Taking the bull by the horns

The title of this post probably will mean nothing to English readers as it is a remarkable Spanish expression (coger el toro por los cuernos) used when you take the a firm decision on any matter. A few posts back, I talked about my intention this year to play IABSM but with a twist: focused in the Spanish Civil War.



So after some consideration during my holidays over the last week, I decided to  start looking at a very specific battle: the Jarama. A major reason behind this is the fact that I not only live in Madrid but also at (literally) a 10-15 minutes drive from the place where the actual battle took place in February 1937. One of the attractions of this battle is that it involved a great variety of forces, including "crack" units from both sides and overall it was quite balanced. It  provides too some optionality if  I like to extend this into a full campign using Jarama and Guadalajara.

I have also found some interesting information in the web related to routes in the battlefield, visits to the remnants of the fortifications and trenches ... and even a museum about the battle itself... located in a local restaurant (astonishing discovery!)

I have already gathered some books about the battle from my own extensive SCW library...

 ... and found some inspiring music...

And best of all, no need to paint any single model: I have tons of 20mm minis, AFVS, guns...just ready to go straight into battle.

PS @ 10/January: Coincidentally Alfons, a senior Spanish wargamer and blogger, has  written a couple of interesting post here (in Spanish) with his early attempts to wargame the SCW in the late 70s. These posts include some home-made rules made by him and a group of aficionados. Worth taking a look