Enemy at the gates!

Slowly but steadily the Republicans are approaching the eastern section of my positions in town. So far only a few skirmishes in the north around and about the woods where my scouts bumped into a reconnaissance detachment of Soviet ' advisers' with BA-10 armoured cars.

They are coming!

Not sure if the obstacles places along the eastern access into town will stop the tanks and armoured cars; but it won't be easy for them to gain access through the town. We will see how the situation develops in the next few turns around and about town.

The death ride of Panzer Zug Legion Condor

Without even firing a shot the dashing ride of the German Pzkw-II detachment was very short lived. The Soviet 'advisers' with their T-26 tanks and BA-10 armoured cars made minced meat out of them in minutes. Now it's up to the brave locals to embrace the impact of the Russian steel beasts rolling over their dug-outs.

The first shots fired in anger

Seems like the Soviets entrust their fraternal Republican comrades how to handle their T-26 tanks. The BA-3 armoured cars are still manned with 'advisers'. The Legion Condor Panzer detachment I employed got detected... So far no casualties.

A new round and encounter

First sight of the Soviet 'advisers' with their BA-3 type recon vehicles. Not very well armoured, but their 45mm gun has got some punch!

More tanks destroyed

I nearly forgot about my Sdkfz-222 in the northern sector. Ordered it to recon and while bumping into a T-26, the crew managed to destroy it. So far so good. In the centre-south I ordered some stragglers to man the ridge and open fire at the advancing lines of Republicans.

On the move...

but the wrong direction! The position of the ridge in the south had to be abandoned because the troops decided their hail is in the rear! The last operating Sdkfz-222 got its weapon mount disabled by one of the T-26 and my last WW1 tin-cans trying desperately to stall the enemy advance.

Rout!

Impregnable as they have seen at first sight, they are not. My platoon was whipped and left the trenches. The same behaviour my two platoons showed in the south; the formidable position up a ridge has been deserted!

Leutnant Porsch received ammo!

As mentioned earlier on, ammo is important and the beauty about SPWW2 is, that the re-supply process really works! Leutnant Porsch's Sdkfz-222 has now enough AP and HE shells to fight of the lone Soviet T-26 tank in the south/centre sector.

From the southern sector

The two Falangisti platoons I brought into position on-top of the ridge, well... they are not as hardy and sturdy as their two sister platoons in the north; some soldiers already had enough and heading to the rear! My tank reserve got its first dose of Soviet medicine in form of a 45mm tank shell; that brew up one of the WW1 type tin cans.

The importance of...

ammunition! The Sdkfz-222 of Leutnant Porsch used all of its 20mm HE shells and they're also low on AP ammo. Time to meet the boys from the ammo department; 1-2 turns adjacent to the ammo truck should refill the vehicle's stock.

Soviet T-26 tanks

They are advanced for the time; a solid 45mm gun and decent armour, compared to the Italian and early German tin cans (e.g. Pzkw-I or Pzkw-II). Let's hope the trusted 47mm AT crews can do their job properly; one crew was already being killed by enemy fire.

Organised chaos

That how it looks like in the central and southern sector. Combined arms, but in disarray. So far no POW reports suggest otherwise. In the north I had to release the Sdkfz-222 reserve in order to deal with the ugly looking monster ACs. Cavalry of both my own and the enemy tend to rout easily for no reason...

Manning the trenches...

might slow down the advance of the oversized tin cans of the Republicans. We'll see if my regulars are as brave as their comrades in the previous battle where couple of close assaults worked even against tanks! My cavalry patrols in the centre had to retreat; a German Sdkfz-222 scored yet another Soviet 'advisor' BA-6 AC. 47mm AT crews try to battle of the armoured elements via long distant shots, so far no score.

A matter of scaring...

horses! The Republican cavalry ain't very fond of my 'tin cans' aka AC that scared the heck out of them. So far my 47mm AT crews are still practising pot-shots at WW-1 type tanks and the Soviet made BA-6 and T-26. All quiet, really...

The shooting starts

The Sdkfz-222 behind the ridge scored one Soviet BA-6, whereas the reliable forward positioned 47mm AT got one of those monster AC. Reece identified (after being shot at!), that the horse artillery is in fact a 70mm IG. All troops are now awaiting the main thrust of the Republicans to recapture the objectives!

A kingdom for a horse

Horse drawn artillery reported in the south. I wonder where and what kind of big guns Ernie is bringing up... One German SdKfz-222 fell victim to the 45mm gun equipped BA-6 AC handled by Soviet 'visitors'. No other news; except I lost sight of the T-26 tanks spotted earlier.

A re-run of events

The first Reece report came in an it seems that there they are again, our Soviet 'advisers'; as well as some peculiar looking tank that is in fact an armoured car! So far no other reports; in the south my German 'volunteers' encountered an Esquadron of mounted rifles or recon cavalry patrols.

Expert gunners at work...

unfortunately those Soviet 'advisors' can handle their modern T-26 tanks better than the hodgepodge Weimar Republic leftovers of a licensed land cruiser Swedish tank... I only can hope the native colonial troops show some gusto and fight the steel beasts close combat. Again... where are my 47mm AT crews?

Bolshevik solidarity in action

In this case some bad, very bad news indeed for me. Not that I forgot to issue the transfer order for my two 47mm AT groups, no... the help the fraternal German brothers gave me might not be sufficient to teach those Soviet 'advisors' in their T-26 tanks and BA-6 armoured cars a lesson! My native troops though will show them how a son of the desert fights (and perhaps dies?)!

El final de la batalla

The Nationalist side succeeded in the struggle and captured Teruel  for the ' cause'. It's not over yet. Ernie's troops surely will give me a tough nut to crack next time. Now both of us realize the importance of ' tin can openers' such as the formidable 47mm AT that slices through the riveted armoured plates of WW1 tanks like a hot knife through butter.

Teruel securred!

The leftovers of Captain Cortes' company of militia and falangista secured the town, supported by a section of 'tin-cans' that gladly had some SABOT ammo with them. Now it's time to observe the effects of the artillery barrage that is imminent.

The last post

A lone Republican tank is still holding up my columns that were supposed to head SW to flank the steel beats and rout the militias in the south once and for all. To be seen how long that tank can make a stand.

1st tank vs. tank encounter?

Who can say? They're evenly matched, alas the M-16 looks a bit more intimidating. As for the rest; there are still enemy troops in the south and perhaps some stragglers hiding inside Teruel; but with a bit of luck and élan those small pockets of resistance will be mopped up soon. 

Preparing for the final push in the south

The town has been cleared and in the south an additional platoon assembles in the woods to prepare for the final push south. AT guns will be brought up by truck to keep the remaining two M-16 monster tanks at bay.

The steel beast defeated

by sheer courage and a close assault with grenades! The artillery bombardment neutralized the mortars on the plateau east of Teruel, 1/3 of the tank squadron is advancing eastwards, just north of the town and the situation in the south even stabilized!

Sarganto Galazar's Platoon heading east

Fact is, he and his men were lucky so far not encounter some serious resistance... yet. One platoon was completely routed during the fight in Teruel and another one (the one in the south) was able to smoke itself in and establish a defence perimeter along the main access road to the west. We'll see how 'Caballo viejo' will succeed in removing the threat of a mortar battery on the plateau!

La artillería ¡Que vienen!

To be seen if the artillery strike is helping my depleted platoon that has occupied the houses near the church in southern Teruel. In the north the armoured column is heading south, same goes for a platoon I got released from the reserve.

It's still alive

The land-cruiser tank is still unmolested and my militia and Falangisti units don't have even makeshift petrol bombs to shush it away. There's only one solution to the issue; the northern tank group is going to deal with it or my elite 47mm AT units...

A few bloody noses...

"We meant well to the Americans-just to punish them with a few bloody noses, and then to make laws for the happiness of both countries," King George III.

A perculiar beast

My Falangisti have to deal with this beast close combat, in case the tank squadron won't make it in time from the northern outskirts of Teruel. In the south two more armoured cars fell victim to the deadly 47mm AT guns. If you ever play a Spanish Civil War battle, campaign... make sure they're in your inventory!

Los tanques de adelante!

A far cry from the steel beasts of 1943 onwards; those FT-17 lookalike tanks are peashooters; however... against cavalry and ill-trained militias a potent enemy. There are two versions of those tanks; I was lucky to have chosen the one with a few SABOT rounds, which might cause 'Old Warhorse' some headache when I swing them south to face his tin cans!

Teruel town centre

Heavily contested by Republican and Nationalist ad-hoc militias, armoured cars and more reinforcements are expected to be directed to the 'grinder'. The situation in the south developed to my disadvantage, whereas my armoured squadron in the north managed to cause the enemy some distress.

Standoff

The situation as such at the moment is... In the south the opposing infantry exchanging shots and the centre of Teruel is soon being shelled by the Republican and Nationalist artillery. The situation in the north as shown on the screenshot. Tanks vs. cavalry and militia.

South of Teruel

Two platoons of Infantry in a desperate fight to secure (or to lose!) the southern approaches to Teruel. You might notice the enemy's tankettes north of the woods. There are not invincible, but it takes guts to approach and destroy them in close combat! In the north my intrepid armoured company fought off an attack by enemy cavalry!

Sargento Albar's 47mm AT team...

should be mentioned because of their achievement to knock out four Bilbao type armoured cars and tanks. There is no other real deadly weapon available in 1936 that could even crack a Soviet T-26 tank. Potent against tanks, as well as plenty supplied with HE shells this gun is a must to prevail against tankettes etc. The fight at the town centre of Teruel is still going on. A commander of a Falangist unit managed to knock out an armoured car in close assault. Stay tuned...