To the barricades

Militia forces are a vital part of SCW.  These were the civilian armed forces gathered from members of  political movements and trade unions that were banded together in fighting units.  You can't journey far into the history of the war without stumbling into the bewildering mass of militia groups and their never ending list of abbreviation.

I'm going to step through a few militia group and try to explain their broad political view.  You will have to forgive me but I have converted the spelling to standard English for speed and ease of reading.

CNT Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo

A large anarcho-syndicalist trade union with almost two million members.  The political direction of the union was guided by the FAI (see below).
The most famous member was fascist fighter Buenventura Durruti and his gangs of political militia fighters known as the Durruti Column.  I do plan to introduce the Durruti Column into later games but lets get Jarmara complete first.

FAI Federacion Anarquista Iberica

Was in essence a  society of different anarchist groups joined together in a loose conference.  They were the political organ of the CNT.

POUM Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista

The party of anti-Stalinist Communists and Trotskyists. This is the militia army that George Orwell joins in "Homage to Catalonia".  It's leader was Andreu Nin, one time secretary of Trotsky.  In the power struggle during the political purges that were the "civil war within the civil war" the POUM was outlawed.  Nin was captured, tortured and flayed alive by his Communist opponents.  

UGT Union General de Trabajadores

A federation of trade union members with links to the Socialist party of Spain.

CEDA Confederacion Espanola de Derechas Autonomas.

The largest right wing political party.  Its aims were the broad aims of the Nationalist movement in general; the defense of the Church and the protection and interests of landowners.


In AWA the militia have poor Initiative and poor or average Morale.  A Miltia company consists of three eight man squads. 

Not the strongest fighting force when you consider them against the Foreign Legion and Tabors of the Moroccans but they were the only forces available at the early stages of the uprising. Without the militia the Nationalists would have stood unopposed.   If the Republican Government had had the courage of its convictions and not vacillated about arming the working masses then the story of the Civil War might have been very different.

This is where foreign travel is the wargamers friend.  You come home with a pocket full of coins that you have no use for.  The sturdy five cent euro piece makes an excellent base for standard bearers that requires it's weight to off set the weight of the flag and stops the figure falling over every two minutes.  Try and get your hands on the one cent piece.  It is tiny and worth next to nothing; you can't buy washers for less.  It is also the prefect size for basing single figures, officers and the like.


¡No pasarán!