- For the Steel Division II unit see SD2:Nueve
Nueve is a French Infantry unit. Veterans of the Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936 – 1 April 1939), the soldiers of the 9th company of the 3rd battalion are elite infantry units available in phase A, providing the player with powerful early elite infantry that will undoubtedly be of use in gaining ground on German troops. They are transported to the battlefield in HT M5A1's, a variant of the HT M5 outfitted with the respectable M2 .50 Cal Browning MG.
Strategy[ | ]
The 2e Blindée, being an armoured division, has a shortage of infantry units. This is especially apparent in phase A, where only small numbers (2 or 3) of Voltigeurs and Nueve are available. The elite Nueve, though they only come in one pack of two squads each, partially makes up for this. They are an expensive but effective fighting force and will be a useful addition to the initial French push into hedgerow terrain. Of course, they work best when supported by artillery, vehicles and tanks.
Their transport unit, the HT M5A1, is a variant of the HT M5 and costs 30 points. At 10 points more, the player receives a HT outfitted with the powerful M2 50. Cal Browning machine gun. This turns the halftrack into a very effective support vehicle, providing fire at 800m range against infantry, lightly armoured vehicles as well as airplanes.
Historical background[ | ]
La nueve (meaning nine in Spanish) referred to the 9th company of the 3rd battalion of the Régiment de Marche du Tchad of 2e Blindée and was mostly composed of Spanish republicans. Spanish republicans fought in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists but were forced to flee to France after the Nationalist government took power. The fall of France later saw Pétain deporting the Spanish republicans back to Spain, and some Spanish refugees decided to join the French resistance. Around 300 of them were later enlisted in the 2e Blindée, seeing action in the North African campaign and the Northwest Europe campaign.
La Nueve, commanded by Raymond Dronne, gained lasting fame as they were amongst the first units to enter Paris and liberate the city. The atmosphere in Paris had been tense and Parisians were starting to revolt against the German garrison stationed there. Fears were that they would be struck down in a bloody fashion. Despite this, Allied high command were initially unwilling to commit resources to liberate the city as they were afraid it would bog down into bloody street fighting. They were persuaded/threatened by De Gaulle into giving the go-ahead. The 2e Blindée fought their way to the French capital with little regard to losses. They advanced in armoured columns and frontally attacked enemy positions, suffering high losses but their advance units managed to reach Paris by the end of August. On the night of August 24, 1944, the 9th Company 'La nueve' broke into the center of Paris by the Porte d'Italie. Upon entering the town hall square, the Spanish half-track "Ebro" fired the first rounds of a large group of German fusiliers and machine guns. Civilians who went out to the street singing "La Marseillaise" were surprised to learn that the first liberating soldiers were not American or French but all Spanish.
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