Soviets in the Sun: A Timeline

Edward_Elric

Edward_Elric

Comisario said:
Those Pyrenees aren't really made for Blitzkrieg, are they? ;)
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Should Spain avoid getting targeted for invasion by the Axis, will discussions on TTL's AH.com pertaining to the possibility have a status akin to that of the Unmentionable Sea Mammal? I mean, any attempt by the German and Italian Fascists to invade Red Spain will surely invite a response from Uncle Joe - unless perhaps it's attempted sometime after Barbarossa commences. But even then, Axis logistics will be stretched even further than OTL in such a scenario.
 
Comisario

Comisario

Edward_Elric said:
Should Spain avoid getting targeted for invasion by the Axis, will discussions on TTL's AH.com pertaining to the possibility have a status akin to that of the Unmentionable Sea Mammal? I mean, any attempt by the German and Italian Fascists to invade Red Spain will surely invite a response from Uncle Joe - unless perhaps it's attempted sometime after Barbarossa commences. But even then, Axis logistics will be stretched even further than OTL in such a scenario.
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This timeline's AH.com will have a lot more close calls and potential PODs to ponder, I can assure you. Perhaps a "León Marino" scenario will be one...
 
Comisario

Comisario

atlatl said:
Yes and they can have support for free french and English (who want to keep Gibraltar).

Could you put a link to a song of this period (there were many on youtube) when you post a message, is better ?


Himno de la República Espanola

PS : Viva la tercera.
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I thank you for the suggestion. I will try and incorporate music into the timeline for greater immersion.

P.S: La república tercera en la cronología no estará ideal por el pueblo español. Sin embargo, la república popular como se recordará con gran nostalgia.

(Apologies for my awful Spanish)
 

Linense

Your alternate history is very good and interesting (Not surprise me that there was a political break between Stalin and communist leader that governs in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, similar to the political break between Stalin and Tito, much less that it was during WW2).

I hope you can update it very soon.
 
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Comisario

Comisario

Linense said:
Your alternate history is very good and interesting (Not surprise me that there was a political break between Stalin and communist leader that governs in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, similar to the political break between Stalin and Tito, much less that it was during WW2).

I hope you can update it very soon.
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There will be a split of some kind, although I will not say when or between who...

Also, I'm grateful for your comments and I assure you that the next update will be coming very soon.

Jonathan Edelstein said:
Damn, this is good.
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Thank you very much.
 
Comisario

Comisario

Book I- The Spanish War of Liberation

Chapter 6

Parásitos y Patriotas


Although Toledo was lost, the 5th Corps and its commanders lived on. The General Staff had to be decisive for the continued survival of one of their most prized units. The soldiers of the 15th International Brigade were still in training and recuperation in Albacete when they were called up. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Ćopić, the 15th Brigade was one half of General János Gálicz's 15th Division. The other half was the 13th Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Wilhelm Zaisser [1]. The 13th Brigade, who had been defending the Aragon Front, was also called up to reinforce the 5th Corps. Modesto had pulled his forces from Toledo and retreated north to the town of Bargas. The Nationalists in Toledo had pursued Modesto no further than the city's outskirts, allowing him to save most of his troops. The report from Colonel Modesto was overly optimistic and misleading, leading to Gal's belief that the 5th Corps was still practically at full strength. On the 27th October, General Gal and his 15th Division arrived at Bargas. When he arrived, he found a town under fire from Nationalist artillery and with faltering morale. Gonzalez and Líster, who both served under Colonel Modesto, were also at each other's throats [2]. They blamed each other for the fall of Toledo, which in turn sowed discontent within the ranks of their respective divisions.

PAR77651.jpg

A Republican soldier in Bargas, watching the road to Toledo.​

Supporters of the former Prime Minister, Francisco Largo Caballero, became increasingly vocal about the "communist infiltration" occurring in the government and army following Toledo. In the Cortes, members of the PSOE who were opposed to Negrín and his pro-Soviet sympathies lambasted the communists for their failure to hold Toledo. Heated debates continued until the beginning of November, when Largo Caballero was placed under house arrest for "conspiracy to undermine the Republican war effort" by the SIM [3]. Coinciding with this effort to oust the anti-communist Francisco Largo Caballero from the public sphere was a new battle in the Andalusia Offensive. On the 29th October, General Kléber received Soviet troop transports and two more divisions from the main Republican zone. Kléber had decided to advance upon the lightly-held Malaga. The road west was mostly clear and Kléber's forces were welcomed with open arms by the peasants in the countryside as they marched to Malaga. The Nationalists had pillaged Malaga and the surrounding areas following its capture, killing any Republican loyalists they found, but the roads from Motril to Malaga showed an even greater tragedy. The "Caravan of the Dead", the remains of those who fled from Malaga, flanked Kléber's men as they advanced onwards to the coastal city. The sight of the "caravan" emboldened the Republican soldiers, who vowed to take revenge for all those who died. With 3 divisions on the road and 2 holding Motril, Kléber was the most powerful commander in southern Andalusia. The towns of Salobreña, Torrox and El Hornillo were all taken without much force. Resistance was practically non-existent, as the memory of Malaga's fall was still on the minds of the local populace. A handful of those still loyal to the Republic even joined Kléber's forces on their way to Malaga. When the Republicans reached Malaga's outskirts, they sighted flames above the city. It was an uprising in aid of Kléber's attack. The assault began on the morning of the 1st November, quickly seizing key points around the city and crushing the city garrison of 2,000. Queipo de Llano was swift in his reaction, though such swiftness was ultimately ill-advised. He decided to pull his forces in Cordoba south to retake Malaga. To General Queipo de Llano, securing his southern flank was more important than allowing a Republican victory in Cordoba. By midday of the 3rd November, Malaga was completely under Republican control.

PAR360585.jpg

Kléber's soldiers readying their transports for the journey to Malaga.​

With the removal of almost half of Queipo de Llano's forces from Cordoba, Colonel Barceló's divisions were able to break out from Torreblanca and seize the north of Cordoba on the 5th November. Colonel Escobar Huertas took the offensive from Alcolea, clearing the roads to Cordoba and taking the eastern outskirts of the city. Within three days, Cordoba was in ruins and the Army of Andalusia was forced into bouts of street-fighting. A further week's fighting brought the city completely under Colonel Casado's control. Reporting his victory back to Valencia on the 12th November, Casado soon received orders to send Colonel Barceló back towards Toledo for a new offensive. Casado distrusted the government in Valencia, aligning himself with the anti-communist view of the unpopular Francisco Largo Caballero that the government and army was being used by the PCE to stage a communist revolution and overthrow the Republic's fragile democracy. Their request for Luis Barceló, who was himself a committed communist, seemed suspicious to Segismundo Casado. Between Modesto, Gonzalez, Líster, Barceló and General Gálicz, the retaking of Toledo would be an entirely Communist-commanded operation. The General Staff's obsession with Toledo was a product of Franco's own obsession with seizing the Alcázar that had slowed his advance onto Madrid during the early days of the war. It would be a boost of prestige and legitimacy, adding to the Communists' popularity and party membership that both rose sharply after the Battle of Brunete. The battle for Toledo would be an effective propaganda tool for the PCE to use in the ongoing war for the hearts and minds of the Spanish people. Yet, Casado knew better than to disobey his orders. Barceló and his 35,000 men left Cordoba and marched north for Toledo. Nationalist sympathisers that remained amongst the rubble were quickly rounded up and detained by Colonel Escobar Huertas, against Casado's wishes. Colonel Casado was unsure if the Republic's hold on Cordoba would last without Barceló. If the choice came between the new front in the south and Toledo, the government would not hesitate in abandoning Andalusia altogether, Casado thought. So, if it came to retreating back north, he would have rather had dead bodies in the rear than a whole new regiment for the pursuing Nationalists.

PAR75516.jpg

Captured Nationalist soldiers in Cordoba.​

On the 16th November, with the attack plans coordinated between the 5th Corps, the 15th Division and Barceló new Andalusian 1st Corps, Toledo came under fire once more. Gálicz attacked from the east, Modesto advanced from the north and Barceló took the south road leading to the city. With this three-pronged strategy, the Nationalist forces had a single route of escape. It was to be a route they never took. El Campesino reached the outskirts of Toledo, swiftly clearing out resistance and pushing on for the Alcázar. Líster was focusing on the northwest of the city, so as to begin encroaching on the western road out of Toledo. Barceló was slower, being hampered by repositioned Nationalist artillery. His advance into Toledo would take another day. General Gal was the last to take the offensive, only advancing west once he could see Nationalist soldiers trying to retreat to the east. The handful of troops were cut down and signalled Gálicz's advance further into the city. The civilian population of the city, thinned down to only 1,000 since the first Siege of the Alcázar, were held up in the ruined fortress. By the 22nd November, Toledo was clear of Nationalist resistance and there was no hope for the Nationalists in having the Alcázar relieved, as Líster had control of the western roads leading back into Nationalist territory. The Alcázar held out for another three days until José Moscardó, the reinstated commander at the Alcázar, gave up the fortress for the second time [4].

jose-moscardo-ituarte.jpg

José Moscardó Ituarte. The man who could not hold Toledo.​

In Andalusia, Kléber had taken Torremolinos, a town to the west of Malaga, and began reinforcing the thin stretch of coastal road he held in anticipation of Queipo de Llano's troops from Cordoba. At the end of November, there was great relief in the Republican zone. On the 30th November, Domingo Rey d'Harcourt, commander of Teruel, came down from the mountain city to surrender his position [5]. He knew he could not hold Teruel through the winter with the Aragon Front all but won by the Republicans and with all Nationalist supply lines cut off. He was well-received by the Republicans, who thought that he was the only Nationalist commander with any sense. Franco was greatly disheartened, believing his allies were falling around him without resisting the Republicans. Although Franco believed he was surrounded by defeatists, Negrín believed he was being surrounded by revolutionaries. On the 3rd December 1937, a report came in from government observers in Catalonia and Aragon: the workers were collectivising again. Workers' councils were springing up in the northeast, some even forming in the province of Valencia. Prime Minister Negrín and President Azaña were genuinely worried about an anarchist uprising and so they sent a message to Juan García Oliver, demanding these workers' councils and Spanish "soviets" be dispersed [6]. No reply would come.

***

[1] In OTL, Zaisser became the Minister of State Security in the German Democratic Republic. ITTL, he will fulfil an even greater role.
[2] In OTL, Brunete sparked a huge disagreement between the two Communist commanders. This TL's disagreement will not grow to anything more, hopefully.
[3] As he was in OTL.
[4] Once the Second World War begins, nobody will want to mention his failure ever again.
[5] In OTL, Domingo Rey d'Harcourt was determined not to surrender during the Battle of Teruel. Here, he has put survival above victory.
[6] These councils will be great weapons in the near future.
 
Comisario

Comisario

Book I- The Spanish War of Liberation

Chapter 7

Winter of Discontent


When the People's Council of the East refused to respond to the government, it fell upon José Díaz Ramos to account for his project. Negrín met with the Communist Party leader on the 3rd December to to demand an explanation. What the Prime Minister did not know was that General Secretary Díaz was responsible for the rumours of anarchist rebellion. Although the workers' councils were real, they were in fact under the control of the People's Council, and therefore under the control of the Communist Party. José Díaz was not forthcoming with these details, however. To the Premier, Díaz Ramos explained that anarchists had taken the Barcelona telephone exchange and had cut off all communications [1]. Negrín was shocked and appalled. He did not want a repeat of the May Days uprising. José Díaz requested that a unified military command be placed under the jurisdiction of the People's Council, and then used to crush the "rebellion". The Prime Minister wanted his fears alleviated and Soviet arms to keep flowing into Spain's ports, and so placed the Army of the East under the People's Council's control. General Sebastián Pozas, commander of the Army of the East, had joined the communist PSUC and so was kept on by the People's Council of the East. José Díaz also made a request for the evacuation of government observers, so as to spare their lives from the violence of the "anarchist uprising". Negrín readily agreed and recalled all officials who were not part of the People's Council or the Army of the East [2]. The Second Spanish Republic had just argued for its own death sentence: giving the Communist Party free reign in the northeast [3].

republique.jpg

Communist Party poster symbolising Republican unity.​


December would prove an uneventful month for Spain. The Army of the East was reorganising and retraining in Barcelona, so as to give the illusion that they were suppressing an uprising in the city. In Cantabria, the Army of the North was still holding out against the small flurries of Nationalist assaults that had become commonplace in the mountains. However, their ferocity and frequency was not like it had been in the summer and autumn. This was mostly due to the snow in the mountains, which had made any sort of advance almost impossible. Both the Republicans and the Nationalists in Cantabria were growing tired of fighting: each side hoped that they'd be relieved for the winter. The Andalusia Offensive had turned defensive for the Republicans, as Queipo de Llano was throwing his troops against Kléber's lines along the road from Motril to Malaga. There were small breakthroughs in the initial battles, but they were overturned by Kléber's sheer superiority in numbers. Colonel Casado, now based in Cordoba, was reunited with Colonel Barceló following the Battle of Toledo. The colonels, Casado, Escobar and Barceló, were unsure as to how they might capitalise on their seizure of Cordoba. Casado wanted to move southeast to Jaen and then Granada, so as to creep around behind the Nationalists focused on Motril and stab them in the back. Escobar wished to simply stay in Cordoba and wait for news from Malaga and Motril. But, to Luis Barceló, there was only one route of action. The roads leading southwest were mostly clear and led straight to Seville, the heart of Queipo de Llano's Andalusian fiefdom. The lack of decisive action and the worsening winter conditions would mean no further offensives in the south until December had passed [4].


general_queipo_de_llano+(1).jpg

Gonzalo Queipo de Llano recording a "Radio Seville" programme. From here, Queipo de Llano would joke about the war rape of women in the Nationalist zone and the massacres of countless civilians.​


Peace fell over Spain as a stalemate developed. Minor naval battles in the Straits of Gibraltar and between the Balearics were the only military actions undertaken until January. A major offensive was to be planned for the new year. Calatayud was seen as an easy target for Republican operations in Aragon, and so was chosen as a diversionary attack to coincide with the opening of a new front in Navarre. Aragon was all but completely under Republican control. Calatayud would be the coup de grâce for the Nationalist forces in the northeast. But, the "Navarrese corridor" had to be closed so as to alleviate the desperate Army of the North. With the majority of Navarrese troops engaged in the south or in the Cantabrian Mountains, Pamplona would stand in reach of the Army of the East and terribly undermanned. The Army of the Levant, under General Juan Hernández Saravia, was brought up to the front around Calatayud on the 7th January in preparation for General Pozas's new offensive. The bulk of the Army of the East was redeployed to Aragon's border with Navarre, reaching it by the 8th. The plan for taking Calatayud was simple. Hernández Saravia would bombard the small city with artillery throughout the morning of the 10th January, hoping for surrender by the afternoon. Miguel Ponte, who had escaped the fall of Zaragoza, was now in command of Calatayud and would be in no position to survive a direct Republican assault. In northern Aragon, Pozas's Army of the East would push towards Pamplona in the evening of the 10th January. This was to have two-fold benefits. Firstly, if Calatayud was captured quickly, Pamplona and Soria would be the only Nationalist centres able to reinforce the border with Aragon, and so they would divert part of their troops south. Secondly, the cover of darkness would allow for a surprise attack and, hopefully for General Pozas, a swift capture. ​



requetes6.jpg

Nationalist Requetés marching through Pamplona.​


On the 10th January, the Battle of Calatayud began. The plans set out for the small city went accordingly, short bursts of retaliation in the form of artillery notwithstanding, and proved that Lieutenant General Ponte was desperate. Small battalions of men were sent from Soria and Pamplona when Ponte requested aid during the early hours of the Republican bombardment. When they arrived at midday, they found the city on the brink of collapse and surrounded by the Army of the Levant. These men were also captured by Republican cavalry as they tried to retreat north. Ponte could not retaliate effectively and had to resign himself to defeat [5]. Negotiations were held and Ponte's remaining troops were imprisoned. Some refused to give up and were subsequently shot. The Aragon Front was finished. Within hours of the fall of Calatayud, Pamplona would awake in the night to the sound of artillery and tank tracks. The garrison at Pamplona, although supplied with new German arms and in a defensible position, was simply outnumbered. Still, the idea of a swift capture was no longer realistic. Exchanges between long-rage artillery were sporadic and proved indecisive. Infantry advances into the city made quick work of the garrison, though only once they breached the city outskirts in the evening of the 11th. Street fighting, as had become a common occurrence in the battles of the civil war, was won by the Republicans in Pamplona. Pockets of resistance in Pamplona would hold out until the morning of the 13th January. In that time, the Army of the Levant had repositioned half of itself outside of Soria following a small campaign north. Another large contingent of the army had swung south to meet the Republican lines north of Madrid. Communist organisation and discipline had successfully won the war in eastern Spain, turning the tide on Franco [6]. Now it was his army's logistics that suffered, and it was his forces that were stretched too far and too thinly. 1938 would prove to be the year that broke Francoist Spain.

***

[1] As the anarchists had actually done to spark the May Day uprising in 1937.
[2] This will give the Communist Party even more freedom to introduce their Soviet-style programmes.
[3] The Republic will die but Spain will live on.
[4] But Andalusia will see a grand offensive in the near future, I assure you all.
[5] Not unlike José Moscardó in Toledo.
[6] Communist discipline was famous in OTL. It was probably one of the reasons that kept the Republic fighting for so long.
 

RosoMC

Ah, a Spanish Civil War timeline. Where is my pop-corn, fellows 'cause it's sure to be epic read, eh?

I will be following this one closely. Spanish Civil War is one of the most interesting, if unsung, conflicts for me. I'm always delighted to see it on AH.com, especially one so well researched. I just love all these backstabbing, pragmatic and hypocrytical political agreements with the thunder of artillery in the background. ;)

For Comisario: you might want to check out Dr. Strangelove's "No Spanish Civil War" TL. I develops differently than yours - eg. obviously there is no Civil War, communists are marginalised and a coalition of anarchists and socialists is ruling the country. And after that things get worse, before they get better. I'm sure you will love it. Sadly it hasn't been updated in a while, but still there is more than 50 pages of good read:

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=86718
 
Comisario

Comisario

RosoMC said:
Ah, a Spanish Civil War timeline. Where is my pop-corn, fellows 'cause it's sure to be epic read, eh?

I will be following this one closely. Spanish Civil War is one of the most interesting, if unsung, conflicts for me. I'm always delighted to see it on AH.com, especially one so well researched. I just love all these backstabbing, pragmatic and hypocrytical political agreements with the thunder of artillery in the background. ;)

For Comisario: you might want to check out Dr. Strangelove's "No Spanish Civil War" TL. I develops differently than yours - eg. obviously there is no Civil War, communists are marginalised and a coalition of anarchists and socialists is ruling the country. And after that things get worse, before they get better. I'm sure you will love it. Sadly it hasn't been updated in a while, but still there is more than 50 pages of good read:

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=86718
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I really hope I can deliver on this timeline and take Spain above and beyond everyone's expectations. I must say that the Spanish Civil War is one of the most important and interesting, although sadly overlooked, conflicts of the 20th century. So, this is a real labour of love for me. Also, the mixture of pragmatism and ideological conviction in Spain will be more prevalent as we go forward in the timeline. It will be very much in the classic style of the Spanish Civil War.

Funnily enough, I came across the "No Spanish Civil War in 1936" timeline when trawling through "tvtropes.org". I haven't read much of it, but what I read was enjoyable. I may actually have to give it a proper read, so thank you for the little reminder.
 
Comisario

Comisario

The coming "Soviet-Spanish Split" will be an incredibly important element of this timeline. I want to get a picture of people's speculation on it. Should I post a poll? I feel it'd be a good idea but what do you guys and girls think?
 

RosoMC

Comisario said:
The coming "Soviet-Spanish Split" will be an incredibly important element of this timeline. I want to get a picture of people's speculation on it. Should I post a poll? I feel it'd be a good idea but what do you guys and girls think?
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I will gamble a guess that communist rule in Spain will be more in Socialist rather than Stalinist character (Perhaps some calculated agreement between PSOE and PCE?) which will cause tensions with Joe Stalin who hated when people didn't do what he told them. Nevertheless, Stalin's Soviet Union will have no political power projection capability in Western Europe and direct military intervention would be a political blunder (and not to mention logistically impossible!) - besides Stalin wasn't a gambler like Hitler and would never do such a thing. Thus, there will be some fist shaking at "Spaniards' betrayal of worker's revolution" which will cause the split and put the Spanish communist on the reform path.

Just my thoughts on what MIGHT happen, but then again I might be completely wrong on it. :)

As for No Spanish Civil War, you might want to give it a proper read. You will probably enjoy it even more, being well-versed in Spanish 30's politics, as Dr. Strangelove puts an emphasis on development of political scene and problems caused by the aborted coup d'etat.
 
Comisario

Comisario

RosoMC said:
I will gamble a guess that communist rule in Spain will be more in Socialist rather than Stalinist character (Perhaps some calculated agreement between PSOE and PCE?) which will cause tensions with Joe Stalin who hated when people didn't do what he told them. Nevertheless, Stalin's Soviet Union will have no political power projection capability in Western Europe and direct military intervention would be a political blunder (and not to mention logistically impossible!) - besides Stalin wasn't a gambler like Hitler and would never do such a thing. Thus, there will be some fist shaking at "Spaniards' betrayal of worker's revolution" which will cause the split and put the Spanish communist on the reform path.

Just my thoughts on what MIGHT happen, but then again I might be completely wrong on it. :)

As for No Spanish Civil War, you might want to give it a proper read. You will probably enjoy it even more, being well-versed in Spanish 30's politics, as Dr. Strangelove puts an emphasis on development of political scene and problems caused by the aborted coup d'etat.
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By "Stalinist", I'm guessing you mean a strict application of Marxism-Leninism with a transitional period of strong statist socialism. Apologies, but as a Marxist, the word doesn't have a proper meaning and always throws me off a bit, haha. :)

Ideological convictions really did matter though. For example, geographical and political isolation never stopped Enver Hoxha. He received no aid from the Soviet Union but still followed Stalin's line very strictly.

I will get round to reading it, thank you for the suggestion. :)
 
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