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Dreams of an Empire - Spain in the World War II (BETA AAR)

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Miihkali

Miihkali

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Apr 11, 2007
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Dreams of an Empire
Spanish State in the World War II

425px-Flag_of_Spain_1945_1977.svg.png


As the release date is coming close I think there is still time and room for an AAR. Spain will be interesting choice—she's rather small nation, still having plenty of potential. During 1936 she's coming to a turning point: dissent and turmoil are rising everywhere, not only in Spain but also in the Europe and Far East. As it seems likely that the world will be soon thrown to another war, Spain could benefit from that and rebuild her once so great empire. Or will she be just an eternal loser?

Feel free to give ideas and participate in this AAR. If you want to, I can give you some choices you can do through voting when there's something important in the sight. I hope I can show in this AAR that Darkest Hour is more realistic and difficult than Doomsday. Now minors really have to struggle to gain major successes and victorious warfare with such medium-weight nation as Spain is not guaranteed. Well, maybe I'm just an awful player, that's actually quite sure—but hopefully I can make this interesting not only for myself but also for you.

So let's go, I'll begin later today!


Chapters
I. The Turning Point
II. The Outbreak
III. A Beautiful Morning
IV. No Quiet Moment
​
 
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The Turning Point

I. The Turning Point

The Spanish Republic is weak. The once so great empire has declined to a regional power controlling only few narrow stripes of ground at the west coast of Africa. The Spain itself is industrially declining and politically turbulent, militarily weak and having not significant diplomatic value. Spanish Republic is not well-united and insurgent movements and thoughts are not uncommon.

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Spain is not alone with her problems, though. It is all the time becoming clearer that the weak peace and order set up by Versailles treaty is coming to an end. Central and Eastern Europe are in change, everyone is equipping himself, and all who are capable to do so, are strengthening their power. Germany has became a brutal dictatorship and Russia formed into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, isolated but economically and militarily extremely potential major power. Eastern European countries formed after Versailles Treaty are lying between these two modern-day empires, both eager to expand. In Hitler's speeches and writings it already can be read between the lines that the day for showdown between these two is coming sooner or later.

Same time, democracy is taking its last breath in many states of the Europe, while the dictators of the already authoritarian nations are garroting its last remains. It seems that 1936 is becoming a turning point in many ways.

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Europe in 1936.

17th of January, Stalin gave a speech for the Soviet people, claiming that a large conspiracy had been revealed, having spread in all the branches of Soviet military and government, thus threatening the whole USSR. In foreign countries it was commonly believed that whole 'conspiracy case' was actually a conspiracy itself—a lie framed by Stalin's watchdogs in order to have an excuse to purge all the possible Stalin's rivals. This didn't prevent Stalin from throwing largest country in the World to an era of terror and paranoia, greatly weakening Soviet army but ensuring his absolute power over the USSR. Even Hitler condemned it as madness, despite the fact that he himself had executed most of his political enemies less than two years ago.

During the spring of 1936, Czechoslovakia —the last remaining democratic country set up in Versailles Treaty— took her first steps towards the same direction. Results of general election were highly favourable for the political right. Thus, former chief of staff Jan Syrovy started to centralize power to himself and formed new autocratic government, heading towards more and more authoritarian direction. This led to constantly weakening relationships with the western democracies France and United Kingdom.

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Jan Syrovy became the dictator of Czechoslovakia during the Spring 1936

In Germany Hitler kept on centralizing power to himself and his regime. In the June 17 SS-leader Heinrich Himmler was named the chief of all German police, thus making Germany even more closed society and —if it had not been before— a police state.

In Spain, the situation had became almost hopeless during the first half of 1936. In February, the centre-rightist coalition fell due to a corruption scandal. New elections were won by the popular front, but only narrowly. New government was unable to restore order and gain people's support. Same time the social revolution pushed by leftists made most of Spanish conservatives aware and the chasm between government and the right-wing was growing larger and larger.

In the mid of July Spanish Moroccan troops started a revolt against the government. By 17th of July general Francisco de Franco y Bahamonde had taken the command and the rebellion had spread to other Spanish colonies, as well as to the Balearic and Canary Islands—and even to the Spain proper. The rightist rising was very popular in the Spanish army, especially among professional soldiers. Franco thus immediately gained a cutting edge as for the quality of forces, even if not in the quantity—not only the sole armoured brigade of Spanish army completely abandoned the government of the Republic and secured Madrid in a few hours, but the same happened also in the northeast Spain when local mountain brigades defected to nationalist side.

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Even though the rebellious forces were still somewhat weak and scattered, they had a large support behind them. Not only the nationalists were standing behind the anti-republic troops, but also the Catholics, conservatives, and monarchist gave their support to the united rightist front. Desperately president Manuel Azana Diaz forged an alliance between Spanish social democrats, communists, revolutionaries, and anarchists, forming a Republican army to resist Franco and his comrades. The Spanish Civil War had begun.​





So, this was the first update in my AAR. Tell what do you think about it, I hope you can read my English—if there's certain exceptionally awful flaw, please tell me about it so I can learn something and fix the problem. :) Also, you can participate in this AAR—the nationalist revolution of Spain is for the people!

My first question is, what will be the first military action! Do we secure only the area north of Madrid where Nationalists seem to have remarkable popularity? Or should we try to occupy as large area as possible before the Republicans recover from the first shock? Or...?
 
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Strange... It's usual that so few provinces revolt? I see no chance for an AI National Spain to win.
 
Yeah usually Nat. Spain can sweep down from Leon - but it does look like they have a good chance to set up a good home base near Barcelona/Aragon. (Oh and that map looks great! :))

Your English is really good, and I would say very hard to see your not a native speaker. I just have a small suggestion though... maybe making the text left-based instead of centred? Centred hurts my eyes. :D
 
MarshallEdin: So we'll do that!
Viden: I am not sure, but I think the game gives starting provinces pretty randomly. Sometimes it's possible that more provinces defect to Nationalist Spain.
Warluster: I personally think also that it looks better if the text starts from the left side, but that way smaller pictures don't look very good. What do the others think?

II. The Outbreak

After securing completely Spanish Morocco without any significant resistance, Franco flew to Seville on July 20 and established headquarters for his Army of Africa there. Then he continued towards north to organize the defense of Castille and Aragon. Even though the beginning had looked very grim for the rightist rebels, growing number of Spanish regulars and reservists were joining to the Nationalist front, though mostly in northern Spain where they were enjoying their highest popularity. Thus, Franco —named as the commander-in-chief of the rebel army— was able to quickly organize as many as seven army corps in the North Spain.

Even though the new troops were rather powerful in numbers, and new volunteers were reporting to the Nationalist forces in a very fast pace —Franco even was able to remain two full divisions in the reserve— they were still badly outnumbered by the Republican army which had, according to several defected high-ranking officers, around 300,000 troops stationed in Spain. The Nationalist revolution had failed to capture most of the major cities. Only Seville, Zaragoza, and Madrid had fell completely into their hands.

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Franco realised that he would be unable to machinate a quick coup d'état—instead, civil war had broken out in Spain. As both sides had quickly mobilized respectable forces in a few days, the fight between Nationalists and Republicans seemed to become long. Franco did not believe he could immediately unite all the scattered territories controlled by Nationalists, and thus he rather started quickly to form a tight and easily defendable area around Madrid and Burgos. Most of the troops remained around Burgos and Zaragoza, but several divisions started moving towards south in order to reach Madrid before Republican forces would be able to cut the connection between Burgos and Madrid permanently. Minor battles were also fought at the north coast of Spain where the First Cavalry Division —one of those original divisions that started the Nationalist revolution— fought desperately against superior enemy for the control Bilbao, and in the northeast Spain where the mountain brigades were pushing towards west to unify the western and eastern territories controlled by the Nationalists. Franco's newly arrived forces started series of minor assaults to ease the pressure against these independently acting corps and thus help them in their battle the Republican betrayers of the nation.

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In the southern part of Spain Nationalist troops had been arriving to the western Andalusia for several days now. Some of them had been transported with the outdated ships of the Spanish navy, but as most of the crew of the naval forces had remained on the Republican side, major part of the Army of Africa had been transported audaciously via transport aircraft. This was the only remarkable stronghold of the Nationalist army south of Madrid, and it was dangerously under immediate threat of the Republican divisions that pressured it from both north and south.

Even though the military situation was not desperate, it was still uncomfortable for Franco. However, Nationalists started quickly to organize civil government on their own and declared Spanish State. Many right-wing politicians of the Spanish Republic started soon to act on the side of the State; still the high-command of the reborn Spain was more a military junta than a cabinet. It was lead by Miguel Cabanellas Ferrer, Fidel Davila Arrondo, and, naturally —though more likely influencing at the background— Francisco Franco.

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Policies of the new government were extremely authoritarian and militarist, though at this point rather isolationist. No full mobilization was pushed (though some reservists were more likely forced than allured to the Nationalist army) nor the industry was mobilized. This was mostly because of fear of a civil uprising against the State; actually it was generally believed that even if nationalists would have announced a mobilization, most of the conscripts would have not arrived to depots. Even though they had popularity at countryside, Republic had large support among the workers of the cities—for example Madrid had not fell into the hands of the Nationalist army because of the people, but because of the large military garrison in that city.

The Spanish State was not popular at the foreign world, either—French were not happy about idea that they would have another neighbouring fascist nation. The similar thoughts turned up at the United Kingdom too, but willing to avoid intervening in the problems of the continental Europe and eager to prevent any larger conflicts they decided not to support officially the Republicans, who were seen as war-mongering anarchists by many conservatives of the UK. Many volunteers from all over the world still volunteered to the international brigades fighting on the Republican side. The Spanish State then again looked towards the fascists powers of Europe, Germany and Italy.​



So, I will first secure the outskirts of Madrid. Then I'll try to push the frontline towards west and north and drive the damned Republicans to the sea... My next question for you will be, which slider will I move? Note, that in DH you can move slider only once during two years.
 
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A great choice for an AAR! I personally like the centered text.

You say you have a small navy, but it shows that you have a fleet in the Republican port of Terragona.
 
Madrid? Really? I always hated how in HOI2, the Nationalists might end up starting with Madrid. There are a few cities on both sides that just shouldn't start off in the hands of the other.

Historically, by the way, the Nationalists in Madrid were penned up in the Montaña barracks by armed workers, which were stormed the next day with much bloodshed. Similar things happened in Barcelona, Valencia, etc.

Also, it would be nice if the events giving armies distributed them semi-evenly across the country instead of dropping them into the force pool, which the AI just drops into one province.
 
Subscribed.:)
 
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