Iberian War

[Haneastic]

The Spanish government issued a declaration of war against Portugal today for its refusal to apologize for the slaughter of Spanish troops and for its warmongering attitude and warned Britain not to get involved in a regional conflict. just after war was declared spnaish troops began taking action against Portugal
Troops available on the Portugese front: 200,000
Pyrennes line: 100,000
Reserves: 20,000

War Orders
A force of 40,000 left from Alcantara, aiming for Castelo Branco
A force of 30,000 advanced from Vigo toward Valenca
A force of 30,000 advanced from Puebla toward Braganca

The remaining 100,000 troops stayed in defensive positions along the line, while the Spanish fleet departed Barcelona toward the Strait of Gibraltar, and the call up was instated to bring as many more soldiers to the front

Hope this is right, sorry for the mistake last time

[Raven corps]

OOC: not much detail in your posts, aside from your undetailed troop counts...

[Haneastic]

yea, but i figure that if i get too imaginative, it might seem a too little unrealistic, as it did last time. i figure that it's fairer this way, as both of us can work out how much land was taken

[Koryan]

OOC: Most of this is just to get an idea of the locations of my armies and ships. To save you some reading, Spain kicked @$$ and captured Bragança with minimum resistance. I didn't roleplay any of the battles since I'm not sure on your tactics, etc. A counter-attack has been launched against Salamanca by a division of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps from Mogadouro and Almeida.

Heavy fighting erupted across the Portuguese-Spanish border. For the first time since Napolean and Spain allied, Portugal was under invasion. The Portuguese Defense Corps were rallied from across the republic. Both the Portuguese Expeditionary and Independent Artillery Divisions were summoned to help drive back the invaders and launch a counter-attack. 1,800 troops arrived in Castelo de Branco by rail as rumors of fighting outside Zebreira spread. Valença, being far from the border, was relatively safe and recieved little attention, although a river gunboat did set sail for the city. A small defensive force of just under 1,000 men was rallied at Valadares due to it's lack of railroad access. However, for the city of Bragança, nothing could be done. A relatively straight road through a forest was all that opposed the Spanish forces. Despite civil resistance, no army could reach the city in time to save it. Instead, 2,300 Portuguese soldiers along with two patrols camped in the forest outside the city, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

The counter-attack had no intention of gaining territory, but of crippling the Spanish war machine until the army could be rallied to meet the Spanish armies. The 3 Portuguese Patrol Ships, tirelessly moving up and down the west Iberian coast for nearly 3 days now, were startled into wakefulness as the ghost of the Spanish Armada arose from the Gibaltrar Strait. 2 cruisers and a destroyer left the port of Vila Real de Santa António to delay the fleet as long as possible. Meanwhile, an additional destroyer and 2 cruisers along with a half dozen tropedo boats left from Lisbon, where the majority of the fleet had been docked in case of an attack upon the capital. On land, the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps would recieve it's first test. Only 40,000 soldiers (about 3/4 of a single division) were ready for battle so they'd have to do. 35,000 of them would leave from Mogadouro as soon as possible while the other 5,000 would try to gather troops from nearby towns and leave from Almeida. The two would meet up in the small town of Puerto Seguro then advance together towards Salamanca. Their instructions were simple:
"If you see an armed spaniard, shoot him. If you see a factory, burn it. If you see a portuguese civilian, give him a gun and tell him to follow you. And for god's sake, don't screw this up."

[Koryan]

OOC: Btw, you can put more detail into your posts, just remember your army isn't invincible. And if you can't find maps from the early 1900's, just try using MapQuest or modern maps. Portugal hasn't really change too much in the past 100 years.

[Haneastic]

I'm using a 1996 World Factbook, the only problem is that there's not a lot of detail, but my map shows Valenca being right next to the border, on the Northern border near Vigo on the Spanish side

The Spanish forces in Braganca left, following the road toward Macedo de Cavalieros but almost immediatly ran into the 2,300 Portugese soldiers in the woods near the city, and the orderly advance soon turned into a confused pitched battle. The forces aiming for Castelo Brance also kept advancing, but they moved much slower and faced increasingly harder defenses. Finally, having advanced not nearly as far as they would have liked, the Commander ordered the soldiers to dig in for the evening, staighten out the lines, and wait for reinforcements. As many Spanish soldiers and volunteers that could be gathered (10,000, of that only half were regulars) and began to dig defenses and attempt to hold the Portugese invasion back

A secondary invasion of the Canary Islands, comprising of 1 destroyer, 6 transports/armed merchant marines (weapons are a few 5-inch pieces, little armor), and 4 corvettes carrying 800 askaris and 200 Spanish soldiers from the Rio de Oro in Africa (the fleet is all second rate equipment)

The remaining spanish fleet attacked the Portugese stalling force with as much gusto as possible

On the home front, the conscription continued, with thousands of young men reporting to recruitment stations for training

[Koryan]

The new day brought a much better organized Portuguese Army, if that scrambled resistance the day before could be called an army. Now that the soldiers had been gathered, fed, and armed, reinforcements were sent out by the thousands. The majority of the reinforcements, approximately 2,500-3,000 strong, were dispatched to the main fronts in the north, while the secondary Expeditionary Corps, now fully manned, left for Salamanca. The unorganized mass meant to launch a counter-attack had struggled simply to unite, both armies missing Puerto Seguro and encountering heavy Spanish resistance along the border. The first group of 7,000, being mostly armed civilians and new recruits, was cut to pieces by enemy fire as they stumbled upon the city Ciudad Rodrigo. Those that escaped the slaughter were forced to camp in the farmlands around the city, lost and exhausted. The second group of 40,000, being actual trained soldiers, fared much better and ended up camping in the village of Retorillo, not sure what happened to their reinforcements and whether to advance without them.

General Fernandes, believing the brunt of the attack was coming from the north and horrified at what Parliament would do when they learned the city of Bragança had been lost with little resistance, sent 3,000 of the Defense Corps to aid forces outside the lost city. 2,000 men were dispatched to the cities of Braga, Mogadouro, Pinhel, Covilha, Castelo Branco, and Portalegre each. In Vagos, 1,100 soldiers were loaded into 20 fishing vessels "borrowed" from local fishermen. Disguised as fishermen with five 20mm cannons hidden below deck, the small fishing fleet left port and headed northeast to the city of Santander. Surely the Spanish wouldn't turn away innocent fishermen trying to escape the horrors of naval battles?

As for the sea, the Portuguese, masters of the sea for the past 400 years (plus twice as many war ships as the Spanish), waged a serious offensive against the Spanish fleet, determined that the Atlantic remain under British and Portuguese control. Now almost the entire Portuguese Navy had been mobilized, with a patrol ship, 4 cruisers, 2 destroyers, and 6 torpedo boats already at battle near the strait. A torpedo boat had already been lost and one destroyer had taken 3 direct shots already and probably couldn't stand too much more. 4 Gunboats and 2 Sloops had left Porto and were on their way to the battle, yet it would be hours before they would arrive. A cruiser and a destroyer left port from Angolia to aid Portugal as soon as they heard the news of war.

[Haneastic]

As more reserves moved to the front, the Spanish were able to bring nearly 13,000 troops to Retorillo although casualties from raids and desertions brought the force back to 10,000 men. the forces from Braganca kept advancing under heavy fire, taking a total of 3,500 casualties in total so far, but managing to push the Portugese back, if only slightly gains were made.
The forces aiming for Castelo Branco also made modest gains, and straightened out their lines to allow for supplies to flow more easily.
The forces aiming for Valenca managed to wrest the town from Porugal, with nearly 1,000 casualties taken, and managed to push toward Viana do castelo, but were stopped cold by a strong defensive positions. the forces in that area began shifting their forces around to bring more offensive to bear against the defensive positions.
Meanwhile, the forces against the Canary Island arived, and the shore batteries managed to sink an armed transport and 3 corvettes before they were knocked out, and then the invasion forces landed. the fighting was close and fierce, but the Spanish managed to put most of their soldiers ashore and stopped a counter-attack. the remaining Portugese soldiers were soon trapped on the island, and the main Spanish fleet remained ready for a battle

[Koryan]

The river patrol boat opened fire on the approaching Spanish Army. Valença may have fallen but the fully-armed patrol ship wouldn't go down from small arms fire. Portuguese causulties were uncountable, estimates placed over 10,000 dead or missing and estimated another 4,000 losses by the end of the day. The Portuguese Army may have been caught off-guard and disorganized but not anymore. Today they had recovered their footing and were preparing a fierce defensive line, determined not to allow another Spanish victory. On top of that, Portugal had now gained a strong advantage - one of Spain's major ports. Spanish forces had been so focused on the invasion and defense of the border that they had forgotten the resourcefulness of Portugal's new general. 1,400 Portuguese soldiers poured out of the fishing vessels as they docked in the defenseless city of Santander. The boats opened fire upon the harbor and soldiers set fire to the docks. Local police forces clashed against the fully trained army igniting a series of street-fights and shoot-outs, Portuguese soldiers advancing block-by-block. Without any garrison and the Spanish navy hundreds of miles away, the city stood no chance. Santander was transformed into a fortress. The fishing ships were unloaded of their cannons, which were spread out across the city incase of a Spanish counter-attack. The city would not fall back into Spanish hands.

Back in Portugal, the last counter-attack of the day was underway. The Independent Artillery Division rained fire and bombs onto the city of Salamanca, destroying industries and homes alike. Portuguese soldiers dug fox-holes around the city and opened fire on any Spanish soldiers who were too stubborn to leave after the artillery fire began. From the safety of their fox-holes, the Portuguese suffered the least causulties out of all of the counter-attacks. Meanwhile, the first division sent to Salamanca, had finally united and had decided to return to Mogadouro, running low on ammunition and supplies.

Castelo Branco had become a blood-bath. The two largest armies from both sides, 32,000 exhausted Spanish firing from the woods and 11,000 freshly gathered Portuguese shooting from the safety of the city walls. This battle seemed to be the focus of the war, as 4,600 additional men from the Defense Corps (if you're wondering where all these soldiers are coming from, there are 110,000 soldiers in the Expeditionary Corps and 40,000 soldiers in the Defense Corps plus a few thousand from the Africa Corps not counting all the untapped manpower). Two rail guns rolled into Castelo Branco to help drive back Spanish forces incase they tried a suicide charge. 9,000 from the Defense Corps were dispatched to the area outside Viana do Castelo where the garrison from Valença, forced from the city by the overwhelming Spanish forces, had turned to fight. If Valença wasn't recaptured before the general's report to parliament tommorrow, the Portuguese soldiers knew they would be in serious trouble with their superiors. Now the soldiers had to choose a life of shame or an honorable death.

The Portuguese Fleet was now almost at full strength, with over 25 fully-armed war ships battling it out against the out-dated Spanish fleet of less than 20 even at full strength. Admiral Timoteo sent a simple message to Lisbon - Don't bother with reinforcements. If the Spanish are smart, they'll leave like they should have done when they saw us. Besides, we can't let the British Navy have the fun of crushing them again!

Hearing the news of the massacre at the Canary Islands, the Portuguese Parliament sent a message to the Spanish Monarch:

 How could you justify such a slaughter? The Canary Government was
controlled by Spain. Those weren't Portuguese soldiers you were killing, but
the Canary Defense Force. The backlash by the public, especially the
islanders, will be twice the threat of the Portuguese Armies.

[Haneastic]

15,000 spanish soldiers were immediatlet released upon hearing of the invasion of Santander. arriving seperatley, the were ground up until a large enough amount of survivors were gathered to take the main line. the fighting then descended to dozens of small firefights, but the numerical superiority of the spanish managed to push the portugese back. when the smoke cleared, most of the city was leveled and 3,500 spaniards were dead.
the forces around Valenca dug in further, and several batteries of artillery were released from Vigo to strengthen the position, as 3,000 soldiers also entered Vigo to make sure another fiasco was averted. 5,000 soldiers from Valenca pushed forward but ran into the portugese 9,000 and retreated after taking nearly 3,500 casualties
Castelo Branco was proving a tough nut. the spanish forces pushed forward again, taking heavy casualties from dug in Portugese soldiers, but succeded in advancing a few more miles. another push like that and Castelo would be under Spanish guns, but the Spaniards were tiring. to shore up their lines, 5,000 more men from the ever shrinking reserve pool to that area.
Around Salamanca, the battle was getting fiercer. the nearly 12,00o soldiers and militia in and around the city answered back with artillery of their own, but they were outnumbered. in an effort to cut their lines, 10,000 spanish troops moved toward Mogadouro, but ran into the Portugese soldiers on the area. the bloodly battle continued for 6 hours, with both sides firing nearly point blank at each other

In an effort to tip the scales back in Spanish favor, nearly 50,000 men were pulled from the Pyrennes line and new recruits and departed toward the Portugese front.

To make things easier, i think we should both post casualties after each post, reserves/conscripts available, and total men uncommited
Casualties: 23,000
Reserves: 5,000+50,000 entering soon
Uncommited so far: 65,000

[Koryan]

In response to the increasing number of Spanish soldiers in Portugal, Parliament has extended the draft to ages 18 through 28. All men within this age group are to report to training camps immediately.

The draft would provide plenty of reinforcements for the Portuguese Army but until their training was finished, the job fell to the 170,000 already on the battlefield. Division A of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps (they one that retreated) was now re-supplied and and reinforced to almost full strength at 50,000, left for Salmanca to aid their brother division. Division B and part of the Independent Artillery were quickly surrounding Salmanca. 240mm artillery cannons unloaded their firepower randomly into the city, reducing any buildings near the edge of town to ruins. The soldiers, growing restless of shooting from the safety of their fox-holes, began small charges into the city in between artillery shellings. They split up and hid in everything from houses to trees, snipering Spanish soldiers as they ran down the streets to the battlefront. One such group used the confusion of war and back-streets to reach city square, which they set ablaze. They torched houses and offices alike, opening fire on soldiers and civilians alike. At this rate, Salmanca wouldn't survive long enough for reinforcements from either side to arrive.

Castelo Branco - the bloodiest battle of the war so far. 6,000 Portuguese reinforcements had brought the city garrison to 24,000 plus plenty of soldiers fighting the 38,000 Spanish outside. Although outnumbered, they had a better defensive position, fresh supplies, and hadn't been fighting for 3 days straight like their Spanish opponents. General Fernandes sent the following message to the commander the forces attacking Castelo Branco:
For the sake of your men and their families, stop your death march. It's been 3 days and none of your men have had a chance to rest. Go home to your families and enjoy your life. Don't let your imperialistic government cloud your judgement.

The Portuguese Navy had prevailed at sea and the Gibaltrar Strait was their's, although at the cost of many ships and many lives. They headed home to Lisbon for some rest before another day of fighting tommorrow. However, one merchant ship carrying diplomats headed to the ruined Canary Islands. The Spanish slaughter the day before had turned the islanders against Spain. It was time for their independence. Spain would no longer have control over the people of the Canary Islands.

Soldiers Fighting: 170,000+
Soldiers Garrisoned in Cities: 14,000
Soldiers Training: 30,000+
Estimated Causulties: 20,000 to 25,000
Population Enlisted (including Causulties): 3.8%

[Haneastic]

Home Front: a general call-up was issued, conscripting as many as 1,000,000 men between 18 and 30 for training. despite the impressive number, only 800,000 were declared fit or needed for duty (farm work and such), and the training centers were swamped, so only 100,000 soldiers were able to begin training, although other men who had handled weapons before were able to take over town watch and militia jobs, freeing up 40,000 soldiers for the front.

Castelo Branco: the Spanish troops, exhausted after 3 days of fighting, finally dug in and brought long range siege guns and heavy artillery to pound the Portugese positions, and replaced nearly 10,000 soldiers with fresh reserves from the Pyrennes

Salamanca: a secondary force of 40,000 men, from the Pyrennes and from the reserve pool launched a massive attack on the Portueges lines around Salamanca, aided by 8,000 men launching an attack from inside the city. a third force of 25,000 men moved to sever the Portugese supply lines and stop the attack on Salmanca. however, most of the city was in ruins and the soldiers inside were barely holding on, although the counter-offensive was releasing pressure on the city, if only slightly.

Valenca: another Spanish offensive was launched. leaving 5,000 men in the city, the remaining 22,000 men attacked the 9,000 portugese and pushed them back until the buildings of Viana de Castelo could be seen in the backround, but night and stiffening Portugese defenses stopped them, but artillery brought up pounded the city, as a revenge for Salmanca. the forces in Braganca, forgotten and rested launched an assault toward Macedo de Cavalieros, leaving 5,000 men in Braganca.

Engaged Soldiers:275,000
Casualties: 35,000
Reserves: 30,000
Training: 100,000

[Koryan]

Official Diplomatic Message to Madrid
The peninsula's natural resources cannot support such a massive war. If this continues much longer, neither of our countries will survive. And if you attack our populous as you did at Viana de Castelo, we shall show no mercy upon your people.

The Battle of Castelo de Branco raged on. A Portuguese train brought in 8,000 Portuguese reinforcements plus 500 workers to help repair the city's defenses and fix any damaged artillery. More guns, ammunition, and food were also brought in on the train. Gradually one side would have to run out of supplies, and it wouldn't be the Portuguese. The two rail guns brought in the day before changed their focus to the enemy artillery. When it came to artillery, the Independent Artillery Corps would not be out-done.

The Spanish Forces had made a bad choice leaving Bragança, as the Portuguese Army in Mogadouro charged upon the city with guns blazing. The gunboat blasting away at Spanish soldiers in Valença continued as it's sister ship joined it in battle. The garrison from Braga joined the 9,000 Portuguese outside Viana de Castelo as they dug in for a fierce defensive. A destroyer from the Portuguese Navy sailed up to the coast and opened fire upon the Spanish soldiers, it's massive guns taking out multiple men per shot. 5,000 Portuguese from the Defense Corps were dispatched to Barcelos.

With the arrival of the Division A, adding 50,000 reinforcements to the Portuguese forces, the Salmanca was doomed. Severely outnumbered and facing severe artillery bombardment thanks to the 240mm cannons, the Spanish forces finally issued a retreat, being mowed down by artillery fire and the charge of the battle-hungry reinforcements. After chasing the Spanish across the countryside, the exhausted Portuguese finally stopped in the village of Cardenosa to get re-organized and wait for Division B to arrive from Salmanca. A messanger was sent by horseback back to Lisbon to report their victory.



A little more detailed report:
50,000 soldiers in Cardenosa.
45,000 soldiers and a large artillery force in Salmanca.
32,000 soldiers and a large artillery force in Castelo de Branco.
5,000 soldiers attacking Bragança.
11,000 soldiers and a destroyer defending Viana de Castelo.
5,000 soldiers garrisoned in Barcelos.
5,000 soldiers garrisoned in Caia.
1,000 soldiers garrisoned in Vagos.
2,000 soldiers garrisoned in Braga.
2,000 soldiers garrisoned in Pinhel.
2,000 soldiers garrisoned in Covilha.
2,000 soldiers garrisoned in Portalegre.
27,000 soldiers ready for battle in Lisbon.
Most of the Portuguese Navy is in Lisbon.
30,000 soldiers training across Portugal.
26,000 losses so far.

[Haneastic]

Castelo Branco: nearly 20,000 reserves were sent to the salient, as well as more supplies to last the Spanish troops for quite a while, and the artillery stepped up their bombardment against the Portugese lines.

Braganca: the Spanish troops fell back from the offensive to assist the 5,000 spanish troops already there. and artillery from Puebla was brought up to supporty the defense

Salmanca: a combined force of 80,000 men, remnents from the city, locals, and mostly soldiers from the relief force fought all day to encircle the Portugese forces, taking nearly 15,000 casualties but succeding in surrounding the Portugese soldiers around Salmanca

Valenca and nearby area: Spanish troops brought up siege guns to handle the destroyer. the 22,000 men also pushed into Viana and managed to wrest it from Portugese hands, although taking 6,000 casualties, and the Portugese were able to withdraw just outside the city.

Message to the Portugese Government: the attack on Viana de Castelo was merely a retaliatory move because of the destruction of Salmanca. If the Portugese government wishes to end this war, the Spanish government will gladly offer them reasonable terms

Active troops: 154,000
Troops at Valenca: 5,000
Viana de Castelo: 16,000
Braganca: 26,000
Castelo Branco: 42,000
Salmanca: 65,000
Casualties: 56,000
Reserves: 120,000
Seville: 20,000
Vigo: 15,000
Badajoz: 15,000
On the Line: 70,000
Training: 100,00

[Koryan]

Official Statement to Madrid
I don't think you are in the position to offer the terms. Your navy is destroyed, over 50,000 causulties, and don't forget that I've been nice and have kept my allies, Britain and France, and my rich colonies out of this. Here are the terms of the cease-fire:
-3 Year Peace Treaty between Portugal and Spain.
-Portugal shall pay $10,000,000 in damages to Spain
-Spain is required to pay nothing to Portugal.
-All hostilities and embargoes between Spain and Portugal shall be cancelled.
-Official apology will be announced for the Portuguese attack on Santander
-Official apology will be announced for the Spanish attack on Viana de Castelo.
-Portuguese soldiers will withdraw from Spanish territory.
-Spanish soldiers will withdraw from Portuguese territory.
-All territory east of the 6.5 West Parallel shall be controlled by Spain, all territory west shall be controlled by Portugal (not including colonies, islands, etc.)
-Portugal shall pay an additional $5,000,000 to Spain for damages to it's navy.

Considering that my allies are powerful, my colonies could put out 500,000 soldiers each plus more than enough wealth, your fleet is destroyed, and 50,000 fresh Portuguese soldiers are sitting just miles from Madrid, I think you should seriously consider the cease-fire. Besides, you'll be walking away with a full wallet to rebuild your navy, pay off your soldiers, and go help your ally, Germany, who's surrounded on all sides. And remember, this isn't my combat post so if you decline my extremely attractive offer, my soldiers can burn down your defenselss capital.

This is a diplomatic post, not my military action. All you can do is post a diplomatic reply (meaning no sending defenses to Madrid or sending your army to burn down my counter). If you decline, I still get to make my military action.