'The Soul of Spain' - A Spanish Civil War HoI3 AAR

[Eurasia]

The Spanish Civil War AAR :The Soul of Spain.

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Six : November 1945

The US Navy is very much alive and well in Asian waters

On the 7th the plan to deploy Spanish troops into the Far East battlefields was brought to a screaming halt when the Fleet ran into the surface and air units of the US Navy. All the ships survived but Franco ordered them to retreat to the safety of the Italian controlled port of Trincomalee, off the eastern coast of India, for rest and topping off their supply.

The submarines Groups were retired from their empty hunting grounds. The problem was that any shipping in the region likely belonged to the Nationalist Chinese (who were still, on paper, unaligned) and therefore off limits. Deployed to Madras, India, they would wait for Franco to decide what to do with them.

Franco and his staff realized they needed a foothold, a port closer to the enemy territories. Trying to land troops in China was highly dangerous if not impossible. And invading enemy held territory without a well guarded and supplied staging area someplace in the region, near the target, was also highly dangerous.

On the 25th of November, during lunch, the British soldiers of the Nicobar Islands found out where the Spanish wanted their new foothold. By 1 PM they had surrendered. Franco would rebase the Fleet there, for the moment, but also he called in all the subs. By the end of the month the subs would be heading for the waters of the Dutch colonies to the southeast.

A day later the Spanish Battle Group patrolling African waters reported a exchange of fire with a couple of destroyers. The American ships were not doubt waiting to ambush some Spanish cargo ships and got jumped by the Spanish warships instead.

By the end of the month the Spanish Navy reported the loss of 3 cargo ships and 1 escort ship.

Spain now had a proper foothold all to itself.​

 

[Eurasia]

The Spanish Civil War AAR :The Soul of Spain.

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Seven : December 1945

Far East Command

The month started out with what was looked at as a major naval engagement. At least from the Spanish point of view. And a horrible one in the end. On the 3rd the 2 Battle Group withdrew in defeat, with only two surface ships left, and rebased itself in Douala. There the Espana and the Miguel de Cervantes could repair and top off their supplies. For now the Spanish Navy was crippled. On the other hand, Spain only lost 1 cargo ship and 1 escort ship to enemy convey raiders.

At this point, to try keep control of the waters, the 1 TAC Group was deployed to Africa from Trincomalee, to help hunt down enemy naval surface ships. In return the SAC Group was sent to Trincomalee where it would likely find someway to help the Far East Command.

On the 8th it was announced that Laayoune, once again, had a another series of forts guarding the coasts. Franco stated to his staff, in a rare showing of late war humor, that Africa had more forts guarding it than all of Europe.

A review of future targets in the Far East proved to be somewhat of a chore. Much of the coast line of Asia was either controlled by the Nationalist Chinese - who while at war with Japan were not at war with the Axis - or in American patrolled waters. Therefore much of South East Asia was off limits.

On the 11th extra transports, not needed by the Fleet, were sent back home to Spain. Ironically, the waters around India were safer than those around Africa. This was due to two things. The Axis had controls of the ports around the Indian Ocean. And the Axis control of the Suez Canal.

At this point Franco and his staff realized there WERE some targets available for their Far East Command. Franco first decided that the La Coruna HQ would have direct control of the FE Command. Also the 2 Battle Group was sent to the Islands of Nicobar to keep them busy but also to keep them safe.

On the 18th of December the Dutch colony of Medan woke up to find themselves part of the Spanish Empire. Their resources, and more importantly, their port now belonged to Spain. Of course the subs, and the Fleet, were rebased there to rest and supply. Soon the submarines were patrolling deeper into enemy waters. This allowed the Spanish to gather more information on enemy movements.

Sadly the troops were not equipped for jungle fighting and it was realized that trying to move overland would be impossible. But this was easily solved.

On the 25th the Spanish took Dumai. The Fleet and the submarines, once again, moved into their new home port. The Spanish had taken a page from the American's Art of War. They would use the transports to port-hop.

 

[Eurasia]

The Spanish Civil War AAR :The Soul of Spain.

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Eight : January 1946

The New Spanish Multi-Role Fighter​

The New Year opened with little action. Franco was interested in getting as much information as he could before ordering any new operations in the Far East. The Spanish submarines in enemy waters did their best to track Dutch shipping, record troop movements, and even carried out an attack right outside one of the Dutch ports.

Sadly, outside of realizing there were Dutch and Chinese units on the islands, there was little new information. It seemed the Dutch Navy was also in the area which just added to the danger of operation against the Allies in the South Pacific.

In fact the Spanish conveys supplying the Far East Command were being attacked by Dutch raiders. The 2 Battle Group were told to stop just sailing about and to carry out escort duty.

The Americans were enjoying the fact that the Spanish warships were now operating in the Indian Ocean. By the end of the month the Spanish had lost 6 cargo ships and 1 escort with only 1 Dutch cargo ship sunk to brag about.

On the 9th the Spanish government announced to its populace that a new tabulation machine, designed to collect census data, had been created. Franco was not impressed, as such machines had been used heavily by other governments well before the global conflict had even started. But it gave the people the impression that Spain was a modern, advanced, society and that was always a good thing.

The 26th saw the formation of the 1 MR Group - formed with a wing of Messerschmitt Bf-109s - which was stationed in Madrid. The new multi-role fighters were so new that the Spanish Air Force was wondering how to properly deploy them.

By the end of the month Franco realized that continuing to 'hop' into enemy territory was impossible. Too many unknowns in the South Pacific.

 

[sebas379]

Aand I finally caught up again. That was some serious naval action going on, its going to be dangerous with all those American aircraft carriers everywhere.
Perhaps it would be a good show of support for your Japanese allies to have the European Axis declare war on their enemies? I know that is against the AI control, but the AI will not do it themselves and if you want to sort out the mess in India and Indochina you may have to.

The main show of the war appears to have slowed down a lot. I hope the AI manages to keep things interesting, perhas with an Allied counterattack somewhere in Europe...

 

[strategymad3500]

can you upload a map of what you control or what nations have you annexed and how is your navy doing against America maybe you should retreat your navy?

 

[Eurasia]

can you upload a map of what you control or what nations have you annexed and how is your navy doing against America maybe you should retreat your navy?

The only nation I have annexed is Portugal and Iraq is a puppet. The rest are just colonies in Africa and Pacific. And yes, going against the US Navy at this point is a dead end.

Aand I finally caught up again. That was some serious naval action going on, its going to be dangerous with all those American aircraft carriers everywhere.
Perhaps it would be a good show of support for your Japanese allies to have the European Axis declare war on their enemies? I know that is against the AI control, but the AI will not do it themselves and if you want to sort out the mess in India and Indochina you may have to.

Well, I was thinking that as Spain, if I declared war on Nationalist China that would pull the rest of the Axis into the fight against them. But right now the problem is the European Axis forces can't seem to fight the other Chinese factions who they ARE at war with - because their supply lines are too long and too crowded. The infrastructure in the provinces without ports downright sucks. Still, it would widen the 'Front' allowing them to hit the coastal regions and give them access to ports.

I am starting to see why players prefer playing major powers.

 

[strategymad3500]

maybe its time to cut loose and make peace with allies for most of what you conquered?

 

[strategymad3500]

im surprise the U.S haven't sunk at least a large part of your navy from the images i seen how the British and Germany navy what their size?

 

[Eurasia]

maybe its time to cut loose and make peace with allies for most of what you conquered?

I can't make peace with the Allies. Not possible in this game. Do or die, mate, do or die.

im surprise the U.S haven't sunk at least a large part of your navy from the images i seen how the British and Germany navy what their size?

The Americans would have to secure ports within Axis waters. I think they prefer to stay in Japanese waters and bother them. As for the UK and German fleet - I don't think the UK had much of a fleet left. They have ports to flee to in the New World (Canada and USA) but they don't have any resources available - so I assume they could not replace any loses taken when Germany took Great Britain. As for the Germans - they and the Italians seem to have somewhat large fleets - they are all over the African and European coastlines.

 

[strategymad3500]

is the German navy more surface vessel or u-boat i sometimes create 100+ u-boats instead of a surface fleet

 

[Eurasia]

is the German navy more surface vessel or u-boat i sometimes create 100+ u-boats instead of a surface fleet

From what I have noticed the German navy seems to lean towards surface ships, mostly cruisers, which is cheaper if I understand it right. Sorry it took so long to reply. Real life, plus account issues, plus not sure what to do next in game. Really kind of pushing it when it comes to my limited resources and backwards military.

 

[strategymad3500]

can you upload a screen shot of the axis navies comparison?

 

[mosin_nagant]

can you upload a screen shot of the axis navies comparison?

+1

 

[Eurasia]

Allied (My Allies) Navy Comparison as of February 1946

​

BC = Battlecruisers
BB = Battleships
CV = Carrier
DD = Destroyers
CVL = Escort Carrier
CA = Heavy Cruisers
CL = Light Cruisers
NS = Nuclear Submarines
SS = Submarines
SH BB = Super-Heavy Battleships
TP = Transports

Starting from the top - focusing only on Axis Nations who had navies.

Bulgaria has 6 Destroyer Fleets, 4 Submarine Packs, and 2 Transport Fleets.

Finland has 2 Heavy Cruisers and 1 Submarine Pack.

Germany has 2 Battlecruisers, 4 Battleships, 23 Destroyer Fleets, 9 Heavy Cruisers, 13, Light Cruisers, 30 Submarine Packs, and 10 Transport Fleets.

Italy has 7 Battleships, 28 Destroyer Fleets, 9 Heavy Cruisers, 13 Light Cruisers, 37 Submarine Fleets, and 7 Transport Fleets.

Japan has 4 Battlecruisers, 7 Battleships, 9 Carriers, 15 Destroyer Fleets, 10 Escort Carriers, 29 Heavy Cruiser, 27 Light Cruisers, 8 Submarine Fleets, and 17 Transport Fleets

Nationalist Spain has 2 Battleships, 3 Heavy Cruisers, 2 Light Cruisers, 4 Submarines Packs, and 11 Transport Fleets.

Sweden has 1 Destroyer Fleet, 5 Heavy Cruisers, 2 Light Cruisers, 2 Submarine Fleets, and 1 Transport Fleet.

Turkey has 1 Battlecruiser, 1 Destroyer Fleet, 3 Light Cruisers, 1 Submarine fleet, and 3 Transport Fleets.

Yugoslavia has 7 Destroyer Fleets, 4 Submarine Fleets and 3 Transport Fleets.

As you can see the Italians, Germans, and Japanese are the big guns of our navies. Which makes sense, being that they are the Major Partners. The Germans have a lot more subs than I thought they would - 30 Submarine Units/Packs equal 300 Submarines (if each unit equals 10 subs). I wonder what they are doing with them? The Italians have EVEN more - 370 Submarines. The amount of Destroyers both Germany and Italy have suggests they love to convey raid - at least at the start of the game. I am not so sure how useful the Destroyers are right now, outside of escorting the capital ships.

 

[sebas379]

The Axis fleets are in very good shape indeed.
ATM their destroyers will be used for escorting capitals, scouting and of course ASW.

 

[strategymad3500]

its a shame that Italy and Germany don't have any carriers it would be useful to keep the U.S fleet busy plus bomb its coastal provinces maybe you should ask the Japanese to send you a carrier task force to reinforce you in the Atlantic?

 

[strategymad3500]

Yugoslavia should build one or two cruisers to have some heavy ships in its navy

 

[Eurasia]

its a shame that Italy and Germany don't have any carriers it would be useful to keep the U.S fleet busy plus bomb its coastal provinces maybe you should ask the Japanese to send you a carrier task force to reinforce you in the Atlantic?

Not sure I can. I could ask it to target one of the ports on the coast of Western Africa but I want it to keep focused on Asia and the USA. And right now I am trying to think of a way to get the European Axis partners to declare war on Nationalist China. I think I have to override the Spanish government's AI. Which I don't like doing.

 

[mosin_nagant]

Impressive fleets

 

[Eurasia]

The Spanish Civil War AAR :The Soul of Spain.

Chapter One Hundred-Forty-Nine : February 1946

Total War!​

February turned out to be a very frustrating month for Franco.

First, the submarine warfare was not going in Spain's favor. At the end of the month Spain's subs could claim sinking a Portuguese cargo ship and a Dutch cargo ship. The Allies sank 6 Spanish convey ships and 5 escorts. These attacks against Spanish shipping happened in both the Atlantic and Pacific waters. The soldiers in Africa and Asia were having their supplies destroyed in transit. Even declaring unrestricted submarine warfare against the Allies did little to help.

Then there was politics on the Home Front. In China there were two faction left - Guangxi Clique and Nationalist China. The former had joined the Allies and, sadly, were doing a good job of keeping the Europeans contained in India. The Nationalist Chinese, at war with Japan, had not joined the Allies and was not at war with the rest of the Axis (outside of the Manchukuo government). The Nationalist Chinese were therefore fighting a one front war with Japan which meant much of its coastal territories was unguarded or protected by HQ units. While the Americans were not allied with the Nationalist Chinese they were, by their aggressive presence off the coast of China, helping in the fight against the Japanese.

Franco and his staff were finding it hard to make the Nationalist Chinese look like a threat. First, they were too far away for the Spanish people to see at a physical threat. Second, China had been completely overrun so it was really impossible for the citizens of Spain to feel threatened by a nation that could no longer be found on the map. Third, the Nationalist Chinese had developed strong links with Germany during the inter-war years and the fact was that if it had not gotten involved in a war with Japan it would have joined the Axis years ago.

In the end getting the Spanish to feel threatened by Nationalist China, and getting the government to declare war on them, was as likely as the government declaring war on the Sioux of North America. If the Nationalist Chinese joined the Allies that might trigger some fear and anger among the Spanish people. But Nationalist China was unlike, at this point, to join the Allies. The relationship between Nationalist China and Spain, and the other non-Asian Axis powers, was just TOO solid to be broken any time soon.

German family listening to the Hitler Family Hour on the radio​

Franco blamed Hitler and his friendly personality. The German Leader had started broadcasting, via the Volksemfanger (People's Receiver), his own talk show where he chatted about world events, interviewed well known politicians, and offered tips to housewives on how to cook on a budget. He was coming across as a warm, wholesome grandfather figure and Franco had only now realized how that might backfire. True, he did like Hitler's German Chocolate Brownies recipe. But still....

The Japanese were using every acre of useful land they could find for farming​

The most frustrating part about the war in Asia was just how CLOSE the Nationalist Chinese were to surrendering. They were on the cusp of defeat. One more shove and they would collapse. Even the Japanese were starting to feel the stress of continuous warfare. Their troops seemed incapable of making that one last push needed to win.

Franco would have to think up a new plan.