Gloriosa España de Franco: An HOI3 FtM AAR

[Stuyvesant]

"Interesting" sure covers it! Instead of having a stubborn, slowmoving siege at Gibraltar, you now have Brits marauding through the Spanish hinterlands... Looks like they brought some 10 divisions to the party, quite a respectable invasion force. I think you'll be able to hold them though, eventually. And if they spread out too far, they'll be relatively easy pickings.

A little bit scared about their medium armor, though. It might take you a while to take that down.

 

[mankle30]

Chapter 29: Into the Rabbit Hole - January 16 - 31, 1940.

Jan 16: The British keep attempting to break out from their beach head in southern spain. Their efforts to dislodge Spanish forces at Estepona have all met with failure, and have given the troops at Montellano a chance to recover. When Bergonzoli’s 25th infantry division returns to Algeciras, another attack will be mounted to dislodge the British from Gibraltar. If the infantry in the region can take the Rock, they would be able to concentrate on containing the British Breakout.

In France, Spanish troops appear well on their way to taking Bordeaux and setting up a defensive line in the south of France.

Franco decides to bring the III corps back from Yugoslavia in order to contain the British.

On the 17th, the Spanish navy is intercepted by a superior British force attempting to dock at Ceuta. This could spell doom for the forces in Southern Spain, as the inability to ferry troops back from North Africa and Yugoslavia could make it impossible for Franco's forces. On the bright side, a new interceptor wing is deployed to Seville. The fleet survives intact (barely), and is sent to Almeria.

The Spanish infantry division makes it Almeria intact.... The fleet is sent to Tirane to pick up the III Corps.

On the 19th, Spain loses two more battles... The only consolation is that the British are having to expend a high cost in lives for their victories.

On the 21st, Spanish troops successfully defended an attack at Algecira and completed one in France at La Teste. Our defensive line is almost set in France, having captured major cities in Bordeaux and Toulouse. The fleet has arrived at Tirane and 4 divisions from III corps have boarded for Almeria. Franco is betting on them, and one the 5th infantry division, detatched from I corps, on its way to the South to help stabilize the situation. So far Franco's “allies” have been of no help.

On the 22nd another successful defense of Estepona, leaving over 1300 British dead.

As the first month of our wider war ends on the 23rd, the situation appears dire for Spain. Hopefully in the second month, things will turn around, as a full corps of infantry is on its way. The British look strong, but if Spain can contain and eliminate the British invasion, many British divisions will be trapped and captured. It also will make Germany’s job to take France easier. In many ways, all Spain needs to do is tie up the British until Germany conquers France, and then hold the land bridge connecting the two countries and perhaps they will be able to assist. Another assault on Estepona failed on this day.

With the bombers too disorganized to go on reconnaissance missions to see what the British had at Malaga and Marbella, the fighters were drafted to that mission. They found only one offensive infantry division and one garrison at Malaga, and the equivalent of 5 infantry divisions at Marbella. By 2200, the 4 divisions from Yugoslavia had arrived at Almeria.

These divisions were weaker than the others in Iberia, with only 2 brigades of infantry and 1 artillery. The plan was to have them attack along the coast to take the port at Malaga. Against a single Garrison division, this should not be difficult. Then, with the British cut off from resupply, we would be in a better position to finish them off and take Gibraltar.

Early on the 24th, the bombers were ordered to Malaga to destroy supply dumps and soften up the Gariison division stationed there. However after a couple of days, it was decided that the bombings were ineffective, and the bombers were reassigned to
Also on the 24th, another assault on Estepona was begun, which was called off by the British at 0300 the next day due to the quick loss of 130 men.

On the 25th, The British expanded their taking of Spanish territory, taking Cordoba, and the 9th “Highland” Mountain division began an assault on Estepona from Gibraltar.

Major battle related events from January 23-28

January 29th would be a fateful day. The British decided to add another front to their assault of Southern Spain, and landed another corps of troops to the west of Gibraltar.

Battle related events on January 29 (provinces lost are to the west of Gibraltar)

On the 30th, another assault on Estepona was launched, with the British desperate to link up their eastern invasion force with Gibraltar. This was joined shortly thereafter by an assault on the province of Montoro. The assault on Estepona was called off after the loss the nearly 500 British troops. A powerful british armoured division was running loose in the Western invasion zone, taking the province of Alosno. Franco’s decision was to make sure that supplies were not made available for this armoured division in order to be able to pen it in and destroy it. A division had been rushed to Seville in order to protect the valuable factories and airfields from capture. This division (the 30th Infantry Division) would have to hold.

Battle related events from January 30

The battle for Seville. Here, one can see the extent of the British assault to the west of Gibraltar

On January 31, reports came in that the province of Tavira was lost to the Portuguese, Franco later found out that it was just the British who had liberated the province on behalf of Portugal.

With another front opened up by the British, Franco decided to go on the offensive, attacking at Marbella. The British still did not have a port in Iberia (aside from Gibraltar), and by taking Marbella, and meeting the troops brought across the Mediterranean from Yugoslavia at Malaga, Franco could cut off the eastern group from resupply, and focus on taking Gibraltar before mopping up the rest of the Brits. Franco ordered a pinning attack against the tired British troops in Gibraltar.

It was on this day that things finally began to turn around for Spain in the south. An attack by the British at Algeciras had been fought off. The battle of Marbella had been won. When the troops arrived in the province, they would only be one more battle away from taking the port in Malaga. To the west of Gibraltar, the British armoured division is creating havoc, but the British have yet to secure a port. They have not attacked the closest one, Cadiz, which is guarded by a garrison division.

Battle events on January 31

The situation on all 3 fronts on January 31, 1940

 

[eqqman]

Wouldn't it be better to keep advancing in France until you meet resistance, and then fall back to your river only if needed? It seems like such a waste to have those divisions sitting there facing nobody while Spain is in danger to the south.

 

[mankle30]

Wouldn't it be better to keep advancing in France until you meet resistance, and then fall back to your river only if needed? It seems like such a waste to have those divisions sitting there facing nobody while Spain is in danger to the south.

My rationale is that I have enough divisions to only cover that line. I could probably push ahead one or two provinces, but pretty quickly, the line would have to separate. If i were to advance any further, there would be gaping holes that France could exploit. As it is, I can't really cover the port of Bayonne, in case someone would have the smart idea to invade through there. At least this way, I can take the IC and leadership from Toulouse and Bordeaux, and still have a defensible line.

Right now the plan is to bring more divisions up from the south once I can clear the British threat, and push forward to meet the Germans and (possibly) the Italians when they start their offensive(s).

I didn't include a screenshot (i'll put it here) that showed how low the organization in Gibraltar was getting. Once i link up the Yugoslavian troops with the ones who are on their way to Marbella (they move sooooo slow in the winter mud..... they must have really tweaked this for FtM), I'll have the port cut off and the Brits will be out of supply soon enough.... then I can take Gibraltar, and send the unneeded troops back up to France.

Gibraltar on Jan 31

 

[Stuyvesant]

Awww... I was secretly hoping for the collapse of Spain in the face of a British onslaught, but while it would make for an excellent AAR, it wouldn't be any fun for you to play. So instead I'll say good job, it looks like you're getting ready to turn the corner against the British. Their lack of ports will surely prove their undoing.

 

[Surt]

Percival is now spared the humiliation of losing the Gibraltar of the East, instead he is setup to lose the Gibraltar of the west

 

[mankle30]

Awww... I was secretly hoping for the collapse of Spain in the face of a British onslaught, but while it would make for an excellent AAR, it wouldn't be any fun for you to play. So instead I'll say good job, it looks like you're getting ready to turn the corner against the British. Their lack of ports will surely prove their undoing.

Well, that's almost mean. Besides, it's a better narrative for the weak to triumph over the strong (i.e., the Spanish to beat the Brits back). Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do once I eliminate the invasion and can reallocate the troops to other uses.

 

[Baltasar]

Well, that's almost mean. Besides, it's a better narrative for the weak to triumph over the strong (i.e., the Spanish to beat the Brits back). Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do once I eliminate the invasion and can reallocate the troops to other uses.

Such as invading the UK?

 

[Stuyvesant]

Well, that's almost mean. Besides, it's a better narrative for the weak to triumph over the strong (i.e., the Spanish to beat the Brits back). Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do once I eliminate the invasion and can reallocate the troops to other uses.

True, I seem to have some divided loyalty issues here. Not to worry, as soon as the balance swings back to you, I'm sure to throw my weight whole-heartedly behind Franco again (like the spineless chicken I am).

Good luck and I do look forward to enjoying the continued adventures of Spain.

 

[eqqman]

Such as invading the UK?

Heh there are two AARs where the UK has just lost in Spain, and the answer is the same: follow up the victory with an immediate invasion of Britain!

 

[Hardradi]

Good update, your persistance at Gibralter is paying off, its only a matter of time. The British appear very "confident", with the eastern and western landing forces. Wont they have a month of supplies to eat up before they hit trouble?

North Africa also looks good, you are right up to Algers.

 

[mankle30]

Such as invading the UK?

hadn't thought of it yet.... I haven't played beyond the update (I've been at a conference), but there are a few obstacles to overcome first. 1 - navy ripped to shreds. 2 - not enough troops to garrison my own ports! 3 - need to get France out of the picture

True, I seem to have some divided loyalty issues here. Not to worry, as soon as the balance swings back to you, I'm sure to throw my weight whole-heartedly behind Franco again (like the spineless chicken I am).

all shall bow to the mighty Franco!

Heh there are two AARs where the UK has just lost in Spain, and the answer is the same: follow up the victory with an immediate invasion of Britain!

see above

Good update, your persistance at Gibralter is paying off, its only a matter of time. The British appear very "confident", with the eastern and western landing forces. Wont they have a month of supplies to eat up before they hit trouble?

North Africa also looks good, you are right up to Algers.

yes, we're not at the 30 day mark for either invasion yet. And the Brits still have a port to supply the eastern invasion. Once I take the port, the brits on the eastern side will start to exhaust their supply. The biggest goal is to make sure the fronts don't link up before I can take the port.

The situation in North Africa isn't as good as it looks, but we should be able to make do.

 

[eqqman]

hadn't thought of it yet.... I haven't played beyond the update (I've been at a conference), but there are a few obstacles to overcome first. 1 - navy ripped to shreds. 2 - not enough troops to garrison my own ports! 3 - need to get France out of the picture

Sadly none of these things are really issues. As long as you have a decent supply of Transports (like 6 - 8) it won't matter what state the rest of your navy is in provided you have at least a few warships handy. Just land near Penzance - Plymouth and work out from there. If you've invaded the UK, the major threat from invasion is... the UK, so if you are fighting them directly in Britain then you don't need to waste time defending your own ports from them. A possible danger is the United States, but I don't recall if in this game they are a threat yet. Even if they were, I would still recommend you invade, since they usually prefer to hit Japan. If the French haven't responded to your invasion by force yet, then I would completely discount them. You can knock out England even before the Axis defeat France (and I've done it before for fun as Germany).

If you aren't sure you've eliminated British divisions when you push them out of Iberia, then this might be a little more risky, but in all honesty I would still probably recommend an immediate invasion.

 

[mankle30]

Thanks Eqqman... i'll definitely keep it in mind. Right now the navy is recovering, but I have some ships on the way.

 

[shenaniganz14]

Good stuff mankle30. Once France has closure then the British offensive willbe repelled much easier. We just need Germany and Italy to get their act together.

 

[eqqman]

...We just need Germany and Italy to get their act together.

Wait... you say that like it might really happen!

 

[mankle30]

Good stuff mankle30. Once France has closure then the British offensive willbe repelled much easier. We just need Germany and Italy to get their act together.

Wait... you say that like it might really happen!

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath. Played up to February 15th. new update hopefully tomorrow!

 

[mankle30]

Chapter 30: You Win Some, You Lose Some - February 1-14, 1940

Feb 1: at 0400, Spain loses the latest attempt to wear down the troops at Gibraltar. However, this time, the casualty rate favours the British to a lesser degree.

List of Battles and events for February 1 and 2

Feb 4: Despite losing the battle of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain gained the Veteran Army effect. Franco would put this knowledge accrued through battle to good effect to take on the British.

List of Battles and events for February 3 and 4

The 29th infantry division arrives at Marbella and is attacked. However, it appears that the division will be able to not only hold it’s ground, but continue on to Malaga. However, the british open up a second front and things begin to get dicey.

Franco also decided to open up another engagement at Gibraltar. Things were starting to look more and more promising.

The situation on February 7

By February 8th, the tables were turning back towards the British side. The Brits had consolidated their newly acquired territory and had essentially cut off the troops based near Gibraltar. The last division would be returned from Yugoslavia, and another would soon be ordered to help from North Africa. Franco was now considering recalling his mountain divisions from France to assist the ever worsening situation in the south.

List of Battles and Events for February 5-8

At 1700 on February 9th, the battle for Gibraltar had been won. The first step in securing the Mediterranean and removing this British scourge from Iberia had been taken. Now to take Malaga and remove all hope of supply from the British. Unfortunately, however, the poor winter weather and muddy ground makes for slow movement for the troops moving towards Malaga

On February 9, the Spanish fleet engaged a French fleet, and won a pitched, but quick battle.

List of battles and events for February 9-12

Southern Spain on Feb.12

The most troubling events from the 12th to 15th of February were the British attempts (and success) to take Cadiz. After several attempts, and even after fresh(er) divisions were rushed to their assistance, Cadiz fell to British troops on February 14.

List of battles and events from February 13 and 14

While Marbella was retaken on the 14th, problems still abound, and Franco hopes that the four extra divisions on their into the southern Spanish theatre (one infantry division from North Africa, one more infantry division from Yugoslavia, and 2 mountain divisions from France) can stabilize the British threat, take the port in Malaga, and retake Cadiz, and starve out the British invaders.

 

[shenaniganz14]

Nice work, things are getting tenser, but hopefully with Gibralter taken you'll have a few extra soldiers free. What's the French vs Axis border looking like?

 

[eqqman]

Hmm so far the only out-of-supply troops I see appear to be Spanish...