Republican 14th Division attacks north of Brihuega

The Battle for Brihuega, March 17, 1937

A 20mm Spanish Civil War wargame fought on Saturday, April 28, 2007

The Guadalajara Campaign, 1937:

March 8: Italian CTV units begin their attack down the road to Guadalajara, with Nationalist "Soria" Division on their right flank. They make good progess. Rainy weather and fog ground Nationalist air units, which depend on dirt runways.

March 9: The Republican government reacts to the enemy advance by sending the IV Corps, composed of the 11th, 12th, and 14th divisions, to do battle. The Italian motorized columns advance quickly, some Blackshirt units arriving in Brihuega that night.

March 10-11: Having invested Brihuega, two Blackshirt divisions advance to take Trijueque, to the northwest, and are stopped there by the International Brigades. The Garibaldi International Battalion enters into a confused firefight with fellow Italians of a Blackshirt unit. Anarchist troops of 14th Division attack the environs of Brihuega. "Soria" Division continues its advance on the right flank.

March 12: The Republican Air Force, operating from concrete runways, savages the motorized divisions of the CTV clogged in the mud of the environs of Brihuega.

March 13-14: Littorio Division moves up and takes over at Trijueque and attacks Republican positions supported by flamethrower tankettes. Republican units counter-attack with International troops supported by Soviet tanks, forcing the Italians to vacate the town. Heavy air attacks turn the retirement into a disorderly retreat, with the Blackshirt units losing large amounts of equipment and some prisoners. Soria Division is also pressed by Republican counter-attacks.

March 15-17: Falling back in good order, Littorio Division attempts to stablize the front along the road between Mudeux and Brihuega with the help of units from Soria Division. This is the setting of the scenario.

This wargame was played with 20mm miniatures and the home-grown Hail of Lead rule set.

To download a PDF containing the scenario, click here. To download the PDF map, click here.

The battlefield, as seen from the Republican side, looking due north. Brihuega would be off the table to the right. The flocked rectangles with numbers represent the locations of hidden units.	A closer shot from the Nationalist/Italian side, with the Madrid-Barcelona highway at top right. The Insurgent side has a number of dummy markers in with their hidden units to confuse the enemy.	You may think they look like leftists, but they're actually Italian Fascist commanders, briefed by the Nationalist commander-in-chief (in the fashionable black shirt).	The Republican commander in chief takes a seat after intensive briefings of his side. His commanders appear relaxed and confident. The commander of the Anarchist division is easy to identify. (Hint: think red and black.)	The battle opens with the Republican attackers crossing the Mudeux-Brihuega Road in mass. The Republican XI International Brigade runs into elements of Italian "Littorio" Division. Both sides are hurt in the exchange.
Movil de Choque Brigade, at left, hits another Italian infantry battalion in the center, and another swirling bloodbath erupts. Soviet-supplied T-26 tanks support the attack.	The Anarchist 70th Brigade crosses the Mudex-Brihuega Road to menace the Nationalist right flank. Sure enough, a battalion of Falange (Phalanx militia), at bottom, are waiting for them.	Shells from Nationalist 75mm field guns crash down amongst the Anarchists, causing, well, anarchy--and a lot of casualties.	In the center, "Littorio" Division troops are pouring fire into the Communists of the Movil de Choque Brigade. The battle here is stalled for now.	An intrepid platoon of Bilbao armored cars of Movil de Choque Brigade discovers a nasty armored secret in the scrub: Italian CV3/33 tankettes, with one platoon of the flamethrower version.
Republican T-26 tanks take non-lethal fire from Italian 65mm infantry guns.	The Anarchists on the Republican left have paid dearly for advancing over open ground. The troops call for some sort of support to stop the murderous fire from the enemy 75mm field guns, at top.	The Italian left flank and a view of the center. The Italians, bottom, are falling back steadily in the face of attacks by the XI Internationals. The center, above, is holding.	Republican artillery finally silences the enemy field pieces, and two battalions of the Movil de Choque Brigade (top left) move forward into cover, top left.	Suddenly the Italian tankettes find themselves disturbingly alone. Ahead of them, the Movil de Choque and XII International Brigades pass through newly-captured ground.
Amored vehicles seem to catch fire so easily, especially when they receive the attention of 20mm auto-cannons. The CV3/33 flame tankette predictably went up in flames along with its unarmored trailer.	Republican T-26 tanks (right) take an unhealthy interest in Littorio's tankettes.	Elements of Nationalist "Gerona" Infanty battalion (bottom) prepare to meet the Loyalist assault, with the support of the Panzer I tank company.	A fleeting appearance of a flight of Republican SB-2 bombers causes heads to turn, but does little more than rattle enemy nerves.	Elements of “Garibaldi” Battalion from the XII Internationals scan the enemy positions in the woods.
Internationals threaten the remnants of the Italian tankettes--they are too much for a platoon of lightly-armored vehicles to deal with.	The headquarters company of 70th Anarchist Brigade lobs shells into enemy positions, and becomes an artillery target itself.	The end of the road for Loyalist tanks. Italian light anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons take their toll. Note the infantry of the Guardia Civil company in their distinctive green uniforms and black bicorn hats, at bottom right.	International Brigadistas plod forward through the scrub toward the last line of Insurgents.	As Anarchist infantry advance, supported by a battalion of T-26 tanks, they are suddenly aware of red-bereted Carlist infantry of the "Requeté Tercio de Burgos Siguenza" Battalion in the woods.
The ragged remnants of XI International Brigade (middle left) press what's left of Littorio Division into a corner. The Italians still have their medium machine-guns, but don't have the ability to maneuver.	The Italian 65mm infantry gun (bottom left) and two 20mm anti-aircraft guns swat any enemy infantry that break cover in the open ground opposite Littorio. But their position is becoming precarious.	The Anarchists push their Carlist nemeses further back into the woods. The Nationalist right flank is sorely pressed.	Nationalist Panzer I's machine-gun Anarchist infantry as they advance. The speed of light armor is its best offensive and defensive attribute, and these vehicles managed to avoid the 45mm cannon of the T-26's.	Soria Division's 20mm anti-aircraft gun is attempting to cover the Nationalist right flank.
Falange militia (foreground) have taken the worst of the fighting with the Anarchist militia.	Italian 20mm cannon are forced to retreat in the face of another Loyalist infantry advance in the center.	The last pocket of infantry of Littorio Division (far right) is being quickly by-passed by advancing Internationals.	The crew of the surviving Italian tankette should consider themselves lucky. The enemy are passing through their lines, but the Nationalist/Italian force has taken its pound of flesh in the process.	Althought the Nationalist/Italian line was breached, the Republican forces that were able to exploit the breakthrough were roughly handled, and in bad shape. The outcome was somewhere between a Republican minor victory and a draw. Well done, all!