Nightmare Logistics - Offensive of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie

 We're starting the year off with a fight for battlefield logistics, or wrangling a hold of them at least. I broke out Guadalajara to play my first Spanish Civil War scenario and my goodness the special rule for this module might be my favorite. The movement of Italian motorized and tank units along roads can lead to traffic jams, Italian volunteers suffer checks to their morale, there are conflicts of political ideology in the cooperation of Republican-aligned forces, special rules on the breakdown of tanks, etc.

I played the Italian Offensive scenario, which is only 4 turns long. The Italians have to secure Brihuega, an important supply hub parallel to the Italian path of advance along the main road/highway, to even manage a draw in the scenario.

The first Italian volunteer division made a quick advance, taking out the first Republican battalions in its path, but the inability to take advantage of the open ground (trucks are prohibited from entering open ground) was a real curveball. The further the path of advance, the more challenging it became to overrun the Republican battalions. A few towns fell to the Italians without loss, but the rate of progression required to overtake the Republican defenses was a challenge to coordinate correctly.

The attacker has to take advantage of the "reserve" markers every turn, and if possible force a few overruns to reach Brihuega. That ... I did not do until turns 3 & 4.

The first Italian division, pictured here, can't go on a full offensive down the highway for fear of being cut off from the parallel roads by harassing Republican battalions, so it's upon waiting for the second volunteer division for the Italians to be fully unleashed. The arrival of the French and German international battalions are the saving grace for the Republicans. 

Thanks to the French and the Germans, the Italian volunteers and their armor failed to take Brihuega, stalling the offensive. 

I'll have to play this one again. BT-7s, T-26s, Flame-tanks, Cavalry, old-war field artillery, an army of trucks, and a motley crew of Spaniards, anarchists, communists, and international forces? What more could I ask for?