The game, played by e-mail since May 1996 has reached the Oct I 37 turn and is still ongoing. All advanced and optional rules are in effect except Variable Beginning of the Rebellion, Variable French Assistance, Loyalist Order of Battle Modifications, and Limited Intelligence.

A Moorish rifleman of the Nationalist Army of Africa, Jawa-like in hooded cloak, takes aim.

Also, Rule 32, Amphibious Landings, was scrapped as giving the Loyalists one-sided and unrealistic capabilities.

Insurgents: Fred Helfferich

Loyalists: Elias Nordling

Chaos: Jul II - Oct II 1936

Quite appropriately, the first turns were chaotic as neither side was able to establish coherent front lines, and both managed to conduct raids deep into enemy territory.

The first order of business for both combatants was to mend their infrastructure by gaining ownership of their rail lines. This occupied the Jul II turn. Things then quickly turned wild and woolly. Concentrating on a "Northern Strategy" - that is, Biscay Gobemitos first - the Insurgents railed and shipped north what they could and managed to seize Gijon in Aug I, only to lose it immediately to a counterattack supported by the Republican Atlantic Fleet. Not taking no for an answer, Franco asked for intervention by the Italian Fleet, which, risking the Biscay Danger Zone, made short shrift of the outnumbered and outclassed Reds and allowed Gijon to be recaptured for good in Aug II. This led to the capitulation of the Asturias government.

Meanwhile, the Insurgents had cleared Extremadura to connect their northern and southern holdings, and put up a weak screen to contain or at least delay the aggressive Santanderos and Basques who were attacking Pamplona and advancing on Logrono and Miranda del Ebro. Also a loose cordon was established north of the Sierra Guadarrama (north of Madrid). Having consolidated their hold on central Andalucia, the Insurgents also launched a thrust through Jaen across the Guadalquivir.

Confused fighting ensued around Malaga. The bulk of the Loyalist troops took to the hills, leaving only the local constabulary behind, which caved in and surrendered to a small Insurgent detachment when Italian battleships appeared off-shore.

The Loyalists sallied forth from Madrid along the Tajo and occupied Talavera de la Reina. They made their main effort in Aragon, however, where they forced the weak Nationalists back toward Zaragoza and Huelva in a determined attempt to link up with the advancing Basques. A cavalry regiment managed to outflank the defenses and make its way into Zaragoza to do untold damage before being obliterated.

By September, both sides had got their rail lines in shape and enjoyed mobility, but were still unable to form cohesive fronts. This had dramatic consequences. The Insurgents concentrated their elite forces and made the Basques pay for having overextended their lines. The front was broken and mobile troops surged ahead to overwhelm the local militia in both Bilbao and San Sebestian with support by the Fleet, triggering capitulation of the Separatist government. What front-line troops remained loyal took to the hills, to be mopped up by Oct I after a relief effort by mountain troops from Huesca had failed.

The breakthrough to Bilbao also left the Santanderos on a limb and with no artillery. Santander city fell in Sep II and mop-up was completed by Oct I.

Meanwhile, the Insurgents had a desperate time in Aragon, bearing the full brunt of the Loyalist forces released to the front when "ideological purification" of the cities had been completed. They lost Zaragoza in Sep I and retreated from Huesca in Sep II, barely holding a coherent front thanks to the Oviedo and Huesca infantry divisions formed in Sep I (first units with regular zones of control). The Loyalists also pushed forward toward Calatayud, threatening the rear of the Insurgent forces in the Henares valley (between Guadalajara and Calatayud).

On the Madrid front, the Insurgents managed to launch an offensive in the Tajo valley that advanced beyond Talavera de la Reina, take possession of most of the Sierra Guadarrama north of the capital, and capture Guadalajara, only to lose it again to a Loyalist counterattack.

In Andalucia, the Insurgent offensive along the Cordoba-Madrid axis gained ground and reached open terrain on the approaches to Ciudad Real and Valdepenas. Farther south, Insurgent patrols advanced to within 35 miles of Lorca, bypassing a substantial Loyalist force around and north of Almeria, which was mopped up in Oct I. Throughout August, September, and October, both sides conducted raids by small parties that sneaked through the porous front, to wreak havoc with communication lines before being mopped up. Loyalist bicyclists from Madrid held Soria for a time. Insurgents harried communications near Cuenca and temporarily seized Almeria, and a mountain battalion actually blocked the Barcelona-Valencia coastal road. Moreover, levies raised in Toledo and Albacete, cities the Loyalists had neglected to secure, caused trouble behind the lines of the Madrid front, including loss of a supply depot.

By mid-October, a reasonably coherent front had formed, running from Lorca to Albacete, Tomelloso, and Toledo (all Loyalist) to halfway between Madrid and Talavera de la Reina, along the crest of the Gudarrama Insurgent) to Guadalajara (Loyalist); and again from Calatayud (Insurgent) to Zaragoza and Huesca (both Loyalist) to the French border. In between, in the high mountains of southern Aragon, a Nationalist artillery regiment, supplied by air, held out in isolation southeast of Teruel on the rail line from Valencia, and otherwise patrols of both sides roamed unchecked. Overall, the Insurgents had gained the initiative, and the Loyalists began to face a dilemma: use their reserves to stem the tide at Madrid and risk a cave-in of the long flanks at Albacete or Cuenca, or shore up these at the expense of the defense of Madrid.

Aragon, La Mancha, And Lorca: Oct-Dec 1936

The Insurgents lost no time transferring elite troops from the defeated gobemitos to their Aragon front, which was at the point of caving in. Although hampered by unseasonably early mud, they eliminated the bothersome Loyalist salient near Calatayud in Nov I, gained ground south of the Ebro, and managed to infiltrate the mountains still farther south, threatening to drive a solid wedge between the Loyalist Madrid and Zaragoza fronts. The Loyalists reacted promptly and finally managed to squash the pesky artillery regiment that had held out near Teruel. This enabled them to stop the Insurgent advance from Calatayud about 15 miles short of Teruel. Between Cuenca and Teruel the front remained fluid, and Nationalist patrols continued to harry traffic on the Madrid-Valencia rail line.

More momentous events occurred in Castilla Nueva and La Mancha. In Oct II, Nationalist armored spearheads reached the Madrid-Cartagena rail line southwest of Aranjuez, but were squashed by a strong counterattack. Rain then put the brakes on further operations. However, when Nov II brought a brief dry spell, the Insurgents proceeded to shred the front, storm Tomelloso, and fan out with armored patrols as far as Alcazar de San Juan and Cuenca. Once more the Loyalists managed to restore the front forward of the Madrid-Cartagena rail line. This respite was short-lived, however, as the crucial rail junction Alcazar de San Juan fell after an epic battle in Dec I.

Meanwhile, the Insurgent offensive against Madrid had gained momentum. Toledo and Gudalajara fell in Oct II, and the Loyalists retreated to an inner defense ring shielding the capital.

In the coastal sector, the Loyalists established a strong position just forward of Lorca. Troops in the Sierra de Segura were taken back to the eastern foothills. Taking advantage of their much superior supply position and nearby airbases, the Loyalists conducted a number of local attacks, but were unable to achieve any permanent gains. The Insurgent for their part scored by storming the important high-mountain position just north of Lorca when the Durruti brigade skedaddled and left the other defenders in the lurch. Italian tankettes took advantage of the confusion and advanced into Cieza, but were overwhelmed in short order.

At sea, the Insurgents suffered a serious set-back when their battleship Espana blew up in Aguilas in Nov I. By the end of the year, a reasonable solid front ran along Lorca, Albacete, Aleazar de San Juan, Aranjuez, Madrid, Guadalajara, Cuenca, Teruel, Zaragoza, Huesca, to the French border, all except Alcazar de San Juan and Guadalajara Loyalist-held. Madrid's defenses were solid, but the corridor connecting the capital with the Loyalist heartland had shrunk to a width of less than 100 miles.

The Fall Of Madrid: Dec 1936-Feb 1937

As 1936 drew to a close, the People's army command made a grave decision: to abandon the corridor connecting Madrid with the rest of Loyalist Spain. By Jan I the Insurgents had isolated the capital, following the Loyalist retreat into the city proper and to a new defense line running from Cuenca to just short of Alcazar de San Juan. Mud and Loyalist scorched-earth tactics hampered the concentration of forces for an assault, but in Feb II Madrid succumbed, just after the government had fled to Barcelona.

Meanwhile, see-saw fighting continued in abominable weather in the mountains near Teruel. In the end, the Insurgents managed to hold onto an advanced position southeast of that city, but another closer to the coast was wiped out. Also, the Loyalists succeeded in shoring up the front around Cuenca to put a stop to the harassment of the Madrid-Valencia rail line.

At the Lorca front, the Loyalists temporarily advanced to cut off the strategic Nationalist position in the Sierra de Espuna (23A:4112, overlooking Lorca from the north), but their salient was eliminated. Finally, in Feb II, Lorca itself was taken by a concentric attack.

The Second Aragon Battle: Mar-May 1937

Unexpectedly, the Insurgents shifted their main body of troops from Madrid to Aragon rather than Castilla Nueva, where better campaign weather was to be expected. Zaragoza fell on Mar I and Huesca was abandoned without a fight on Mar II. After elimination of a Loyalist position overlooking the Jiroka valley (between Calatayud and Teruel) the Insurgents shifted their weight to the northern flank, took Mt. Perdido and the Pico de Aneto, advanced to the Cinca river, and gained a bridgehead at Barbastro (33:2929) in May I. By that time, however, ample reinforcements had enabled the Loyalists to build up their defenses and form a second line to guard against breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and much of Cataluna had risen in revolt on Apr II. The uprising, however, was quickly suppressed by Guardia Civil and did not materially affect the course of events.

A heavy air raid on Barcelona in Apr II damaged factories and sank several merchantmen in port. In May I the Regia Marina intervened again, helping the Insurgents to break into the Loyalist defenses near Lorca. However, the attack stalled as soon as the ships had disappeared.

Marching Through Murcia: Jun-Aug 1937

The very high Loyalist reinforcement rate started to make things hard for the Insurgents. Faced by now with forbiddingly strong defenses in Aragon (14+CF per hex), they shifted their attention to the central front in Castilla Nueva, which had been left weaker. Pressing forward along the MadridCartagena and MadridValencia rail lines they took Albacete and Cuenca in Jun II, the rail junction Chinchilla (23A:3709) in Jul I, and Hellin in Jul II, and came within sight of Yecla in Aug I. A Loyalist four-brigade contingent was trapped in the Segura foothills and wiped out in Jul I. However, except for this action the advance was plodding and slowed to a crawl with the arrival of ample Loyalist reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Nationalist airforce kept pounding the Republican Fleet at anchor in Cartagena, whittling it down to the point that parity in surface forces was again achieved. All other fronts remained quiet.

Drive To The Sea: Aug-Sep 1937

The situation changed drastically in Aug II, when the Insurgents broke into the Loyalist front south of the Jucar river. A Legion Kondor Flak regiment raced through the breach all the way to the Jucar bridges at Alcira near Valencia to block the only rail and road connection between the Loyalist heartland and their forces around Alicante, Murcia, and Cartagena. The Loyalists, loath to draw off any troops from Aragon, bungled a first counterattack by letting their Fleet be lured away to chase and sink a transport off Mallorca (the Italian submarines moved in to prevent the Fleet's return to the Jucar estuary) and then miscalculating the effect of their an-nor (the attack would have gone in at low odds and 1/2 AECA against full ATEC of the Kondors, and was cancelled). Now supplied at night by air, enjoying naval and air support, and soon reinforced by a few German and Italian light tanks, the Kondors held out until relieved by Franco's advancing main force in Oct I.

The Loyalists in the pocket retreated to a shorter perimeter around the key cities of Cartagena, Murcia, and Alicante, but to do so they had to give up prepared positions and some of the best defensive terrain. Moreover, in Oct I the Insurgents surged over the Cartagena- Murcia rail line to within striking distance of the coast, cutting the main forces in the pocket off from the only major port. The pocket's only other port, Alicante, is blockaded by submarines. Lastly, a devastating Insurgent air strike caught the remnants of the Republican Fleet off Alicante and sank or crippled all remaining vessels, giving the Insurgents complete control of the seas.

All other fronts remained quiet and are likely to stay so as unseasonably early rains have engulfed all of Aragon and Cataluna.

Reacting to rumors of impending guerilla activity, the Insurgents started in September to pull their Guardia Civil, Falange, and many other weaker units (1-6 Inf IIIs) out of line to provide security for important rail lines, airfields, etc.

Insurgent Oct I Turn

Unseasonably early and heavy rains have turned roads and fields in Aragon and Cataluna into a quagmire. This makes it even more unlikely that the long dormant front between Teruel and the Pyrenees will see any action from time to come.

The Insurgents lost no time in taking advantage of having forced the Loyalists to abandon their attempts to restore communications with the Cartagena- Murcia-Alicante pocket. Franco's main forces finally relieved the Kondor Flak regiment that had blocked the vital Jucar bridges at Alcira and widened the corridor to the sea to about 30 miles. The port of Gandia is operative and has already received supply shipments. The towns of Alcoy and Yecla, vacated by the Loyalists, were occupied without a fight. The line of the Jucar river has been secured except for a Loyalist bridgehead in the rugged country of the Reserva Nacional (23A:3805). All Nationalist Spain celebrates the Kondors' valiant stand and eventual relief.

Faced with difficult terrain on the north front of the pocket, the Nationalists shifted their weight against the western flank, where the cities of Murcia and Cartagena are now in the front line. In determined attacks they broke into the perimeter both north and south of Murcia. Strong forces surged onto the Murcia-Cartagena rail line and are within striking distance of the coast. This has cut off the main portion of the pocket from Cartagena, its only major port. The only other remaining port, Alicante, is blockaded by submarines, and Murcia city with its industry is now threatened from the north, west, and south.

All other fronts remained quiet.

While signs of impending guerilla actions have become more ominous, security along vital rail lines and on airbases has been tightened. Further Falange, Carbinieri, and Colonial units were pull out of line, no doubt for such purposes in other rear areas. Also pulled out were the remaining Requete division, slated for a major refit under direct Army command.

While ground attack aircraft supported troops assaulting the pocket, Italian Savoia-Marchetti bombers raided industrial targets in Barcelona. Damage was slight, not enough to hamper production.

Loyalist Oct I Turn

Faced with heavy losses in the pocket, the Loyalist command decided to shorten the front line in Valencia province in order to mount a stronger defense (now 14CF per hex in rough terrain). They evacuated Teruel as well as their Jucar brigehead in the Reserva Nacional. Thanks largely to substantial factory deliveries of artillery, the new defense line is very strong ( 14 points per hex except in the high mountains and behind the Jucar river).

In the pocket the defenders pulled back to a perimeter that still includes Murcia, Orihuela, Elche, and Alicante. A desperate counterattack from both the pocket and Cartagena against the two Nationalist divisions that were blocking the Cartagena- Murcia rail line remained unsuccessful (AS on 2:1 odds). The defenders of Murcia are preparing for the worst, blowing up rail lines and the airport facilities.

The front between Terual and the Pyrenees remained quiet.

Meanwhile, disaster befell the remnants of the Republican Fleet. Caught at dusk off Alicante by waves of Nationalist aircraft of all types that zoomed in at low altitude, every vessel of any combat value was sunk or crippled. the Nationalists will now have full control of the seas.

The situation in the pocket has deteriorated decisively with the failure to reopen communications with Cartagena, the only major port. Supplies are beginning to run low, and only Cartagena poses more than an extensive mopup problem for the Nationalists.

Having lost their superiority in the air some time ago, the Loyalists now can also no longer contest command of the seas. This put an end to their plans of evacuating at least some of the troops from the pocket.

Mop-up of the pocket can be expected to take no more than a few weeks. The Nationalists will then be faced again with having to slug it out against very strong defenses backed up by reserves to prevent breakthroughs. The only question is where they will launch their next offensive.

Insurgent Oct II Turn

While the Loyalists in the Murcia-Alicante pocket were still reeling from their failure to break through to Cartagena, the Nationalists attacked in full force and stormed both Murcia and Alicante, meeting with only half-hearted resistance. Losses were light. Many facilities in Murcia had been destroyed, but Alicante fell with its port and airfield undamaged. The main portion of the pocket is now reduced to a small area around Orihuela and Elche, with neither a port nor even an airfield. It still includes a Segura bridgehead at that river's estuary, but the chances to use it as a springboard for a link-up with Cartagena have dimmed. The latter city, a strong fortress, is' now completely and firmly encircled.

While continuing to pound the pocket, the Nationalists moved some of their elite units over to the main Valencia front and attacked along the MadridValencia highway. They dented the new defense line by taking Bunol (23A:3705), a move that threatens to outflank the Loyalist front behind the lower Jucar river. However, the Loyalists managed to retreat in good order (DR on 5:1 -2) into a previously prepared position with strong fieldworks.

In southern Aragon, the Nationalists followed the Loyalists' retreat and took over evacuated mountain positions as well as the city of Teruel, the last of the few cities the Loyalists had ever captured. Its murdered bishop is now avenged.

At sea, attempts by the People's Airforce to catch some of the Italian submarines that were blockading Alicante remained fruitless. With the enemy fleet nonexistent and the airforce busy chasing subs, the Insurgents ferried supplies and a construction regiment unmolested from Mallorca to the mainland.

The Insurgents also launched another massive air strike with all available planes against the Valencia airbase, but once again the results were disappointing: accurate AA fire brought down a number of the attackers, and no damage to speak of was done to installations or aircraft on the ground.

Loyalist Oct II Turn

Defying the odds, the Loyalists mounted yet another desperate attempt to break through from the pocket's Segura bridgehead to Cartagena. Although the battlefield was beyond fighter range, the remainder of the Republican bombers and fighter bombers sortied from Valencia to provide air support. They were waylaid and roughly handled by Fiat fighters. None of them got through, and only a few made it home. The Republican air force is now effectively reduced to a few squadrons of fighters, of which only the remaining I-16s are a match for their opponents. Even without air support, however, the attack along the coast went in, but despite support by tanks using the last Loyalist reserves of gasoline it was once again stopped dead by Franco's soldiers (AS at 6.5:12.0 - 1).

Meanwhile, engineers, construction brigades, and denizens of Valencia worked feverishly to turn that city into a veritable fortress (an improved fort) and build strong fieldworks along the entire front between the mountains and the sea. Once again, "no pasaran" is the catchword now that Valencia is in danger of being attacked or outflanked. All other fronts remained quiet.

Commentary and Assessment

Apart from the pocket, the Loyalists now hold a strong front (10-15 strength points per hex) along the line Valencia, Teruel, and about 35 miles short of Zaragoza and Huesca, almost all of it entrenched.

The Insurgents are assured of at least a substantial victory. The current Victory Point count is 192 to 65, the Insurgents have an empty force pool and about 100 replacement points accumulated, to the Loyalists' 1.5 Points and 75 RE in the pool. The point counts of cities held are also better than 3:1 in favor of the Insurgents.

The pocket cannot survive for long, and will contribute another good crop of REs to the Loyalist pool. However, bad weather will soon set in and restrict operations. With the -2 mud modifier, even 6:1 odds in clear terrain without entrenchment leaves still a 50% chance of a DR result. With an average of only about 5 ASP coming in per turn, the Insurgents will rarely be able to afford more than one attack per turn, so that encirclements will be easy to avoid. The Loyalists on the other hand can hardly afford attacks even at high odds because of the fairly high chance of HX or EX, results that greatly favor the Insurgents, who can immediately replace their losses while the Loyalists cannot.

Once the pocket is eliminated, a slugging match can be expected to resume, with one or at most two Insurgent and no Loyalist attacks per turn and Insurgent advances of one hex at a time. Whether the Insurgents can succeed before Jul 39 in whittling down Loyalist strength to the point that the front collapses remains to be seen.

The desperation breakout attempt by the Loyalists was an excellent move. Launched exclusively with units from the pocket, who are doomed anyway, it did not put Cartagena at risk and was with few enough REs to attain 1/7 AECA. Despite probable odds of only 1:2, or 1:1 at the very best, this provided for a 1/3 chance of success (HX or DR). The Loyalists on captured 4409 could then have survived a DR upon counterattack by retreating to 4510, to make their way into Cartagena in the next turn. This addition to the relatively weak garrison would have been highly welcome. As it stands now, however, the rings around the pocket and Cartagena are firm, the pocket is U2 with no way to resupply it. Cartagena, still with ample supplies and a port through which some ASPs could be sneaked in, can muster only 6 points on defense plus another 2 for its intrinsic garrison and coastal batteries. As things stand now, the pocket is kaput. To conquer Cartagena, on the other hand, will still require a determined effort.

In the air, the Insurgents have further added to their amazing record of hardto-believe successes against ships, equally improbable failures against airbases, and an absurdly varying performance in air-to-air combat. All told, however, they have now achieved an almost absolute command of the skies.

In our game, Elias as the Loyalist commander has played a very aggressive game at first. This back-fired when the Insurgents, handled very conservatively, became strong enough to take advantage of his having overextended his position. The fall of Bilbao and San Sebastian, precipitated in this way, was one of the turning points of the game. In any Civil War campaign scenario of For Whom the Bell Tolls, the Insurgents have the burden of the initiative. In the hands of an experienced player they have a good chance to win, but only if he masters handling his resources highly effectively. This goes in particular for economy in use of scarce attack supply. The Loyalists, being on the defensive much of the time, are easier to play. They have their opportunities early on, especially in Aragon, but must take great care not to overplay their hand.

Hopefully we can provide a brief description of the game's conclusion in a future issue of TEM.