Twilight Spain

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Which is probably why the GDW writers didn't include them in the main events?

Makes sense to me.
Spain could well have been reserved for a future publication (or just ignored as irrelevant to the core play area). Given they don't appear to have participated in any serious fighting the area seems perfect for a book similar to Bangkok - suitable to either T2K or Merc with few alterations necessary.
Doesn't help they were effectively cut off from the rest of Nato by France and Italy pulling out and essentially becoming another set of enemies.

[Ewan]

The Spanish Navy and Air Force could be used against Italian naval forces in the Med and also protect convoys going to Turkey. Also protecting convoys coming across the Atlantic, think there might be a Harpoon article somewhere about that.

In addition army units could be deployed to Yugoslavia or Turkey to aid these countries against Italian or Warsaw Pact forces.

[Ewan]

You might find this useful
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a127635.pdf
The section under Reinforcement Forces is a particularly interesting read.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Ewan

You might find this useful
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a127635.pdf
The section under Reinforcement Forces is a particularly interesting read.

Good find, however that details the situation in 1982, four years before they imposed their restrictions.

[Enfield]

Originally Posted by Ewan

You might find this useful
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a127635.pdf
The section under Reinforcement Forces is a particularly interesting read.

Thank you for posting this, much appreciated. I think someone could build a more interesting canon from this. Personally I don't always care about that anyway, after all I'm not building a sourcebook for publication but trying to produce an interesting campaign for my players. Nevertheless, others who are more interested in fitting canon could still work with it.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Enfield

Thank you for posting this, much appreciated. I think someone could build a more interesting canon from this. Personally I don't always care about that anyway, after all I'm not building a sourcebook for publication but trying to produce an interesting campaign for my players. Nevertheless, others who are more interested in fitting canon could still work with it.

Note that document is written from NATO's perspective on how they wanted to utilise Spanish forces. What Spain were actually willing to do is in the link I posted, which is also several years newer.
Given IRL the Socialists were in power up until 1996 (the beginning of the Twilight War) it seems extremely unlikely that would have changed - simply wasn't time to develop the necessary plans, doctrine and command structures which would have effected not only Spain but all the member nations of NATO.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Ewan

The Spanish Navy and Air Force could be used against Italian naval forces in the Med and also protect convoys going to Turkey. Also protecting convoys coming across the Atlantic...

That's basically what Spain suggested would be their role back in the mid 80's.
Worth noting that although they had a relatively large navy, most of their ships were quite old.

Originally Posted by Ewan

In addition army units could be deployed to Yugoslavia or Turkey to aid these countries against Italian or Warsaw Pact forces.

That goes against their declared position though.

"Observers later reported that Spain had offered to coordinate its national military missions with those of NATO, especially control of the sea between the Balearic Islands and the Canaries. Spanish forces were to be commanded only by Spanish officers, however, and no troops were to be deployed outside of Spain on a sustained basis."

[Enfield]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Makes sense to me.
Spain could well have been reserved for a future publication (or just ignored as irrelevant to the core play area). Given they don't appear to have participated in any serious fighting the area seems perfect for a book similar to Bangkok - suitable to either T2K or Merc with few alterations necessary.
Doesn't help they were effectively cut off from the rest of Nato by France and Italy pulling out and essentially becoming another set of enemies.

I agree. The way I'm writing it up in my own campaign book is:

"Spain is not tormented by huge marauder groups like some parts of the world. Instead, it has suffered separatist rebellion, rioting, looting, and anarchy, as well as disease outbreaks, and corruption. In general, when government forces or civilian militias realize that non-Spanish NATO troops are in a given area, there will be surprise, wariness and, some cases, hostility, though not outright violence, but the following may happen in the worst reactions.

1. Military or police units may interdict them and try to send them back to where they came from.
2. More powerful military units may outright try to take them prisoner, certainly will want to know where they came from and why.
3. Civilians and others may be very wary of them, fearing invasion or something. In general, many civilians blame NATO and the Warsaw Pact for the War, and are not happy to see them. They are thought of as being warmongers and dangerous. People will be reluctant to help them or give them any information.

Marauder bands tend to be gang enforcers, groups of Anarchists on the warpath, looters/rioters, deserters, or separatist insurgents. The deserters usually become road robbers, gang members, or join the separatists. "