We picked up our Battle of Caspe game back up a few sundays ago. John helped write the following report, drafting the second half of the AAR, and Lee pitched in with a bunch of nice photos.
Given how difficult it was been for the attackers to advance on the first day, I told the guys that if Chris showed up I'd give him his own Centuria (ahead of the scheduled reinforcements) to even it out, and the three of them would play on one side against me. After we got all set up and prepared to play, there was no sign of or word from Chris.
We rolled for Round Initiative to begin Round 5. I won, and was preparing to repel the survivors of the Durruti Column's first waves when, at the top of the staircase appearing like the cavalry, the forlorn hope of the other team arrived: Chris.
I gave him three vehicles - 2 trucks and a tiznao - to carry his 50 fighters into battle, and the day began.
To open the ranged phase, I aimed one of the Nationalists' 75mm cannon at two Tiznaos in the wheat fields, already damaged from the previous rounds.
Though I estimated the distance too short, I rolled too long and the result was a perfectly placed shell, directly between the two vehicles.
The result was four dead militia, causing two damage points to the tiznaos and immobilizing one of them. To make matter even worse, the wheat fields caught fire.
And I still had another cannon to use. I aimed it at the same tiznaos.
This shell sailed even further, hitting a stand of wheat and killing the five workers hiding behind the stalks.
Most of the anarchist's heavy equipment was in transit in the back of trucks, advancing up the south side of the table.
The CNT militia did have one 75mm set up and prepared to fire.
They aimed it at the yellow house on the southern edge of Caspe, where the nationalists had a machine gun and grenade position.
Unfortunately, they rolled a one, and the cannon did not fire. Next, the movement phase began. I moved up a mixed squad of falange militia and assault guard whom had been scared off of the first barricade in town during previous rounds. I had been able to keep the anarchists from advancing there in previous rounds, but they would be arriving soon in numbers.
During the other team's movement turn Lee and John continued to advance up the south flank of the battlefield. They set up two additional artillery pieces in their position in the woods south of the road.
Chris assigned his 50 forces between the three trucks, so one carried 18 militia, and the other two 17 each. These workers were ok packing together tightly, they had always lived in slums and in holes in the wall. They know how to accommodate themselves for a while.
There was much exaggerated debate about which direction these trucks would head to, mostly in an attempt to confuse me. One truck headed south, toward the anarchist artillery position.
The other two advanced as far as the intersection east of the graveyard, then turned as if to travel north.
The spear tip of the anarchist column, a small squad behind the hayloft ahead of the wheat fields, sent two militia members forward.
(Photo by Lee)
Calling overwatch, I had nationalist rifles in the farm house fire on the militia, killing them both. Resuming their movement phase, the attacking team's militia rushed up the southern flank toward the flower beds. I called overwatch again, firing off the HMG on top of the yellow house.
I was having a day of great dice luck so far, and with a 6, the MG mowed down three more workers.
In the top floor of the gray building just up the road from the yellow house, another machine gun opened fire on the advancing column.
This time, I rolled too low and the workers were out of the range of the HMG. The anarchists were able to continue their advance to the burning wheat fields.
The attackers moved one of the trucks carrying HMGs up behind a house by the road.
The second truck carrying HMGs push up further, past the house and toward the damaged tiznaos.
John pulled the drivers out of the tiznoas, with one immobilized and the other damaged badly. A small group of workers joined them in cover behind one of the vehicles, just in time for the beginning of the skirmish phase. I called for a roll to determine the southern sector, and lost the toss.
They fired at the farm house windows with two rifles from each of the east the corners of the hayloft. The shots missed. To return fire, I had the falangist grenader behind the farm house toss his ordinance at the hayloft.
The blast killed two militia and caused one damage point to the hayloft.
Next, the anarchists behind the immobilized tiznao fired at the fascist machine gun on the roof of the yellow house.
The volley manages to kill the gunner. I responded with the four riflemen on the roof, but rolled four straight ones, causing no damage.
Next, they fired more militia in the fields at the falangist grenader on the second floor balcony. The shots missed, and the grenader responded by throwing an explosive at the workers behind the tiznao.
The blast pinned two workers behind the tiznao, and immobilized the second vehicle.
Up at the first barricade blocking the road into Caspe, the survivors of the Caspe workers militia had returned to the forward barricade. They fired their rifles at the nationalists on the other side, killing an assault guard officer.
The fascists returned fire, killing two of the Caspe workers.
From behind them in the top window of the gray building, a riflemen from the assault guards fired across the field at the militia woman behind the heyloft, killing her.
During the regroupment phase, the attackers advanced the units which hadn't already moved.
Along the road into town, the attacking team moved their forces through the smoke and rubble, massing behind a few houses.
I brought the grenader in from the second floor balcony into the safety of the yellow house. On the roof above, I moved a MG crewman up to handle the weapon, its previous operater having just been killed by a worker's bullet.
On the north end of the table, which had seen little action, I moved my advanced squad of assault guards into a dilapidated farm out building far onto their end of the table. Inside I found a surprise.
Some child, one of mine or one of their friends, had collected most of the livestock and a handful of the farmers which had been scattered around the table, and hid them inside the building. This was another lucky break for me. Our rules have a section on captured civilians, and a good roll of the dice saw these farmers not only taking up arms and joining the nationalists, but recruiting neighbors to do the same.
I also broke my reserved squad of Civil Guards into two squads, and prepared them to support different positions along the frontline.
Round six began with the anarchists winning the roll for round initiative. They now had three cannons prepared to fire at Caspe.
I saw Chris point at the church and whisper to Lee and John. I reminded the guys about the civilians I had my fascists drag to the roof in previous rounds. I even held up the figures of the mom and little girl with her teddybear, but these godless anarchists fired at the church anyway.
The workers artillery was actually aiming for the ally south of the church, hoping to land a shell in the plaza west of the church, where my command pieces were set up. The shell reached the ally, but did not fly far enough to hit the plaza. The blast caused minor damage to the church and neighboring buildings, but caused no casualties.
The attackers aimed both of their remaining cannons at the yellow house, which was the focal point of the southern sector. The first shell sailed over the roof, damaging the building behind it.
(Photo by Lee)
The second shot, however, landed on the roof just short of the sandbag barricades protecting the HMG emplacement.
(Photo by Lee)
The fascists on the roof were protected from the explosion by their barricade, but the machine-gun crew was pinned for the round, giving the anarchists a chance to advance.
For my turn at ranged attack, I aimed my two cannons toward the CNT-FAI artillery positions in the trees south-east of town.
(Photo by Lee)
Both shells landed short of their targets, killing an anarchist worker and some unlucky cows, pinning a handful of workers, and carving out a new crater.
A nationalist grenader tossed a grenade at a couple of anarchists moving up the road to support the survivors of the Caspe militia at the barricade, causing more chaos but no casualties.
During the movement phase, the workers advanced across the entire frontline. One of Chris's trucks arrived at the northern corner of the graveyard.
Armed workers pour out to support the militiamen who were keeping an eye on the Civil Gaurds advancing up the north flank.
Chris's second truck turned up the road toward Caspe. Where craters pocked the way, the militia jumped out and into the thick of the battle.
Just behind the truck, Chris's tiznao let the third group out at the south-east corner of the graveyard.
The anarchists' reinforcements were coming, but they were still a full block from the frontline barricade.
South of the road, the Durruti Column militia and truck carrying their equipment continued moving west, toward the wheat fields.
(Photo by Lee)
Lee decided to make a break for it, and pulled a group of workers together to charge up the center.
These nine brave anarchists cut through an ally and crossed the perimeter road, toward the house on the corner.
I called overwatch, and fired an HMG at the group, but missed entirely. A volley of rifles from nearby roofs and windows also failed to stop the workers. The comrades did not realize, however, that the fascists had a grenader inside the building. The fascist lobbed the bomb out the window, and with a perfect roll of 4, massacred almost the entire group.
The lone survivor was pinned.
In the southern sector, the machine-gun on the roof of the yellow house was silent, with the crew still pinned from the previous round. The machine-gun in the gray house fired at the workers racing toward the burning wheat, but missed.
The Durruti Column drew nearer to the frontline.
(Photo by Lee)
For my movement phase, I sent the reserve group of Civil Guards off to their new positions.
I also brought most of the command group and Carlist reservists into the safety of the stone church. The clergy remained outside, demonstrating their faith.
(Photo by Lee)
An anarchist near the first barricade threw a grenade in anger, which exploded south of the church causing minor damage.
With so much overwatch action, and with most of both sides' units in good cover, there was only one area for a skirmish. We rolled to see who would fire first on the south edge of the frontline, where anarchists crept up the side of the hayloft to challenge the falangist grenader around the corner of the farmhouse.
(Photo by Lee)
The anarchists got the jump, and gunned down the blue-shirt fascist.
Round six came to a close. We rolled for initiative for round seven. I won the roll.
I ordered my cannons to fire on the stretch of road east of the first barricade, already marked by craters, ruble, and crumbling buildings. The first shot landed by Chris's front truck, killing four anarchists and damaging the vehicle. The second shell sailed farther, killing another five of the Durruti Column members.
We paused the game there--the mini anarchists still having a hard time getting within range of the Caspe defenders--as the real anarchists were arriving in numbers for our anarchist social club. It was time to light the grill. We will pick the game back up next time, with the workers' artillery ready to fire three cannons at the town of Caspe. Will they reduce the yellow house to ruble, and turn the corner into Caspe?
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