In a project that has lasted longer than the actual Spanish Civil War itself I have been building a Republican (government) army using the as always excellent Empress Miniatures figures - https://www.empressminiatures.com/republican-forces-53-c.asp . In addition, I have also decided to try to create a smaller Nationalist army as well which is on-going.
Nationalist Spanish Legion
Pat has also been painting some Nationalists (which look really good) and together we are looking at using Rob's Back of Beyond rules as a base to amend so we can actually put a game on rather than just talking about it. I will want to add some local colour and political complexity in the games with the use of random action cards to mess things up - I suspect the Republicans have more to fear from this but let’s see how we get on.
Pat and I have tried out the ‘A World Aflame’ rule set from Osprey, but we found them to be really fiddly and not particularly user friendly, re-using and amending the BoB rules will mean that more of us will have a better feel for them rather than a new set of rules. I have just ordered some Nationalist militia / Falangist figures so do please bear with me while I throw some paint on them before we can get a game on, and we will need to play test amendment to BoB as well.
Eric Blair in Spain, 1937 (tallest figure standing in centre). His wife Eileen is sitting in front of him.
So how did it all start, well it was the fault of Eric Blair and his memories of fighting with the POUM (the Marxist militia) on the Aragon front, to the northwest of Barcelona in 1937. His book written under his publishing name George Orwell is called ‘Homage to Catalonia’ and I read it as an impressionable teenager, it is a book I have reread a number of times … most recently in the last few months. It tells his story of joining the Marxist trade union militia force in Barcelona during early 1937, after having travelled there with his wife with the intention of solely writing about the war. The change from journalist to fighter is fascinating especially for someone whose extent of 'military' service had only been with the Indian Imperial police in Burma in the mid 1920's - his novel 'Burmese Days' which he bases on his time there is also really a great, and in my view, underappreciated book.
In 'Homage to Catalonia' he talks of the disorganisation, the hunger, lack of ammunition and the extremely inferior quality of equipment that the militia had from the espadrille canvass and rope soled shoes to the antique rifles and guns. It is also about the heady idealism that attracted people from all around Europe and the world to Spain to fight for the Republic. At the same time others, but in smaller numbers, joined the Nationalist cause under Franco often drawn by the desire to protect the Catholic Church establishment in the country.
Nationalist Moorish troops from the Sahara and Morocco
The book starts in Barcelona then quickly moves to the trenches of the Aragon front; it follows the Siege of Huesca and includes Eric coming across Moorish troops freezing in the Spanish mountains in the early spring. It tells of the hunger and the boredom of trench living and the excitement of a raid to take out a machine gun emplacement but also it descends into the bitter infighting during mid / late 1937 that helped weaken the Republic and reduce its chances of winning the war. You could argue, the backing the Nationalists had from Germany and Italy, with the neutrality of France and Britain meant the Republic could not win anyway but the divisions that the book shows points the fragile nature of the Republican coalition.
Eric Blair (George Orwell)
Eric, because he is British was seen automatically by the others in his unit as being a superior soldier and an informal leader. That did not mean he would be given the only decent rifle, which went to a 'feckless teenager' instead as there was to be no hierarchy in POUM units. There is often absurdist humour in the book which pokes fun at national stereotypes as well as the lack of structure and organisation of his unit. It is also a love letter to the people and the region of Spain that he was never able to return to after he left.
For the wargamer there is a lot to look at especially in the equipment and tactics (or lack of them at times), the use of tanks, air power and other modern, at the time, military equipment, much of which makes an appearance in the early part of the second world war. There are foreign soldiers from colonial wars in Africa being deployed by the Nationalists and an existing army that was spilt into two for a variety of reasons be it religion, town verses rural dwellers, union members verses non-union or aspirations for regional independence (the Basques and the Catalans).
International Brigade
International Brigades were formed with men from many countries including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, US, Canada, and Mexico, fighting for the Republic. Some of these men after the war join the French Foreign Legion ending up leading the tanks into Paris in 1944 with Philippe Leclerc’s 2e Division. There are the Italians and some Germans who are sent by their government to support the Nationalists, the Condor Legion and especially the Luftwaffe elements honing experience and expertise for the coming conflict. For the Italians involved, the civil war it does not go so well, following a series of embarrassing defeats, which may also point to their fate in the coming conflict.
Nationalist Spanish Legion
There was often a huge disparity in quality between the best Nationalist units, those Republican troops who have the backing of the Soviets, versus the various Republican and Nationalist militias, and many of the existing army units. Enthusiasm only takes a unit so far against better trained and equipped opponents. There is also impact from advisors on both sides, handily Empress do some nice Russian and German figures for this role.
POUM and CNT
The POUM who Eric fought with and CNT / FAI militia (the anarchists) in their blue overalls, red and black and red banners and scarves have a romantic air about them, but it is the street fighting in Barcelona during the middle of the book when he returns from the front which shows the Republican alliances beginning to dissolve in front of his eyes. The battles start with Soviet / Russian back Assault Guard communists (brought in from Valencia) taking on the CNT / FAI anarchists and then POUM, seeking to take control of the city and then the rest of the wider Front. Intermittent battles rage during his stay, along Las Ramblas which anyone who has visited the city will know well and in the side streets around the port which are the CNT / FAI strongholds (see pictures - taken in 2023) even now...
CNT offices, Barcelona (2023)
During this stay Eric is offered the chance to join the International Brigade, but he will not relinquish his POUM militia membership, so the offer is withdrawn. His frustration with the infighting and the duplicity of the Soviet backed communist is revisited in his later novel 'Animal Farm', so much of his writing picks up on his experiences from the civil war. He is still an important voice about the war in Spain as can be seen from this picture taken in 2023 of the Placa De George Orwell.
Mark at George Orwell Square, Barcelona (2023)
Spoiler alert, for Eric his return to the front does not go well, he is injured in the neck by a sniper, evacuated to Barcelona which is now completely changed and his POUM membership is no protection from the communists. He is hunted but he and his wife manage to get out of Spain into France and back to Britain. The POUM and CNT / FAI are purged while the Republic is desperate for soldiers and equipment, there are a number of large engagements around Madrid and across the south and east of the country, but the end is clear, and the Republic falls in 1939.
'Aidez Espagne' by Picasso
There are other books that I have read on the subject including:
• Soldiers of Salamis - Javier Carecas
• They Shall not Pass, The British Battalion at Jarama - Ben Hughes
• The Battle for Spain - Antony Beevor
• There are three good Osprey books the best being the 'International Brigades in Spain 1936 to 39'.
Republican HQ
When choosing what to collects, being a bit of an 'Old Trot' meant that I was going to follow the Republican cause, but I have enjoyed painting both sides, in fact so much so I chose to strip all the first units I painted and redo them all – using a paint remover rather than white spirit or Dettol to remove the old paint.
It is a water-based solution call ‘Clear Spirit’ and is available at all good DIY shops (see picture). The paint stripping was straightforward, leave the figure in a jar for an hour or so, most of the paint falls away, the rest you can encourage off with an old toothbrush. As the stripper is water based it is not toxic and there is no need to wear gloves or goggles (well I did not bother anyway), a quick wash off and then get on with the painting.
I have tended to under coat white and then go from there, but as I am not a great painter as you will see below, I will stop with the advice, as you are no doubt better than I am at it anyway. I used the Osprey books and trawled the internet to get uniform colours etc., even then I am not sure I got them completely right, but I am pretty happy with the results anyway.
Anarchist troops in Barcelona during the war
The pleasure of painting the Republican militia and the International Brigades are that they are such a mix of uniforms and colours, so the variations of finishes seems to work really well. Looking at old photos from the era shows an array of uniforms styles and with the militia a number of women on the barricades in the early days of the war, but this does change over time with the brutality of the war, especially in the rural areas.
Eric Blair does touch on this in his book as he compares Barcelona when he came to the city in early 1937 and when he returned after his injury. Initially the revolutionary fervour meant everyone wore workers clothing (blue boiler suits), luxury goods shops were closed and there were no prostitutes on the streets, on his return, smart clothed men and women walked the streets, luxury shops and restaurants were all open and prostitutes stood on each street corner.
I have opted to stick the figures into 2 / 3- and 5-man unit trays in the way that many of us have with our BoB armies. This is to make movement easier especially in the size of games we play at the club, but this does loose some flexibility, and I may come to regret the decision but there we are. I have tried to have a mix of officers and NCOs on the bases with one grenade thrower in each unit, although grenades, both manufactured and homemade, where in relatively short supply especially for the Republic. Medium and heavy machines guns are based separately, there are a few submachine guns dotted around all units.
In terms of the units that I have painted so far they comprise the following:
Republicans:
• International Brigade Units:
o 3 x 30 figure units with 3 x MMG and 2 x HMG
o 3 x officers and various flags for different IB units
• Republican Army Unit:
o 1 x 30 figure unit with 3 x MMG
o Officer and flag
• POUM: militia units tend to be smaller in size
o 1 x 24 figure unit with 2 x MMG
o Officer and flag
• CNT / FAI:
o 1 x 24 figure units with 2 x MMG
o Officer and CNT flag plus officer and Rot Font (red front) flag
Vehicles, artillery and mortars
In addition, which can be used for both sides:
o 2 x heavy mortars
o 8 x light mortars
o 2 x flamethrowers
o 1 x anti-tank gun – Bofors 37mm
o 1 x 75mm French artillery piece
o Various armoured cars
o A T26 tank
o Two sets of Russian advisors and political commissioners
o A Panzer I (in Nationalist paint scheme)
o 4 x Molotov cocktail anti-tank hunters
o 2 x medics
Nationalists:
• Spanish Legion:
o 1 x 30 figure unit with 3 x MMG and 2 x HMG
o Officer and flag
• Moors:
o 1 x 30 figure unit with 3 x MMG
o Officer and flag
• Falangist militia: (to be painted yet)
o 1 x 24 figure unit
Nationalist infantry: Spanish Legionnaire and a Moor
Finally, you do get to finish off with a flag or two which I must say I am a fan of, this seems to be the last flag war, so worth using if you can. I hope this has been of some interest.
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