This week's game....

This weeks game that I played at the SESWC on Thursday evening was a 20mm Spanish Civil War action using Chris Peers Contemptible Little Armies rules.  Apologies as I forgot to take my camera to the game.

Colin Jack and I provided the troops. I devised the scenario based on an action at the Somosierra Pass in the Sierra de Guadarrama on July 25, 1936. To spice up the game I added some more equipment to the forces giving the Nationalists armoured cars and the Republicans supporting FT17 tanks.

This important pass to the north of Madrid had changed hands several times already in the first days of the civil war. On July 21st, Republican troops had retaken the pass in a wild charge, throwing back a Nationalist counterattack with heavy losses. Frustrated in his attempt to capture Guadalajara, the Nationalist Colonel Garcia-Escámez was rerouted to the pass and ordered to lead his regular army troops, bolstered by Navarese Carlist Requetés and Falange volunteers to retake it from the Republic. If the pass could be taken, the stalemate at the pass of Alto de León would be broken and Madrid might fall.

In the game Hugh Wilson and Dave Cooper commanded the attacking Nationalists (rebels) whilst Colin Jack and I commanded the troops of the Republic (loyalists). The Nationalist objective was to clear the pass.

Anarchist poster

The Nationalists attacked with their regulars advancing in the centre supported by the armoured cars, their best troops the Carlists advancing on the right wing supported by the artillery battery moving onto the heights and the Falangists assaulting the major heights facing them on the right. The Republicans deployed with 4 companies in the front line supported closely by Mgs and their one artillery piece.

The Carlist attack faltered very quickly under effective mg fire but they managed to get the artillery battery into action on the heights were it inflicted heavy casualties on the militia facing them.

In the centre the Nationalist regulars became bogged own in a fight with the 5^th Regt company holding a village. Even the republican airforce put in an appearance by straffing the regulars. Their supporting armoured cars advanced beyond the village but were quickly despatched by the republican FT17s which had crawled into the fight.



FT-17s in the SCW including without unditching tail

Only on their right did the Nationalists break through. There the Falangists scaled the heights
destroying the 5^th Regt company guarding them and then swept on outflanking and overrunning the Republican artillery and Mg on the heights.

That success probably made the game a draw as everywhere else the Nationalists had suffered sufficient losses that we could bring on an additional 3 companies of reserves by recycling their casualties. Fun game with lots of moves but I think the game showed that we need to tailor the rules more for the SCW by adding some specific SCW factors into the morale system e.g. the morale effect on militia of being under artillery fire.

Republican poster

The order of battle is given belowNationalist Forces:Elements of the 6^th División comprising:
Regular battalion of the 12^th Brigada Montaña
3 coys of 16 figures
MMG & 3 crew

Battalion of Regimiento de América (Carlist Requetés) FEROCIOUS
2 coys of 16 figures
MG coy: MMG & 3 crew

Falangists battalion (POOR)
2 coys of 16 figures

Art Btn: 2 75mm FG ea 4 crew and limber
Armoured support: 2 armoured cars

Republican forces:Battalion of 5^th Regiment
3 coys of 16 figures
MMG & 3 crew

Milicianos de Madrid (POOR)
6 coys of 18 figures
MMG & 3 crewSupport
artillery coy: 75mm FG
armour: 3 FT-17 Mg armed
air cover : chance of a D501 fighter.

Footnote

The Somosierra Pass was also the scene of a battle in November 1808 in the Peninsular War, when a French army under Napoleon I forced a passage through the Sierra de Guadarrama shielding Madrid. It is famous for the charge of the Polish Light Horse against the Spanish artillery batteries.