Scen01  Great Campaign Republican:

Dates: 17-07-1936 to 01-09-1939


CVL Viva Libertad has been added. Located in Odesa (Odessa) she is an Argus (UK) class carrier with an aircraft capacity of 18. She carries two squadrons - one of torpedo bombers with 10 aircraft and one of fighter-bombers with 8 aircraft. See Mod Design Notes for more detail.


Historical context:

The Spanish Civil War (Spanish: Guerra Civil Espanola) was a civil war in Spain fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the left-leaning Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic. The Popular Front was composed of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), and the Republicans - Republican Left (IR) (led by Azana) and Republican Union (UR) (led by Diego Martinez Barrio).
This pact was supported by Galician (PG) and Catalan Nationalists (ERC), the POUM, socialist union Workers' General Union (UGT), and the anarchist trade union, the Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo (CNT).

Many anarchists, who would later fight alongside Popular Front forces during the Spanish Civil War, did not support them in the election, urging abstention instead. The Popular Front fought against an insurrection by the Nationals, an alliance of falangists, monarchists, conservatives and traditionalists, led by a military Junta, among whom General Francisco Franco quickly achieved a preponderant role. Due to the international political climate at the time, the war had many facets and was variously viewed as class struggle, a religious struggle, a struggle between dictatorship and republican democracy, between revolution and counterrevolution, and between fascism and communism. According to Claude Bowers, U.S. ambassador to Spain during the war, it was the "dress rehearsal" for World War II. 
The Nationalists won the war, which ended in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.

The war began after a "pronunciamiento" (a declaration of military opposition of revolt) against the republican government by a group of generals of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, with General Emilio Mola as the primary planner and leader and having General Jose Sanjurjo as a figurehead. The government at the time was a coalition of republicans, supported in the parliament by communist and socialist parties, under the leadership of centre-left president Manuel Azana.

The nationalist group was supported by a number of conservative groups, including CEDA, monarchists, both the opposing Alfonsists, the religious conservative Carlists, and the Falange Espanola de las JONS, a fascist political party. After the deaths of Sanjurjo, Emilio Mola and Manuel Goded Llopis, Franco emerged as the remaining leader of the national side.

The coup was supported by military units in Morocco, Pamplona, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Cadiz, Cordoba, and Seville. However, rebelling units in almost all important cities - such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and Malaga - did not gain control, and those cities remained under the control of the government. But Spain was militarily and politically divided. The nationalists and the republican government fought for control of the country.

The Nationalist forces received munitions, soldiers, and air support from fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while the Republican side received support from the Soviet Union and Mexico. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, and the United States, continued to recognise the Republican government but followed an official policy of non-intervention. Despite this policy, tens of thousands of citizens from non-interventionist countries directly participated in the conflict. They fought mostly in the pro-republican International Brigades, which also included several thousand exiles from pro-nationalist regimes.

The Nationalists advanced from their strongholds in the south and west, capturing most of Spain's northern coastline in 1937. They also besieged Madrid and the area to its south and west for much of the war. After much of Catalonia was captured in 1938 and Madrid cut off from Barcelona, the Republican military position became hopeless. Following the fall without resistance of Barcelona in January 1939, the Nationalist regime was recognised by France and the United Kingdom in February 1939. 

On 5 March 1939, Colonel Segismundo Casado led a military coup against the republican government, following internal conflict between republican factions in Madrid in the same month. The new Republican government asked for peace and, finally, Franco entered the capital and declared victory on 1 April 1939.

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards fled to refugee camps in southern France. Those associated with the losing Republicans who stayed were persecuted by the victorious Nationalists.

Franco established a dictatorship in which all right-wing parties were fused into the structure of the Franco regime.

The war became notable for the passion and political division it inspired and for the many atrocities that occurred on both sides. Organised purges occurred in territory captured by Franco's forces so they could consolidate their future regime. Mass executions on a lesser scale also took place in areas controlled by the Republicans, with the participation of local authorities varying from location to location. It was the darkest page in Spanish history.

Even today, the SCW is a topic that provokes discussion in Spanish society.


Units:

In the first two weeks, the spanish army units in your area will not be able to move and all of them will disappear because they were disbanded by the government. So in the first few months your units will be militias with high morale but little experience. The International Brigades will be your greatest help. Beginning in the summer of 1937, a Republican army will be organized little by little with divisions and brigades and you will have a real army for offensives. Unfortunately, you will be dependent on foreign aid for ammunition and weapons supplies.

In the air, you start with a better air force. In addition, from the autumn of 1936 you will receive soviet planes to fight against the new german and italian aircraft. 

At sea, you start with better ships and all the submarines, but the enemy has the naval base and fleet of Ferrol. You must also defend the south coast and the Strait of Gibraltar, where the enemy will try to cross his african troops. Your coastal batteries (and those of the enemy) are modern and good. Later, your convoys will be the main source of supplies and weapons. Take care of your cargo fleet.


Goals

In the first few months, until December 1936, your main mission is to defend Madrid from fascist attacks. If you lose Madrid before mid-December, it's an instant defeat.

Taking Zaragoza and connecting with the northern republic is a good path to victory. The north area needs to link up with the rest of your territory for better supply lines.

Another option is to attack the south and take the important cities of Seville and Cadiz. An amphibious assault on the Balearic Islands is secondary, but it would enhance the arrival of much-needed soviet aid and prevent the italian fascists from having a base for sinking your convoys.

The Bulge of Teruel could be a path for the enemy to reach the Mediterranean. You should take it.

As you can see, there are many options for your militias and brigades. But the enemy has them too.