Two Steps Forward...

The latest Border Board Games game night on July 17th premiered a new, possibly recurring, feature. Ken brought along a collection of Spanish Civil war historical miniatures. Using the Disposable heroes rule set, ken initiated Homer, Josh, Rob and I into the system. While the four of us would represent the Heroic Fascist forces, he would defend with the Glorious Communist/Anarchist block of the 15th International Brigade.

A curious side note: The Spanish Civil War doesn't really have very many sides to cheer on. With a choice between the forces that would subject Europe to six years of horror and those who would subjugate half of Europe and a goodly chunk of Central Asia for the next 50 years, its hard to find actual heroes in this situation.

The Fascists obliged their foes by lining up at the far end of the field, the mishmash of Spanish troops mingling with Italians and assorted ne'er-do-wells as the prepare to advance on the entrenched International brigade. Our troops surged forward utilizing what cover we could find. Sadly for Homer's flamethrower corps, the cover ran out rather quickly exposing his troops to artillery fire. With one flamethrower out of action and the remainder of that unit fleeing for cover, his advance ground to a halt. Things hardly improved when Josh's armored car peeked around a copse of trees only to be sighted by the same artillery. One shot later the armored car was holed and its ammunition stores ignited. The Fascists were clearly not going to have an easy time of it.

My Spanish units had the benefit of cover from the copse though it complicated the maneuvering of my Panzer I. While my infantry calmly marched into the weeds, the tank was forced to cut across the pock-marked ground more cautiously, and also within sight of the International forces arrayed across the wire. For his part Rob cautiously advanced the gallant Italian volunteers. Knowing well that their morale could break at the slightest provocation, he wisely routed his forces around the plateau while remaining within cover of the trees on that side of the field. Our forces continued to take grievous losses with Josh's heavy machine gun platoon wiped out even as it sheltered in the ruins of the church amidst the panicked survivors of Homer's flamethrower unit.

The tide of battle started to turn in our favor after enduring yet more heartbreaking losses. My light machine gun unit lost its corporal while trying to provide covering fire. Meanwhile my Panzer crept within range and opened up on the westernmost of the artillery emplacements. I scored a lucky hit and knocked out a member of the gun crew. Unfortunately, the crew was still sufficiently numerous to continue firing. Under a withering hail of bullets from shell and rifle fire, Josh's mangled rifle platoon surged forward. The unit, cut down to 60% strength, appeared to have gained divine protection as bullets passed them by. The results were not so great for his other rifle platoon. Merely being subjected to heavy machine gun fire caused the unit to break and seek cover in the trees. The unit was quickly followed by one of my own Spanish units. With two of our units out of the fight without taking any casualties, it was difficult to capitalize on Homer's advances on the eastern end of the field.

As our forces bunched up before the wire in the center, Homer had maneuvered his flame tank and rallied his flamethrower units in the trees guarding the eastern flank of the works. With cat-like speed his tank shattered the wire and opened a way for the Fascist forces. Sadly, the collapse of our central charge coupled with the demise of my lieutenant, effectively halted the Spanish Fascist central assault. Already cut to pieces Josh's forces were likewise poorly positioned to take advantage of the gap. Rob had meanwhile also advanced up the western flank but he too had difficulty gaining support from the central assault.

As the game moved toward its fourth hour of play the generals proved as exhausted as their soldiers and the battle was called off. It is hard to say whether the Fascists would have prevailed or if the International brigade would be the force to go down in defeat. Certainly morale problems plagued the Fascists but the communist response to breaking units, a shot to the back of the head, ensured that communist forces would suffer even as their morale fell. We had managed to knock out a few Non-Coms and some of the communist machine guns but never did manage to take out a single canon.

Considering the entrenched nature of our foe, Ken said we'd actually scored some pretty serious casualties on our enemy. Looking at the battlefield littered with Fascist dead and the flaming wreckage of our armored car, it was hard to consider it much of a victory. The tide of battle was poised to change. If Homer's flamethrowers could reach the trenches, bathing them in naphtha-light, the communist forces would be caught between flames and a bad place. The steady advance of the most beleaguered Fascist units, though reduced in strength, would likewise add pressure to the International Brigade's desperate defense. At the same time, a few well placed shells knocking out the three remaining armored forces, or the demise of any more field commanders could have spiralled the fascist morale into an Abyss from which the Non-Coms could never hope to rally.