely from then on.

Famine: The Republicans suffered more privations than the Nationalists, due to diverse factors: the rebels controlled the main cereal and cattle zones, but the major cities were in the Republican zone and the Republican coasts were under an increasingly tightening blockade. The Republican situation became more serious with time, and as rationing became stricter, morale dropped. As an example, milk became a food that could only be obtained with a medical prescription.

Fiat CR 32 "Chirri": One of the most famous planes of the war. This excellent biplane was the core of the Nationalist fighter force, which received a total of 377 of these Italian machines. It could dogfight easily with the Soviet I-15, but was inferior to the I-16.

Franco Takes Command: In contrast to what happened on the Republican side, the existence of a centralized military command was seen as indispensable by the Nationalists. Franco was the best known general abroad and he had achieved military successes in the quick advance of his African columns from Sevilla towards Madrid. The National Defense Committee chose him as "Generalísimo" and Chief of the State on October 1st 1936, in theory just for while the war was on.

García Morato: The pilot Joaquín García Morato was the best "ace" of the war, with 40 air combat victories. He led an air squadron made up exclusively of Spanish pilots, named "Patrulla Azul" (Blue Patrol), whose presence over the battlefield gave swift air superiority to the Nationalists several times. García Morato was shot down twice during the war, but he survived both times. He died in a flying accident only a few days after the war had finished.

Italian Reinforcements: Although it formally accepted the Non-Intervention pact, Italy kept sending material aid to the Nationalist side. The arrival of the International Brigades moved Mussolini to think about sending troops to Spain. In December 1936 the first contingent of 4,000 Italians arrived, by January there were 10,000 and their number kept increasing until they formed an army corps, the CTV (Corpo di Truppe Volontarie). Most of them were fascist volunteers, but there were also regular troops, which showed a better performance level. Their motorization was much superior to that of Spanish units.

Italy and Germany Recognize Nationalist Spain: Italy and Germany quickly supported the revolt, and such support continually grew. Both countries, especially Germany, singled Franco out for favorable treatment, promoting his rise to overall command as "Caudillo" and "Generalísimo", similar to the Duce or the Führer. Still, Mussolini and Hitler were waiting for the seemingly imminent fall of Madrid to recognize the Nationalists. Finally, they recognized the Nationalists on November 18th 1936, despite the fact that Madrid yet resisted and the war was far from over. Their unofficial alliance with Franco was made definitive with this act.

Militia's Lack of Discipline: The Republicans countered the nearly total disappearance of the Army in its zone by sending various militias to the battle fronts. In general, the militias had no military experience, and they could not make up for this with mere political enthusiasm. It was sometimes a farcical situation, with the militiamen often going home at night to sleep, or deciding by vote whether or not to make an attack. The process of converting these militias into a real army would be long, costly, and difficult.

Molotov Cocktail: The arrival of Soviet tanks to the front in October 1936 was an unpleasant surprise for the Nationalists. The clear inferiority of their own armored vehicles and the shortage of appropriate anti-tank guns made the soldiers improvise a new effective weapon against the T-26: the petrol bottle (which was later named the "Molotov cocktail" by the Finnish in their war against the Soviets in 1939). This simple weapon put more than one enemy tank out of action.

Naval Support: In spite of its numerical inferiority, the Nationalist fleet was very active throughout the war. In the first months it made a worthy contribution to some engagements near the coast, supporting the advance of the Nationalist troops with their big guns.

No Step Back!: On several occasions during the war, Nationalist troops endured attacks by superior Republican forces without retreating or surrendering, even when reinforcements were slow to arrive. Examples of this were the defenses of Oviedo, Huesca or Mallorca in the early months, or Belchite and Gandesa later in the war. The words of the anarchist leader García Oliver are telling: "The fascists when attacked in cities take a lot, and ours take nothing; they surround a small city and two days later it is taken. We surround it and we can spend our whole life there."

Red Terror: After the failure of the revolt and the start of the hostilities, a lot of disgraceful events started in both factions rear areas. The delivery of weapons to trade unions and political parties of the Republic meant that the Government lost control of events; this made possible a revolutionary burst of activity accompanied by much crime and terrorist acts. The terror reached its highest levels in the first months of the war and died down as the authorities partially regained control. Nevertheless, it never completely disappeared and often it would be tolerated and even encouraged by official statements. These violent acts were aimed at anyone who was considered an enemy, whether real or imaginary. Victims were of all types: military men, politicians, intellectuals, landlords, and employers, but also workers, women and even children. The Catholic Church was specifically targeted; thousands of priests and nuns were assassinated. Some unscrupulous sorts used the chaotic situation to take personal revenge, rob, and steal. For months, uncontrolled groups operated at ease in the rear of the Republican zone, detaining and executing people as they wished. Political and trade union factions organized clandestine prisons, named "chekas", where those considered enemies were tortured and killed. The creation of the so-called Popular Tribunals was a lesser evil, given that it was an effort from the Government to regulate this "revolutionary justice"; in fact the Tribunals confirmed the defenselessness of the arrested. In addition to the crimes against people, many irreplaceable cultural treasures were lost: artwork, libraries and churches were destroyed just for belonging to the Catholic Church. These events caused a heavy loss of prestige for the Republican side and were used by the Nationalists to justify their fight, and swung an important sector of international opinion against the "Red Marxist hordes".

23.1.2 Mobilization Phase

Armor Reinforcements: As the war went on the Nationalists kept asking Italy and Germany to send armored vehicles and spare parts to maintain the ones that were already in Spain. The vehicles sent were light armor tanks CV-33 and Panzer I, mostly machinegun mounted vehicles. In total, during the war the Nationalists received 122 Panzer I and 155 CV-33.

Artillery Concentration: The Nationalist army had more artillery pieces than the Republican army. The slight numerical advantage was increased by many factors: better maintenance of equipment, the addition of the cannons of the Italian Army Corps, and most importantly more efficient on the battlefield. The Nationalists were able to concentrate an increasing number of guns on very small fronts, bringing a devastating rain of firepower.

Bishops' Collective Letter: On July 1st 1937, with the Basque campaign just finished (which neutralized the only Republican territory with openly Catholic leaders), the Spanish bishops signed a collective letter. In it the bishops, with cardinal Gomá at the lead, defined the posture of the Church on the war, justifying the revolt and siding with the Nationalists. The only prelates that did not sign the letter were the archbishop of Tarragona Vidal y Barraquer and the bishop of Vitoria Mújica. The letter had a great resonance inside and outside Spain and provoked the majority of Catholic public opinion to take sides with the rebellious faction.

Captured Bridge: On February 10th 1937, Nationalists and Republicans were involved in bloody fighting on both sides of the Jarama River, south of Madrid. The river became swollen because of the rains and the Nationalist command reached the conclusion that it couldn't be forded, so the only way to cross it were the two bridges that were in enemy hands. At dawn on February 11th, men from an Ifni battalion launched a surprise attack on the bridge of Pindoque, capturing it and clearing the defenders. The bridge was mined and a Republican soldier activated the explosives, but it did not destroy the bridge completely. In the morning, Nationalist cavalry and infantry started to cross the river. The following day, the bridge of San Martín de la Vega was also captured intact.

Communists Interference: On the Republican side, military decisions were often influenced by political infighting between the different factions within the Government. Since he was President, the socialist Largo Caballero had the support of the UGT trade union and the anarchists, but faced increasing opposition from the most moderate sectors of the PSOE and especially from the Communists, who saw him as an obstacle to their growing power and influence. The smear campaign that was destined to bring down Largo Caballero reached the point where political opponents would boycott war operations to avoid giving him possible military prestige. For example, near the end of April 1937 the Communists managed to cancel consideration of an offensive towards Extremadura.

Condor Legion: In view of the importance of Soviet materiel that the Republicans were receiving, especially planes, Hitler favored sending an air group to the Nationalists. His condition in an autonomous special corps under Franco's direct command. After the German conditions were accepted, the Condor Legion was created at the end of 1936, with an air corps of 100 combat planes composed of fighter and bomber groups, with integrated anti-air artillery. Its activity in the main fronts of combat would soon prove decisive.

Italian Submarines: Mussolini's help to Franco included two modern submarines for the Nationalist fleet and sporadic attacks by the Italian fleet on ships that were carrying Soviet supplies through the Mediterranean to Republican ports. In the summer of 1937, the flow of equipment grew notably and the Nationalist command asked Italy for help. Soon Italian submarine and destroyer patrols appeared in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean and began to harass shipping that began in Russian ports in the Black Sea, sinking or capturing thirteen ships in little more than a month.

Legionary Air Force: The arrival of Italian troops at the end of 1936 was accompanied by the formation of a large air unit, initially named "Aviación del Tercio" (Aviation Regiment). With the change of the year, the Italians greatly reinforced their aviation in Spain, which changed its name to "Aviación Legionaria" (Legionary Air Force). Eventually there were 75 fighter and bomber planes, with another dozen in Mallorca tasked with harassing maritime traffic and attacking the Republican cities on the Mediterranean coast. The Legionary Air Force had a distinguished record of participation in the main campaigns of the war.

May Events: From May 3rd to 8th 1937, Barcelona witnessed a civil war inside the civil war. What happened on those days was the culmination of the growing confrontation between the Communists (unified with the Socialists of Catalonia in the PSUC) and the anarchists of the CNT and the anti-Stalinists of the POUM. The attempt of the Catalonian Generalidad (Autonomous Government) to occupy the Telephone Company building, controlled by the trade unions, was the pretext for the militias of the CNT and POUM to go to the streets with weapons in hand and start building barricades. The revolt was aborted by the arrival of troops of the Republican Government and by the appeal of anarchist leaders to their supporters asking them to stop their actions. The "May Events", discredited President Largo Caballero; driven by the PCE and the moderate sector of the PSOE, political pressure rose and his government fell. The government of Negrín took power in a matter of days. The anarchists lost a lot of the weight they had in Catalonia and Aragón and the Communists, who started a direct repression against it, accused the POUM of being reactionaries – including the arrest, torture and assassination of the POUM's leader, Andreu Nin.

Messerschmitt BF 109: The first of these German planes arrived in Sevilla in October 1936; throughout the war the Nationalists received a total of 139 units in several versions. It was an exceptional fighter, the best of the war without any doubt, and it would become a legend in World War II.

Offensive (Northern Front): After the failures of the direct attacks against Madrid and the trials of attempting to seize the capital from the south (Jarama River) and the north (Road to La Coruña), Franco was forced to search for another zone to attack the Republicans. The logical choice was the Northern Front, as it was geographically isolated from the rest of the Republican Spain and contained important industrial and mining resources. It was decided to attack first through the Basque Country and the offensive started on March 31st 1937. The Nationalist push and superiority in men and equipment brought the rapid fall of Biscay (July), Santander (August) and Asturias (October). The war in the North ended with the conquest of Gijón on October 21st 1937.

Pact of Santoña: The Nationalist Basque Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV) maintained some ambiguity during the first days of the war. Its alignment with the leftist forces of the Popular Front was not easy, as its ideology was Catholic and rightist, and the rebels had hoped that it would align with them or at least keep a neutral attitude. The factor that pushed the Basque Nationalists to support the Government was the promise of legal autonomy for the Basque Country, something unthinkable for the Nationalists. Once the Northern Campaign was started and as the Nationalists were advancing through Vizcaya, the leaders of the PNV started to look for a separate peace, without the knowledge of the Republican Government, using the Catholic Church and the Italians as mediators. After the fall of Bilbao in June 19th 1937, negotiations intensified, while Mussolini and the Basque Nationalists started to oppose to any type of offensive that could put their plans at risk. Finally, in the middle of August an agreement was reached. The emissaries sent by the PNV told the Italians where they were to attack, guaranteeing that their battalions would not resist and would allow themselves to be surrounded between the Nationalist advance and the coast. It was a treachery to the rest of the Republican forces, including a lot of leftist Basques. Despite Italian protests, the payment that the Basque Nationalists received was not the expected one, as Franco believed they had delayed their surrender for too long and they therefore did not deserve any special treatment.

Plans of the Iron Belt: The defensive works of the Iron Belt were given to the engineers Murga and Goicoechea to design. In November 1936 Murga was arrested and shot after it was discovered that he had been sending information to the enemy. Goicoechea escaped to the National zone in February 1937, with information that showed the weak points of the fortified line. The minor defensive value of the Belt was completely annulled. Referring to the fortification, Franco said: "What an error! What a huge error!"

SIPM (Military Information and Police Service): Created in September 1937, it integrated the diverse information gathering and counter-espionage services of the Nationalist side, and the organized fifth columnist groups in the Republican rear areas, into one unified intelligence department. The SIPM was focused on obtaining and evaluating information about the enemy at all levels, using all means it could. It was also in charge of the fight against the Republican information service and the security in the rearguard. The Francoist service was particularly effective on gaining military intelligence, gathering complete and timely information about enemy forces and, sometimes, about their immediate intentions. Many Republican offensives were detected; other times the importance of enemy plans was not correctly evaluated, or the Nationalist command did not interpret the received information correctly.

Yagüe: Lieutenant-Colonel Juan Yagüe Blanco (1891-1952) was one of the few high ranking officers who was a member of the Falange (Spanish fascist party) before the war. He headed the revolt in Ceuta and gave the command of the Army of Africa to Franco. At the start of August he commanded the columns that advanced quickly from Sevilla towards Madrid through Extremadura. Although he was a loyal subordinate and friend of Franco, their different military ideas and his falangist ideology ensured that Yagüe was relieved of command of his troops several times during the war. Ascending to general, he was given command of the Morocco Army Corps, composed of shock units that took part in the main battles: Teruel, Aragón, Ebro, Catalonia… Yagüe's troops were the first to enter Barcelona and he finished the war as one of the most acclaimed and respected Nationalist commanders by his comrades.

23.1.3 War of the Armies Phase

Blockade Fleet: The Nyon Conference forced an end to the Italian submarine attacks, but it was only a brief relief for Republican supply lines. After the fall of the Northern Front, the Nationalist fleet undertook the conquest of the Mediterranean. It was still numerically inferior, although it had lessened the difference after the losses suffered by the Republicans (including the old battleship Jaime I, sunk in Cartagena in an accidental explosion). The aggressive campaign against Republican convoys caused great losses and interruption of naval communications with Soviet ports on the Black Sea. Admiral Kutznesov described the situation: "At the end of 1937 the balance of forces at sea had changed against the Spanish Republic, becoming so extreme as to make it impossible to use communications through the Mediterranean. We were required to use the path from the Baltic to the French ports of Le Havre and Cherbourg and, from there, by train through France." To assure its triumph, in Mallorca the National Fleet formed what was called the Blockade Fleet, which included most of its warships. As a consequence, the pressure on France to legally open their land border was increased, but it did not happen right away, although as compensation the French Government organized a smuggling system that increased traffic between France and Spain. However, the change of route forced a clear decrease in Soviet aid.

Casado's Coup: Colonel Segismundo Casado, the commander of the Center Army, led a faction of Republican soldiers and civilians who, believing the war was lost beyond a doubt, opposed continuing resistance as that would increase the losses and suffering of the people. In addition to professional military men, groups from all the political factions, except the Communists, had gathered around Casado. The Communists were seen as enemies and were eager to keep on fighting. The conspiracy started in January 1939 and on February 1st, Casado made contact with the clandestine espionage net that the Nationalists had in Madrid. He asked for peace terms and the Francoist Headquarters answered clearly that there would be no concessions and that they would only accept total surrender. However, Casado still thought he could get some guarantee that would reduce reprisals and would make possible the exile of those more committed to the Republican cause. Events developed very quickly. On February 27th, Prime Minister Juan Negrín met the top military commanders of Republican forces in the central zone. None of them, except General Miaja, supported continued resistance. Admiral Buiza went even further and said that if peace was not immediately negotiated he would take the fleet to a neutral port. That same day France and Great Britain recognized Nationalist Spain, and Manuel Azaña resigned as President of the Republic. Soon after, General Rojo also resigned as Chief of the Central Command Staff. Casado's fear (which now seems unfounded) of Negrín and the Communists gaining complete political power made the coup happen. On March 5th, Casado announced by radio from Madrid that the Government had been removed and that a National Defense Council had been created with the objective of ending the hostilities. Negrín tried to negotiate with this Council, but receiving no answer, decided on March 6th to leave Spain by plane. Many Communist leaders would follow him. However, the newly created body had not triumphed yet. Casado had won the Communist commanders' commitment that they would accept the decisions of the Council, but on the night of March 5-6 Colonel Barceló, commander of the I Army Corps, proclaimed himself as chief commander of the Center Army and committed the Communist units under his command against Casado. Yet another civil war within the civil war started. Many Republican leaders who were shot by both sides increased the casualties resulting from the confused urban engagements. On March 7th the situation seemed to favor the Communists, but the intervention of the IV Army Corps commanded by the anarchist Cipriano Mera was decisive. By March 10th the Communist uprising had been defeated and Barceló was shot, although some forces would resist until the 12th. During the uprising the Nationalists kept their distance, knowing that their opponents were killing each other. The National Defense Counsel tried to get some peace terms from Franco, but he insisted that surrender must be unconditional and that the defeated could only trust in the benevolence of the victorious. Knowing that their efforts were in vain, Casado and the rest of the Council decided to leave the country. The socialist Julián Besteiro stayed in Madrid with the unfounded hope of interceding for other Republicans. He would die in prison one year later. Franco warned that there would be a general offensive in all the fronts and that the Republicans had to respond with white flags and an orderly surrender. On March 26th, the "Victory Offensive" started, which encountered nearly no resistance and occupied the Republican zone quickly. On April 1st, 1939 Franco signed the last war report: "Today, captured and disarmed the Red Army; the Nationalist troops have achieved their last military objectives. The war is over."

DESIGNER'S NOTE: This is the note written on the bottom-left edge of the map!

Closing of the French Border: On June 13th, 1938, nearly three months after its opening by the ephemeral Government of Leon Blum, his successor, Edouard Daladier ordered the closing of the French-Spanish frontier. He and his Minister of Foreign Affairs were following British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's advice, once more making it clear that France was following Britain's lead in international politics. Some sources say that this decision was also influenced by the fact that Franco demanded the closing of the border as a condition to supply France with pyrite. Regardless, this resolution was a hard and unexpected blow for the Republican Government; as it was forced to rely again on the Mediterranean supply line, which was still under enemy blockade.

Counteroffensive (The Ebro): The surprise offensive launched by the Republicans on the Ebro on July 25th, 1938 was initially a great success and, even if it did not achieve its planned objectives, managed to conquer a 600 square kilometer pocket on the other side of the river. The quick reaction of the Nationalists managed to stop the attack and by August 3rd, the front had stabilized. At that moment the Nationalist command had two alternatives: accept the "dent" that their lines had suffered and launch an offensive in another place, or counter-attack and reestablish the original front. In the battles of Brunete and Teruel, after the Republican offensives, they had tried to recover (at any price) what had been lost, making it a matter of prestige. In both cases they managed to retake terrain with no military value, while suffering great losses and failing to decisively defeat the enemy. Nevertheless, Franco again accepted Rojo's challenge and, against the opinion of some of his generals, decided to annihilate the enemy army in a battle of attrition. In the narrow front of the Ebro, the Nationalists launched their best divisions, their artillery and their air force. In front of them, three of the best Republican army corps (V, XII and XV) fought tooth and nail to defend themselves, favored by the rugged mountainous terrain. Around 100,000 men from each side met in the longest, bloodiest and most decisive battle of the war. Over nearly four months, the Nationalists launched seven offensives to drive the Republicans out of their positions and push them back to the other bank of the Ebro. Franco had decided to extend the war until the total defeat of the enemy, while Rojo was trying to make the battle longer to give time for the Republican Government, which trusted in the imminent outbreak of a larger European war. The Munich Agreement, signed in September 1938, would be a hard blow for those hopes. The battle losses were terrible. It is estimated that the Republicans had 75,000 losses - dead, wounded and taken prisoner - and the Nationalists 65,000. Around one fifth of those losses died in combat. They were serious losses for both sides, but for the Republicans they were irreplaceable, as their human and materiel reserves were exhausted. Finally, after the Battle of the Ebro the path for the conquest of Catalonia was open.

France and Great Britain Recognize Nationalist Spain: After the fall of Catalonia, the Republic was clearly doomed. Both France and Great Britain wanted its agony to end as soon as possible, but they had two great concerns linked to the war. On the one hand, both powers feared that the Italians and Germans would keep bases in Spain, with the prospect of bases in the Balearic Islands and Morocco especially worrisome. On the other hand, both countries were very interested in Franco staying neutral through a hypothetical European war. The secret negotiations started in February 1939 and the Nationalist Government, although with a calculated ambiguity, quickly guaranteed that, once the war was over, it would get rid of the military presence of Italy and Germany and that it would stay neutral in case of a war. There was only one obstacle in the path to an agreement: the French and especially the British worried about reprisals that Franco would carry out on the losers. The Nationalists refused to sign any type of commitment to that end, saying that their Christian values and the word of the Caudillo were more than enough to guarantee that only war criminals would be brought to justice and that there was no intention for any reprisals. That was enough to quiet the consciences of the British and French Governments, and it gave them grounds to defend their position before public opinion, so on February 27th, 1939 Chamberlain and Daladier officially recognized Franco's administration as the legitimate government of Spain.

García Valiño: Rafael García Valiño (1898-1972), veteran of the African colonial campaigns, was a major when the war started. He quickly went to Pamplona to offer his services to Mola, who gave him command of one of the columns of soldiers and requetés (traditionalist militia) that took part in the offensive at Guipuzcoa. In March 1937, now a colonel, he started the Northern campaign in charge of the First Brigade of Navarra, one of the shock units of the Nationalist army. With the end of the campaign, García Valiño commanded the First Division of Navarra in the battle of Teruel, taking part in the reconquest of the city. Now a general leading a group of divisions, he took part in the Spring 1938 offensive from Aragón to the sea, and after that in the offensive towards Valencia. In Levant he would suffer his only serious setback, as his troops were not able to break the stubborn Republican resistance. In the battle of the Ebro he was given the command of the Maestrazgo Army Corps, and he would achieve a big success with it in the Nationalist counter-offensive and the following campaign of Catalonia. The name García Valiño was always linked to efficiency and all-out offensives, even at the cost of severe losses.

Helter-Skelter: Panic and the hasty retreats were problems that plagued Republican forces from the start of the war. During the early months, inexperienced militiamen were afraid of being surrounded by the veteran columns of the Army of Africa, and faced with this menace they retired quickly. Once the Popular Army was created, and thanks to the effort put into preparing these troops, they become more disciplined, confident and courageous. However, the Republican Army still had serious deficiencies, which were deepened by military setbacks, internal disputes between the different political factions of the Popular Front, and the progressive demoralization and loss of faith in victory. In 1937 there were still cases of disordered retreats, but the worst was yet to come. After the fall of the Northern Front and the Republican failure in the battle of Teruel, Franco concentrated his growing superior military power in Aragón. The initial attack started on March 9th, 1938 and made the Republican defensive structure fall and forced a rout, which the Nationalists used to launch the most spectacular offensive of the war. After recovering from this crisis, the Republicans would keep fighting and defended with energy, but scenes of panic were often repeated. After the decisive battle of the Ebro, Franco's troops would easily occupy Catalonia, advancing on the heels of its defeated enemy, which was unable to organize a solid defense.

Insurrection: During the last months of the war, as impending Republican defeat grew more certain, conspiracies appeared in some of the government's rearguard garrisons with the thought of ending the war and preparing for the arrival of the winners. The existence of one of these in Cartagena was evident, and the naming of the new Communist military commander Francisco Galán caused an uprising on March 5th, 1939. With the slogan "For Spain! For peace!" rebels quickly took over the town. However, the participation of civil elements converted events from an uprising against Negrín's Government to a coup favoring Franco, who was asked to send troops by sea. With the first Nationalists bombardment and facing danger from coastal batteries, the Republican fleet left the port and did not come back. Nevertheless, the situation changed with the arrival of the Republican 206 Brigade, which quickly recovered the control of Cartagena on March 6th. When the news arrived, the Nationalist command ordered the return of the ships that had been sent with reinforcements, but some of them did not get the order as they did not have a radio and were not navigating in convoy. So the Nationalist ship Castillo de Olite sailed into the port blithely only to be greeted by fire from the coastal artillery, which hit it in the magazine and caused the ship explode. More than a thousand men in the ship died, just a few days before the end of the war.

Menorca Surrenders: During the last days of the Catalonia campaign, Menorca, the only Republican-controlled island in the Balearics, surrendered. From February 3rd to the 6th, 1939 Italian planes dropped leaflets urging the garrison to surrender. On 7 February the British warship Devonshire approached Menorca with an emissary from Franco on board, who delivered a last ultimatum to the Republican authorities. These accorded their surrender, but under the protection of the British flag. The negotiations could have been broken by the action of Italian aviation, which bombarded the ship and forced it to sail away from the island. The Italians tried to gain a leading role in the surrender of Menorca, while the British wanted it to go directly into Franco's hands, not Mussolini's. As the Devonshire arrived, there was even a revolt of part of the troops against the authorities of the Popular Front. Finally everything ended on February 9th with the landing of Nationalist troops that took control of the island without resistance.

Munich Agreement: In 1938, Hitler pursued an aggressive expansionist policy that considerably worsened international tensions. In March, Austria had been invaded and annexed to the Reich, and the next demand was directed to the Czechoslovak region of the Sudetenland, where more than 3 million ethnic Germans lived. Hitler demanded the annexation of that territory, something the Czechoslovak Government naturally opposed; although the Czechoslovaks were ready to make some concessions, they were not prepared to disappear as a nation. In September the German threats increased, to the point of threatening war, and the Czechoslovak Government answered by ordering a general mobilization of its armed forces. France and the Soviet Union had signed pacts with Czechoslovakia, so there was a serious danger of a new European war. The Republican Government, with Negrín at the fore, was hopeful about this possibility, as Republican Spain would join with the enemies of Germany and Italy and international events would completely change the direction of the Spanish Civil War. Franco feared that possibility and in the middle of the Sudetenland crisis quickly announced, to the surprise and discomfort of his German and Italian allies, that Nationalist Spain would stay neutral if there was a European war. On September 28th, the leaders of Germany (Hitler), Italy (Mussolini), Great Britain (Chamberlain) and France (Daladier) met in Munich to try to solve the crisis, expressly excluding the Czechoslovaks and Soviets from the conference. The agreement signed gave the Sudetenland to Germany, the culmination of the British and French policy of appeasement. Stalin believed that the democratic powers were trying to make friends with Hitler and were pushing him to confront the USSR; from that point on he made strong efforts to cultivate better relations with Germany, which ended in the Nazi-Soviet pact of August 1939. For the Spanish Republicans, the events of Munich poured cold water on their hopes; if France and Great Britain would sell Czechoslovakia to Hitler, they would surely not lift a finger for their cause. For the Nationalists the pact was a relief. Hitler affirmed that with the Sudetenland his territorial claims had ended, but in March 1939 the rest of Czechoslovakia was incorporated to the Reich and on September 1st, German troops invaded Poland, starting World War II.

Offensive (Aragón): Victory in the battle of Teruel and the resulting concentration of troops in the Aragon front pushed Franco to change his mind about attacking Madrid, as he had planned at the end of 1937. He took advantage of the circumstances to launch an attack towards the Mediterranean. The operation, carefully designed by General Vigón, would start in March 1938 under the command of General Dávila. He would have 200,000 men grouped in six army corps and several divisions, including one cavalry and 25 infantry divisions. On paper, the Republican army could muster similar forces (22 divisions), but not all of them were at the front, they did not have solid lines, some had not yet recovered from the battle of Teruel, and overall the morale of these troops was quite low. On March 9th, the attack to the south of the Ebro started; the Nationalists had considerable local superiority of forces and huge amounts of artillery and air support. The zone was defended by the XII and XXI army corps. The XXI fought stubbornly, retiring slowly and in order, but the XII could not resist and its troops abandoned the front and scattered while the Nationalists poured into the gap. During the following weeks, General Rojo tried everything to stop the enemy offensive, sending his reserves and trying to create new defensive lines, but without success, as the Nationalist troops kept advancing towards the east. On April 15th, the 4th Division of Navarra reached the Mediterranean Sea in Vinaroz, cutting the Republican zone in two. To the north of the Ebro in Catalonia, Tremp (an important hydroelectric energy production center), Balaguer and Lérida had been conquered. The offensive of Aragon was probably the most brilliant attack that the Nationalists executed during the war. It captured a big swathe of territory, annihilated considerable enemy forces and divided Republican Spain in two.

Open City: In January 1939, the Catalonian front was quickly collapsing and Nationalist forces were advancing fast towards Barcelona. On the Republican side there were still leaders that dreamed about repeating what had happened in Madrid two years before, when against all odds the enemy had been stopped at the gates of the capital. However, circumstances were very different, as would soon be shown. Both the soldiers and the civilians were demoralized by past defeats and privations, and the certainty of the imminent victory of the enemy. It was impossible to repeat the heroic deeds of Madrid because there was no human, material or morale support to defend Barcelona. On January 23rd, the Republican Government moved to Figueras and on the dawn of the 26th General Yagüe's Morocco Army Corps took the city against nearly no opposition.

Reduction of Soviet Aid. Japan Attacks China: Instability in the Far East and Japanese expansionism attracted Soviet attention during the 1930s. China was wracked by civil war, while the Japanese extended their influence on the Asian continent. In 1932 they founded the puppet state of Manchukuo and in 1937 declared war on China, achieving quick military successes, but failing to compel the enemy to surrender (in fact, this war would continue until 1945). The Soviets were worried by these events and it did not take them long to start sending military help to the Chinese, who had abandoned their own civil war to face the new common enemy. As a consequence, help for Republican Spain was reduced. By mid-1938, Stalin thought the war was already lost for the Republicans, so he focused on the Far East and Nazi Germany.

Spanish Air Brigade: Through 1937 the Condor Legion and the Aviation Legion were reinforced and took part in the Northern campaign and the other main battles. At the same time the Nationalist air forces also grew; they were well equipped with mostly German and Italian aircraft and became more involved in combat. The Spanish planes were grouped into the First Spanish Air Brigade, and in spring 1938 it had three bomber squadrons (a total of 48 airplanes) and a group of about 50 fighters. It also had some 50 other planes in independent groups. During summer 1938, the arrival of new materiel and the repatriation of many Italian pilots, who left their airplanes in Spanish hands, made it possible to create the Second Spanish Air Brigade.

Withdrawal of International Brigades: On September 21st 1938, during the height of the battle of the Ebro, Negrín spoke in Geneva at the League of Nations. There he explained the unilateral decision of the Republican Government to retire all foreign combatants. For months, the repatriation of international volunteers had been discussed in the Non-Intervention Committee with no result. In summer 1938 it was agreed to retire 10,000 men from each side. Negrín's announcement came before that agreement was fulfilled and it had a clear propagandistic and political intention. It was an attempt to improve the international position of the Republic and even to get other countries to sell weaponry to the Republic. Those expectations were not met, as the Munich Agreement would soon demonstrate. At this point of the war, the remaining international volunteers had very low importance within the Republican army, so they could safely be disbanded. In fact, by this point, the International Brigades were mostly composed of Spanish fighters. Beginning September 25th, the Brigades were retired from the front, in October the tributes and send-offs were done and in November the volunteers started to leave the country, though hundreds would still stay in Spain, fighting until the end of the war. The Republican Government granted to the volunteers the right to "claim, once the war has ended, Spanish citizenship", a promise that would not be kept until the arrival of the democracy after Franco's death.

23.1.4 Optional Cards

8.8 cm Flak 18: One of the most famous weapons in history. The Flak 18 model began production in Germany in 1933 and arrived in Spain with the Condor Legion in 1936. Later, nearly one hundred pieces would be sent to Franco's Army. Even though it was designed as an antiaircraft gun, it soon began to be used against land targets, proving to be very effective against fortified positions and, above all else, against armored vehicles. The eighty-eight would become a legend during World War II.

Cavalry Charge: On February 7th, 1938, during the Battle of the Alfambra, one of the last cavalry charges in history took place, and moreover it was victorious. Three thousand riders of the Nationalist 1st Cavalry Division attacked enemy positions, causing panic and the flight of hundreds of Republican soldiers, contributing to the overall success of the Nationalist offensive. In a few days the front was broken, resulting in thousands of losses and the imminent recapture of Teruel. Several factors explain the successful charge: the defending forces were under supplied in men and material, they were mostly low morale novice troops, the Nationalist artillery and air force acted effectively, and the cavalry could charge by surprise and close to the front line quickly.

German Expeditionary Corps (GEC): See note in Optional Rule 18.4.2.2.

For God, Country and King: Even before the coup was planned, there were thousands of Carlist volunteers -called requetés- a paramilitary force organized in Spain, mainly in the Navarre region. Their traditionalist ideology and their defense of the Catholic religion drove them to join the rebellion and they had a distinguished performance in the Nationalist Army. Around 60,000 requetés took part in the war, with over 6,000 dying on it. They were shock troops and they participated in many of the key battles. Their motto was "God, Country and King", mentioned in their hymn, the March of Oriamendi. Paradoxically, even though they were members of the victorious side, Carlism would fall into decline after the war. Their forced unification with the Falange movement, their marginalization by Franco's regime, and their many internal divisions finally turned it into a residual ideology in modern Spain.

¡Qué nos copan!: "We are getting surrounded!" That was the fateful cry commonly heard before the Republican militias started to flee, especially during the first months of the war (though disordered retreats would still happen until the end of the conflict). The militiamen, most without any prior military experience, feared being surrounded by the rebel soldiers, and in too many occasions opted to flee as soon as they suspected -truly or not- that they could be entrapped. This made the initial advance of the Nationalist columns easier, as simple flanking maneuvers could clear the Republican defenders in open terrain or in weakly-fortified positions.

23.2 Republican Side

23.2.1 War of the Columns

Armored Trucks: The near total lack of armored vehicles in the first weeks of the conflict was made up for in part with armored trucks. These improvised contraptions were nearly useless for combat, but their psychological impact was clear, at least in the early stages of the war.

Disembark in Mallorca: After the coup, the Balearic Islands, except Menorca, were a Nationalist redoubt in the Mediterranean, otherwise completely dominated by the Republicans. The strategic importance of Mallorca was evident, because from there the maritime traffic of the Spanish Mediterranean coast could be controlled, and Catalonia and Valencia could be bombarded (as actually happened). Two leftist columns were formed, one in Barcelona, as an initiative of the Catalonian Generalidad, and the other in Valencia. They were put under the command of the Government of the Republic. They were, respectively, commanded by captains Alberto Bayo and Manuel Uribarri and both disembarked in Ibiza, protected by the Republican fleet. After the island had been occupied, differences appeared between the officers of the two expeditions, with Uribarri deciding to retire while Bayo kept on with the plan to conquer Mallorca. The situation of the insurgents was very difficult, with no chance to receive reinforcements because of the Republican blockade of the Strait. A defense was prepared, replacements mobilized, and volunteers recruited. At dawn on August 16th, an expeditionary force of 2,500 men disembarked in the southeast of the island. Their numerical superiority was clear, but indecision paralyzed their advance further inland, while the quick action of the defenders contained the attack. Further landings increased Republican effectives to 10,000 men, but the loss of initial surprise, unexpected resistance, and some counter-attacks made the operation come to a dead end. The failure of the invasion, and pressure from the Government of the Republic, which threatened to retire the fleet, made Bayo order the embarkation and withdrawal of his troops on September 3rd. On the 5th, Mallorca was again completely in rebel hands and a few days later, the Nationalists retook Ibiza.

Foreign Political Support: The Republic won the sympathies of many countries, but most did not follow with material support. The European political landscape, marked by British attempts to calm Hitler and avoid a larger war, and the Non-Intervention pact, made certain that the democracies adopted a half-way posture. This included France which, like Spain, was governed by a left-of-center Popular Front. On the other side, the United States maintained strict neutrality (but that didn't stop the Texaco company from selling oil to Franco). The Republic had to be content with just the support of the USSR, Mexico and the Comintern. There were many large and active pro-Republican groups inside other countries, but they were unable to change their governments' postures towards Spain.

Fortified Positions: During the first months of the war, both sides used improvised defensive constructions to consolidate their precarious front lines. Most of them were simple positions, consisting of sand bags, stone walls and, occasionally, concrete bunkers. In fact, very few places had solid defenses. The Republican army, composed mainly of inexperienced militias, was not able to launch big offensives and in many places decided to keep on the defensive. To contain the advance of the Army of Africa's columns it tried to use fortified positions, but again and again the tactical superiority of the professional troops managed to overcome these obstacles, although at an increasing cost in lives.

Intellectuals and Artists Favor the Republic: Months before the start of the war an Alliance of Antifascist Intellectuals was born. It was the Spanish section of the International Committee for the Defense of the Culture, a leftist organization started by the Comintern. Many outstanding artists were part of the Alliance, such as José Bergamín, Rafael Alberti, Luis Cernuda, María Zambrano, Luis Buñuel, Ramón J. Sender… and most of them put all of their efforts into cultural programs with the goal of bringing Spanish and international attention to the Republican side. Their numerous activities included theater, films, radio programs, propaganda and several periodical publications. Moreover, the Alliance organized the Second International Congress of Antifascist Writers, financed by the Republic's Government in July 1937 and more than a hundred writers from 27 countries participated.

International Brigades: The International Brigades, formed by antifascist volunteers from all around the world (mainly French, Poles, Italians and Germans), were organized by the Comintern (the Communist International) by direct order of Stalin, who wanted to help the Spanish Republic without direct USSR involvement. A base was formed in Albacete to train them and a total of six units emerged. The International Brigades took part in almost all the main battles. Somewhere around 60,000 brigade soldiers served in Spain and nearly 10,000 died.

Iron Belt: The Iron Belt was a fortified line for the immediate defense of Bilbao; its construction was started in September 1936. In fact, it was not a real fortress, but rather just a series of trenches reinforced with concrete, wires and machine gun positions. Around most of the perimeter it had only one defensive line, which made it extremely vulnerable, but Republican propaganda described the Iron Belt as "impregnable".

Largo Caballero's Government: José Giral's Government, formed on July 19th 1936 after the resignations of Casares Quiroga and Martínez Barrio, failed to decisively respond to the military revolt. The leaders were indecisive, made errors, and above all lost the authority to govern when they gave weapons to leftist political parties and trade unions. The success of the revolt in an important part of Spain, together with the arrival of the Army of Africa, tightened the noose. The disparate Republican forces were forced to accept the need for a unified command, discipline, and a reformed army. To implement this, a new Government was required. However, the political and trade union forces that had been given arms were impeding others from governing. On September 4th, 1936 Giral resigned and was succeeded by Francisco Largo Caballero. He was the general secretary of the UGT trade union and the leader of the most radical faction of the PSOE, which had granted him the nickname of "the Spanish Lenin". The new Government was presented as a symbol of unity against the common enemy, and unified nearly all the leftist forces (though neither CNT nor PNV were yet included). It was named "the Government of Victory". Largo Caballero started to take steps toward consolidating power in the Central Government, power that was divided between many local and regional committees. In the military, discipline was fomented, a unified command was formed and the huge work of organizing a new army was started, which was named the Ejército Popular de la República (Republican Popular Army).

Mixed Brigades: Largo Caballero's Government implemented the militarization of the militias to organize them into a true army, the Republican Popular Army. The creation of the first mixed brigades was ordered as the core of this new army, inspired by the Soviet Red Army. They were small divisions, each formed by four infantry battalions and they had all required weapons and services: artillery, cavalry, engineers, medical staff, quarter-master… The first brigades went into battle in October 1936.

¡No Pasarán!: "They shall not pass!" was the famous slogan that Communist leader Dolores Ibarruri "La Pasionaria" made popular during the defense of Madrid. The unstoppable advance of the African columns through the summer of 1936 and their approach to the capital at the start of autumn caused understandable unrest among the Republican leaders. The deteriorating military situation seemed to indicate a quick fall of the capital and the Government decided to move to Valencia, leaving Madrid in the hands of the Defense Junta of Madrid, presided over by General Miaja. It mobilized nearly 10,000 workers to make defensive works. They dug one trench line after another in the suburbs of the city and built ditches, bunkers and machine gun positions. Trusting in those fortifications, the advantage of defending urban terrain, and the newly mobilized forces (only a few thousand militiamen, soldiers and public order forces), the Defense Junta was ready for a task that very few believed possible: to save Madrid.

Operation Order Captured: In the middle of the battle of Madrid, with the Nationalist troops of General Varela at the doors of the capital, fate looked kindly upon the Republicans. On November 7th 1936, one day before a projected decisive Nationalist attack, a militia detachment found a dead rebel officer inside a destroyed Italian tank. When they searched the body, they found the operations order given by Varela on the 6th. The Republican Army's General Staff knew the plans of the enemy and could move the main part of their troops and reinforcements to the main attack zone, ignoring the diversionary attacks. The Nationalists attacked as planned. Opposing them there were inexperienced and badly equipped militias, but they had doubled their numbers thanks to the intercepted plan. The main Nationalist attack was stopped and suffered heavy losses in a great victory for the Republic, and the morale of the defenders climbed.

Polikarpov I-15 "Chato": In the middle of October 1936, the first I-15 sent by the USSR arrived in Spain. The "Chato" (Snub-Nosed) was an excellent biplane fighter. It was clearly superior to the Heinkel 51, the fighter sent by Germany to the Nationalists in the first months of the war, and could face the Fiat CR-32 "Chirri" as an equal. The Republic received 153 of these planes and built 237 more in Spain, so that Republican aviation used a total of 390 of the I-15, its most numerous warplane.

Russian Tanks: In the middle of October 1936 the first 50 Soviet T-26 tanks arrived at Cartagena, and created a base in Archena (Murcia). During the war the USSR would send hundreds of tanks and armored cars to the Republicans. These vehicles were of excellent quality. Without a doubt, the most outstanding model was the modern and efficient T-26 B, which had no rival on the Nationalist side. Thanks to it the Republicans enjoyed total superiority in armor, opposing the light tanks sent by Italians and Germans, although they did not make good use of that superiority.

DESIGNER'S NOTE: The term "Russian tanks" has been used instead of the more correct "Soviet tanks" because that was how the Republicans called them in 1936. At that time in Spain, it was common to use the term "Russian" to refer to the entire Soviet Union.

Severe Winter: The 1937-38 winter in Spain was the coldest of the century and the harsh meteorological conditions directly affected military operations. Because of this, during the battle of Teruel combatants of both sides suffered from brutal snow storms and nearly Siberian cold, and the losses caused by freezing were often worse than those caused by combat.

Soviet Military Aid: The fact that Great Britain and France respected the Non-Intervention pact, while Italy and Germany increased their help to the Nationalist side, made Stalin decide to send military help to the Republicans. This was helped by sending the Bank of Spain's gold reserves to the USSR to pay for war materiel. The Soviet help would be vital, plentiful, and varied: light weapons, ammunition, artillery, planes, and armored vehicles. They also sent military aides and pilots.

T-26: Without a doubt, the best armored vehicle of the Spanish Civil War. The Soviets had based it on the Vickers 6-Ton British tank. The USSR sent a total of 281 units of the T-26 B model, armed with a 45 mm turret cannon and one or two machine guns.

The Fifth Regiment: Originating in Madrid, the Fifth Regiment was organized by the Communists a few days after the failure of the revolt in the capital. From the beginning, the Communists promoted the creation of a real army, with officers, discipline, and effectiveness. The Fifth Regiment, a recruitment and training center, was used to achieve that goal. Their success was undeniable, as they trained around 30,000 militiamen, including some of the main chiefs of the Republican side, such as Modesto, Líster, "El Campesino" (The Peasant) or Tagüeña. Companies and battalions organized from there were more capable than most.

White Terror: Even during the preparation of the military coup, the participants planned to use terror as an instrument to quickly gain power. General Mola, known as "The Director" and the main organizer of the revolt, had written to those involved: "It will be taken into account that the action has to be extremely violent to as soon as possible reduce the enemy, which is strong and well organized. […] It is necessary to propagate an atmosphere of terror." As on the Republican side, the first months of the war were the bloodiest. The rebellious soldiers had command of the rebel zone, but repression would take time to be institutionalized. Through the end of 1936, many crimes were committed in the rearguard by falangist groups, traditionalists or just rightist people, taking advantage of the existing disorder. Some of the crimes were tolerated or directly encouraged by the military authorities. The victims were of very different origins: politicians and trade unionists of the left, as well as soldiers and agents of the law loyal to the Government. But the terror touched everyone who was seen as an enemy of the coup. This tragedy of repression was aggravated by the action of evil individuals that took advantage of the situation and the power they had to commit horrible crimes. One of the more internationally famous outrages was the assassination of the poet Federico García Lorca in Granada, but that was just one crime out of thousands. The military operations of the first columns also contributed to the propagation of terror, especially in Andalusia and Extremadura. They were small units, unable to control big land zones, and because of that they accompanied their advance with a fierce repression that tried to eliminate at the root any further uprisings in the conquered territory. The Moroccan soldiers were especially feared and were infamous for showing no mercy. As the war advanced, the Francoist repression was institutionalized and murders were reduced, but the trials and war trials continued, in the absence of any procedural guarantee, passing many death sentences. As with the Francoists, the Republicans made an effort to hide or negate their own excesses, while they accused the Nationalists of committing terrible crimes. They used propaganda to present them to the World as "fascist criminals and enemies of the people."

23.2.2 Mobilization Phase

Bad Weather: Bad weather affected military operations many times during the war. For example, intense rains slowed the Nationalist advance in the campaign against the North and notably impeded the Italian offensive towards Guadalajara. Both sides suffered from the snow and low temperatures during the extremely hard battle of Teruel.

Guadalajara is not Abyssinia…: In December 1936, the first soldiers sent by Mussolini arrived in Spain and the reinforcements kept coming. In February 1937 the Italians took part in the Nationalist offensive of Málaga, achieving a quick and brilliant victory that gave them an erroneous vision of the opposition as a weak and easy to defeat enemy. In fact, they had faced a few undisciplined, ill-equipped, and inexperienced militias in combat. In March, with the Corpo di Truppe Volontarie (CTV) just created, the Italian commanding officers proposed to Franco the launching of an offensive towards Guadalajara, trying to surround Madrid from the Northwest. The attack wanted to use the concepts of guerra celere, or lightning war, making use of the motorization of the CTV; although their armored cars were light and clearly inferior to the Republican T-26s. In spite of rain and mist that prevented planes from flying, on March 8th the offensive was launched and the weak front was easily broken. The Republican answer was immediate, and the best units were sent to Guadalajara and reinforced with tanks. On the 9th the Italians kept advancing and on the 10th they took Brihuega, but the very nature of the battleground had become another enemy: there were hundreds of vehicles on the narrow roads or trapped in the mud of the wilderness, and the rain kept the improvised dirt runways unusable, so that Nationalist aircraft could not take part, while the Republican planes could operate from their concrete runways. On the 11th, the advance slowed when they faced a solid defensive line and on the 12th, the Republican Army launched a counterattack that stopped the enemy offensive cold. In the following days, the situation for the Italians got worse, aggravated by the errors of their own officers and enemy air superiority. The counterattack launched by the Republicans on the 18th caused a rout and only the Littorio division kept some order while retiring. The Popular Army advanced and recovered part of the lost territory. However, the Italians were far from falling back, and they reorganized and stabilized the front. Their defeat at Guadalajara was immediately magnified by Republican propaganda, which took advantage of the symbolic value of the victory over fascism represented by the troops of the Il Duce. Curiously, in the Nationalist zone there was also some rejoicing about the failure of the allies, who had hurt Spanish national pride with their acts of superiority, and the arrogance of Mussolini. A lot of jokes, funny stories and even songs resulted, as the one that changed the lyric of the fascist hymn "Facceta Nera": Guadalajara is not Abyssinia, here the reds launch pineapple bombs. In there it was the Negus* that is not the same, here Spanish that hit you well. (*Name given to the Emperor of Abyssinia.)

Guernica: On April 26th, 1937 one of the most well-known and infamous episodes of the war happened: the bombing of Guernica. Some 25 bombers, escorted by fighters, most of them part of the Condor Legion, attacked the Basque town in successive waves, launching 30 tons of bombs, of which one third were incendiaries, and machine-gunning the fleeing civilians. Guernica was in flames. Over 200 people were killed and 70% of the buildings were destroyed, although the symbolic oak and the Council House stayed intact. The town was only 15 or 20 kilometers away from the front and the Nationalists had already made similar bombardments into the rear, while attempting to sow chaos and cut the enemy lines of communication. Similar bombings occurred in Ochandiano and Durango. The bombing of Guernica was not the biggest in the war, but circumstances made its importance huge: the near-total destruction of the town, its symbolic character (especially for Basque nationalism), the passionate reports of the foreign correspondents and the later immortalization of the event via the paint brush of Pablo Picasso. Due to the commotion caused by the attack, Franco's headquarters denied the bombing and accused the Republicans of destroying Guernica. The infamous slander just increased the fame of the legend and the outcry against the bombing.

International Reinforcements: The influx of foreigners made it possible to create a total of six International Brigades. However, as time passed, the drop in the number of volunteers required that losses were replaced with Spanish soldiers. In fact, the last Brigade had more Spanish battalions than international ones from its very creation.

Líster: Enrique Líster Forján (1907-1995) was a member of the Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España, PCE) and he had received military training in the Soviet Union. When the war started, Líster was training the Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias (Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas, MAOC) and participated in combat from the day he joined the militias, winning a promotion to major. Líster was one of the main organizers of the Fifth Regiment and he defended Madrid in the front lines in November 1936. He was given command of the 1st Mixed Brigade, the 11th Division and then the V Army Corp, all elite units that he led in the great battles of the war: Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel and the Ebro. He finished the war with the rank of colonel and he fled to the Soviet Union. He kept advancing in his military pursuits and he fought in the Second World War with the rank of general in the Soviet Army.

Negrín's Government. Rojo Takes Command: The "May Events" were used by Largo Caballero's political enemies to cause his fall. Harassed, on May 17th, 1937 he resigned and on the 19th, Juan Negrín took over the leadership of the Government. Negrín, just like his predecessor, was a member of the Socialist Party. He had been Minister of the Treasury in Largo Caballero's Government and he had been the one that made the decision to send the Bank of Spain's gold to the Soviet Union as a guarantee of payment for war materiel. As chief of the Government he reorganized the Popular Army, developed the war industry and took power away from the regional councils and governments. Until the end of the war he kept a firm posture of resistance backed by the Communists, convinced that an outbreak of a larger European war would save the Republic. The change in government made it possible for Lieutenant-Colonel Vicente Rojo to become the chief of the Central Command Staff of the Republican Army. He was a brilliant strategist who had successfully led the defense of Madrid in November 1936. From his new position he faced Franco directly until the end of the war. Rojo would use surprise and counterattacks to keep the initiative and repeatedly beat the Nationalist Army. He designed some of the most important offensives of the war: Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, and the Ebro… All brilliant and technically impeccable plans, but in which the application never achieved the desired result.

Nyon Conference: The attacks of Italian "pirate" submarines in the Mediterranean during the summer of 1937 intensified international tension and provoked a firm reaction from France and Great Britain, who considered it intolerable that free navigation on the high seas was being restricted. On September 6th, they called a conference in the small Swiss city of Nyon where all Mediterranean countries were invited, along with Germany and the Soviet Union. The Germans and Italians were absent from the conference, which ended with an agreement by which the signatories, with France and Britain at the fore, committed to protect free navigation, and pledged to attack and destroy any submarine that threatened it. Seeing how the situation was developing, Mussolini ordered the retirement of his submarines, destroyers and planes and Germany and Italy signed the agreement reached at the conference.

Polikarpov I-16 "Mosca": This Soviet plane was used for the first time in November 1936 in the battle of Madrid. The Nationalists nicknamed it "Rat", since it looked like it had "appeared from the sewers" of the capital. It was a modern monoplane fighter that had no rival until the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 arrived. The Soviet Union sent a total of 276 Polikarpov I-16 "Mosca" (Fly), and 10 more planes were built in Spain.

SIM (Military Information Service): On August 9th 1937 the Republican National Defense Ministry created SIM (Servicio de Investigación Militar), with the mission of fighting espionage, stopping sabotage, making investigations and performing scouting operations for the armed forces. The SIM was an efficient instrument in the fight against fifth columnists, but the repressive machine was feared in the Republican ranks, spreading distrust in military justice. The Communists increasingly controlled the SIM and Soviet agents started to apply the repressive methods of the NKVD in Spain: chekas (secret prisons), "scientific" tortures, absence of procedural guarantee, disappearances, assassinations...

Sinking of the Battleship España: The battleship España (named Alfonso XIII until 1931) was part of a fleet of three ships built between 1909 and 1921, the smallest dreadnought battleships in the world. When the revolt started the España was in El Ferrol in a reserve station, pending major repair, or sale as scrap. The Nationalists quickly got her into working shape and she was deployed to the Bay of Biscay, bombing the coast and blockading the Republican ports. On April 30th 1937, while pursuing a British merchant ship, the battleship España hit a mine laid by the Nationalists themselves. The explosion caused a huge leak, the ship listed and sank a little while later. There were only five deaths, as the destroyer Velasco rescued the rest of the crew. The loss of the España did not affect the blockade of the Bay of Biscay, but it gave a morale boost to the Republicans.

Strategic Counterattack (Brunete): In the spring of 1937, the biggest dilemma the Republican Government faced was how to negate (or at least ease) the pressure on the Northern Front from Franco's forces. With practically no coordination between the Asturian, Santander and, especially, Basque governments, help had to be given through diversionary operations. The first ones, made around Madrid in April, May and June, were failures. In summer, in what Lieutenant-Colonel Rojo defined as the "first offensive trial of the Army of the Republic", an additional operation was planned, which was also intended to be a propaganda win for the new Government headed by Negrín. The Republican General Staff designed an ambitious plan to surround the Nationalist forces that were besieging Madrid. Launching a main attack, quickly followed by a secondary offensive, both attacks would together break the front and envelop the enemy. The offensive started on the night of July 5th and thanks to surprise and an overwhelming numerical superiority there was initial success, with Republican forces occupying Brunete on the 6th. Nevertheless, the advance was soon slowed due to the lack of initiative by Republican officers and erroneous decisions to delay the advance to finish off pockets of resistance, which had been encircled. This wore out the troops and slowed the offensive. Moreover, the Nationalists reacted quickly by sending reinforcements to the threatened zone. Also the second attack, which had started on July 7th, completely failed. On the 12th, the offensive was finished and the Republican soldiers started to consolidate the conquered terrain. Franco decided to answer the challenge and ordered more troops to be sent, including units that were on the Northern Front, along with the largest part of the Nationalist air forces and the Condor Legion. The Nationalist counteroffensive started on July 18th and on the 25th Brunete was recaptured. Although the battle raged on, the Republicans managed to keep part of the occupied terrain. The battle of Brunete finished with heavy losses for both sides, but the Republicans got the worst of it: 23,000 casualties versus 17,000 for the Nationalists.

Strategic Counterattack (Belchite): In summer 1937, the need to stop the advance of the Nationalist Army in the Northern Front forced Republican Command to start a new diversionary offensive. This time it was decided to attack Aragón, with the city of Zaragoza as the main objective. The front of the planned offensive was nearly 100 kilometers wide, between the towns of Tardienta to the north of the Ebro River and Belchite to the south. The best units that had taken part in the battle of Brunete were sent there, after being reorganized and reinforced. To avoid the errors of Brunete, the Republican Command ordered that the advance towards the objectives had to be done without stopping to reduce any pockets of resistance. On August 24th, the Republican forces broke through the ill-defended enemy lines by surprise. However, in the north they failed to take the towns of Zuera and Villamayor, halting the offensive just a few kilometers short of Zaragoza. In the south there was a deep penetration in the sector between the Ebro River and Belchite. Even with the intensity of this offensive, Franco did not stop his advance towards Santander, reinforcing the Aragonese front with four divisions deployed from near Madrid, and many aviation assets. On the other hand, the Republican troops, who had obeyed the order of advancing without stopping, succumbed to the temptation of assaulting Quinto, Fuentes de Ebro and Belchite. A full-fledged siege was mounted against Belchite, and its conquest was one of the epic battles of the war. During the 12 days of siege, the attackers and defenders fought mercilessly house by house in close combat, until on September 5th, the Republicans managed to take the ruins of the town. This was a tactical success that could not compensate for the losses suffered through the strategic failure of the overall offensive.

Strategic Counterattack (Teruel): Once the fight for the Northern Front was finished in October 1937, Franco decided (once again) that his next objective would be Madrid, and preparations and movement of troops started. General Rojo, chief of the Republican General Staff, was planning an ambitious attack in Extremadura, but he abandoned this attack in the face of this new menace. To break up the Nationalist offensive he designed an operation over the bulge of Teruel, with the intention of attracting enemy reserves and forcing Franco to fight far from Madrid. In spite of poor meteorological conditions, at dawn on December 15th, the Republican offensive started; three army corps were launched into an attack, supported by several divisions. Teruel was defended by only a poorly armed brigade of 4,500 men, so the Republican forces broke the front easily and surrounded the city with an enveloping movement. In the following days, the Republicans established a defensive line to stop Nationalist reinforcements from reaching Teruel, while they tried to take the city. Knowing the size of the offensive, Franco decided to accept the challenge, canceling the projected attack on Madrid and rushing to help the siege with a powerful army. While the defenders in Teruel were defending just a few buildings, the pressure of the Nationalist counter-attack made the Republican lines fall back and by December 31st, only 200 meters separated the besieged and their liberators. Night and a heavy snow postponed the final push. Meanwhile the Republicans that were defending the area, panic-stricken, abandoned their positions, but returned some hours later after receiving a harsh reprimand. During that time the city could have been liberated by the Nationalists without opposition. On January 1st 1938, the situation changed completely; the Republicans were strengthened and repelled Nationalist vanguards near Teruel, while Rojo sent in reinforcements. On January 7th, after 25 days of heroic resistance, the Nationalist commander of the city, Colonel Rey d'Harcourt, accepted terms of surrender and on the 8th Teruel was in Republican hands, becoming the only provincial capital conquered by the Republicans in the war. On January 17th, the Nationalists intensified the offensive, sending even more troops and by February 5th, the Republican defense started to crack. Rojo went to Teruel to personally lead the operations, but he could not prevent the Nationalists from nearly surrounding the city on the 21st. To keep from getting cut off, the last Republican troops retired and on February 22nd, Teruel was again in Nationalist hands. The battle had ended with heavy losses for both sides, but the Popular Army was broken. Morale had been severely lost as they had suffered a painful defeat after an initial success.

Tank Reinforcements: Throughout 1937, the Soviet Union supplied excellent armored vehicles to the Republic, although there were several circumstances that stopped the shipments in spring 1938. From March 1937 to March 1938, 175 T-26s and 50 BT-5s arrived in the Republican ports. Paradoxically, Stalin was also Franco's best armored car supplier. Knowing the quality and fire power of the armor used by the Republicans, Nationalist commanders made great efforts to defend against them first and capture them second. During the war, more than 50 T-26s and BT-5s were captured and integrated into Nationalist combat units.

23.2.3 War of the Armies Phase

Economic Reorganization: The Nationalist and Republican sides had huge political, ideological, social and, of course, economic differences. From the early days of the conflict, the Republican Government carried out measures that established the basis of a new economic system: the seizure of companies, confiscation of lands, nationalization of industries and basic services, control of bank accounts, etc. These state initiatives were rejected in many places, especially in Aragón, Catalonia and Levant, because during the first months of the war the anarchist trade unions of the CNT and FAI launched an intense collectivization campaign. Each business was left under the control of a worker committee, which not only lacked good business sense, but also proved unable to meet the needs of the Republican war effort. Productivity dropped drastically and an oppressive bureaucracy was created. In brief, it was an economic disaster. The Republican Government tried to recover the situation by all available means. They had to recover and centralize the power that had been divided between numerous autonomous governments and regional and local committees. Negrín, who had been Treasury Minister under Largo Caballero, carried out a more centralized, coordinated and disciplined economics policy. He was relatively successful, and he did manage to improve the war effort, but there were still serious problems with production and supply.

Fortifications: To stop enemy advances, the Republican Government mobilized thousands of workers to build defensive lines. Mostly, these were men too old to fight in the front who were organized into the so-called Work and Fortification battalions. Along with Army sappers, they dug kilometers of trenches and built parapets, positions, bunkers and strongholds. These works were crucial to the defensive efforts of the Republican Army, although sometimes the Nationalists easily broke them. In general, the strength of the fortifications depended directly on the strength of the defenders' morale. Among the fortifications built during the last year of the war, it is worth mentioning the X-Y-Z line (located in the mountain range of Espadán to the north of Valencia), which the Nationalists would crash against in July 1938, and the ineffective L-1, L-2, L-3 and L-4 lines built for the defense of Catalonia.

French Intervention Threat: After the successful Aragón offensive, the Nationalist Army arrived at the sea on April 15th, 1938, cutting the Republican territory in two. In that critical moment, Franco made one of the most controversial strategic decisions of the war. Instead of attacking the isolated Catalonia, he ordered an advance south, towards Valencia. The reasons for this decision have never been known. Some think that the Generalísimo was not in favor of conquering Catalonia because that would mean a quick Republican collapse and the early end of the war, while his intention was to advance slowly, methodically annihilating the Republic and all its supporters. Others think that it was just a serious military mistake, which demonstrates Franco's limited ability. However, the most frequently cited opinion is related to the international political instability occurring at the time: the Anschluss of Austria had happened and Germany was increasing international pressure over Czechoslovakia. France watched this with concern, and there was also the presence of German and Italian troops in Spain, near the Pyrenees frontier, to worry about. There were rumors of a French invasion of Mallorca, and the press said that three or maybe even five French divisions were going to be sent to the Catalonia front. The reality is that in Paris, on March 15th, First Minister Blum gathered the National Defense Committee to discuss the possibility of a military intervention in Spain and the sending of an ultimatum to Franco. Everyone present opposed this, believing that any intervention would be considered a casus belli by Italy and Germany, triggering a larger European war for which France was not yet prepared. Even more problematic, Great Britain would probably consider the decision unjustified and would not support it.

Interruption of Axis Aid: The relationship between Franco and his German and Italian allies had times of crisis. The reasons were differences of opinion in how the military operations were to be carried out, economic agreements, and the diplomatic contacts of the Nationalist Government with France and Great Britain. In March 1938, a crisis emerged from the Austrian Anschluss that caused all German aeronautic production to be absorbed by the Luftwaffe, cutting supplies to Spain (though they would be resumed later). In August 1938, the Sudetenland crisis threatened the triggering of a general European war, something that worried Franco so much that he quickly declared his neutrality in a hypothetical conflict. Italy and Germany were both troubled by this declaration, although they interpreted it as a reaction to Anglo-French pressure. However, there were rumors of agreements between Franco and Great Britain, including rumors of interning the Condor Legion and German volunteers. This irritated Hitler, creating a tense situation that would need time to dissipate. With the Munich agreement and the disappearance of the menace of war, relations recovered. The Battle of the Ebro consumed many human resources and war materiel. To compensate for the losses and to equip new divisions, Franco asked Hitler for a large aid delivery. The Germans agreed, but they asked for some economic, political and military stipulations. All this delayed the shipment of aid.

Italian Withdrawal: In July 1938, the Non-Intervention Committee approved a British plan for a partial withdrawal of foreign fighters from Spain. The Germans and Italians suggested to Franco that he should accept the plan, but delay its execution. The Republican Government was not comfortable with the Committee giving the rebels belligerent status, but it accepted the proposal, protesting the significant presence of foreign troops within the enemy forces and their unfair influence on the control of air and sea. Franco put conditions on his agreement, stalling the negotiations. Meanwhile in Europe the Sudetenland crisis erupted and the danger of war continued to grow. On September 21st, Negrín made a surprise announcement and unilaterally retired his international volunteers. On September 29th, the Munich Agreement was made and Mussolini announced the withdrawal of 10,000 Italian soldiers, who would be received in Naples on October 20th with full honors. This did not mean the end of Italian help, which would continue supplying Franco with the war materiel needed to continue the war. The CTV was reorganized, reduced in size, and from that moment on half of its members were Spanish.

Last Mobilization: After the collapse of Aragón, the Republican Government utilized everything to rebuild and reorganize its Army, a task that required a huge amount of manpower. From the end of spring to the start of summer 1938, the Republic called up the 1925-1929 and 1940-1941 levies. Twelve new divisions were formed with recruits ranging from 16 years olds (the famous "Feeding-Bottle Levy") to middle-aged men. Reservists from 1922-1924 were also mobilized for work building fortifications. All this effort was complemented by the creation of personnel recuperation centers, dedicated to the capture of deserters and fugitives in the rear areas. They even recruited soldiers from among the POWs. In the midst of the collapse of the Catalonian front, on January 5th, 1939, replacements from the seven years between 1915 and 1921 were mobilized. So in the Republican zone, every male citizen between 18 and 45 years old was required for army service, although the oldest ones would only be used to build fortifications. Even further, another decree militarized every Spaniard between 17 and 55 years old. The human resources of the Republican side were clearly exhausted.

Limited Offensive: In May 1938, the Republican Army in the Central Zone was fighting a hard defensive battle for Valencia. Meanwhile, the forces in Catalonia had a period of calm that gave them the opportunity to reorganize, equip and train their units. Once that was finished, Negrín thought it was time to prove the effectiveness of that Army. Rojo designed an offensive in two directions, trying to draw out enemy reserves and to alleviate pressure on the Levant front. Fourteen divisions with 300 artillery pieces and a group of tanks took part in the operation. In front of them there were eight Nationalist divisions. The attack started during the night of May 21st-22nd, creating difficult situations for the defenders in Tremp and Balaguer. The Republicans achieved some partial success, but the assault as a whole did not go well and the advance was stopped. On May 27th, the Republican Central Command Staff halted the offensive because it had "achieved one of the objectives (to attract the reserves) and should avoid wearing out our own units". The troops returned to their starting bases and everything was left as it was before the attack. But in truth, the Nationalists had not moved their general reserve and they had even moved some units from the front to the vicinity of Valencia.

Negrín's 13 Points: In March 1938, the Republic encountered critical times both at the front and in the rear. The Nationalists had launched the Aragon offensive, which drove a wedge into Republican territory and cut it in two by advancing to the Mediterranean Sea. Everywhere, Republican morale reflected defeat. To better face the situation, Negrín took complete control over the government during this crisis, assuming both the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense roles. The trade unions were again integrated into this new Government, formed on April 6th, giving a fictitious image of unity appropriate for the desperate situation they were living in. On April 15th, Negrín defined some war and political objectives, summarized as his 13 Points (similar to Wilson's 14 Points during World War I). In fact it was an offer of conditions to bring the war to an end and a basis into which Spanish life could settle after the war was finished. A propaganda campaign was launched to publicize the 13 Points, but it had little success.

Opening of the French Border: In the beginning of March, 1938, a new Popular Front Government was formed in France, led by León Blum, who was a clear supporter of the Spanish Republic. His proposal for intervention was completely rejected by the other members of his government and the military leadership, but he was able to order the opening of the frontier with Spain on March 17th. Because of this, aid from the Soviet Union could circumvent the blockade by arriving in French ports, and then railing to Spain. With this additional ordnance the Republican forces would reorganize and later launch the Ebro offensive.

Plan "P": The quick advance of the Nationalist columns from Sevilla towards Madrid in the months between August and October 1936 left a thin and poorly protected flank in the province of Badajoz. Until March 1937, the attention of both sides was focused on the Battle for Madrid and the successive attempts of the Nationalists to surround the capital (battles of La Coruña's Road, Jarama, and Guadalajara). The failure of these offensives moved operations to the Northern Front and other secondary fronts took on renewed importance. A sector that caught the attention of the Republican Popular Army's strategists was the nearly-forgotten Extremadura front, where there was a possibility of launching an operation that could cut Nationalist territory in two. Such an operation was planned twice without being implemented; however, finally a similar plan to these original ones was put into action when the Republic's situation had grown desperate. The first offensive project was to be launched between April and May 1937, but suffered repeating delays and it had complete opposition from the Communists, who did not want to grant their political rivals a military victory. It was finally cancelled because of the political crisis that forced Largo Caballero's fall. In October 1937, just after the fall of the Northern Front, Colonel Rojo started to design an augmented and amplified version of the previous project, which he called "Plan P". However, the imminent attack on Madrid forced him to launch a strategic counterattack quickly and Teruel was chosen as the objective. In summer 1938 the Nationalists made some operations in Extremadura that gained them wide territories in the zone, pushing the front away from Portugal and making it more difficult for the Republicans to cut their zone in two. At last, in January 1939, in the middle of the Catalonia campaign and with the war nearly lost, Rojo launched a desperate offensive in Extremadura to try to stop the Nationalist advance towards Barcelona. The plan included an amphibious invasion in the enemy rear, in the region of Motril, and a coordinated attack from the Central front. However, even though the troops were already on the ships, the invasion was not launched because of opposition from Admiral Buiza. The offensive opened a breach in the front line and the Republicans managed to penetrate through it, but the danger of being surrounded made them return to their starting points. None of this influenced the fall of Catalonia.

Polikarpov I-16 "Supermosca": In April 1938, the Republic received their first shipment of 30 Polikarpov I-16 type 10, known in Spain as "Supermosca" (Superfly). It was an improved version of the plane, which carried two extra machine guns on the fuselage. Another important improvement was oxygen equipment, which allowed the pilots to fly higher and face the enemy Messerschmitt BF-109.

Sinking of the Cruiser Baleares: On March 5th, 1938, Republican and Nationalist fleets sailed almost simultaneously from the ports of Cartagena and Mallorca, respectively. Both were going, without the other's knowledge, to face each other in the Battle of Cape of Palos. The Republicans intended to attack the anchored Nationalist fleet in Palma, using Soviet torpedo boats, protected by five destroyers and three light cruisers. Rough seas forced the torpedo boats back to port, but the mission continued. The Nationalists were going to escort some merchant ships with Italian war materiel to Cádiz, using their division of three cruisers. The fleets faced each other for the first time after midnight on March 6th. A Republican destroyer launched two torpedoes that did not hit their target and both sides separated in the night. Around 2 a.m. they sighted each other again and the use of illumination rounds by the Nationalists revealed their own position. Republican destroyers launched no fewer than twelve torpedoes, and an indeterminate number scored direct hits on the cruiser Baleares, which was left severely damaged, taking on water and in flames. The other two Nationalist cruisers, the Canarias and the Cervera, fled the area, afraid of renewed attacks. Some moments later there was such an intense explosion onboard the Baleares that it was heard from 130 kilometers away and the ship immediately sank. Two British destroyers went to rescue the crew and, in the morning, the Canarias and the Cervera also joined in. Nearly 800 men (three quarters of the crew) died. The Baleares was the twin of the Canarias, the two most modern and powerful ships of the Nationalist fleet, and its sinking meant an unexpected boost for the Republican fleet strength and morale. However, it made no difference in overall Nationalist naval superiority, as enemy air power forced the Republican ships to stay in port and the coastal blockade was maintained.

Strategic Counterattack (Ebro): After the Nationalists' Aragón offensive and their advance to the sea, Franco's decision to continue advancing to the south instead of attacking east gave Republican forces in Catalonia the chance to reorganize, which was helped by the opening of the French border and the arrival of abundant war materiel during April and May of 1938. At the end of April, the Levant campaign started and it was soon clear that this Nationalist advance would not be easy. Stubborn Republican defense, complicated terrain, and the successive defense lines made this a very difficult front. For some weeks both armies would face each other in a grueling battle of attrition, in which the Republicans won defensive successes, but they could not avoid the conquest of Castellón by the Nationalists nor hinder the enemy's plodding advance towards Sagunto and Valencia. To prevent the fall of these two cities, Rojo prepared a new offensive, the main objective of which was political rather than military. At that point in the war, the only hope for the Republic was a negotiated peace through international mediation or by maintaining resistance long enough to be able to merge the Spanish Civil War with the larger war believed to soon descend upon Europe. It was decided to attack across the river Ebro by the newly created Army of the Ebro, formed by the V, XII and XV Army Corps. Apart from the main attack, there would be two secondary diversions, one in the north and another in the south. The Nationalist 50th Division was defending the Ebro and they raised the alert because of enemy movements, but the High Command underestimated the danger, considering the Ebro a nearly impassable obstacle, and did not send any reinforcements because they needed all their forces for the offensive against Valencia. In the first hours of July 25th, 1938, units from six Republican divisions started to cross the Ebro at 12 different points. Taken by surprise, the 50th Division was overwhelmed and destroyed. At the end of the day the Republicans had achieved all the objectives of the main advance except Gandesa, which would not fall despite several assaults. The secondary attack in the north created an important beachhead, while the one in the south failed to cross the river. The Nationalist reaction was swift. By immediately sending all available aviation and ground reinforcements, and opening the gates of several dams up-river in order to flood the Ebro and destroy the improvised bridges, the Nationalists were able to counter this newest Republican assault. At the start of August, the offensive capacity of the Republican forces was exhausted and they started to consolidate the conquered territory, some 30 kilometers wide and 20 kilometers deep at its furthest point. The Ebro offensive was a clear tactical triumph for the Republican side, which managed to execute the complex maneuver of crossing a fast-flowing river, take the defenders by surprise and quickly defeat them. Even if it did not achieve its objectives, the Ebro attack occupied a large territory with admittedly little economic or military value, but with great morale and political significance. The Nationalists would need four months to recover that mountainous terrain that had been lost in just a few days.

Tagüeña: Manuel Tagüeña Lacorte (1913-1971) was born into a middle class family, but early in life he expressed political concerns, probably inherited from one Republican and one Carlist grandfather, and he decided to take the revolutionary path. In 1929 he finished high school and entered university to study Physics/Mathematical Sciences. He joined an organization opposed to Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, and he started to develop strong ties with leftist comrades. After the dissolution of the dictatorship, the new enemy was the monarchy. During this time, Tagüeña combined his political fight with brilliant academic results. In 1932, with the Republic already proclaimed, he was attracted to Communism and joined the Communist Youth. A man of action, he joined the MAOC (Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas, Worker and Peasant Antifascist Militias), a paramilitary communist organization. In October 1934 he tried to take part in the revolutionary strike against the Government, but was arrested. In 1935 he began military service, where he performed well and was promoted to sergeant major. He fought from the outbreak of the war, already being a rank of captain. By September 1936 he commanded a battalion, and in August 1937 he was the leader of a division. Defense Minister Prieto tried to cancel this last appointment because of his "extreme youth", but pressure from the Communists kept his position. Tagüeña continued to gain prestige, even if he was accused of being unfairly favored and he acquired some critics for proselytizing among his men. In March 1938, he took part in the Aragón campaign and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In July he took command of the XV Army Corps, which took part in the Ebro offensive. Only 24 years old, he commanded 35,000 men. During the difficult battle, Tagüeña was shown to be a brilliant soldier, disciplined and efficient, and his unit was the last to retire to the other side of the river. After the fall of Catalonia he went to France and from there back to Madrid. Casado's coup forced him into exile in the USSR. This new phase of his life was marked by poverty and disenchantment. After World War II, he moved to Yugoslavia, and later to Czechoslovakia. There he abandoned the PCE, but not his communist ideals. In 1955, Tagüeña went to live to Mexico and in 1960 he obtained permission to visit Spain. However, he did not want to stay, as he would have had to accept a role of "regretful red", which, by his own words: "would seriously injure my dignity and would bring me to a situation similar to that experienced in the communist countries". He died shortly after finishing his autobiography.

To Resist is to Win: The recovery of Teruel by Nationalist forces and the following rupture of the Aragón front, along with the victorious advance to the Mediterranean, was a hard blow for Republican morale, and it opened a discussion about the reality of continuing the war, which would worsen after each military failure until the conflict finally ended. Negrín, the Communist Party and part of the Army supported continuing the fight. President of the Republic Manuel Azaña, Defense Minister Prieto, and some parts of the military wanted to start peace negotiations. In fact, there had already been contacts with the Nationalists through mediators sent by Negrín, but Franco's only answer was to demand unconditional surrender. The only alternative was to hold out in the hope that the critical European situation would dissolve into a war that might save the Republic. Prieto was dismissed and Negrín assumed the post of Defense Minister, while garnering more and more support from the Communists. The Republican Popular Army recovered and defended Valencia efficiently. During the four months of the Battle of the Ebro, it held the captured terrain tooth and nail. During this time, the Republican slogan was "to resist is to win". The strategic situation started to overcome Negrín, but an unconditional capitulation was unacceptable. The last months of the fight were more about their own pride and the fear of reprisals than any kind of faith in victory. The Nationalist attack against Catalonia scattered the Republican troops, and Rojo's final counterattack failed. Most Republican leaders headed into exile, but Negrín flew to the isolated Republican Central zone to continue the fight. However, his policy of fighting to the death came to an end with Casado's coup, which also brought an end to the war.

23.2.4 Optional Cards

Disorganized Attack: During the initial months of the war, the columns of the rebel Army of Africa advanced fast, imposing their military experience upon the inexperience of the Republican militiamen. Through simple flanking maneuvers they were capable of defeating the enemy, especially in the open field. This Optional Card presents a hypothetical Nationalist fiasco, caused by a lack of coordination among the African columns. It could have been caused by mistakes of the commanders, overconfidence, or even an ambush or surprise attack organized by the Republican forces.

Soviet Expeditionary Corps (SEC): See note in Optional Rule 18.4.2.1.

Revolutionary Enthusiasm: After the failure of the coup d'état to seize the entirety of Spain, the revolutionary outbreak resulted in the loss of control by the Republican Government over much of Spain, and the leftist parties and trade unions resorted to the obtainment of arms to organize their own militia columns. Many leftists thought that their ideological superiority alone would be enough to crush the rebels, but they soon came to realize that military training, discipline, and modern weapons were a much more effective means. Nevertheless, it is true that sometimes the bravery and determination of the revolutionaries managed to influence combat results, and that is reflected in this Optional Card.

Organized Retreat: During the conflict, the Republican Army retreated more often than it advanced, and it was generally forced to adopt a defensive stance; launching counterattacks only when and where it was possible. Retreats, especially under enemy fire, are never easy, and the Republicans suffered many routs. However, there were also occasions when commanders were able to properly organize the retreat, losing terrain without also losing men or material. A good example was the retreat from the Ebro bridgehead in November 1938, when after four months of hard battle, the situation facing the Republican forces became untenable.

Tupolev SB "Katiuska": This plane was a Soviet twin-engined light bomber, one of the most advanced airplanes of its time. It began production in 1935 and SB meant Skorostnoi Bombardirovschik (High Speed Bomber). The nickname "Katiuska" was added by the Republicans, who received 93 of these planes during the war. Nationalists called it "Martin Bomber" since they incorrectly thought it was the US made Martin B-10. It was a very fast airplane, capable of out-running the early war rebel fighters, but its payload of bombs was less than that in the Italian and German bombers. The arrival of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 increased the shooting down of Tupolevs, as the Bf 109 was faster than prior rebel fighters. While the Republican side used its airplanes for bombing missions like the Nationalists, they were never as systematic and destructive. This Optional Card presents the hypothesis of the "Katiuska" being used tactically for supporting a Republican offensive or for countering a Nationalist attack.

23.2.5 Additional Designer's Notes

Sierra de Madrid (11.2.6)

Why is there an additional one column shift left when attacking into or out of these mountain spaces?

The Sierra of Madrid was the scene of fierce combats in the first days of war, when the rebels tried to advance towards the capital from the north. They were stopped and the line stabilized, turning this area into a "forgotten front" –that is, a zone with nearly no activity– until the end of war (the only exception was the failed Republican offensive towards Segovia in May-June 1937).

The peculiarities of terrain and the solid positions in both sides made any attack very difficult and cancelled any possible surprise; that is the reason for the additional penalty to attacks into and from the Sierra of Madrid.

Republican ports in the Atlantic coast (12.1.7.1 and 13.1.4.2)

Why cannot the Republican Player use Atlantic ports for Strategic Redeployment or for tracing Supply Line?

Those ports were blockaded by the rebel navy since the first days of war. The blockade was never complete, but it made it very difficult –and more and more so as the war went on– for the Republican merchant trade.

In September 1936, the Republican navy moved to the Atlantic, but once there –due to several reasons– it did not make any important action. The Nationalist navy made good use of the opportunity to take control of the Strait of Gibraltar, causing the return of the enemy fleet to the Mediterranean in October, thus cancelling any option of breaking the blockade of the Atlantic coast. It is worth mentioning that the British navy occasionally intervened to allow the passage of merchant ships to Republican Atlantic ports, but never tried to prevent the blockade.

Trying to recreate with more details the circumstances of the blockade of the Atlantic coast would have supposed adding rules and exceptions (and even "what ifs"). I opted for avoiding complications and establishing simple rules that generally reflect what happened.

Asturian Division-sized Units (13.1.5)

Why are Out of Supply Asturian Division-sized Units located in Asturias not eliminated in the Attrition Phase?

Asturias was the region of the Northern Front where the fighting spirit and resistance of Republican militias was highest. That is why there are proportionally more Asturian units than Santander and Basque ones.

The Asturian resistance went on even after the fall of Gijón (the last Republican redoubt in the Northern Front), creating guerrillas that had to be fought by Nationalist troops and needed several months to be neutralized. Out of Supply Asturian Division-sized Units located in Asturias are not eliminated to reflect that guerrilla activity.

Text: David Gómez Relloso. Translation: Ion Calafel Barroso. Checking and Correction: Larz Welo. Proofreader: Wendell Albright.

24.0 Extended Example of Play

The following is an example of play of the first Turn of the Campaign Game Scenario. The opening moves and attacks shown should not be considered to represent the best possible moves. No Optional Rules are used in this Extended Example of Play.

Players: Jon (Nationalist) vs. David (Republican)

Turn 1 (August 1936)

24.1 [A.1 – A.3] Draw Strategy Cards Phase

The first turn of the Campaign Game starts with Jon receiving the Air Bridge Card, and six additional, randomly drawn Cards. After drawing his Cards, Jon ends up with Air Bridge (Card N1), Naval Support (CC) (N5), End of the Strait Blockade (N6), Airplanes Disperse Militia (CC) (N7), Defection (CC) (N14), Famine (N16) and Fiat CR 32 "Chirri" (CC) (N17).

David draws his 6 Cards and ends up with Foreign Political Support (R1), White Terror (R3), Iron Belt (R4), Polikarpov I-15 "Chato" (CC) (R5), Disembark in Mallorca (R11), The Fifth Regiment (R13), and Intellectuals and Artists Favor the Republic (R15).

24.2 [B] Action Phase

Nationalist (NAT) Action Round 1

The Nationalist side always takes the first Action Round in a Turn (see 6.0 B.), and since this is the first Action Round of Turn 1, Jon must play the Air Bridge Card as the Event (see 4.3.1). Having an asterisk in its title, the Card is immediately removed from the game after being played. As stated on the Card, the Army of Africa reinforcements begin (the first unit will arrive in his next Round – NAT Round 2), and Jon may Activate Sevilla and one other space. He chooses Huelva, and Activates both spaces for Combat – attacking Riotinto with all the units, except the AFR unit.

NOTE: If the AFR unit takes part in the attack the destruction of the enemy unit would be assured, but since an AFR unit in attack has a first loss requirement (see 11.3.6) Jon prefers to attack with less strength and avoid the possibility of suffering damage to his elite unit.

Both sides only have Division-sized Units, so will both roll on the Division-sized Units Combat Table. No Combat Cards (CC's) are used, so Jon rolls on the '4' column and David defends on the '1' column. Jon's die roll is a '1', resulting in a '1' Loss Number and David's die roll is a '3', resulting in a '0' Loss Number. Jon wins one to zero, so the REP Militia unit is flipped (it goes from full to reduced strength) and retreats one space to Jerez de los Caballeros (it only has to retreat one space since the difference in Loss Numbers was only one – see 11.4.2). Since the defending unit only retreated one space, the attacking units can only advance into the Defender's vacated space (see 11.5.2), which they all do.

Republican (REP) Action Round 1

David decides to play the Disembark in Mallorca Card for its Event. Per the Event text on the Card, the Beach Head marker is deployed next to the Mallorca space with two REP MIL Division-sized Units on it. As the Event does not give any Activations (not even the units just placed!), David's Action ends before he can make an attack against Mallorca. Per 8.5.4, David has two Turns to capture Mallorca so he places the "Turn of Embark" Marker on Turn 2 on the Game Turn track, reminding both players that David has until the end of Turn 2 to achieve his objective.

NOTE: David felt it was a good moment for playing this Event: the Strait of Gibraltar is controlled by the REP side, which means it will not be easy for the NAT Player to send help to Mallorca (right now he could only send the single MIL unit in his Reserve Box via Strategic Redeployment).

NAT Action Round 2

First, before choosing a Card to play, Jon places the reinforcing Army of Africa unit scheduled for NAT Round 2 of Turn 1. He may deploy it in Sevilla or in Cádiz, and he decides to choose the second option.

NOTE: Usually reinforcing AFR units are deployed in Seville, which is closer to the front, but in this case there is a good reason for opting for Cádiz, as we will see next.

Jon then plays the End of the Strait Blockade Card from his hand. He plays it as the Event, which passes control of the Strait of Gibraltar to the Nationalist side; now Jon will be able to use the Mediterranean ports he controls for tracing supply and making Strategic Redeployment. Moreover, the reinforcements from the Army of Africa that arrive on Turn 3 move forward to NAT Rounds 1 and 2 of that Turn (instead of NAT Rounds 2 and 5, as usual). Finally, the Event reduces the Republican Morale (RM) by one point, from 26 to 25.

NOTE: Jon has been lucky receiving that Event in his first hand. The threat against Mallorca is now reduced, as he may move units from an on-map port to that space. Actually, he decided to deploy the reinforcing AFR unit in Cádiz (which has port) precisely to be able to move it to Mallorca if it is necessary. However, this play is not without risk – as Jon is giving David a potential attack against the lone INF unit in Mallorca. Anyway, if David attacks Mallorca, Jon could opt to play his "Airplanes Disperse Militia" CC to avoid any chance of losing the Combat (and the island).

REP Action Round 2

However, David does not make an attack on the lone INF in Mallorca, knowing he would need to get lucky to achieve a 1 vs 0 result (the only way to take the space). Instead, David plays his White Terror Card as Strategic Redeployment (SR). The value of this Card is 4, but in Turns 1 and 2 both Players suffer a penalty when playing a Card as SR (its value is reduced by one). So he has 3 SR points.

He uses them for moving a RPA unit by sea from Valencia to the Beach Head near Mallorca, a MIL unit from the Reserve Box to Santa Olalla, in the southern front, and a POL unit from Barcelona to Jerez de los Caballeros, also in the south.

NOTE: The reinforcement of the invasion of Mallorca makes the threat bigger, while sending troops to the south should slow down the advance of the AFR columns, or at least make it more costly.

NAT Action Round 3

Seeing the increased threat to Mallorca, Jon has no choice but to respond – even though he knows it should be him who is putting pressure on the Republican Player! So he plays his Famine Card as SR. Its value of 4 is reduced to 3 for the penalty already mentioned above. He moves the wisely placed AFR unit by sea from Cádiz to Mallorca (both spaces have port), and sends two Navarre Militia (MIL-NAV) units from Beasain and Pto. de Velate (in the north) to Cáceres, in the front of Extremadura.

NOTE: Mallorca is a very important space that the NAT Player must avoid losing at all costs. Moving an AFR unit there means not having it in the Peninsula – at least until the threat to Mallorca ends –, but it also makes capturing the island extremely difficult for the REP Player. Moving two Navarre Militia units to Extremadura allows a speeding up of the connection between the southern and northern NAT zones (in order to cancel the Ammunition Shortage rule and bring the African units towards other fronts).

REP Action Round 3

David decides to play The Fifth Regiment Card for Replacement Points (RP's). Normally a three OPS value Card only generates two REP or NAT RP's, but – as indicated on the Card – this special Card allows him to record three REP RP's in the General Record Track using the REP RP marker.

NOTE: Even though the Card shows an additional one SOV RP, the REP Player does not record that SOV RP because he has not played the "Soviet Military Aid" Event yet.

NAT Action Round 4

Jon, not wanting to be caught behind on the ability to replace his losses, opts for copying the enemy action and plays the Defection Card for RP's. He records two NAT RP's in the General Records Track with the NAT RP marker.

NOTE: As above, the NAT Player does not record the AXIS RP of the played Card because he has not played the "Axis Military Aid" Event yet.

REP Action Round 4

Taking advantage of the lull in Nationalist attacks, David plays the Intellectuals and Artists Favor the Republic Card as the Event. Consequently the RM increases one point, from 25 back to 26.

NOTE: David makes good use of the break given to him by the enemy to play a low value Card (2) as an Event. This has two benefits: first, the effect of the Event (+1 RM); and second, he eliminates a low value Card from his deck (as the "" on the Card signifies it is removed from the game after being played for the Event).*

NAT Action Round 5

Jon receives another reinforcing unit from the Army of Africa and deploys it in Sevilla. Feeling that he needs to retake the initiative, he plays the Airplanes Disperse Militia Card as Operations (OPS). The Card has a value of 3, so it gives him 3 OPS. Jon Activates the Sevilla, Riotinto and Cáceres spaces for Attack.

NOTE: He could have chosen to Activate some spaces for Movement and some for Combat, but with many of his units in good position to attack, he chose to use all three Activations for attacks. Note that Jon does not designate which spaces he is attacking, only those spaces from which he is considering attacking from...

From Cáceres the INF unit and the two MIL-NAV units attack Mérida. Nobody plays any CC's, so the Combat is resolved on the 5 column vs. the 1 column. Jon rolls a '4' (generating a Loss Number of 2) and David rolls a '1' (LN = 0), so Jon wins 2 to 0, eliminating the enemy POL unit without suffering any loss. Since the enemy unit was completely eliminated, Jon can only advance into the vacated hex, even though his Loss Number exceeded his opponents by 2 or more (see 11.5.2), so he advances into the defending space with the two MIL-NAV units.

The two AFR units in Sevilla, with the Cavalry unit in Riotinto, attack Santa Olalla. Again, neither Player plays any CC's and the Combat is resolved on the 7 column versus the 2 column. While Jon is almost guaranteed to win, the dice again favor him with a 3 to 0 result (he rolls a "5" and David the dreaded "1"), eliminating one REP MIL unit and reducing the other one, which is retreated two spaces to Peñarroya through Cazalla. One AFR unit and the CAV advance into Santa Olalla (they could advance into Cazalla, because the first space where the enemy retreated –Cazalla- is not occupied by any enemy units... but Jon chooses to stop in Santa Olalla); had David retreated through Zafra, one or both of the advancing units could have occupied this critical space.

Last, the remaining INF and POL units in Riotinto attack Jerez de los Caballeros. Jon would have liked to play his CC Fiat CR-32 "Chirri", but since he has not yet played the Axis Military Aid Event he cannot. The Combat is resolved on the 3 column versus the 1 column (the 0-1-3 unit assists in the defense, but adds 0 to the POL's unit's Combat Factor). Both Players roll a '6', which results in another Nationalist victory: 2 to 1; David eliminates the reduced strength MIL unit (absorbing '1' of the '2' Loss Number inflicted on him) and flips the POL unit to its reduced side (absorbing the last LN point); Jon flips his POL unit to absorb the one LN incurred against him. The surviving REP POL unit retires one space to Zafra, and both attacking units advance to Jerez de los Caballeros.

NOTE: After several Rounds without combats, Jon activates the southern front, asserting the superiority of his troops and advancing until nearly connecting his two zones.

REP Action Round 5

David plays the Polikarpov I-15 "Chato" Card as 2 OPS and Activates for Movement Peñarroya (in the south) and Talavera de la Reina (near Toledo). The full strength MIL unit moves from Peñarroya to Zafra, but no unit moves in Talavera de la Reina. After completing the movements, David may try to build a Position in the spaces Activated for Movement where at least one unit has not moved; in this case both spaces. He throws the die for Peñarroya obtaining a '2' (success), so he puts a Position marker in that space. He throws the die for Talavera de la Reina, rolling a '6' (failure), so he does not put a Position marker there. However, he does put a Die Roll Modifier (DRM) marker to show that his next try of constructing a Position in that space will have a -1 DRM.

NOTE: Preventing the NAT Player from connecting his two zones through Extremadura is very difficult. With these Operations the REP Player tries to increase the possibility of causing damage to AFR units if they attack; and in addition, being farsighted he tries to improve the defenses of the Talavera de la Reina space, a natural path towards Madrid and the Alcázar in Toledo once the Nationalists have connected their two zones.

NAT Action Round 6

In his last round of the Turn, Jon plays the Fiat CR32 "Chirri" Card as 2 OPS, Activating Santa Olalla and Villalba (in the Northern Zone near Asturias) for Combat.

From Santa Olalla he attacks Zafra. Nobody plays any CC's. The result is a draw, 1 to 1. The REP MIL and the NAT AFR units are flipped to reduced strength (the AFR unit must suffer the loss as per 11.3.6). As the result is a draw, there is neither retreat nor advance.

From Villalba, the INF unit attacks Castropol and Jon uses the Naval Support CC, which gives him a +1 DRM. David does not play any CC. Jon wins 1 to 0; the REP MIL-AST is flipped and retreats to Pto. de la Espina. The NAT INF unit advances to Castropol. As the played CC has an asterisk in its title, it is eliminated from the game.

NOTE: As his attack against Zafra fails, Jon does not connect his two zones and the Ammunition Shortage rule still affects him. Nevertheless, it seems that the connection between both NAT zones is imminent. With the attack to Villalba Jon shortens his front line, freeing up the INF unit in Lugo, and also eliminates from his deck a low value Card (the CC played in that attack).

NAT Attrition Phase: There are no NAT units or spaces Out of Supply (OOS), so Jon does not suffer Attrition (remember, the Isolated Spaces are not OOS in the War of the Columns Phase – see 16.2).

REP Action Round 6

In his last Round of the Turn, David decides to play the Iron Belt Card as the Event: he deploys the special Trench marker associated with the Event in Bilbao. As the Card has an asterisk, it is removed from the game.

NOTE: David opts for playing an Event to protect the main city of Bilbao and eliminate a low value Card from his deck. He also had a high value Card ("Foreign Political Support", worth 4 OPS) that he could have played as OPS, SR or RP. However he decides to take advantage of the situation (there are not any imminent enemy threats) to play an Event; this is a farsighted style of play that improves the defenses and the medium value of his deck – he only hopes he will not regret passing on accumulating more Replacement Points!

REP Attrition Phase: There are no REP units or spaces Out of Supply (OOS), so David does not suffer Attrition.

24.3 Attrition Phase

As has been mentioned above, this phase actually takes place at the end of the sixth round of each Player.

24.4 War Status Phase

No change is applied to VP or RM. No Player has achieved his Automatic Victory conditions.

24.5 Replacements Phase

REP Segment: David has recorded 3 REP RP's. He spends them to replace steps and to bring back to full strength several Division-sized Units that are at reduced strength on the map (half a point each): the MIL and POL units in Zafra, a MIL-AST in Pto. de la Espina, and a MIL unit in Peñarroya (2 points in total spent on replacement of lost steps). Last, he rebuilds an eliminated MIL unit, putting it at full strength in the Reserve Box (1 point). Note that David could have rebuilt the eliminated MIL unit to only reduced strength for half a point, allowing him to either rebuild another reduced strength MIL unit or flip another reduced strength unit to full strength.

NAT Segment: The NAT Player has recorded 2 NAT RP's. He spends them to replace four Division-sized Unit steps (at a half point each) and bring back to full strength several units that are at reduced strength on the map: a POL unit in Jerez de los Caballeros, a MIL-NAV unit in Pamplona, an INF unit in Jerez de la Frontera, and an INF unit in Jaca. Remember that AFR units can't receive RP's, which is why Jon could not replace any of their lost steps!

24.6 End of Turn

No Player wants to voluntarily eliminate any of his Position or Trench markers.

The Turn marker is moved ahead and Turn 2 begins.

Consulted Bibliography

• ALONSO BAQUER, Miguel: El Ebro. La batalla decisiva de los cien días. Editorial La Esfera de los Libros. Madrid, 2003.
• BEEVOR, Anthony: The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939. Penguin Books. June 2006.
• CARDONA, Gabriel: Historia militar de una guerra civil. Estrategia y tácticas de la Guerra de España. Flor del Viento Ediciones. Barcelona, 2006.
• ENGEL, Carlos: Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República. Almena Ediciones. Madrid, 1999.
• LANNON, Frances: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 (Essential Histories). Osprey Publishing. Oxford, 2002.
• MANRIQUE GARCÍA, José María / MOLINA FRANCO, Lucas: Las armas de la Guerra Civil española. Editorial La Esfera de los Libros. Madrid, 2006.
• MIGUEL, Jesús de / SÁNCHEZ, Antonio: La Guerra Civil Española día a día. 1936-1939. Editorial Libsa. Madrid, 2004.
• MOA, Pío: Los mitos de la Guerra Civil. Editorial La Esfera de los Libros. Madrid, 2003.
• RELLOSO ZORRILLA, David: Mis memorias. Edición propia. San Sebastián, 1975.
• REVERTE, Jorge M.: The Spanish Civil War: A Military History. Palgrave Macmillan. March 2014.
• SALAS LARRAZÁBAL, Ramón: Historia del Ejército Popular de la República. Editora Nacional. Madrid, 1973.
• SALAS LARRAZÁBAL, Ramón y Jesús María: Historia general de la Guerra de España. Ediciones Rialp. Madrid, 1986.
• SEMPRÚN, José: Del Hacho al Pirineo. El Ejército Nacional en la Guerra de España. Editorial Actas. Madrid, 2004.
• THOMAS, Hugh: The Spanish Civil War: Revised Edition. Modern Library; Rev Upd edition. December 2001.
• VV.AA.: Atlas escolar de España. Editorial Ramón Sopena. Barcelona, 1985.
• VV.AA.: La Guerra Civil. Historia 16. Madrid, 1986.
• VV.AA.: La Guerra Civil Española. 50 años después. Editorial Labor. Barcelona, 1986.
• VV.AA.: La Guerra Civil Española mes a mes. Unidad Editorial. Madrid, 2005.
• VV.AA.: La Guerra de España. 1936-1939. Editorial La Actualidad Española. Madrid, 1971.
• VIDAL, César: La guerra que ganó Franco. Historia militar de la Guerra Civil Española. Editorial Planeta. Barcelona, 2006.
• VIÑAS, Ángel: La República Española en Guerra (3 vols.). Editorial Crítica. Barcelona, 2009.

Credits

Designer: David Gómez Relloso.

Developer: Kevin Bernatz.

Graphic Artist: Nicolás Eskubi.

Designers Produced of the Rulebook and Playbook: Ro Vargas and Joan Moreno.

Main Collaborators and Playtesters: Ignacio Baca, Ion Calafel, Jon Etxaniz, Ángel Heras y Ángel Valdezate.

Playtesters: Miquel Adell, Wendell Albright, David Aguirre, Julio César Antón, Albarrán, Jesús Amor, Gonzalo J. Álvarez, Pablo Álvarez, Miguel Buj, José Ignacio Arribas, David Barquilla, Hernán Bilbao, Alberto Cebrián, Lluís Bullich, Martí Cabré, Carlos Castillo, Víctor Catalá, Toni varria, Enrique Celis, Pere Cerdán, Tom Drueding, Daniel Echenizo, Andreu Farran, Armando Felgueroso, José Félix Fernández, Gómez-Juárez, Miguel Figueroa, Juan Diego Fito, Alex Folch, Carlos J. García Guardia, Enric García, Miguel Ángel García, Pedro García, Fernando Mercedes Humbert Gonzalo, Joaquín Graña, Enrique Gutiérrez, Eloy Heras, José López Jara, Joe Kong, Miguel Ángel Lasierra, Mata, López, Mikel López, Adolfo López de Arregui, Raúl Lopezosa, tiaen, Lorente, José María Lorente, Matias Marcé, Ángel Marina, Jordi Retana, José Martínez, Rubén de Miguel, Pierre Miranda, Mark Mispacheco, Jorge Mons, Alberto Moyano, Javier Nacarino, Mikel Ochoa de Óscar José Luis Ordóñez, Mauricio Ordóñez, Mike Owens, Federico zas, Carlos Palacios, Jordi Parera, Gerardo Peinador, Luis Pérez, Rojo, Pérez, Rafael Pérez, Xabier Pérez, Germán Peris, Fernando Pochez, Rafa Pujol, Xaime Recio, Julen Rodríguez, Yago Rodríguez, Asier Gonzalo Javier Román, Luis Sacristán, Aintzane Sánchez, Alejandro Sánchez, David Antoni Sánchez, Iván Sánchez, Maialen Sánchez, Patxo Sans, Nacho Santacruz, Miguel Santacruz, Pedro Enrique Santamaría, Cyberboard Sanz, Igor Sanz, Sten Svensson, Marcos Tejado, David Tejero, rra, Torres, Javier Vilarroig and Larz Welo.

Vassal Module: Fernando Gómez-Juárez, Miguel Ángel Lasierra, Alberto Moyano and Rafa Pujol.

Rulebook Module: Kevin Bernatz and Gonzalo Santacruz.

Proofreader Correction: Andrew Maly and Mike Owens. Wendell Albright.

Thanks to (Conventions): David Barderas (El Viejo Tercio, Alcorcón), Diego García (Grupo Hal), Pere Cerdán (Alpha Ares, Barcelona), David Tejero (Crisol Lúdico, Burgos), Rafael Vallejo (A.J.C. Ciudad Blanca, Santander), Santiago Penco (Antebellum, Almería) and Club Dragón (Madrid).

Thanks to (Internet): Antonio Benitez-Donoso (for his support on BoardGameGeek), Marco Arnaudo (for his video-review), Sergio Alama (for his videos in Wargame Reviewer), Quique Espárrago (for his analysis articles) and José Ruiz "Stuka Joe" (for his videos in his YouTube channel).

Special thanks to Ted Raicer, because Crusade and Revolution's rules are based on his excellent game Paths of Glory.

My most sincere gratitude to Compass Games and 4Dados, for trusting in this project; to Kevin Bernatz, the best developer I could have ever wished for this game; and to Niko Eskubi, for his patience and sensational artwork.

Dedicated to my grandfather David and my grandmother Juana, who lived the Spanish Civil War from opposed sides. They told me their memories of those terrible years, and they always preferred to remember the least unpleasant events, without ever showing any hate or resentment.

My memory of Aintzane Sánchez, who left us one morning in November 2007, and who also contributed to making this game possible.

Imma, thanks for still supporting me and for being as you are.

Player Aid Card — Expanded Sequence of Play

This is a condensed quick-reference restating the Sequence of Play (see 6.0), as printed on the back of the Player Aid Card.

A. Draw Strategy Cards Phase

A.1 Check War Phase (see 15.1). Turn 6: add Mobilization Phase Cards. Turn 12: add War of the Armies Phase Cards. If new Cards added, the Draw and Discard Piles are shuffled together to form the new Draw Pile.

A.2 Discard. Voluntarily discard Combat Cards (CC's) (only).

A.3 Draw Cards. Hand Size = 7; RM ≤ 15 +1 NAT Card; RM ≤ 10 -1 REP Card, also. Cards taken from Draw Pile until empty, then shuffle Discard Pile and continue until Hand Size reached.

B. Action Phase

B.1 Action Rounds. NAT goes first, then alternates until each Player has 6 Action Rounds. Attrition (C., below) after each 6th Action.

B.2 Actions. Phasing Player picks a Strategy Card to play or takes an Automatic Operation (1 OPS). EXCEPTION: NAT must play "Air Bridge" Card as first Action on Turn 1.

B.3 Resolve Action. Phasing Player uses 1 OPS if taking an Automatic Operation, or chooses how Card will be resolved – OPS, RP's, SR, or for the Event [if meeting conditions and prerequisites].

• RP's (see 14.0): Add RP values to total on General Records Track (GRT) (only add AXIS or SOV RP's after appropriate Event has been played). No consecutive play.
• SR (see 12.0): -1 total SR value on Turns 1 and 2, and only 1 AFR per SR Card on Turns 1 and 2 (see 17.2). Cost = 3 points per Corps-sized Unit, 1 point for others. No OOS units. No Corps-sized or armor to Balearic Islands. No consecutive play. SR by Sea is Port to Port (only), but no Corps-sized Units. SR from Reserve to friendly occupied hex in supply (except armor, to Port). SR to Reserve from any in supply hex, but no Corps-sized Units.
• Events: Per Card text. Some grant OPS or Activations. Multiple OPS or Activations may count as OPS in Winter (see 16.5.3).
• OPS: Can Activate a number of spaces equal to OPS value for Movement or Combat (not both). OOS spaces may not be Activated (unless connected to a friendly border, and only for Movement). Isolated Spaces only for Movement.

Movement (see 10.0): All Movement conducted first. Stacking only applies after all Movement is done. OOS units connected to a friendly border and units in Isolated Spaces can be Activated for Movement (but not Attack). Cannot end in a space Activated for Combat (see 10.1.11) or move through more than 2 spaces that started the Action Round enemy-controlled (see 10.1.12). One unit per space that did not move may attempt to construct a Position or Trench (see 10.2) – only Corps-sized Units can construct a Trench, and only in a space already containing a Position.

Combat (see 11.0): Never mandatory. Space must be Activated for Combat. Some units in an Activated space may attack, while others do not. Zero (0) CF units may attack, alone or with others. Combat sequence is:

1. Designate the Combat (see 11.2.2).
2. Determine Combat Strengths (see 11.2.3).
3. Play Combat Cards (CC's) (see 11.2.4). Attacker first, then Defender.
4. Determine Die Roll Modifiers (DRMs) (see 11.2.5). From CC's, Winter (see 16.5), armor against Open terrain option (see 16.6), or REP MIL on Turn 1 (see 17.5).
5. Determine Fire Columns (see 11.2.6). 1+ Corps-sized Units = Corps-sized Unit Fire Table, otherwise Division-sized Unit Fire Table. Apply column shifts per Terrain Effects Chart (TEC), CC's or Sierra of Madrid (see 11.2.6).
6. Determine Results (see 11.2.7). Each Player rolls a die on the corresponding Fire Table and Fire Column. Result = Loss Number (LN).
7. Take Losses (see 11.2.8 and 11.3). Must attempt to fulfill entire LN, or as much of LN as possible. Cannot exceed LN (ever!). Some units have first loss requirement in Attacks, only (AFR and armor using DRM). Eliminated Corps-sized Units are replaced by a Division-sized Unit from Reserve [with restrictions on which] or permanently eliminated.
8. Determine Combat Winner (see 11.2.9). Side with higher LN wins. Ties = no Winner (both lose).
9. Defender Retreats (see 11.2.10 and 11.4). If Attacker is the Winner, only. Distance = 1, unless difference in LN values is 2+. Can cancel Retreat by taking extra step loss in certain terrain: Mountain, Trench and Beach Head. Retreat order is: 1) Into friendly-controlled spaces, if possible. 2) Valid stacking, if possible. If not possible, into a friendly-controlled space using Extended Retreat (see 11.4.5.1). 3) Into empty enemy-controlled spaces if there is no alternative, or if the retreat to friendly-controlled spaces would cause their elimination (see 11.4.4). 4) Must end their retreat in supply, if possible.
10. Attacker Advances (see 11.2.11 and 11.5). If Defender completely eliminated or 1 hex retreat, only into Defender's vacated space (see 11.5.1). Must stop if entering a Mountain space. Can "follow" a unit that retreats 2 spaces (see 11.5.3). Permanently eliminated units for failure to retreat two spaces, still allows a two space advance (see 11.5.7).

C. Attrition Phase

C.1 Nationalist Attrition Segment. Immediately after 6th NAT Action Round. All units unable to trace a path of Connected spaces back to a Friendly Supply Source are permanently eliminated. Any NAT controlled spaces unable to trace such a path become REP controlled (see 13.3.6). EXCEPTION TO BOTH: Isolated Spaces during Turns 1–5 (see 16.2) and spaces Connected to the Portuguese border (see 13.4).

C.2 Republican Attrition Segment: Immediately after 6th REP Action Round. All units unable to trace a path of Connected spaces back to a Friendly Supply Source are permanently eliminated (EXCEPTION: MIL-AST units in Asturias – see 13.1.5). Any REP controlled spaces unable to trace such a path become NAT controlled (see 13.3.6). EXCEPTION TO BOTH: spaces Connected to the French border (see 13.4).

D. War Status Phase

D.1 Victory Points (VP) & Republican Morale (RM) Update. Check tables and apply any changes. (Turn 5: Madrid? Largo Caballero? Franco? Winter Turns: Famine?)

D.2 Victory Check. Check for Automatic Victory (see 5.2).

E. Replacement Phase

General Requirements:

• Limits: No RP's for OOS units or Regional Corps-sized Units if outside home region and unable to trace supply to region (see 14.1.7).
• Cost: 1 per Corps-sized step, others 1/2 per step.
• -1 RP for each Main City under 4 (REP) or 2 (NAT) (see 14.2) (EXCEPTION: Bilbao, if Santander and Gijón not also controlled).

E.1 Republican Segment. The REP Player spends RP's as marked on the GRT. Any not spent are lost. Which units: SOV RP's = any; REP RP's = no INT or T-26.

E.2 Nationalist Segment. The NAT Player spends RP's as marked on the GRT. Any not spent are lost. Which units: AXIS RP's = any except in Isolated Spaces or for Sieges; NAT RP's = no ITA or armor units. Sieges = max 1 NAT RP/Turn, up to original resistance: Toledo=3; Santa María=2; Simancas=never (see 16.1.8). Isolated Spaces = max 1 NAT RP/Turn per Isolated Space/Connections thereto; all costs doubled.

F. End of Turn

F.1 Voluntary Removal: Both players may voluntarily eliminate any of his own Position or Trench Markers.

F.2 Isolated Spaces: Turn 5: convert Isolated Spaces to OOS spaces.

F.3 Sieges. Turn 6+: subtract one from the number of assaults each Siege can resist on the General Records Track (see 16.1).

F.4 Scenario End? If yes, end. Otherwise, advance Game Turn Marker.