Chain of Command - Another intro game

Guardia Civil get their first blooding

Last week while I gave Mog his introduction to gaming the Spanish Civil War using the Chain of Command rules mate Rich (Gedders) was so interested that his 'quick visit to the club' became a two hour long watching of our game - he did not want to join in because he was 'just about to get off......"

I arranged to play Rich the next week and last night we played out that game.

Rich chose to use the Republican Militia and I used the Moroccan Regulares. To bulk out his force to match mine Rich chose the following force supports:
El Hombre (1), Adjutant (1), Light Machine Gun (1), 10 Milicianos (2), Army Officer Advisor (2), Dinamiteros (2), Highly Motivated Milicianos (3), Civil Guard Section (4)

It was a good chance to use the newly painted Civil Guard.

We would be playing the "Delaying Action" scenario with the Peoples Militia using the No Pasaran! rule and electing to defend. Rolling for Force Morale, Rich came up an 11 and I was a 10, very good for both sides.

I rolled a four for force supports and chose Tank Hunters (1) and Panzer I (3), Rich spent his points on a Bilbao armoured Car (2).

We played out the patrol phase and the jump-off points were as per the photograph, Nationalist in blue, Republican in red and the fixed one in white.

The Republicans took the first phase and soon had a section of Milicianos with an LMG ensconced in the large walled house in the centre of the table, while the newly added Guardia Civil section placed two teams in the field and one in the shack in the centre.

My Command Dice rolling was appalling, I seem to roll every turn a single six and a couple of fives - at one stage I had 25 Chain of Command points but was able to do bugger all with very few troops on the table.

I deployed a Pelotones of Moroccans in the central wood with the Sergento Primero and while the Sergento commanded the LMG Escuadra, the Sergento Primero took the Rifle Escuadras and manoeuvred towards the small wood in front of the Guardia in the field. The Panzer I gunned it's engine and headed towards the sounds of gunfire.

Milicianos in the woods

My poor dice continued and I was massing the Chain of Command points but unable to commit my other troops. My LMG Escuadra came off worse in the fire fight with the Militia with their own LMG in the house and my team was broken but eventually rallied and recovered.

Richard had not been idle and he soon had a pretty unbroken line of troops holding positions across the table. One large section of Milicianos was stationed behind the shack, another was sent to reinforce those with the LMG in the central house and another was placed in the woods on his right. The Bilbao was moved to a central position allowing Rich to react to an attack on either side. It seemed that despite only having four Chain of Command dice to my six that the Republicans were able to do more in their phases than I was.

I deployed my second Pelotones behind the house, again the Sergento commanded the LMG Escuadra while the Teniente took the Rifle Escuadras and manoeuvred up my left flank. My Panzer was soon pouring fire into the house and the broken LMG Escuadra was soon rallied.

Things took a turn for the worse for the Nationalists, but it seemed they were for the best. Moving the Bilbao to counter my attack on his right the Escuadra accompanying the Teniente was broken, Richard used a Chain of Command dice to end the turn and I countered with one of my many Chain of Command Dice to avoid the Force Morale test!

Guardia Civil occupy the shack.

With the Teniente gone my Chain of Command dice improved markedly and soon the Milicianos were dying in droves, the section with the LMG in the house was broken as was the one in the woods on my left, I used a Chain of Command dice to end the turn and these were scattered to the wind.

The Dinamiteros had a great round of launching against the Panzer I and managed to damage the machine guns, although were shot up badly and broken by the return fire.

Things were not all my way though the large section of Milicianos skulking behind the shack launched a charge against my  Sergento Primero and Rifle Escuadras in the woods. after working out the odds, I had 14 dice and the Militia had a similar amount. We both rolled, I did not get a single five or six and was wiped out for no loss. My mountain of Chain of Command dice did allow me to avoid some critical Force Morale tests though.

Bilbao support against my flanking manoeuvre 

By this stage we were like two punch drunk fighters in the ring. I was down to three Command Dice and Rich to two! Things were going to the wire. In a reverse of the earlier combat another large section of Milicianos launched a charge against a Moroccan LMG team behind a wall, bad move, I lost one figure, the Militia lost nine and were scattered.

Finally at 10:45PM one of us broke! I managed to use the  damaged machine-guns on the Panzer I to finish off the Dinamiteros.

What a bloodbath! The "Delaying Action" is a bugger for the attacker as the defenders are able to concentrate their forces on a narrow frontage and not be outflanked.

All the figures are painted by myself and all the terrain is from my collection.