strategies for the Spanish Civil War

[GrounchoVilla]

What strategies for winning the Spanish Civil War do people have?

What strategies for winning the SCW with volunteers?

I haven't tried the fascist side too much. I've won the SCW once as the Republic, and a few times with volunteers for the Republic. The SR is clearly at a disadvantage against the nationalists in the historical game. But the best strategy I've found is to get a big encirclement at Cordoba. As the Republic, try to hold Seville and it makes it even easier. You can cut off half the Nationalist army by cutting them off around Salamanca or Extramadura. Doing this allowed me to win before the Anarchist-Republic split. I was also thinking holding Valladolid, which would cut Burgos off from the rest of their territory but I haven't tried that.

If you're using volunteers and it's in historical mode, you can get that encirclement in Cordoba but not quite as easily. I've done it as the USSR fairly easily with tanks, but I've had more trouble as Mexico sending 2 infantry. I've done it as Mexico, but I've noticed the debuff is so strong it can take half a year to push one guy out of the province. I usually dont witn as Mexico or the USSR with volunteers until '38, but I get like 200 army score. Usually as Mexico I have to pimp out my infantry divisions with artillery and make them massive to achieve much with them.

I've also noticed an AI bug where the USSR sends 6 divisions, but only puts 4 of them into the fight and keeps 2 in Valencia. Very strange.

 

[GrounchoVilla]

that said, I also wish when you were sending volunteers that you could see on the map where the debuff has been removed.

 

[Earl Grey Tea]

Yeah, when I was playing as the SR (before becoming Anarchist for the achievement) the USSR sent a few volunteers but none of them fought, they just sat behind the frontlines doing nothing. Fortunately, I didn't need them as I was coping well. Especially after encircling all the German tanks and a few Italian troops in one pocket.

Sometimes getting rid of the opposition volunteers helps a ton. since they're the only troops that can do some real damage, in some cases.

 

[Volodio]

With volunteers, you need to send your best and fastest divisions, ideally tanks or motorized (though they get high attrition in the mountains), then break through the lines and do big encirclement, while letting the side you're helping to be the one to actually hold the line.

 

[MechaThumper]

I've only really fooled around a little bit but if you want a surefire win in vanilla as the Republic take Burgos before the war (you need all 3 control to get the province or else the nationalists get it) to cut the Nationalists army in half. The AI doesn't know how to handle these kinds of situations and this also stops them from killing off your units in the north at the start of the war. I only went the anarachist route so I don't know about the focuses.

As nationalist dont try to have control of the south, instead try to encircle madrid with controlled provinces. Don't try to control the two republican northern provinces before the war. The AI is stupid and will abandon the ports almost immediately so have troops ready to take control once the war starts. This will kill a bunch of their starting army. Also don't take out Barcelona or push the republicans too far. If either side doesn't have enough territory the Anarchist/Carlist split doesn't occur. Once the anarchists show up its basically the death knell and it becomes a race to kill the either side.

 

[GrounchoVilla]

Yeah, when I was playing as the SR (before becoming Anarchist for the achievement) the USSR sent a few volunteers but none of them fought, they just sat behind the frontlines doing nothing. Fortunately, I didn't need them as I was coping well. Especially after encircling all the German tanks and a few Italian troops in one pocket.

Sometimes getting rid of the opposition volunteers helps a ton. since they're the only troops that can do some real damage, in some cases.

There's nothing better than encircling some Nazi tanks with mobs of infantry and taking them out.

With volunteers, you need to send your best and fastest divisions, ideally tanks or motorized (though they get high attrition in the mountains), then break through the lines and do big encirclement, while letting the side you're helping to be the one to actually hold the line.

That's what I do as Soviets. The t-26s tear through the fascist infantry. It doesnt really work with Mexico though, since their only fast unit are cavalry and they can only bring two units. If anything, it's not much of a challenge as USSR, though one time I did royally screw up as the Soviets (only when the anarchist revolt happened though, and the Republic somehow let half the nationalist army slip through their front line).

 

[GrounchoVilla]

I've only really fooled around a little bit but if you want a surefire win in vanilla as the Republic take Burgos before the war (you need all 3 control to get the province or else the nationalists get it) to cut the Nationalists army in half. The AI doesn't know how to handle these kinds of situations and this also stops them from killing off your units in the north at the start of the war. I only went the anarachist route so I don't know about the focuses.

As nationalist dont try to have control of the south, instead try to encircle madrid with controlled provinces. Don't try to control the two republican northern provinces before the war. The AI is stupid and will abandon the ports almost immediately so have troops ready to take control once the war starts. This will kill a bunch of their starting army. Also don't take out Barcelona or push the republicans too far. If either side doesn't have enough territory the Anarchist/Carlist split doesn't occur. Once the anarchists show up its basically the death knell and it becomes a race to kill the either side.

I'm curious to know if this works still. I'm not sure about the Vanilla mechanics since I have only played Spain post LR

 

[MechaThumper]

I'm curious to know if this works still. I'm not sure about the Vanilla mechanics since I have only played Spain post LR

This was on LR.

So it looks like I have some kind of save game from it, this is what I'm referring to with Burgos, the Nationalists started with 54 divisions, 6 are in solitary pockets which you can just order a single solder to attack to stop them from moving, eventually they will run out of supply and you can kill them, and 18 in that big encirclement. So that's 24 dead divisions, almost half the army, and we just stated the civil war. I haven't checked if maybe the province to the west would be a better option, see which one would be quicker but Burgos has more defensible terrain.

 

[GrounchoVilla]

This was on LR.

So it looks like I have some kind of save game from it, this is what I'm referring to with Burgos, the Nationalists started with 54 divisions, 6 are in solitary pockets which you can just order a single solder to attack to stop them from moving, eventually they will run out of supply and you can kill them, and 18 in that big encirclement. So that's 24 dead divisions, almost half the army, and we just stated the civil war. I haven't checked if maybe the province to the west would be a better option, see which one would be quicker but Burgos has more defensible terrain.

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The UK is sending volunteers to Franco? I guess Orwell is in for a surprise when he hears the accents of the foreign soldiers