The Spanish Civil War begins at the beginning of June, with the standard war-start borders. Through the month of June, the Nationalists clearly seemed to be making the best headway. Perhaps because Germany and Italy aided the Nationalists, and only the USSR came to help the Republicans.
This is enough of a concern to us, still, that we make our first step toward economic mobilization. Our neutrality currently allows us to jump from 11 IC to 17.
Note: In the previous game, I was more concerned for the status of my resources. I feared that if I didn’t build up beforehand, I could easily outstrip any gains I might have made on the trading front by mobilizing my economy too quickly.
In retrospect, I found two things. One, the Portuguese economy does not allow me to produce the things I need to produce to fully prepare for war (even on my small-scale plans!) if I don’t jump-start the economy early. Secondly, I found that the Portuguese economy and ability to trade for resources are actually pretty well balanced, so that if I increase my IC early, I can still keep on top of trade and maintain my stockpile levels – increase them, even! This is good news – see point number one!
Italy joins the Axis about this time, and we also increase our Education investment, trying to get more leadership.
And my trading efforts continue. By June, I’ve found that other countries just aren’t that interested in trading for my supplies in v1.2. Either a balance has been changed, or a tweak in production has been made. Other countries do not clamor for my goods now, as they did in v1.1c. So, I’m left to support my trade not with other trades, but instead with the more inefficient CG spending.
Checking the sortable Diplo list, I find that Germany has a huge surplus of energy. Since I’m hoping it will improve relations enough to give me better deals on things in the future, as allies, I trade with them instead of the USA. The rest of my needs I supplant with a trade deal with the USA – not enough to lift my crude oil out of a deficit, but it keeps my other stockpiles going, and I can address the crude oil later. It does keep my oil supplies from disappearing too quickly, though – always a balancing act.
My newly funded production list is almost all garrisons, with that “big ticket” transport tacked onto the end. Other things hold lower priority right now. I want these guys trained and in the field before I run out of time to move them. This is all I can produce with what I have to work with, so far.
I’ve moved the non-reserve garrison division (mentioned in the last update as an error on my part – I meant to produce reserves) is moved lower. I’ll let that guy be the one I leave in Lisbon, once everything else is prepared.
Finally, I have my 10 spies at home, and after a little dabbling, unsuccessfully trying to fit some spies into Republican Spain (they must have been aggressively hunting spies down – I don’t blame them!), I give all but a smattering of leadership over to research.
Industrial Production was my one focus through six months, now it’s accompanied by some other important techs, and I’ve got some catching up to do! One will always second guess what one places as a foremost priority in these early days – I might have chosen supply production and light cruiser first, or even construction engineering. But I didn’t. I don’t have the IC, right now, to produce forts, factories, or light cruisers. I’ll get that stuff later. Right now, supplies are a priority, but also coal conservation. Education and Industrial are always at the top of my list, rarely facing serious competition until after they’ve reached their “ahead of time” date, whereupon I’ll pause them until I reach that date.
I’m taking my first garrisons down to Angola. Spreading them around – one two-brigade division per strongpoint. But as I’m doing this, I get a…
Surprise!
On 1 July, the British finally decide they’ll come to the aid of the Republicans, who aren’t actually doing too badly to begin with. The Nationalists have made slight gains since the war started, but not enough to be decisive. The Republicans can still win. And with British help…. Hmm.
I use this as an excuse (I didn’t need an excuse, except for public consumption – I’ve passed the neutrality threshold, and so it’s time…) to increase my economic state to Full Mobilization. Meanwhile, you’ll notice I’ve left one division at Benguela (Angola), while I transport the other to Cabinda. I’m not just bracketing the Belgians, which may or may not prove important, but I’m also making sure I don’t lose my foothold of land adjacent to the French colonies of central Africa. Later you’ll see I’ll turn that bridgehead into a major base for operations. Just securing it, for now.
I gain another 6 IC – up to 23 – with my mobilization step. I’m overproducing supplies, but still no one wants them. That’s fine – I need them, and by the time I have what I need, maybe people will start buying them. Crude Oil has improved a little since earlier, but it’s still relatively low. I’d love to start building that stockpile back up. Other things are coming along reasonably well for mid-36. I’m still working on that transport, and still building more garrisons. Notice I’ve added a convoy transport to the production line.
One thing I quickly noticed in my last game is that all these long-distance trades with the USA, combined with the new long-distance convoy that sprung up every time I placed a new garrison in one of my colonies, placed a serious drain on my convoy supply. I’m preparing for this in advance, this time. Lots and lots of transports. I’ll have at least one unit (10 ships) in the queue at almost all times until I’ve got a massive surplus for wartime – something that can do the job, AND absorb casualties from wartime attrition.
Thankfully, now that my IC directed toward production can reach nearly 10, I can actually build all these guys at once. This is another mistake I made last time (as mentioned above) – I couldn’t build quickly enough.
An unfortunate situation, though, I’m finding myself in is that my leadership isn’t keeping up. I don’t have time to do the math, but again I’m convinced that there’s been a serious change in the rate of research turning out new techs. In the last game, I was able to research the things I’m working on now, as well as throwing a couple militia or infantry techs into the mix. Then, I was able to put IC to upgrade my units as the peacetime passed. It wasn’t that I had more leadership – same number of slots – but I think I must have been finishing the ones I was working on more quickly. I wonder what this resulting lack of tech improvements is going to do to me when war starts. I feel like I’m “behind the 8-ball,” but I may just be worried about nothing.
By mid-July, I’m spreading more military force to the Portuguese Ultramar – the outlying colonies. I send a garrison to Guinea-Bissau, base some destroyers there also, and dispatch my submarine flotilla to base out of the Cape Verde Islands, nearby. They will be within reach of many of the convoy routes. As you can see from the production queue, I have my eye on some new subs, too, but that’s only once I get my other priorities set.
Another thing that catches my eye…
That French infantry division wasn’t in Dakar in the v1.1c game. Hmmm…