It was time to play the Spanish Civil War again... and the Nationalists did not pass. Last Saturday, at the Hamilton Road Games Group, we played a scenario in 15mm using "Disposable Heroes" with Iron Ivan's SCW specific guide. We also included some pieces of equipment that hadn't seen the light of day for a LONG time. You'll see in the photos.
The Republicans set up in trenches behind barbed wire and the Nationalists assaulted the position. It was messy. The Republicans included an International platoon, a POUM militia platoon (Non-Comintern Marxists), a Anarchist platoon, and a small Assault Guard platoon with an armoured car - who stayed far away from the Anarchist, avoiding the house rule whereby paramilitary police and Anarchist units might fire on each other due to antimosity... even though they are on the same side! Supporting this stellar cast was an armoured train with 2 76.2mm field guns, leant to us by my wife's Russian Civil War army. (Hence the Cyrillic slogans on the side. Obviously a "Gift from the people of the Soviet Union.") There were also a few HMG's and a 37mm AT gun along with an Anarchist armoured truck.
The Nationalists had two platoons of the Spanish Foreign Legion (the "Betrothed of Death"), a large platoon of Carlist Requites (fanatical Catholics with a chaplain toting a submachine gun), a platoon of the
Guardia Civil, a platoon of Moroccan
Regulares (which Robby wanted to command since they were "more-rockin' than any other unit on the table." Ugh!), and 3 platoons of the regular Army. 2 75mm field guns, 2 FT-17 Renault tanks, and 2 CV33 Italian tankettes rounded out the assault force.
The Nationalists started half way across the table and still got cut to shreds. The position was just too strong. The guns of the train were ineffective while the Nationalist 75's caused a few morale checks. The Army and the Moroccans took the town but it ended up being contested by a few squads of the Internationalists. The
Guardia Civil died first and nobody else on the center of the field fared any better.
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| The Republican entrenchment and the Train (a Peter Pig model) |
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| A side view of the entrenchments... with flags! |
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The Carlists advance past one of the field guns. Note the chaplain in cassock
and surplice to the left of the photo. He started life as a Martian Metals wizard!
(I have some REALLY old and odd figures in my collection.) |
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The Moroccans advance into Papertown.
(Note the monks in procession to the left of the photo.
More Martian Metals!) |
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The troops of the International Brigade enter the town. The lone figure on
the hill is the commissar, often entrusted with boosting morale...
by shooting one figure when morale fails. Sometimes... they shoot back. |
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Horsepower! The green object is a bingo chip used to show that the
unit has be activiated. A red one means the unit has failed a morale
check. (A "Guts" check in Iron Ivan-speak.) |
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The Army comes to the support of the Moroccan Regulares.
The Model T is a gem from the Minifigs WWI range. |
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Casualties! I mount the squads/fire teams on large washers and mark
casualties with small plastic drapery discs. I should buy stock in Canadian Tire! |
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| Nationalist Army troops |
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One last look at the Republican position. The white rings are the casualty
caps. The "barbed wire" is just coated wire wrapped around a pencil,
and glued to a piece of balsa or card. |
Attacking over an open field under fire from more-or-less modern rifles is a death sentence. Someday I'll figure out how to stop setting games up where this is the major action.
