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Looks like both Pip and C&D have found my solution to joining the higher echelons of society!:D Now it is just that pesky matter of having the requisite cash flow...

Idea

????


Profit

higher echelons of society
 
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C&D - Or just wait for you kids to be gentlemen; being a pirate is frowned on in high society, having a pirate grandfather is to be boasted about.

Bafflegab - You could also follow the words of Onassis;

"To be successful, keep looking tanned, live in an elegant building (even if you're in the cellar), be seen in smart restaurants (even if you only nurse one drink) and if you borrow, borrow big."

trekaddict - A few arrows and that could be a fine flow chart. :D
 
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Faeelin - I'm glad someone noticed that, though I confess I wonder why you think the Republicans are less 'cool' in TTL? I'd be interested to know so I can work in a bit of depth to the Republican leadership beyond 'divided church burners trying to play France of the Soviets for maximum gain'

If you want to read an interesting (and balanced) book, Hugh Tomas' The Spanish Civil War is a great book. Not that you'd want to read a book to write a few chapters of an AAR (or you might, I would, but that's a different story), but its a great book that gives plenty of detail and information of both sides' factions, personal, and atrocities.
 
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Chapter LXXII: Revolving Doors Part II - The South.
Chapter LXXII: Revolving Doors Part II - The South.

If the Republicans had moved first in the North, in the South it was the Monarchists, and Franco in particular, who had the initiative. Despite being the senior commander in the South and conduit for all German aid Franco's position was somewhat shaky, many Monarchists blamed his insistence on an early start date for the failure of the coup. Facing such pressure, and sharing the common failure of all early war Monarchists, arrogance, Franco had set his sights on a grand thrust towards Valencia to end the war at stroke. The key choice was route, either the 'southern' option through Granada and Murcia, or the 'northern' option through Cordoba and Albacete. The 'southern' route was shorter and would have the Mediterranean on one side providing a relatively secure flank, it would however mean traversing a series of hills and mountains, not least the mighty Sierra Nevada range around Granada. Franco therefore chose the longer, but flatter, Cordoba route following the Guadalquivir River valley then across the Albacete plains, a decision he would soon come to regret.

It has been mentioned Franco was arrogant in his assessment of the challenge posed by the Republican forces, however it must be admitted he had reasonable grounds for such belief. At the head of the Army of Africa his forces were the best equipped and best trained in Spain, moreover many of the senior officers and NCOs had combat experience from the Rif War, a not inconsiderable advantage, though one which would prove to be double-edged. As icing on the cake these troops had just come back from a large scale exercise, so were fully worked up for action, and included the ten Renault FT-17s that made up the entirety of Spain's pre-war tank force. With such advantages on Franco's side it was unfortunate for the Monarchists that his plan was not the equal of the troops carrying it out.

yrR6zN6.jpg

The whole of Spain's tank force on manoeuvres. While the FT-17 was almost thirty years old, slow and short ranged it still bestowed a massive tactical advantage when deployed, particularly given the static nature of the early phases of the war. Franco intended to use his FT-17s as line-breakers, creating initial breakthroughs at the start of an offensive then dropping into reserve when the advance, hopefully, streaked away into the distance.

The offensive began well, the tank force breaking the Republican lines near La Carlota allowing the Regulares cavalry to be unleashed, their infantry brethren and the Spanish Legion flowing through the gap. The problems began to emerge when the Primera Tabore (1st Regulares Cavalry Squadron) reached the well garrisoned city of Cordoba, lacking the equipment or numbers to assault the garrison the cavalrymen cleared the surrounding outposts then stopped. This decision came not from the units' commanding officer, the experienced cavalry man Queipo de Llano y Sierra, but from Franco's HQ back in Seville. His reasoning had nothing to do with the current war and could be expressed as one word; Annual. The Battle of Annual, or the Disaster at Annual as the Spanish army referred to it, had seen a large Spanish force advance into the heart of the Rif Desert only to be isolated, surrounded then slaughtered by a far smaller force of Riffian irregulars. Annual had left many in the Spanish Army with a deep fear of unprotected flanks and a desire to ensure total security of lines of communication, none being more affected than officers who had served in the Rif War. Even though Franco had enjoyed a comparatively 'good' Rif War, gaining command of the Spanish Legion and emerging as hero following the march to relieve Melilla, it had still left it's mark on him.

Thus instead of sending the Tabore onto the next objective, the bridges of El Carpio, Franco pulled up his cavalry and handed the Republicans a vital delay to react, a opportunity they did not miss. Indeed as the foot sloggers and artillery train made it's way to Cordoba to take the city, Republican command in Valencia ordered it's counter-stroke, President Azaña committing the Assault Guards from the reserves to repel Franco's attack. Despite taking Cordoba with relative ease, once his full force had concentrated, Franco's campaign soon began to bog down as the Army of Africa was forced to plough through a series of river towns; El Carpio, Villa del Rio, Andujar, each with it's bridges destroyed and citizens militia alert and dug in. Worse the fixation on flank security and guarded supply line was weakening the army far more than any enemy action, the stream of units detached from the main force making a large dent in the notionally 30,000 strong army. It was thus inevitable that when the Army of Africa finally clashed with the Assault Guards, outside the mining town of Bailén, it was the Republican's who triumphed. The freshness and superior numbers of the para-military defenders winning out over the training of the depleted Regulares and Legionaries.

As Franco's offensive fizzled to a halt the troops that could of made the difference, the Regular Army divisions that had been part of the pre-coup army exercises in Africa, were not marching to reinforce him but instead marching north as part of the 'Link up' offensive. The troops left Seville and advanced along the route of the Vía de La Plata (Silver Way), aiming for the ancient city of Cáceres, hoping to both connect with the Monarchist armies in the north and isolate the loyal Republican garrison of Badajoz. The commander in Badajoz, General Linares, noticed the envelopment and was forced into a choice; Dig in and wait for relief or attempt a break out before being encircled. Knowing of the problems in Valencia Linares discounted any hope of an early relief and determined to break out, the choice being east or north. Linares' decision was helped by Mola's over-reaction to the Border Offensive, the rushing of troops east had left the Monarchist's line north of Badajzo thin and over-stretched. Deciding that the weaker opposition more than outweighed the longer distance Linares's force, a mixture of militias and loyalist of the 4th División, broke through at Plasencia and marched north, towards the Basque Northern Pocket. While Mola would, eventually, manage to scrape together a force to stop them Linares' troops did manage to seize the far more defendable city of Salamanca, moving them close to both Madrid and the key Monarchist city of Burgos. In a final insult to Mola, barely had the reserve been recalled from the east arrived in Burgos, too late to help stop his attack, did the CNT-FAI militias launch the last offensive of the year, seizing Tarragona and giving the Republican's a foothold in Catalonia, a substantial harbour far nearer to France and putting them within striking distance of Barcelona.

CwX6RZf.jpg

The final positions in Spain at the end of late Autumn. In the North the Basque country was complete and secure, while the Republicans had a foothold in Catalonia and the approaches to Madrid. In the South the Monarchists had connected their two territories, but let a Republican field army escape to Salamanca, and were left with an over-exposed salient around Cordoba .

As the dust settled and armies began to dig in for the Winter the two sides evaluated the summer campaigns and in each case it had been a decidedly mixed bag. The key difference between the sides was, perhaps, expectations, the Republicans were mostly just pleased to have stabilised the front and still be standing after the shock of the coup. For the individual factions things were more complex, the separatists were broadly pleased with the Basque's having expanded their pocket while the Catalans had seen the first part of their 'homeland' liberated. The CNT-FAI, the victors of Tarragona, had both the propaganda boost of a military success and the practical benefits of boots on the ground at a major port, strengthening their hand in the power struggles in Valencia, equally the government faction around Azaña claimed the credit for halting the main Monarchist offensive, bolstering the President. Only the PSOE-PCE were truly disappointed with the campaign, having failed to take Madrid they had to explain their failure to Moscow and their supporters, the failure prompting many of their supporters to defect to other, more successful, militias. It's worth noting at this point how correct General Linares was in plotting his breakout, in all the post-campaign planning many words, but little effort, was expended on the subject of relieving Linares force, there simply wasn't enough political advantage to outweigh the military risks. In summary the summer and autumn had been about survival, over the winter of 1936 the Republicans turned their minds over to plotting victory. The key problem remained however, while all the factions agreed unity was the way to victory, they each thought the other groups should unite around them.

If the Republicans were deep down pleased to have survived the Monarchists were generally disappointed with their campaigns. Franco's offensive had bogged down relatively early and he was left with a small but exceptionally vulnerable salient into Republican territory. Rather than give up territory to shorten his lines Franco insisted on digging in, tying up most of the best troops in the Monarchist Army on garrison duty. Even the entire concept of the campaign was being questioned, while few officers risked challenging Spanish orthodoxy over the issue of the flanks many did argue Franco should have gone 'south' through Granada, potentially halving the number of detachments needed for flank security. Having started the campaign insecure Franco's position was further damaged by such arguments, indeed the only things saving Franco from an ignominious demotion were the flow of German aid and the failure of his rivals to do any better. The latter in particular was a source of frustration to the British backed Carlist/Regular Army faction who's troops had spent the summer marching around Northern Spain to little effect. While the success of the link up offensive had reunited the two Monarchist sectors the escape of Linares, not to mention the losses in the North-East of the country, had overshadowed that achievement. As with the Republicans the Monarchist's all agreed on the importance of unity, but refused to countenance serving under the other faction.

As both sides wound down for the Winter many eyes in Spain therefore turned to Amsterdam, where the Great Powers were meeting to ostensibly discuss the Rhineland. From a Spanish perspective however it was realised the deals struck in the Dutch capital would directly impact on the quantity and quality of support pouring into Spanish harbours. The realists on both sides admitting, if only to themselves, that their struggle would be reduced to just another bargaining chip for the powers to haggle with.

---
Notes

Not sure on this whole update. Ideally I'd leave it a few weeks, write something else, then come back to it. However I didn't want to leave Spain (or my readers) hanging. Slight change of style, few more town names and a bit more discussion on terrain. Any thoughts on that?

In game terms a mild freezing up of Spain occurred Novemberish, so I figured it was everyone 'digging in' for winter. I'll load up as both side in spring to poke them into life for the next 'season' of campaigns.

Upshot of all that. No-one did fabulously well on either side, no stand out candidates for leadership (though Azana for the Republicans is probably closest). Thus it comes down to foreign support, hence everyone waits for Amsterdam. I think a lot of the ideological poison has been drawn from the conflict this time so I can see the powers being a bit more 'negotiable' over Spain, willing to trade away 'their' faction for advantages elsewhere.
 
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In theory, Barcelona should be relatively easy to take, considering it was one of the major anarchist strongholds - and a popular uprising during a military advance wouldn't be unthinkable.

Also, are the French aiding the Basques over their land border?
 
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Rhineland is certainly a good bargaining tool for France - but arming opposite camps in Spain will certainly affect the British foreign policy towards the French position in continental Europe.

Hitler, on the other hand, has no such significant bargaining tools - German support for Franco will surely count for something though. Interesting time for a major power conference, all in all.
 
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GeneralHannibal - I may well get that book out of general interest, the SCW has always been something of a blank area for me so I may well try and fill it in so to speak.

DonnieBaseball - Managed to break through the mental block, not sure if it worked but it's done. :shrug:

However I'm going back to some aircraft porn (and some Imperial politics) for the next update. :D

GeneralHannibal - True on Barcelona, it is going to be one of the top Republican targets next spring. Mind you the Monarchists are also aware of that and are very keen on keeping the French border out of enemy hands so will be well dug in.

As to the Basques it's a funny one, I imagine the French are selling them weapons but probably not aid and certainly trying to keep it quiet. Aiding separatist really would wind up the rest of Rep. Spain, especially after the Basques backed out of the offensive once they had the Basque country.

Karelian - Backing different sides in Spain probably is the final nail in the coffin of the Entente Cordial. As to the rest, I wonder what Paris would say to a German offer of Berlin pulling out of Spain in exchange for a re-militarised Rhineland. The flip side is keeping the Rhine buffer but having a German allied Spain to the south. I think Amsterdam will be very interesting indeed. And that's before the big twist. ;)
 
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Liked the update very much Pip. The details on the terrain and the place names are helpful--helps one flesh out and visualize the details.

The flank-consciousness of the Nationalists seems like it will go a long way towards reducing whatever advantages they might have in men and material.

That Cordoba pocket is begging for an encirclement I'd say. Plus the Republicans seem well positioned to move on Burgos, Madrid and Barcelona in the spring--of course they'll probably try for all three in a compicated simultaneous offensive and so achieve nothing. ; )

Looking forward to Amsterdam--the possibilities seem endless!
 
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I'm a little worried about Linares. He's proven himself to posses something half the Monarchist commanders do not: brains. But can he link up with the Basques to prevent encirclement? Will he head south again once he sees how plodding and cumbersome the Nationalists really are? Will he make a mayor coup and take Madrid from the clutches of the enemy as he reestablished contact with the main Republican territory? Also, for some reason I have a feeling either Mola, Franco or both will end up dead fairly soon.

As for Amsterdam, I think we're all as anxious to see what transpires there as the factions and powers of Europe in the story. Personally I hope the French can pull out an agreement that sees Germany abandon Franco so there will be no Fascist backing for either side in Spain, increasing the likelyhood that Spain will fight against the nazis when the real fighting begins. I also hope Britain and France can pull themselves together and see the common enemy: those wiener-eating surrender monkeys.
 
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Not sure on this whole update. Ideally I'd leave it a few weeks, write something else, then come back to it. However I didn't want to leave Spain (or my readers) hanging. Slight change of style, few more town names and a bit more discussion on terrain. Any thoughts on that?

I thought you did a fine job with the update, El Pip.

As for Amsterdam, I wonder if the idea of a partition (however unlikely it might seem) of Spain might come up.
 
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Not sure on this whole update. Ideally I'd leave it a few weeks, write something else, then come back to it. However I didn't want to leave Spain (or my readers) hanging. Slight change of style, few more town names and a bit more discussion on terrain. Any thoughts on that?

Upshot of all that. No-one did fabulously well on either side, no stand out candidates for leadership (though Azana for the Republicans is probably closest). Thus it comes down to foreign support, hence everyone waits for Amsterdam. I think a lot of the ideological poison has been drawn from the conflict this time so I can see the powers being a bit more 'negotiable' over Spain, willing to trade away 'their' faction for advantages elsewhere.

I enjoyed the update and appreciated getting a bit more of the detail as pertains to terrain and the "planning" that has gone into each side's campaign.

It would seem that alot is at stake in Amsterdam... The question of leadership on both sides may and up being determined by who still cares about the conflict at the end of the conference. Although, given the ineptitude of each side, there is always the possibility that the bargaining one party could "trade away" Spain, achieve some consideration elsewhere, establish control and return to their surreptitious support yielding the best possible outcome with little or no change in the situation "on the ground" in Spain...:wacko:

And yet the real twist is yet to come!!!:eek:

Can't wait... But of course I will... Patiently... Well I'll try for patient... Can't promise...
 
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DonnieBaseball - All that time on a Google map of Spain with terrain turned on wasn't wasted. :D

Cordoba is indeed massively vulnerable. Yet it's also very well manned, it's something of a self fufilling prophecy for the Monarchists; worried about being flanked they pull of so many men the main attack falters and leaves them in an exposed salient, which then gets attacked. Fortunately all the troops they pulled of to guard duty can defeat that attack, so they think they were right all along.

Hope that made sense. *fingers crossed*

C&D - You're right to expect fratricide in Monarchist high command, it happened OTL so I so no reason it wouldn't this time around, particularly with far more foreign agents cluttering the place up.

Linares does have the major advantage of no need to co-ordinate with anyone, not to mention no need to defend anything. Big pluses in Spain. Rest assured I have plans for Linares, cunning ones.

Britain and France working together? Off the menu at the moment I'm afraid, particularly with France in the ascendency and Germany looking quite pathetic after AGNA and the Rhineland. All of which means Germany, well Hitler mainly, has a great deal staked on Spain. He'd need very big concessions somewhere else to give that up.

Nathan Madien - While I suspect the British would be up for a bit of partitioning, the Foreign Office of OTL did like carving nations up based on straight lines and major geographical features, I doubt the Spanish themselves would approve. All the factions still think they can win, if only their allies would all unite around them.

Glad you liked the change in update style. After this reaction I'll probably stick with it. :)

Bafflegab - On Amsterdam I think you captured it best, 'who still cares at the end', if your playing grand strategy Spain is probably just a pawn (maybe a knight at best). More importantly it's still so up in the air and disorganised anyone could win regardless of support, just securing everyone else pulling out (and how would you check they did?) may mean nothing if your own side wont work together.
 
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Looks like Spain will becoming another tragic sub-plot to great power scheming...looking forward to the outcome of the stalemate.
 
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Do I suspect a terrible WW1 stalemate for spain.........
With offensives from each side making illusory gains, followed by massive causlaties.....
 
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Intriguing update, Pippy. I loved how the use of tanks by Franco showed that the tools of blitzkrieg are insufficient without the philosophy.

Vann
 
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daemonofdecay - I do need to get one (or both!) of those books, everyone keeps recommending them.

Glad you liked the update, Spain may be complex but all the factions keep it interesting I hope. :)

Le Jones - I really need to catch up on your AAR, after a month away I think I'm 30 odd chapters behind which is really quiet daunting. :eek: Worse the forums are blocked at work so I can't do a sneaky catch up at lunch times. :(

Lord Strange - If it's to be a WW1 stalemate I'll at least ensure it involves plenty of unusual kit in different situations. :D

Vann the Red - Pleased you liked it. Tactics and technology do need to go hand in hand, something people across time have tended to forget. Got a decent batch of airframe-porn I intend to sneak into the next update, something to look forward to perhaps? ;)
 
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Mmm, porn... erm, I mean airframe porn... :eek:o

Nice update on Spain there Pip. Can't wait for the T26's (and perhaps the odd 6-ton Vickers under licence;)) to rip those WWI relics apart! :D

Dury.
 
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Did someone say airframe porn?

:D

...Not that seeing the Iberian peninsula go crazy isn't without its fascination - fine work so far, El Pip - it's just that I need to know what lessons the dear old RAF (and indeed the FA) are going to take from it, given Britain's increased involvement over the OTL.

Early Hurricanes over Madrid, anyone? :eek:
 
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