KingAMD: Everything I do seems to be your favourite.
Mozla: I have to admit, at this point of the game I'm really not sure who will come out on top myself! It's kind of bleak, being the Republicans. The Nationalists just get so many advantages over you.
Tarsus540: Why thank you! They could be better but I'm happy with them for the amount of work I put in. The large images lack a better border, but I can't be bothered to make a better one.
Enewald: You have my approval. *Nods respectfully.*
stnylan: I'm intrigued as well, given I'm going into this AAR with virtually no experience...
Gregorias: Well, the SCW does require a little bit of luck - it depends a lot on WHICH armies turn nationalist and WHERE they turn nationalist - the actual provinces you lose are relatively unimportant in comparison.
Morsky: Huh, you look forward to something I do? Huh, a link to Piety in your signature? When did this happen? My head asplode!!!
Troelsdc: You won't like the starting position of the Republicans, then.
TinMann: Ahem, thank you for the comments, but let me start by semi-indignantly pointing out that I am a woman. Let me continue then by saying I too chose the Republicans partly out of figuring everyone else would pick the Nationalists.
Thank you for the compliments, I do put a fair bit of work into the imagery, at least, and that goes a long way towards improving the content of the AAR. Adds a bit of polish and shine and makes decent writing seem better than it is.
Lord Valentine: All ears? That'd be wild to see - better not shout while next to you, though...
Arya V. Thank you. :3
Eams: Washington Irving's lies must be struck down with the mighty vengeance of Zeus! But seriously, it is annoying how many people buy in to the flat earth thing. Nazis are also way overplayed, I'd rather do something more interesting and much more ahistorical.
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
Chapter 2 - Iberian Anarchy
The Iberian Peninsula, once more, was wreathed in the flames of war. As the Nationalist Army rose to put down the threat of the Popular Front 'rebels', the Republican government was faced with inaction. To let the Army act, to simply bow down and effectively surrender power to it? To protest the independent action of the Army? For once, it chose what many historians believe to have been the right decision for Spain: it sided with the Popular Front and called for resistance against the Nationalists.
General Francisco Franco, leader of the Nationalist Army, claimed that the government was nothing better than a puppet of the Bolshevist regime of Russia, the leading nation of the Soviet Union. He cried to the nations of the world that Spain was in anarchy and that only he and his right-wing followers could unite the country under a strong, united power. Franco called for the King to return to power and for the reformation of Spain to take place. Seeing an opportunity to gain a valuable ally on the continent and to test their own developing war machines, Hitler and Mussolini agreed to send equipment and volunteers to the aid of the Nationalists.
With the army so heavily divided, hastily rebuilt command structures were put into place - the Republicans lacked organization and was short of properly trained officers and men alike; there was hardly a single brigade that wasn't understrength and a massive recruitment program spread not just across Spain, but the entire world. International Brigades formed and within weeks of the Civil War's onset, Soviet-provisioned brigades formed from volunteers across Russia, all prepared to fight for the World Revolution.
However, more than just the communists were interested in Spain's well-being. After much deliberation, and despite the League of Nations' refusal to intervene in any particular way, the prominent nations of France and Britain were not so pleased. Even as the Nationalists swept across undefended swathes of Spanish countryside and battled for control of key cities, the Royal Navy arrived in Tarragona and Valencia, flanked by escorts that left the outdated Spanish Navy green with envy.
Britain had been split in its support of Spain, but at last, it seemed that a decision had been made. Despite the protests of many of the conservatives, Stanley Baldwin managed to earn the support of the Parliament to fund the formation of three divisions of international brigades - nearly 10,000 soldiers, mostly drawn from volunteers amongst the British socialist minority, who saw the war as a stepping stone to greater glory. Infuriated at this decision, many right-wing citizens left to Spain without the United Kingdom's blessing, determined to fight against the 'red hordes' as they had been dubbed.
The last nation to make its decision was France itself. The French economy was in a poor way and the people had been shaken; though the Great War had been a victory for the Allies, only Belgium and Luxembourg could claim to have suffered as greatly as France did - in just 4 years, nearly 1.7 million frenchmen were killed and another 4.2 million were severely wounded. The landscape of Northeast France was completely devastated and many of the French believed they would be better off keeping Spanish business in Spain.
The Third French Republic and Second Spanish Republic were, however, similar in many ways. Both had been great powers, both had suffered great declines and losses in the past century. While they had once been the greatest countries in Europe and perhaps even the world, they were now eclipsed by the two World Powers of Western Europe: Britain and Germany. In many ways, the two empathized with one another, and the French left-leaning tendency meant that sympathy for the Republicans' plight was high.
After nearly three weeks of deliberation, the French government agreed to fund the creation of a number of international brigades from volunteers, who would be given transport to the Spanish border and no further. Their supplies would be sufficient to make the march to Madrid, but not enough to sustain heavy combat - they would move quietly and stealthily until they reached the capital, when they would join in the fight to break the siege of the most important city in Spain.
Troubling news was brewing, however, and France could not offer much more than it already had. A news report was released by the Australian BBC reporter Reginald William Winchester Wilmot (or Chester Wilmot for short)...
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Trouble times have reached us, as I speak to you now from London.
I am sure all of you know of the recent events in Spain, so I shall speak frankly with the most grave concern - on April 18th an attempted coup d'état by key army officers struck the nation. Spanish President Manuel Azaña Díaz is reported to be alive and unharmed, and has been evacuated by Republican loyalist forces after two failed assassinations. He is believed to be en route to Valencia, where the loyalists are said to have a strong and uncontested base of operations.
"German Führer Adolf Hitler went on record lastnight in a speech in front of the charred ruins of the Reichstag building. He accused the Spanish Republic's government of aiding and sympathizing with communism and anarchism. The Führer pledged his full support to coup ringleader Francisco Franco, saying that the steel of his conviction and piety would overcome even the greatest obstacle in this war against the so-called 'red hordes' of the Republicans.
"The Bolshevists were quick to respond; early this morning, the highly respected Soviet Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov released a statement, stopping to repeat his key point in english: 'Today, Spain is the focus of the world. Let nothing else catch your eyes, people of the world. This is the continuation of the World Revolution and Spain now sits upon the showcase of the world; she has become the front line in the war against fascism and tyranny.'
"The Spanish conflict looks to be brewing into a full civil war with neither side prepared to back down. The BBC will be prepared to bring you more news from the front lines in the coming days. Thank you, and goodnight."
Madrid became the central battleground of the war as all eyes turned to focus upon the nation's Capital. Though the Nationalists numbered in their thousands and progress through the city was slow and bloody, the Republicans were well-armed and well-organized here in the heart of their country. As International brigades started to arrive, the Nationalists were pushed back and it seemed that victory would come in the heart of the country soon enough. The First Battle of Madrid lasted just one week before the Nationalists were broken and forced to surrender.
Elsewhere, things did not look so promising for the Spanish. The 1st Republican Mobile Division, which included Spain's last 40 tanks and cavalry brigade, was driven out of Zaragoza by Catholic insurgents under the Nationalist banner. They continued to withdraw rapidly along the Nationalist front, ceding swathes of Aragon and Catalonia in their wake.
Barcelona looked a lost cause - the city's loyalist defenders were outnumbered 3 to 1 and were undersupplied. The city of Lleida was held by Nationalists but for reasons unknown they had not made a move towards the important population center or the vital port facilities at Tarragona, where the remaining loyalist naval forces took harbour and were relatively underdefended.
Andalusia, however, was completely vulnerable. Starting in Seville and Cadiz, thousands of Nationalists overwhelmed limited Republican resistance and started to push out into the countryside. With only a few scattered Loyalist divisions against them, they had a nearly open doorway to sweep across the entirety of Southern Spain.
Meanwhile in the north, the Nationalists were fighting for control of Spain's key cities. Republicans fought hard to try and resist the Nationalists in Salamanca and the important industrial city of Valladolid - they also offered token resistance in Burgos, but there was no hope of victory in Franco's new capital. The Popular Front was outnumbered over 10 to 1 in the ancient Castilian city.
Despite widespread resistance, Salamanca was slowly crumbling and though the Battle of Valladolid went well for the Republicans at first, reinforcements from Burgos would slowly arrive and push the loyalist forces back. The Nationalists looked set to capture and execute thousands of loyalists and the Republicans were desperate to do something.
From the Republican enclaves in La Coruña, Oviedo and Bilbao, the undersupplied Republican divisions considered their options. After great hesitation, Republican general Serrador Santés led a daring push south from Oviedo in Asturias. Despite being heavily outnumbered by the Nationalists, his unit broke through the line and opened up a corridor to Valladolid relatively unharmed. There was talk of trying to push through to Salamanca, but doing so would sacrifice Salamanca and would risk complete encirclement of the forces. It was decided that it was not worth the risk, and the Valladolid resistance abandoned the city to join up with the forces of Santés.
The forces began to pull back towards Oviedo slowly but surely, battling off dozens of Nationalist regiments and moving with purpose despite no proper supplies. They lived off the land and took whatever donations the local people could and would give. The heroic efforts of the Asturias Freedom Corps ranked amongst the greatest in the war and the courage and resilience of these men became a beacon of hope for the Popular Front across all of Spain. The President himself stated that, 'There is no greater honour or sacrifice than those of Asturias have made to beat the odds and save thousands of lives. Truly, they are heroes.'