edit
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---
title: Nationalist_Spain
---
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::: heading
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[Country guides](/wiki/Country_guides "Country guides")
:::
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::: {style="font-weight: bold; text-align:center;"}
[Major powers](/wiki/Major_power "Major power"){.mw-redirect}
:::

------------------------------------------------------------------------

::: {style="columns:105px 3; column-gap: 5px;-webkit-columns:105px 3; -webkit-column-gap: 5px;-moz-columns:105px 3; -moz-column-gap: 5px;"}
[France](/wiki/France "France")\
[Germany](/wiki/Germany "Germany")\
[Italy](/wiki/Italy "Italy")\
[Japan](/wiki/Japan "Japan")\
[Soviet Union](/wiki/Soviet_Union "Soviet Union")\
[United Kingdom](/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom")\
[USA](/wiki/USA "USA")
:::

::: {style="font-weight: bold; text-align:center;"}
Regional powers
:::

------------------------------------------------------------------------

::: {style="columns:105px 3; column-gap: 5px;-webkit-columns:105px 3; -webkit-column-gap: 5px;-moz-columns:105px 3; -moz-column-gap: 5px;"}
[Argentina](/wiki/Argentina "Argentina")\
[Australia](/wiki/Australia "Australia")\
[Belgium](/wiki/Belgium "Belgium")\
[Bulgaria](/wiki/Bulgaria "Bulgaria")\
[Brazil](/wiki/Brazil "Brazil")\
[Canada](/wiki/Canada "Canada")\
[Czechoslovakia](/wiki/Czechoslovakia "Czechoslovakia")\
[Guangxi Clique](/wiki/Guangxi_Clique "Guangxi Clique")\
[Hungary](/wiki/Hungary "Hungary")\
[Manchukuo](/wiki/Manchukuo "Manchukuo")\
[Nationalist China](/wiki/Nationalist_China "Nationalist China")\
[Nationalist Spain]{.mw-selflink .selflink}\
[Netherlands](/wiki/Netherlands "Netherlands")\
[Poland](/wiki/Poland "Poland")\
[Republican Spain](/wiki/Republican_Spain "Republican Spain")\
[Romania](/wiki/Romania "Romania")\
[Sweden](/wiki/Sweden "Sweden")\
[Turkey](/wiki/Turkey "Turkey")\
[Yugoslavia](/wiki/Yugoslavia "Yugoslavia")
:::

::: {style="font-weight: bold; text-align:center;"}
[Minor powers](/wiki/Minor_power "Minor power"){.mw-redirect}
:::

------------------------------------------------------------------------

::: {style="columns:105px 3; column-gap: 5px;-webkit-columns:105px 3; -webkit-column-gap: 5px;-moz-columns:105px 3; -moz-column-gap: 5px;"}
[Austria](/wiki/Austria "Austria")\
[Chile](/wiki/index.php?title=Chile&action=edit&redlink=1 "Chile (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Colombia](/wiki/index.php?title=Colombia&action=edit&redlink=1 "Colombia (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Denmark](/wiki/Denmark "Denmark")\
[Finland](/wiki/Finland "Finland")\
[Greece](/wiki/Greece "Greece")\
[Ireland](/wiki/Ireland "Ireland")\
[Mexico](/wiki/Mexico "Mexico")\
[Norway](/wiki/index.php?title=Norway&action=edit&redlink=1 "Norway (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Peru](/wiki/Peru "Peru")\
[Portugal](/wiki/Portugal "Portugal")\
[Shanxi](/wiki/Shanxi "Shanxi")\
[South Africa](/wiki/South_Africa "South Africa")\
[Switzerland](/wiki/Switzerland "Switzerland")
:::

::: {style="font-weight: bold; text-align:center;"}
[Micro powers](/wiki/Micro_power "Micro power"){.mw-redirect}
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------------------------------------------------------------------------

::: {style="columns:105px 3; column-gap: 5px;-webkit-columns:105px 3; -webkit-column-gap: 5px;-moz-columns:105px 3; -moz-column-gap: 5px;"}
[Afghanistan](/wiki/Afghanistan "Afghanistan")\
[Albania](/wiki/Albania "Albania")\
[Bhutan](/wiki/Bhutan "Bhutan")\
[Bolivia](/wiki/index.php?title=Bolivia&action=edit&redlink=1 "Bolivia (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Communist China](/wiki/Communist_China "Communist China")\
[Costa
Rica](/wiki/index.php?title=Costa_Rica&action=edit&redlink=1 "Costa Rica (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Cuba](/wiki/Cuba "Cuba")\
[Dominican Republic](/wiki/Dominican_Republic "Dominican Republic")\
[Ecuador](/wiki/index.php?title=Ecuador&action=edit&redlink=1 "Ecuador (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[El
Salvador](/wiki/index.php?title=El_Salvador&action=edit&redlink=1 "El Salvador (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Estonia](/wiki/Estonia "Estonia")\
[Ethiopia](/wiki/Ethiopia "Ethiopia")\
[Guatemala](/wiki/Guatemala "Guatemala")\
[Haiti](/wiki/index.php?title=Haiti&action=edit&redlink=1 "Haiti (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Honduras](/wiki/index.php?title=Honduras&action=edit&redlink=1 "Honduras (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Iraq](/wiki/Iraq "Iraq")\
[Latvia](/wiki/Latvia "Latvia")\
[Liberia](/wiki/Liberia "Liberia")\
[Lithuania](/wiki/Lithuania "Lithuania")\
[Luxemburg](/wiki/Luxemburg "Luxemburg")\
[Mongolia](/wiki/Mongolia "Mongolia")\
[New Zealand](/wiki/New_Zealand "New Zealand")\
[Nepal](/wiki/index.php?title=Nepal&action=edit&redlink=1 "Nepal (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Nicaragua](/wiki/index.php?title=Nicaragua&action=edit&redlink=1 "Nicaragua (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Oman](/wiki/index.php?title=Oman&action=edit&redlink=1 "Oman (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Panama](/wiki/index.php?title=Panama&action=edit&redlink=1 "Panama (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Paraguay](/wiki/index.php?title=Paraguay&action=edit&redlink=1 "Paraguay (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Persia](/wiki/Persia "Persia")\
[Philippines](/wiki/index.php?title=Philippines&action=edit&redlink=1 "Philippines (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Saudi
Arabia](/wiki/index.php?title=Saudi_Arabia&action=edit&redlink=1 "Saudi Arabia (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Siam](/wiki/Siam "Siam")\
[Sinkiang](/wiki/index.php?title=Sinkiang&action=edit&redlink=1 "Sinkiang (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Tannu Tuva](/wiki/Tannu_Tuva "Tannu Tuva")\
[Tibet](/wiki/index.php?title=Tibet&action=edit&redlink=1 "Tibet (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Venezuela](/wiki/index.php?title=Venezuela&action=edit&redlink=1 "Venezuela (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Uruguay](/wiki/index.php?title=Uruguay&action=edit&redlink=1 "Uruguay (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Xibei San Ma](/wiki/Xibei_San_Ma "Xibei San Ma")\
[Yemen](/wiki/index.php?title=Yemen&action=edit&redlink=1 "Yemen (page does not exist)"){.new}\
[Yunnan](/wiki/Yunnan "Yunnan")
:::
:::

::: {#toc .toc aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading" role="navigation"}
::: {.toctitle dir="ltr" lang="en"}
## Contents {#mw-toc-heading}

[ ]{.toctogglespan}
:::

-   [[ 1 ]{.tocnumber} [ Starter ]{.toctext}](#Starter)
-   [[ 2 ]{.tocnumber} [ 1936 Scenario Civil War
    ]{.toctext}](#1936_Scenario_Civil_War)
-   [[ 3 ]{.tocnumber} [ Victory and Annexation!
    ]{.toctext}](#Victory_and_Annexation.21)
-   [[ 4 ]{.tocnumber} [ Research Priorities
    ]{.toctext}](#Research_Priorities)
-   [[ 5 ]{.tocnumber} [ The State of the Army
    ]{.toctext}](#The_State_of_the_Army)
-   [[ 6 ]{.tocnumber} [ Waiting ]{.toctext}](#Waiting)
-   [[ 7 ]{.tocnumber} [ Axis Support Game
    ]{.toctext}](#Axis_Support_Game)
-   [[ 8 ]{.tocnumber} [ The Spanish Pond Game
    ]{.toctext}](#The_Spanish_Pond_Game)
-   [[ 9 ]{.tocnumber} [ Imperial Spain ]{.toctext}](#Imperial_Spain)
-   [[ 10 ]{.tocnumber} [ Ministers ]{.toctext}](#Ministers)
-   [[ 11 ]{.tocnumber} [ Resources ]{.toctext}](#Resources)
:::

## [ Starter ]{#Starter .mw-headline}

Spain is a fun minor to mess around with, but doesn't have a whole lot
going for it save for its location! This very humble preview is meant to
get some semblance of a starter guide going, if for nothing else than to
introduce players to a minor nation that can have an impact on the game.

Nationalist Spain has little IC, poor infrastructure, an outdated army
and navy and virtually no air force, and has a shortage of resources.
Additionally you have to beat the Republicans in the Spanish Civil war
(unless you play another scenario). Clearly it\'s a weak minor to play,
but it can be fun, challenging, and boring. This intro isn\'t meant to
provide a WC guide to Spain, I personally picked up Spain after playing
a lot of the other major nations, and I eked out another 20 or so
quality gaming hours from HOI2 as a result of the endeavor.

If you\'re bored with the other majors and want to play a different kind
of game, one that mainly supports the Axis and the AI then Spain is a
good choice. If you want to dominate and demolish, well, Spain isn\'t
really for you.

## [ 1936 Scenario Civil War ]{#1936_Scenario_Civil_War .mw-headline}

I played as Luxemburg until the civil war event pops up on July 18,
1936. I have noticed that 75% of the time the province split gives the
Nationalists Seville, Madrid, and Barcelona. The other 25% of the time
the Republicans get Madrid and a large portion of southern Spain, and
you get Seville and its immediate western province. In this latter
scenario I found the Republicans to be in a stronger position only
because you need to encircle Madrid to cut off supply to the other
armies. That entails taking lower infrastructure provinces to which the
AI will often automatically deploy. Pick your poison, my goal was to win
the Civil War as fast as possible and get the Nationalist government up
and running. If you get the harder province split and want to have a go,
kudos to you, and more experience for your generals.

So you save and reload as the Nationalists, and you get the Spanish
fascism event that gives you some militia and an infantry unit in
Seville. Split them up and start moving north to get a land connection
to your capital. Remember to set up a supply convoy from La Coruna to
Seville in the interim. You will notice your TC is red and you have few
units; look at your deployment queue to find more units that become
available on July 25. Sometimes these vary, but you will mostly have
infantry, militia and maybe a tank division or cavalry. I honestly have
never checked the AI files so I don't know if it's random, or if it\'s
me.

You now are at the mercy of the AI and this is where we employ a gamey
tactic. Sometimes Germany and Italy won\'t support Franco, and in that
case you\'re pretty much screwed as you need the Condor Legion, its
tactical bomber, and the Italians to really tackle the Republicans. Not
to mention that sometimes France and England will support the
Republicans and often that leads to a harder road. I am pretty sure that
if France or England support the Republicans they get infantry. I don\'t
know for sure as in my five tests of the event, France and England
supported the Republicans the one time Germany and Italy did not support
Franco. Are they linked? I don\'t know, but save and reload if it
happens. Yes it\'s gamey but the point is to get Nationalist Spain up
and running.

Once the events occur you want to go hard and fast at Guadalajara and
Murcia which are the primary VP provinces remaining (assuming you got
the favorable split and got Madrid, Seville and Barcelona.). I can\'t
remember the other VP province in the south, but for the most part it
seems that the AI reinforces Murcia and Guadalajara. Make sure that you
allow the Republicans an escape to a non-VP province. Why? When you
annex the Republicans you get all their units!

It isn\'t complicated to pull this off, just make sure you don\'t
destroy the Republican units. They may not seem like much now, but you
want those infantry divisions or you will have to build them yourself.
At this point you need to assign your leaders to your divisions. You
don\'t have a lot, but the experience gained in the Civil War will allow
for some major generals to gain enough experience for promotion. The
leaders aren\'t spectacular, but you have a few with offensive doctrine,
one tank buster, and one panzer general. Get them in the fight. The
experience you gain here with your leaders will make your small army
more efficient later for your larger opponents.

When fighting the Republicans you will loose some of the battles as you
are using militia, but in the end you should be able to annex by
September 1. Just remember, let them have a non-VP province to retreat
to! Now here is an admission: I tweaked the .csv files to give myself a
slight bump in IC in a few key provinces so that I would have over 40 IC
when I annexed the Republicans. Yes it\'s a cheat, but it\'s not like
you\'re playing Germany, right? Do it, get the 3rd research slot.

The Spanish Civil War isn\'t a complex operation, so if you have played
HOI2 before you should be able to handle it efficiently. Just remember
to assign your leaders and get them experience. Even replace the German
and Italian commanders, particularly with the TAC division. You only get
1 tank buster general with Spain, and if you are a proponent of air
support for your offensive military operations (how can you not be with
1.03a?) get this guy experience. It will serve you well when (and if)
you support Barbarossa.

## [ ]{#Victory_and_Annexation!} [ Victory and Annexation! ]{#Victory_and_Annexation.21 .mw-headline}

You have won the war, annexed the Republicans and now own all of Spain.
Congrats! You're on your way to being a solid contributor to the fascist
world cause. Now another dirty revelation by your author: I cheated
again and gave a slight bump in skill level to a few tech teams. This is
optional, but my rationale was more for fun game play than world
conquest. I didn\'t go nuts, but I made three of my teams level 6 and
one team level 7. Now this makes the research faster and makes you a
more viable force later in the game, particularly if you choose the Axis
path so you can maximize blueprints that are given to you. I\'m not
going to tell you whom to bump, because it\'s dependent on your play
style. Look at the teams you have, determine who fits your needs, and
give them a push. Yeah it\'s a cheat, but our purpose here is to be a
viable contributor to the Axis, not just play defense the entire game.

Remember to adjust your sliders as well. You should have done that right
when you reloaded as the Nationalists. Either way it\'s not going to
occur every January 1 so you have to remember to do it. There are a lot
of options for your sliders. I went for Central Planning because of the
bump in IC. Go read the wiki page on the slider settings to get an idea
of what\'s achievable with Spain.

## [ Research Priorities ]{#Research_Priorities .mw-headline}

I started researching Carriers right away. Spain has crap for techs and
you really have to get up to speed to match Italy or the UK, but if you
focus on Carriers you will reap benefits by \'39 and you should have a
formidable fleet that has 6 carriers with your original surface fleet.
You can start building level I carriers right away and I recommend this
as it takes a year to complete. They aren\'t quality ships and they
won\'t upgrade, but as they are being built you\'re researching more
carrier techs and with each one a new CAG upgrade. Crucially, CAGs will
upgrade, so your level I carriers, by \'39, will have level IV CAGs.

Carriers are the powerhouses of the naval theatre and you already have a
surface fleet (albeit not a good one), so it\'s my recommendation that
you develop carriers exclusively. You\'re 3 carrier techs behind in 1936
and it will take you over year to get them all. Once that\'s done move
on to destroyers, the goal being upgraded destroyers that with your
level I carriers will give you a nice second fleet and an offensive
force. I suggest you read the primer on naval combat. I can\'t claim to
understand it fully, but can confirm that 3:1 or even 2:1 screening for
ships does wonders for [positioning](/wiki/Positioning "Positioning")
and combat. A 6 carrier/18 destroyer force can be a real powerhouse, and
with Spain you can achieve this goal and provide a much-needed boost to
the Axis shortcomings in naval prowess.

Keep one research slot dedicated to industrial technologies, but stay
away from the manpower techs (I know your instinct is to get that up and
running) because you don\'t have the IC to support a large force anyway,
and you will have about 1000 manpower in 38-39 which should be
sufficient for your needs. Stick to IC and research modifiers. You will
need to get radar as well at some point if you want interceptor cover.
Just plug away here and research techs in their historical years so you
minimize your research time. Remember, you aren\'t Germany. You don\'t
have high quality research teams nor slots to throw away on completing
\'39 infantry in \'37.

The other tech slot should float between doctrines and your desires. The
research aspect of the game is really dependent on the player\'s
preference, and because Spain starts with nothing you can determine its
path based on your own style. Bear in mind that once you join an
alliance you will likely get blueprints given to you. If you plan to
join the Allies you might want to research infantry and armor as they
will give you plenty of naval techs, and vice versa with the Axis. I
used my third tech slot on naval doctrine to support my carrier fleet.
Throw in light armor for your small tank army, and advance your air
force one tech level before the war.

## [ The State of the Army ]{#The_State_of_the_Army .mw-headline}

By the end of the Civil War you have probably noticed a couple of issues
with your army.

First, your army is outdated with lots of militia and 1918 infantry.
Disband the militia straight away as they have little or no value in my
opinion and eat supplies. You should have plenty of supplies for the
moment so dump your IC into upgrades and get those infantry up to \'36.
You will burn thousands of supplies this way, but your army is in dire
need of a boost. At this point your army should consist of roughly 15-18
infantry divisions, 2 tanks divisions, 1 cavalry division, 1 mountain
division and 5 or so assorted brigades. You will notice that some of
your divisions in your deployment queue from the Civil War can only be
deployed in Africa and the islands. Deploy them and ship them home to
Spain ASAP as leaving them in the queue kills your TC, and leaving them
abroad serves no purpose. I know the starting military situation is not
impressive - it\'s downright ugly - but remember your commanders got a
lot of experience in the Civil War which makes them fight better.

Second, you have virtually no air force at all. You might have 1-2
interceptor squadrons (again this seems to be at random from the Civil
War event) which are up to date, but that hardly qualifies as a
\"force\". Having been manhandled by Allied air raids many times, I
build interceptors to defend my main holdings, and support them with
radar stations in La Coruna, Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. I group 2
squadrons in each province and, over time, develop radar that helps the
interceptor missions. La Coruna is a favorite entry point for the Allies
as it is closest to the UK, so that should be the focus of your air
defense.

I also build an offensive air wing comprised of 4 tactical bomber
squadrons. Tactical bombers do a little bit of everything and overall
are very diverse units. With 1.3a tactical bombers and interdiction
missions have really been beefed up, and for a small country like Spain
having a force of TACs to support your offensive maneuvers can be the
difference between victory or defeat. Tactical bombers are expensive to
build, though, and it\'s going to hurt when you commit to them, but
their offensive value has been tweaked up so much that it\'s hard to
ignore them. Coupled with their ability to complete any air mission
(except transport), I strongly urge you to build them.

I upgrade my tank armies to 6 total divisions with engineer brigades.
Light tanks are fine for early in the game; you aren\'t launching
Barbarossa yourself, so even for all you Panzer generals 6 divisions is
sufficient unless you want to go annexing for oil, which might be a fun
alternative game. 3 tank divisions is enough to get by, and should be
able to hold their own for the early part of the game - particularly for
a quick hit in southern France once you join the Axis.

## [ Waiting ]{#Waiting .mw-headline}

Whatever you decide to do after the Civil War, you\'re waiting for
upgrades and assessing potential military targets. You\'re also
contemplating how you\'re going to build an air force and tanks when you
only have a year and are already dedicated to carriers and CAGs. This is
where the Nationalist Spain game is painful, because you have crap to
start with. While there are many strategies in HOI, my purpose for this
write-up was to show a supporting role for the Axis powers. Their war
starts in \'39. Yours starts when you want it to. I am not a proponent
of building industries or infrastructure, but I accept the other side of
the argument that over time it can pay dividends. You decide for
yourself. I tweaked my IC to get me 40, then conquered the rest.

I have played offensively and been defeated, and I have played
defensively and been defeated. The only time I had a chance of finishing
the game as Spain was when my allies (the Axis) got the bitter peace
event. We closed off the Mediterranean and Japan was surviving against
the US, while I personally performed Sea Lion and after that the UK
started to crumble. I bailed on the game for other issues but unless the
US had a magic wand I don\'t think they could have defeated the Axis. As
you\'re waiting for things to upgrade and techs to be researched, decide
what you want to do with Spain. Bear in mind that as Spain you\'re
limited in almost every aspect of the HOI2 game engine.

## [ Axis Support Game ]{#Axis_Support_Game .mw-headline}

You can build up your force and once Germany declares on Belgium
(normally after Poland in the spring of 1940), you join the Axis or
declare on France yourself. If you wait this long, Gibraltar will have 1
garrison division in defense. I said before that your location was an
asset. Gibraltar is why. Take it immediately while you press into
southern France; you can usually grab some provinces before Vichy, but
France will put up a fight. Gibraltar is still the bigger fish mainly
because I have yet to see the Italian AI perform well against the UK in
Africa. Closing Gibraltar helps, not only that but depending on your
force structure you might be able to help Italy out and grab some land
yourself in North Africa.

Helping Italy out is the main function of the "Axis support game".
Germany should be fine on its own (at least early on, though Barbarossa
might be another story). Commit your carriers to the Mediterranean and
help Italy throw the Brits out of Africa. This opens up the Middle East
to conquest and gives you a southern front on the Balkans and Russia.
Italy seems to struggle with Greece as well, and should you have forces
in the area you might be able to annex them yourself. Helping Italy
helps Germany, but remember not to get preoccupied with your own
conquests early in the war. If the Mediterranean is secure, Italy can
focus on Greece, and you can focus on the Middle East.

Once the Mediterranean is secure begin fortifying your own coastal
defenses. Only once have I seen the AI attempt a landing in Spain early
on, and that was after I took Portugal. The US will come in eventually
and you should use your 6 armor divisions as support for repelling any
invasions up and down your portion of the Atlantic coast (remember you
may have a good portion of southern France). Now this can be boring as
it might be a year or longer before they come, but rest assured that at
some point the Axis will have to look west and when they do your ability
to defend the Atlantic wall might be its best chance at survival.

In a best case scenario Germany got the bitter peace and now you can go
for Sea Lion or move on to Canada. In the worst case you helped Italy
defeat the UK in Africa and gave yourself the option of going into the
Middle East or the Balkans. Either way you supported the Axis\'s
Achilles heel, the Italian AI. Obviously every game varies, Italy might
be just fine and you might be free to take Britain or Ireland if you
choose.

## [ The Spanish Pond Game ]{#The_Spanish_Pond_Game .mw-headline}

Italy is clearly your superior in terms of IC and tech but it lacks the
ability to execute its objectives without help. In short, the AI Italy
isn\'t up to the task (alone) of controlling the Mediterranean. A
human-controlled Spain can, at a price, but that price is very high
dissent and probable early entry into the war. Personally I have found
Yugoslavia to be the best overall target for a couple of reasons. First,
you can use your superior navy to support your invasion, second, you
have experienced leaders from the Civil War, and third (and most
important), you can devote your entire military to the operation without
fear of a DOW from the Allies or the Axis.

You need to land somewhere first, as beachheads are hard to establish. I
take Albania as they have no defense and you get an automatic foothold
in the Balkans. Sadly it comes at a 7% dissent hit which is no small
amount given your lack of IC. However, logistically, it\'s a great base
of operations. Move your navy and most of your army there and DOW
Yugoslavia (at another 7% dissent hit).

Yugoslavia has a lot of people who are friendly or guarantors, and
depending on your belligerence they may declare on you. I have never had
Italy or Germany declare on me, and I declared in early 37 so I
wouldn\'t worry about that. However Hungary and Romania are both
possibilities and Turkey (in my experience) is a certainty. Taking out
Yugoslavia should be straightforward: your \'36 infantry should be
sufficient to handle the Slavs. Like the Civil War, Yugoslavia is not a
complex operation.

Turkey will pester you with their fleet (assuming they declare), but
this can be stopped with the fleet you start with after the Civil War.
Annex Yugoslavia and begin probing the Black Sea for Turkish defenses.
Turkey is a problem because you have to land on one of their defended
beaches, but you should have 6 transports if you didn't get them sunk
during the Civil War. Load them with 3 armies of 2 divisions each and
time your landings 3 hours apart. You ought to be able to get a
beachhead and from there your army should win the day.

The problem is Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. If they DOW you might be
in some trouble because you\'re spread thin. Immediately take your
Turkish invasion force and land in Romania (even if you haven't finished
in Turkey), if you can get the beachhead you can quickly take two of
their VP provinces. I like to puppet Romania because it\'s got a decent
starting army which you can control later during Barbarossa if need be,
and which can help deal with your situation in Turkey. Remember the
price I talked about? Puppeting, annexing, and general Balkan mischief
will cost you in dissent. If you review your ministers, you should find
a Prince of Terror who allows you to get more from those foreign
territories. You can also edit your dissent down a touch in the save
game to provide a way out of the mess as well\... you wouldn't be the
first bloke to do so.

If Hungary declares I would consider forcing peace with the acceptall
cheat, but give them some territories in Yugoslavia for their trouble.
Going to war with Hungary has consequences on the event chain for
Germany and might bring them into the war earlier, which in all
probability will screw up the long term game for you. If you think you
can take them and Romania, be my guest, but that\'s asking a lot out of
Spain. At this point your belligerence is high, but you have a major
foothold in the Balkans and are now the dominant force in the
Mediterranean Sea. From here I consolidate and maybe appoint a Prince of
Terror to get that foreign IC maxed out. Remember conquest is fun, but
it also means more land to defend. Once the war starts you have easy
access to the Middle East, and to Greece should you choose the Axis.

How are your relations with the USSR? Might make for a good game if you
went Comintern considering your now vast Balkan empire. Then again,
that\'s what Republican Spain is for.

## [ Imperial Spain ]{#Imperial_Spain .mw-headline}

How could we have gotten this far and not talked about Portugal? Its
attractiveness is reduced by the fact that taking it increases your
beach provinces in Iberia by 3, which isn\'t a sexy option by any means.
Remember that your IC and TC are limited, so it\'s not like you\'re
going to have a 75 division army to defend your vast shores. However
taking Portugal has one distinct advantage, and that is that you get
bases all over the world. Portugal has holdings in Africa as well as
Macao in China and East Timor near Australia.

If you DOW Portugal no one is going to take much notice, but keep an eye
on your belligerence and relations just in case. It will take time, but
since their army is small you should be able to capture Portuguese
holdings easily and annex, or at least force a peace resolution that
enables you to get Macao. Remember to rebase fleets and set up convoys,
and you can cover the globe.

Once you have Macao and get yourself organized you will note a budding
little fascist country nearby called Siam. DOW and annex, but be careful
here because you have to perform an amphibious assault which is tricky.
Did you build marines? Whether you did or not, just use the staggered
attack trick mentioned against Turkey and you should be fine. Annex them
as well and you're sitting on a resource gold mine. Singapore is next
door should you go Axis, and so is Indochina if France decides to fight
to the death.

You now have an African base, an Asian base, and a European base from
which to stage operations. Will you take out the Dutch? The Belgian
Congo isn\'t far either. India? Basically this gives you options, but
remember that as Spain there is only so much you can do. Observing the
AI and understanding what it\'s trying to do (is Japan heading toward
India? Is Germany bogged down in the Ardennes?) will let you piggyback
and help you gain territory from which you can create an empire.

## [ Ministers ]{#Ministers .mw-headline}

As it happens, Nationalist Spain has a decent variety available. A man
of the people, an administrative genius, a prince a terror (if you
conquer). Basically pick your poison. My purpose isn\'t to get into
minister traits and advantages, but you do have some options.

## [ Resources ]{#Resources .mw-headline}

Once you have annexed the Republicans you\'re not in too bad a shape.
You do need energy, but Germany will often make a trade of 10 supplies
for 100 energy without a problem. Remember that you don\'t need mammoth
surpluses as Spain as you don\'t and won\'t have the IC to consume them.
Grabbing a little oil isn\'t a bad idea, and here Venezuela will give
you a decent deal.
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