Battles For Spain

Battles For Spain is a turn-based game about four battles of the Spanish Civil War: Ebro, Teruel, Guadalajara and Mérida, also known as the Battle of La Serena’s pocket. You can play as the Nationalists, the Republicans or both sides in player-versus-player games. Each battle has an attacker and a defender: the attacker aims to match or improve on the historical outcome, while the defender tries to avoid the historical defeat or launch a successful counterattack.

Units and events

Infantry and cavalry are organized into battalions. Armoured cars and tanks use company or battalion units, artillery uses batteries, and aircraft use squadrons. The game includes historical units such as the Legion, Falange, CTV Italian fascist battalions, Requetes, Mixed Brigades and International Brigades, with historical deployments and leaders including Hans Kahle, El Campesino and Redondo.

A deck of cards represents reinforcements, weather, desertions, artillery bombardments and other events. The cards create varied situations affecting movement, combat, weather and, in some battles, military or political events.

Guadalajara

The Guadalajara scenario depicts the Italian offensive against Republican defenders near Brihuega, east of Madrid, in March 1937. It lasts 30 half-day turns, from March 8 to 22. The Nationalists must capture every area along the main road from Taracena to the two road areas in the east of the map. The Republicans must stop them, wait for reinforcements and then try to counterattack and eliminate as many Italian units as possible.

Estimated playtime is 3 hours. Neither side is favored, and the Nationalists are the harder side to play.

Teruel

Teruel covers the Republican offensive to capture the city, the only provincial capital they took during the war. It lasts 12 turns, each representing one day, from December 15 to 27, 1937. You can lead the Republican offensive or play as the Nationalists and try to prevent Teruel from falling into enemy hands.

Estimated playtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Neither side is favored, and the Nationalists are the harder side to play.

Mérida and La Serena

Also known as the Battle of La Serena’s pocket, this scenario lasts 12 half-day turns, from July 20 to 25, 1938. As the Nationalists, you advance in a pincer attack from the north along the Madrigalejos–Campanario road and from the south along the Monterrubio–Castuera–Campanario road, then try to destroy as many Republican units as possible inside the pocket. As the Republicans, you hold the lines as long as possible and damage the enemy until reinforcements arrive.

Estimated playtime is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Neither side is favored, and the Republicans are the harder side to play.

Ebro

The Ebro scenario depicts the Republican Army of the Ebro crossing the river between Mequinenza and Amposta on July 25, 1938. Two Republican army corps attack the Nationalist 50th and 105th Divisions, aiming to take Gandesa and advance farther if possible. Success would force the Nationalists to halt their attack on Valencia. The scenario lasts 45 turns, each representing one day.

Estimated playtime is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Neither side is favored, and the Republicans are the harder side to play.