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Clash of Wills
The Sun Rises Yet Again
Chapter 13: Clash of Wills
June 4, 1925
Mosley sits at his desk, going about his daily grind. Every day is filled with work and there is little free time. Mosley knew from the moment the Treaty of Paris had been signed that Britain would only have so many years to prepare itself to fight Germany once more. Every day passing by is another step closer to the storm brewing in Europe. Some may prefer to bury their heads in the sand, but Mosley is determined to face this storm with the strength of Odysseus.
The civil war in Spain progresses in the Nationalists favour. Fuller has convinced Montgomery, Brooke, and a young hopeful named Harold Alexander to take temporary residence in Iberia so as to remain close to the front. Brooke took the position as he trusted Fuller's judgement, Montgomery practically lunged at it, eager to improve his track record after an embarrassing defeat he suffered during the Irish Revolt. Alexander went as Fuller told him he would help him rise through the ranks if he displayed sufficient skill. Fuller was motivated to do so as Harold displayed significant heroism at the Battle of Le Mans, at the Battle of Orléans and the disastrous Battle of the Seine, the latter two being apart of the failed Centre Offensive which had planned to retake Paris in a massive counterattack. He was then promoted to second-in-command of 1st Battalion of the Irish Guard and would serve as acting major. He briefly took command after his commanding officer had died after being shot in the left eye. In 1917, he was promoted to CO of the battalion and became an acting Lt. Colonel. He would lead several small successful offensives at Nantes and along the surrounding Loire River. Eventually, he and all British troops in France were ordered to retreat,those in the Western half would leave by sea back to Britain while those in the Eastern half would retreat into Savoy and assist the Italians. Alexander and his forces were directed towards Saint-Nazaire to be evacuated. Harris and Dowding had requested to be allowed to also take temporary residence in Iberia.
Fuller, Hart and the recent additions, Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel and Sir Philip Neame, have received news of the limited success of British forces against Republican troops. Britain's involvement is still a well-kept secret. It seems that not even the French know of British intervention. Italy and Portugal help in this, having already publicly announced their intervention into the war. Britain covertly sends the materials and men to Portugal and then they cross the border into Spain. Messe and Montgomery cooperate well together, further developing their tactics. Ugo Cavallero and Alexander also work in tandem against Republican forces, to great effect. Brooke along the with the Portuguese generals Tomás Rosado and José Norton de Matos lead the forces in the north, Alexander and Cavallero command the southern forces while Messe and Montgomery lead the charge through the center. All involved use the conflict to advance their understanding of modern warfare.
While the Civil War continues, Vereker has been sent to the Caribbean to train on the various islands to develop an able jungle corps for when invasions of Africa and East Asia necessitated it. Auchinleck has been deployed to train troops in Mozambique and Angola so as to prepare a capable mountain and highland divisions for operations in France, Germany and the Austrian Alps should the need arise. Trenchard, Lyster and Henderson have also been deployed to the Caribbean to work on inter-island flying operations and to train seaplane pilots. Naval exercises have also been scheduled in the North Sea by Iceland, with their consent, between Madden and Grenfell. All these developments have been designed to be as far away as possible from the prying eyes of the Comintern and Germany.
Mosley decides the reformation of an official propaganda ministry was necessary. He proposes the reformation of the Ministry of Information which had been closed after the war. it passes through on the idea that Britain was already in a state of war against the Comintern. With its rebirth, Mosley employs several propagandists such as Arnold Bennett. He hands oversight of the Ministry to Wilfred Risdon, a friend and head propagandist during the 1924 campaign, and tells them to begin preparing songs, posters and war films.
Mosley and Fuller view the developments in Spain with close attention. Unfortunately, British forces are unable to make any meaningful decisions against Republican forces as such actions would reveal to the world that British forces were in the peninsula. Mosley and Fuller decide that the need to remain secret on Britain's influence in the war had passed. They agree that Mosley must fully announce his intention to intervene now before the fact that British troops are already deployed was leaked. Otherwise, people will think he is attempting to deceive them. He informs the public that an important announcement will happen on the 28th. Mosley prepares his speech and the days pass. The day has come and the crowds are gathered, the Ministry has managed to complete 1 song and has a group of veterans implanted in the crowd to begin singing once the speech is over. Mosley stands before the crowd, wearing the same blackshirt he wore back in the campaigning days. The crowd cheers as they see him step into view. He approaches the microphone and begins to speak.
Oswald Mosley
"People of Britain! Today I have called you here to announce that the heads of the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and I have decided that intervention into the Spanish Civil War is necessary. The Nationalists are our ideological kin, to abandon them in their time of need would be a grave crime. I have already authorised the movement of troops, materials, vehicles, and aircraft to Portugal in order to begin staging our intervention. Francisco Franco, the leader of the righteous Falangist resistance to the vile Spanish Communists, has finally accepted a deal that would return Gibraltar to British control. For this, we are thankful. I am certain that Parliament will see the merit behind this decision and will not stand in the way of it. We mustn't allow communism to gain another foothold on the continent. The countries of Europe are like a chain of dominoes, once one falls, all will fall. We must stop this chain if we wish to protect our way of life. Today, Britain awakes!"
The crowd celebrate this announcement. Many are hoping for an easy victory to improve the national spirit. As they cheer, the group of veterans begin to sing the song. " Comrades, the voices of the dead battalions, of those who fell in fields of France and sands of east to fight those mighty beasts! Join in our song, for they still march in spirit with us, and urge us on to gain the Victorian state! Join in our song, for they still march in spirit with us, and urge us on to gain the Victorian state! We're of their blood, and spirit of their spirit, sprung from that soil for whose dear sake they bled! Against vested powers, Red front, and massed ranks of resistance! We lead the fight for glory and for might! Against vested powers, Red front, and massed ranks of resistance! We lead the fight for glory and for might. The streets are still, the final struggle's ended; Flushed with the fight we proudly hail the dawn! See, over all the streets the Victorian banners waving, triumphant standards of our race reborn, all hail the Grandest Guiding Glory, for His name is Oswald Mosley! See, over all the streets the Victorian banners waving, triumphant standards of our race reborn, all hail the Grandest Guiding Glory, for His name is Oswald Mosley!"
With this declaration, Fuller sends orders to all in Spain to carry out their prepared battle plans that were unable to executed beforehand. The first of these plans is to eliminate Republican resistance in Ávila so that Montgomery could begin attacking the province of Segovia. It would also further separate the forces in the north from those in the center and south. In order to follow through with this plan, a joint offensive is organised and soon it is ready. Montgomery cooperates with Brooke in a two-pronged offensive, with Montgomery attacking from the front while Brooke, based in Valladolid, initiates an artillery barrage a mile or so behind enemy lines in order to destroy their headquarters and prevent an organised retreat. Montgomery's attack is merely a single, mobile component of the larger assault lead by Nationalist Lt. Colonel Juan Yagüe. Yagüe was known to be brutal, sparing no quarter for enemy troops unless something of value could be gained from it. As the assault progresses, Brooke's bombardment successfully crippled communications and logistics to the front-line. Harris also bombs the city of Villacastín as well as the roads leading to it from Ávila in order to further hamper the Republican retreat to Segovia. As Yagüe's assault continues, Montgomery makes a successful manoeuvre around the right flank of the enemy. Montgomery pins them down there and uses the stalemate to relay the troops current position to Brooke, who begins bombing the enemies' trenches. Soon after, Yagüe achieves a victory and begins pushing the mainline back. Yagüe requests that Brooke send a cavalry brigade down south to assist in the encirclement. Brooke does so and with this news Montgomery begins pushing as well, easily taking the bombarded trenches. The forces converge at Marugán and with that, 2 battalions have been surrounded in a pocket and are left to the mercy of Yagüe. He slaughters all the captives, even the wounded, earning the name of the "Butcher of Ávila".
With this loss, the Republic, fearing the capture of Madrid, move troops to the city and begin fortifying it against an assault. They request further aid from the Comintern and they oblige. The majority of the French divisions entrench themselves in the north while the Soviets strengthen the south. Cavallero initiates a daring offensive in the south, pushing forward and laying siege to city of Málaga. This assault was assisted by heavy bombardment and infantry offensives from General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra, head of Nationalist forces in the south. De Llano was the man who captured Seville. Once de Llano held the city, he ordered his men to commit mass killings throughout the city. As the siege progressed, the Italian and Portuguese Navy provided assistance in blockading the city while HMS Barham and HMS Hood fired on the city from the port, using Gibraltar as their port. Alexander begins a separate assault to take Córdoba. The resistance around Palma del Río, Écija, and Puente Genil is lighter than normal however the defenses at Puente Genil are still too strong and so he requests de Llano and Cavallero to send a force up the road towards Montilla so as to help surround the forces in Puente Genil, they oblige. Alexander, basing out Carmona, successfully captures Lora del Río and uses the Guadalquivir River to move quickly to take Palma del Río and begins an assault on Écija. Cavallero successfully capture Lucena, Monturque, and Aguilar de la Frontera, forcing the Soviets to move troops from the defense of Écija, which weakened their front. Although they fought hard, renewed bombardment broke the enemy lines and allowed the Nationalists to begin sieging Córdoba. Harris continuously deploys bomber squadrons on bombing runs against Madrid, Toledo, Málaga, Granada, Córdoba and Bilbao, all which have held strong against any advances. Drax intercepts a small convoy of Republican troops attempting to retake Spanish Morocco.
Harris and Dowding both see that their fighters and bombers are not as effective as they could be and send word back to Mosley requesting that he get into contact with aviation manufacturers in Britain and to request any blueprints and working models from Italy or Portugal. They also enclose a list of all the problems with the current aircraft and the desired specifications for any new ones. Mosley heeds this advice and contacts a supporter of his named Thomas Sopwith, head of H.G. Hawker Engineering. The company's predecessor, the Sopwith Aviation Company, produced more than 18,000 planes for the Entente in the Great War but was bankrupted after the war due to the government's anti-profiteering laws. With this, he became disenfranchised. Although he found renewed success by establishing Hawker Aircraft, named after his chief engineer and test pilot Harry Hawker, he grew to dislike David Lloyd George and what he considered the old guard of politics and drifted to favour Mosley and the Victorian Union. Although Mosley had told Sopwith to prepare for minor war within about a decade and a major war within 20 years, he has yet to officially begin development of new planes. Mosley sends the details over to Sopwith and asks him if he can design planes like them within 3 years. Sopwith says he believes he can do it. Mosley is pleased and tells Sopwith he will get funding from the Chiefs of Staff Committee for RTD and manufacturing and also promises him if he gets these planes into action before 1930, he will help Sopwith merge with several other aviation companies. Mosley has made similar promises to Vickers, Rolls-Royce, J. Samuel White, Brunner Mond, Nobel Explosives, the United Alkali Company, and British Dyestuffs Corporation, and Unilever. This was all apart of Mosley's plan to centralise all British industries into several key companies that could be easily controlled, achieving what Kitson calls the "Inter-Command Economy". In this economy, the free market would remain in control until the government decides it is necessary to intervene. This way, productivity would remain but national needs could still be addressed in a timely matter. Kitson believes it would have the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither.
Germany so far has remained silent on the Civil War. Germany was planning to intervene on the side of the Nationalists as they disliked the influence the Comintern would hold if the Republicans were to win. However, Italy and Portugal's reactionary movements made Germany reconsider this and with the rise of the Victorians in Britain, all hope for intervention on the side of Franco vanished. The last thing Germany wanted was another state in Europe that could help the British prosecute a war against the empire. However, with Italy, Portugal, and Britain's establishment of a new alliance and their common support of Franco, Germany could no longer remain silent. No longer could the Fatherland stand idly by and let the chips fall where they may, hoping it would favour them. He must take action. The OHL and the Kaiser convene on what to do and after much deliberation decide that assisting the Republicans fully would be the best choice. It would prevent another country allying with the Madman Mosley and the Republicans were less likely to get into another conflict than the Falangists were and it would help quell the Leftist movements in the country. It would also placate the Right as it would be a prime opportunity to display Germany's military might to the world and remind them once more that the German Empire was the victor of the Weltkrieg, not Britain. Kaiser Wilhelm addresses a crowd in Berlin.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
"My fellow Germans, today I am proud to announce that German Empire fully supports the Republican cause. Effective immediately, men and material will be transported to Spain to take part in that great conflict. I know there has been much strife within our great nation, but I resolve myself to find a solution that will see Germany enter the next era strong and resolute! Although this will take time, I have no qualms of whether or not our glorious race can overcome these challenges. Our entire history is filled with defiance of impossible odds. In 9 AD, in the Teutoburg Forest, our ancestors fought valiantly against the Romans and secured the independence of Germania. In 1759 AD, Fredrick the Great had lost the Battle of Kunersdorf to the Austrians and the Russians and Berlin was at their mercy. The end seemed inevitable but by the grace of God, neither of them marched on the city and retreated, this was the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. In 1761 AD, 2 years later, the war had once against turned against Prussia, but in our darkest hour the fates smiled on us and Empress Elizabeth of Russia had died and her nephew Peter III came to power and he made peace with us. In 1871 AD, the vile Napoleon III and the French declared war on Prussia but thanks to the genius of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Paris was quickly surrounded and we would win, unifying Germany shortly after. Just 11 short years ago, the Weltkrieg began and Germany prevailed against the might of the Entente, smashing her enemies into submission. My dear subjects, I assure you the German Eagle is still soaring over Europa and all attempts to shoot her down will be met with furious retribution. God is with us!"
The crowd applauds the speech and begin cheering the Kaiser's name. The Kaiser is glad he hadn't been protested by his enemies during his speech, as had happen so many other times. Although the people were still against another major war, they could get behind a minor one. For too long, Germany has maintained a pseudo-isolationist attitude in the same vein as the U.S. Germany, however, has no Atlantic or Pacific to shield itself from foreign developments. With this announcement, the OHL begins organising a new German Expeditionary Force and its transportation to Spain. Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg are assigned as head commanders for the GEF in Spain.
The two had gained fame after the war as they wrote about their achievements. Hindenburg is especially praised for his victory at the Battle of Tannenberg as well as his Defense-in-Depth strategies he employed against the Russians during the Brusilov Offensive which many claim saved Austria-Hungary from complete collapse, most notably with the famed "Hindeburg Line" which stretched from Zagreb to Košice. Ludendorff is most famous for his successful actions in France and quick defeat of the Belgians at Liège. After Helmuth von Moltke the Younger's disastrous blunder at Tours, he resigned himself to head of Der stellvertretende Generalstab, his position as Quarter-Master General was succeed by General Erich Georg Anton von Falkenhayn. Moltke's health continued to deteriorate and with the shocking success of the Brusilov Offensive sending him into an even steeper descent, he passed away on July 10, 1916. Von Falkenhayn was of the mindset that Germany, despite its startling capture of Paris, would not be able to force a decisive victory but would instead need to reach a compromise peace. This along with his infamous move to attack the French at Troyes lead to his sacking by the Kaiser in late 1915 where he was replaced by Ludendorff. Ludendorff continued the war in the West while Hindenburg moved in the East. In 1916, the situation was beginning to turn against Germany. The tenactiy of the British and French in the West and the bloody aggresiveness of the Russians in the East meant that for the first time in the war, Germany was losing. In order to nip the problem in the bud, Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided to install a military junta in Germany and, with help from allies in the OHL and the acquiescence of the Kaiser, they were successful. Hindenburg was given de jure control of all forces of the Central Powers but Hindenburg was the de facto head. Soon after, several unrelated military victories cemented the staying power of this duumvirate and would in the years following the war be known as the "Silent Dictatorship". After the war however, the Kaiser reasserted his authority and forced the two to back down. This assumption of power worried him and he began to gravitate towards alternative military men to break up the established order. One of these men is Gerd von Rundstedt. Rundstedt is a staunch monarchist and has no desire to return to the Silent Dictatorship.
Hindenburg is in charge of the front from Bilbao to Toledo while Ludendorff is in command of the front south of Toledo. The Kaiser pushes Hindenburg to accept Runstedt as head of the Madrid-Toledo front. With his new appointment, Rundstedt appoints Major Erwin Rommel to head the forces in Madrid. Rommel fought in the Great War, seeing his first action at Troyes. He was still a platoon commander at the time. He caught a French garrison in the area off their guard and he along with three men opened fire on them without ordering the rest of his platoon forward. They continued to skirmish throughout September and October as the mostly static trench warfare of the Western Front would not set in until after Tours in November. For his actions in those early months, he was awarded an Iron Cross, Second Class and then promoted to Oberleutnant and transferred to the Alpenkorps which was attempting to break through the French defenses in the Vosges Mountains. This and other battles by German armies in Elsaß-Lothringen would be later called the Battle of the Frontiers. In 1917, he fought several battles against the Romanians and Russians before being moved to the Isonzo Front and fought against the Italians. He saw heavy fighting and was received a dangerous piece of shrapnel in his right breast from a grenade from an Arditi during the Venetian Offensive, he would fight this very Arditi moments later in brutal hand-to-hand combat. This along with several other impressive victories against the Italians earned him a Pour le Mérite medal. After the Venetian Offensive, he was promoted to Hauptmann and spent the rest of the war in a hospital healing his wounds. Rommel, along with men like Heinz Guderian and his close colleagues, wants to modernise the German army and move it towards a more mobile and mechanised force, along the lines of what Fuller and his men are implementing.
As the battles progress, Rommel and Montgomery clash, being the top commanders on each side. They meet in several engagements in the neighboring areas around Madrid and Toledo. Montgomery comes to be known as the "British Lysander" and his men are known as the "Spartan Battalion" for their fierce fighting and Montgomery's aura due to his strict regimen and his inability to drink or smoke due to a lung injury sustained in the Great War, which many perceived as him being disciplined. Rommel, meanwhile, is known as the "Toledo Hound" for his quick and sporadic movements while his men are distinguished as the "Gespensterbataillon" for the fact that Hindenburg and sometimes even Rundstedt lost track of where he was. Despite Montgomery's best efforts, he had been outpaced by Rommel several times as Rommel was his equal but has the advantage of more modern German equipment, most noticeably is the difference in the tanks. The Claudius I, despite its improvement over the AV7 and Mark I, is far behind the German "Kaisertank", which is a heavy vehicle used as an infantry-tank in supporting endeavors. Montgomery, in response, begins to amass his tanks and covering them with camouflage in the form of tree branches, leaves and dirt. They would hide in waiting before attacking the Kaisertanks from the sides or rear as they are slow to turn and find it difficult to keep up with the more nimble Claudius. As the battles continue, the men grow to love Montgomery, calling him "Monty". They thank him for the fact that he viewed their lives with care and not reckless abandon as had been done a decade prior. Montgomery was quoted as saying, " The frightful casualties appalled me. The so-called 'good fighting generals' of the war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life.", when asked what he thought about the commanders of the Great War. Although he was loved by his men, he was less amiable to his equals. He had great self-confidence and argued constantly with Brooke and Alexander as well as the Spanish and Portuguese generals. Still, he produced great results and kept the Republicans, Comintern, and the Germans on their feet. As the war continues, the death toll rises, most of all for the Spanish. With the German intervention, the front has mostly stagnated. Málaga had fallen to de Llano and Cavallero and purges of dissidents and subversive elements followed. With the fall of the city, more forces move to take part in the siege of Córdoba.
At home, Mosley continues to spread propaganda to keep support for the war high. He works with the industrialists to get the British war economy moving. He also increases recruitment efforts to bring the army back to pre-demobilisation numbers. With the intervention in Spain demanding more and more munitions, arms and vehicles for the army, the factories begin to churn out an increasing number of material. As demand expands, more of the unemployed are hired to fill the jobs. This, along with Kitson's previous statutes, have led to a rising British economy. Kitson and several other economic theorists project that Britain will return to pre-depression levels of economic prosperity around late 1926 to early 1927. Sopwith's development of new planes moves rapidly, coordinating with Italian and Portuguese companies to improve flight speed, aerodynamic design, armament, structural stability, operating range, fuel efficiency and other features of the planes. Vickers has also been commissioned to develop a new tank to succeed the Claudius I. Meanwhile, Harland and Wolff is commissioned to begin conversion of the HMS Glorious from a Courageous-class battlecruiser to an aircraft carrier, modeled after HMS Hermes where possible. Mosley also made several secretive requests to ICI to begin experimenting with the production of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gases. He also asked them to begin researching into engineering strains of deadly diseases for militarised use. He also makes public overtures to Unilever to encourage trade to the Netherlands so as to improve Anglo-Dutch relation as Britain had lost most if not all of its oil producing territories and needed large quantities of the substance to fuel the growing army, navy, and air force. It would also help them cut into a share of Berlin's investment, taking profit away from the stock exchange. He sends notice to all the Imperial loyalists that the first Imperial Conference since the fall of the Empire would be held next month. It was time for the roaming sons to return home. If Britain was to win the coming conflicts, she must not only posses a mighty military, but a powerful industrial base to fuel fires of war. This would be a clash of industries as much as one of wills.
Oswald Mosley Declaring Britain's Full Support for the Nationalist Cause, 1925
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Lieutenant-General Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel, Army Officer in the Great War and One of Fuller's Top Theorists, 1921
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Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame, Senior Army Officer, Victoria Cross Recipient, and Major Advocate for Manouvre Warfare in Britain, 1919
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Paul von Hindenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Erich Ludendorff Planning the Final Offensives in the Middle East and the Alps, 1918
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Oberst Gerd von Rundstedt, Ally to Kaiser Wilhelm II and Rising Figure in the Heer, 1925
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Heinz Guderian, OHL Innovator and Major Advocate for Bewegungskrieg in the Heer, 1923
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Haupt Erwin Rommel, Decorated Officer in the Heer and Proponent and Practitioner of Bewegungskrieg, 1917
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Two Supermarine Southamptons Flying Towards the City of Málaga in Order to Bombard it, 1925
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Falangist Propaganda of a Staged Killing of a Republican Soldier, 1923
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Chapter 13: Clash of Wills
June 4, 1925
Mosley sits at his desk, going about his daily grind. Every day is filled with work and there is little free time. Mosley knew from the moment the Treaty of Paris had been signed that Britain would only have so many years to prepare itself to fight Germany once more. Every day passing by is another step closer to the storm brewing in Europe. Some may prefer to bury their heads in the sand, but Mosley is determined to face this storm with the strength of Odysseus.
The civil war in Spain progresses in the Nationalists favour. Fuller has convinced Montgomery, Brooke, and a young hopeful named Harold Alexander to take temporary residence in Iberia so as to remain close to the front. Brooke took the position as he trusted Fuller's judgement, Montgomery practically lunged at it, eager to improve his track record after an embarrassing defeat he suffered during the Irish Revolt. Alexander went as Fuller told him he would help him rise through the ranks if he displayed sufficient skill. Fuller was motivated to do so as Harold displayed significant heroism at the Battle of Le Mans, at the Battle of Orléans and the disastrous Battle of the Seine, the latter two being apart of the failed Centre Offensive which had planned to retake Paris in a massive counterattack. He was then promoted to second-in-command of 1st Battalion of the Irish Guard and would serve as acting major. He briefly took command after his commanding officer had died after being shot in the left eye. In 1917, he was promoted to CO of the battalion and became an acting Lt. Colonel. He would lead several small successful offensives at Nantes and along the surrounding Loire River. Eventually, he and all British troops in France were ordered to retreat,those in the Western half would leave by sea back to Britain while those in the Eastern half would retreat into Savoy and assist the Italians. Alexander and his forces were directed towards Saint-Nazaire to be evacuated. Harris and Dowding had requested to be allowed to also take temporary residence in Iberia.
Fuller, Hart and the recent additions, Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel and Sir Philip Neame, have received news of the limited success of British forces against Republican troops. Britain's involvement is still a well-kept secret. It seems that not even the French know of British intervention. Italy and Portugal help in this, having already publicly announced their intervention into the war. Britain covertly sends the materials and men to Portugal and then they cross the border into Spain. Messe and Montgomery cooperate well together, further developing their tactics. Ugo Cavallero and Alexander also work in tandem against Republican forces, to great effect. Brooke along the with the Portuguese generals Tomás Rosado and José Norton de Matos lead the forces in the north, Alexander and Cavallero command the southern forces while Messe and Montgomery lead the charge through the center. All involved use the conflict to advance their understanding of modern warfare.
While the Civil War continues, Vereker has been sent to the Caribbean to train on the various islands to develop an able jungle corps for when invasions of Africa and East Asia necessitated it. Auchinleck has been deployed to train troops in Mozambique and Angola so as to prepare a capable mountain and highland divisions for operations in France, Germany and the Austrian Alps should the need arise. Trenchard, Lyster and Henderson have also been deployed to the Caribbean to work on inter-island flying operations and to train seaplane pilots. Naval exercises have also been scheduled in the North Sea by Iceland, with their consent, between Madden and Grenfell. All these developments have been designed to be as far away as possible from the prying eyes of the Comintern and Germany.
Mosley decides the reformation of an official propaganda ministry was necessary. He proposes the reformation of the Ministry of Information which had been closed after the war. it passes through on the idea that Britain was already in a state of war against the Comintern. With its rebirth, Mosley employs several propagandists such as Arnold Bennett. He hands oversight of the Ministry to Wilfred Risdon, a friend and head propagandist during the 1924 campaign, and tells them to begin preparing songs, posters and war films.
Mosley and Fuller view the developments in Spain with close attention. Unfortunately, British forces are unable to make any meaningful decisions against Republican forces as such actions would reveal to the world that British forces were in the peninsula. Mosley and Fuller decide that the need to remain secret on Britain's influence in the war had passed. They agree that Mosley must fully announce his intention to intervene now before the fact that British troops are already deployed was leaked. Otherwise, people will think he is attempting to deceive them. He informs the public that an important announcement will happen on the 28th. Mosley prepares his speech and the days pass. The day has come and the crowds are gathered, the Ministry has managed to complete 1 song and has a group of veterans implanted in the crowd to begin singing once the speech is over. Mosley stands before the crowd, wearing the same blackshirt he wore back in the campaigning days. The crowd cheers as they see him step into view. He approaches the microphone and begins to speak.
Oswald Mosley
"People of Britain! Today I have called you here to announce that the heads of the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and I have decided that intervention into the Spanish Civil War is necessary. The Nationalists are our ideological kin, to abandon them in their time of need would be a grave crime. I have already authorised the movement of troops, materials, vehicles, and aircraft to Portugal in order to begin staging our intervention. Francisco Franco, the leader of the righteous Falangist resistance to the vile Spanish Communists, has finally accepted a deal that would return Gibraltar to British control. For this, we are thankful. I am certain that Parliament will see the merit behind this decision and will not stand in the way of it. We mustn't allow communism to gain another foothold on the continent. The countries of Europe are like a chain of dominoes, once one falls, all will fall. We must stop this chain if we wish to protect our way of life. Today, Britain awakes!"
The crowd celebrate this announcement. Many are hoping for an easy victory to improve the national spirit. As they cheer, the group of veterans begin to sing the song. " Comrades, the voices of the dead battalions, of those who fell in fields of France and sands of east to fight those mighty beasts! Join in our song, for they still march in spirit with us, and urge us on to gain the Victorian state! Join in our song, for they still march in spirit with us, and urge us on to gain the Victorian state! We're of their blood, and spirit of their spirit, sprung from that soil for whose dear sake they bled! Against vested powers, Red front, and massed ranks of resistance! We lead the fight for glory and for might! Against vested powers, Red front, and massed ranks of resistance! We lead the fight for glory and for might. The streets are still, the final struggle's ended; Flushed with the fight we proudly hail the dawn! See, over all the streets the Victorian banners waving, triumphant standards of our race reborn, all hail the Grandest Guiding Glory, for His name is Oswald Mosley! See, over all the streets the Victorian banners waving, triumphant standards of our race reborn, all hail the Grandest Guiding Glory, for His name is Oswald Mosley!"
With this declaration, Fuller sends orders to all in Spain to carry out their prepared battle plans that were unable to executed beforehand. The first of these plans is to eliminate Republican resistance in Ávila so that Montgomery could begin attacking the province of Segovia. It would also further separate the forces in the north from those in the center and south. In order to follow through with this plan, a joint offensive is organised and soon it is ready. Montgomery cooperates with Brooke in a two-pronged offensive, with Montgomery attacking from the front while Brooke, based in Valladolid, initiates an artillery barrage a mile or so behind enemy lines in order to destroy their headquarters and prevent an organised retreat. Montgomery's attack is merely a single, mobile component of the larger assault lead by Nationalist Lt. Colonel Juan Yagüe. Yagüe was known to be brutal, sparing no quarter for enemy troops unless something of value could be gained from it. As the assault progresses, Brooke's bombardment successfully crippled communications and logistics to the front-line. Harris also bombs the city of Villacastín as well as the roads leading to it from Ávila in order to further hamper the Republican retreat to Segovia. As Yagüe's assault continues, Montgomery makes a successful manoeuvre around the right flank of the enemy. Montgomery pins them down there and uses the stalemate to relay the troops current position to Brooke, who begins bombing the enemies' trenches. Soon after, Yagüe achieves a victory and begins pushing the mainline back. Yagüe requests that Brooke send a cavalry brigade down south to assist in the encirclement. Brooke does so and with this news Montgomery begins pushing as well, easily taking the bombarded trenches. The forces converge at Marugán and with that, 2 battalions have been surrounded in a pocket and are left to the mercy of Yagüe. He slaughters all the captives, even the wounded, earning the name of the "Butcher of Ávila".
With this loss, the Republic, fearing the capture of Madrid, move troops to the city and begin fortifying it against an assault. They request further aid from the Comintern and they oblige. The majority of the French divisions entrench themselves in the north while the Soviets strengthen the south. Cavallero initiates a daring offensive in the south, pushing forward and laying siege to city of Málaga. This assault was assisted by heavy bombardment and infantry offensives from General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra, head of Nationalist forces in the south. De Llano was the man who captured Seville. Once de Llano held the city, he ordered his men to commit mass killings throughout the city. As the siege progressed, the Italian and Portuguese Navy provided assistance in blockading the city while HMS Barham and HMS Hood fired on the city from the port, using Gibraltar as their port. Alexander begins a separate assault to take Córdoba. The resistance around Palma del Río, Écija, and Puente Genil is lighter than normal however the defenses at Puente Genil are still too strong and so he requests de Llano and Cavallero to send a force up the road towards Montilla so as to help surround the forces in Puente Genil, they oblige. Alexander, basing out Carmona, successfully captures Lora del Río and uses the Guadalquivir River to move quickly to take Palma del Río and begins an assault on Écija. Cavallero successfully capture Lucena, Monturque, and Aguilar de la Frontera, forcing the Soviets to move troops from the defense of Écija, which weakened their front. Although they fought hard, renewed bombardment broke the enemy lines and allowed the Nationalists to begin sieging Córdoba. Harris continuously deploys bomber squadrons on bombing runs against Madrid, Toledo, Málaga, Granada, Córdoba and Bilbao, all which have held strong against any advances. Drax intercepts a small convoy of Republican troops attempting to retake Spanish Morocco.
Harris and Dowding both see that their fighters and bombers are not as effective as they could be and send word back to Mosley requesting that he get into contact with aviation manufacturers in Britain and to request any blueprints and working models from Italy or Portugal. They also enclose a list of all the problems with the current aircraft and the desired specifications for any new ones. Mosley heeds this advice and contacts a supporter of his named Thomas Sopwith, head of H.G. Hawker Engineering. The company's predecessor, the Sopwith Aviation Company, produced more than 18,000 planes for the Entente in the Great War but was bankrupted after the war due to the government's anti-profiteering laws. With this, he became disenfranchised. Although he found renewed success by establishing Hawker Aircraft, named after his chief engineer and test pilot Harry Hawker, he grew to dislike David Lloyd George and what he considered the old guard of politics and drifted to favour Mosley and the Victorian Union. Although Mosley had told Sopwith to prepare for minor war within about a decade and a major war within 20 years, he has yet to officially begin development of new planes. Mosley sends the details over to Sopwith and asks him if he can design planes like them within 3 years. Sopwith says he believes he can do it. Mosley is pleased and tells Sopwith he will get funding from the Chiefs of Staff Committee for RTD and manufacturing and also promises him if he gets these planes into action before 1930, he will help Sopwith merge with several other aviation companies. Mosley has made similar promises to Vickers, Rolls-Royce, J. Samuel White, Brunner Mond, Nobel Explosives, the United Alkali Company, and British Dyestuffs Corporation, and Unilever. This was all apart of Mosley's plan to centralise all British industries into several key companies that could be easily controlled, achieving what Kitson calls the "Inter-Command Economy". In this economy, the free market would remain in control until the government decides it is necessary to intervene. This way, productivity would remain but national needs could still be addressed in a timely matter. Kitson believes it would have the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither.
Germany so far has remained silent on the Civil War. Germany was planning to intervene on the side of the Nationalists as they disliked the influence the Comintern would hold if the Republicans were to win. However, Italy and Portugal's reactionary movements made Germany reconsider this and with the rise of the Victorians in Britain, all hope for intervention on the side of Franco vanished. The last thing Germany wanted was another state in Europe that could help the British prosecute a war against the empire. However, with Italy, Portugal, and Britain's establishment of a new alliance and their common support of Franco, Germany could no longer remain silent. No longer could the Fatherland stand idly by and let the chips fall where they may, hoping it would favour them. He must take action. The OHL and the Kaiser convene on what to do and after much deliberation decide that assisting the Republicans fully would be the best choice. It would prevent another country allying with the Madman Mosley and the Republicans were less likely to get into another conflict than the Falangists were and it would help quell the Leftist movements in the country. It would also placate the Right as it would be a prime opportunity to display Germany's military might to the world and remind them once more that the German Empire was the victor of the Weltkrieg, not Britain. Kaiser Wilhelm addresses a crowd in Berlin.
Kaiser Wilhelm II
"My fellow Germans, today I am proud to announce that German Empire fully supports the Republican cause. Effective immediately, men and material will be transported to Spain to take part in that great conflict. I know there has been much strife within our great nation, but I resolve myself to find a solution that will see Germany enter the next era strong and resolute! Although this will take time, I have no qualms of whether or not our glorious race can overcome these challenges. Our entire history is filled with defiance of impossible odds. In 9 AD, in the Teutoburg Forest, our ancestors fought valiantly against the Romans and secured the independence of Germania. In 1759 AD, Fredrick the Great had lost the Battle of Kunersdorf to the Austrians and the Russians and Berlin was at their mercy. The end seemed inevitable but by the grace of God, neither of them marched on the city and retreated, this was the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg. In 1761 AD, 2 years later, the war had once against turned against Prussia, but in our darkest hour the fates smiled on us and Empress Elizabeth of Russia had died and her nephew Peter III came to power and he made peace with us. In 1871 AD, the vile Napoleon III and the French declared war on Prussia but thanks to the genius of Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Paris was quickly surrounded and we would win, unifying Germany shortly after. Just 11 short years ago, the Weltkrieg began and Germany prevailed against the might of the Entente, smashing her enemies into submission. My dear subjects, I assure you the German Eagle is still soaring over Europa and all attempts to shoot her down will be met with furious retribution. God is with us!"
The crowd applauds the speech and begin cheering the Kaiser's name. The Kaiser is glad he hadn't been protested by his enemies during his speech, as had happen so many other times. Although the people were still against another major war, they could get behind a minor one. For too long, Germany has maintained a pseudo-isolationist attitude in the same vein as the U.S. Germany, however, has no Atlantic or Pacific to shield itself from foreign developments. With this announcement, the OHL begins organising a new German Expeditionary Force and its transportation to Spain. Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg are assigned as head commanders for the GEF in Spain.
The two had gained fame after the war as they wrote about their achievements. Hindenburg is especially praised for his victory at the Battle of Tannenberg as well as his Defense-in-Depth strategies he employed against the Russians during the Brusilov Offensive which many claim saved Austria-Hungary from complete collapse, most notably with the famed "Hindeburg Line" which stretched from Zagreb to Košice. Ludendorff is most famous for his successful actions in France and quick defeat of the Belgians at Liège. After Helmuth von Moltke the Younger's disastrous blunder at Tours, he resigned himself to head of Der stellvertretende Generalstab, his position as Quarter-Master General was succeed by General Erich Georg Anton von Falkenhayn. Moltke's health continued to deteriorate and with the shocking success of the Brusilov Offensive sending him into an even steeper descent, he passed away on July 10, 1916. Von Falkenhayn was of the mindset that Germany, despite its startling capture of Paris, would not be able to force a decisive victory but would instead need to reach a compromise peace. This along with his infamous move to attack the French at Troyes lead to his sacking by the Kaiser in late 1915 where he was replaced by Ludendorff. Ludendorff continued the war in the West while Hindenburg moved in the East. In 1916, the situation was beginning to turn against Germany. The tenactiy of the British and French in the West and the bloody aggresiveness of the Russians in the East meant that for the first time in the war, Germany was losing. In order to nip the problem in the bud, Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided to install a military junta in Germany and, with help from allies in the OHL and the acquiescence of the Kaiser, they were successful. Hindenburg was given de jure control of all forces of the Central Powers but Hindenburg was the de facto head. Soon after, several unrelated military victories cemented the staying power of this duumvirate and would in the years following the war be known as the "Silent Dictatorship". After the war however, the Kaiser reasserted his authority and forced the two to back down. This assumption of power worried him and he began to gravitate towards alternative military men to break up the established order. One of these men is Gerd von Rundstedt. Rundstedt is a staunch monarchist and has no desire to return to the Silent Dictatorship.
Hindenburg is in charge of the front from Bilbao to Toledo while Ludendorff is in command of the front south of Toledo. The Kaiser pushes Hindenburg to accept Runstedt as head of the Madrid-Toledo front. With his new appointment, Rundstedt appoints Major Erwin Rommel to head the forces in Madrid. Rommel fought in the Great War, seeing his first action at Troyes. He was still a platoon commander at the time. He caught a French garrison in the area off their guard and he along with three men opened fire on them without ordering the rest of his platoon forward. They continued to skirmish throughout September and October as the mostly static trench warfare of the Western Front would not set in until after Tours in November. For his actions in those early months, he was awarded an Iron Cross, Second Class and then promoted to Oberleutnant and transferred to the Alpenkorps which was attempting to break through the French defenses in the Vosges Mountains. This and other battles by German armies in Elsaß-Lothringen would be later called the Battle of the Frontiers. In 1917, he fought several battles against the Romanians and Russians before being moved to the Isonzo Front and fought against the Italians. He saw heavy fighting and was received a dangerous piece of shrapnel in his right breast from a grenade from an Arditi during the Venetian Offensive, he would fight this very Arditi moments later in brutal hand-to-hand combat. This along with several other impressive victories against the Italians earned him a Pour le Mérite medal. After the Venetian Offensive, he was promoted to Hauptmann and spent the rest of the war in a hospital healing his wounds. Rommel, along with men like Heinz Guderian and his close colleagues, wants to modernise the German army and move it towards a more mobile and mechanised force, along the lines of what Fuller and his men are implementing.
As the battles progress, Rommel and Montgomery clash, being the top commanders on each side. They meet in several engagements in the neighboring areas around Madrid and Toledo. Montgomery comes to be known as the "British Lysander" and his men are known as the "Spartan Battalion" for their fierce fighting and Montgomery's aura due to his strict regimen and his inability to drink or smoke due to a lung injury sustained in the Great War, which many perceived as him being disciplined. Rommel, meanwhile, is known as the "Toledo Hound" for his quick and sporadic movements while his men are distinguished as the "Gespensterbataillon" for the fact that Hindenburg and sometimes even Rundstedt lost track of where he was. Despite Montgomery's best efforts, he had been outpaced by Rommel several times as Rommel was his equal but has the advantage of more modern German equipment, most noticeably is the difference in the tanks. The Claudius I, despite its improvement over the AV7 and Mark I, is far behind the German "Kaisertank", which is a heavy vehicle used as an infantry-tank in supporting endeavors. Montgomery, in response, begins to amass his tanks and covering them with camouflage in the form of tree branches, leaves and dirt. They would hide in waiting before attacking the Kaisertanks from the sides or rear as they are slow to turn and find it difficult to keep up with the more nimble Claudius. As the battles continue, the men grow to love Montgomery, calling him "Monty". They thank him for the fact that he viewed their lives with care and not reckless abandon as had been done a decade prior. Montgomery was quoted as saying, " The frightful casualties appalled me. The so-called 'good fighting generals' of the war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life.", when asked what he thought about the commanders of the Great War. Although he was loved by his men, he was less amiable to his equals. He had great self-confidence and argued constantly with Brooke and Alexander as well as the Spanish and Portuguese generals. Still, he produced great results and kept the Republicans, Comintern, and the Germans on their feet. As the war continues, the death toll rises, most of all for the Spanish. With the German intervention, the front has mostly stagnated. Málaga had fallen to de Llano and Cavallero and purges of dissidents and subversive elements followed. With the fall of the city, more forces move to take part in the siege of Córdoba.
At home, Mosley continues to spread propaganda to keep support for the war high. He works with the industrialists to get the British war economy moving. He also increases recruitment efforts to bring the army back to pre-demobilisation numbers. With the intervention in Spain demanding more and more munitions, arms and vehicles for the army, the factories begin to churn out an increasing number of material. As demand expands, more of the unemployed are hired to fill the jobs. This, along with Kitson's previous statutes, have led to a rising British economy. Kitson and several other economic theorists project that Britain will return to pre-depression levels of economic prosperity around late 1926 to early 1927. Sopwith's development of new planes moves rapidly, coordinating with Italian and Portuguese companies to improve flight speed, aerodynamic design, armament, structural stability, operating range, fuel efficiency and other features of the planes. Vickers has also been commissioned to develop a new tank to succeed the Claudius I. Meanwhile, Harland and Wolff is commissioned to begin conversion of the HMS Glorious from a Courageous-class battlecruiser to an aircraft carrier, modeled after HMS Hermes where possible. Mosley also made several secretive requests to ICI to begin experimenting with the production of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gases. He also asked them to begin researching into engineering strains of deadly diseases for militarised use. He also makes public overtures to Unilever to encourage trade to the Netherlands so as to improve Anglo-Dutch relation as Britain had lost most if not all of its oil producing territories and needed large quantities of the substance to fuel the growing army, navy, and air force. It would also help them cut into a share of Berlin's investment, taking profit away from the stock exchange. He sends notice to all the Imperial loyalists that the first Imperial Conference since the fall of the Empire would be held next month. It was time for the roaming sons to return home. If Britain was to win the coming conflicts, she must not only posses a mighty military, but a powerful industrial base to fuel fires of war. This would be a clash of industries as much as one of wills.
Oswald Mosley Declaring Britain's Full Support for the Nationalist Cause, 1925
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Lieutenant-General Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel, Army Officer in the Great War and One of Fuller's Top Theorists, 1921
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Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame, Senior Army Officer, Victoria Cross Recipient, and Major Advocate for Manouvre Warfare in Britain, 1919
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Paul von Hindenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Erich Ludendorff Planning the Final Offensives in the Middle East and the Alps, 1918
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Oberst Gerd von Rundstedt, Ally to Kaiser Wilhelm II and Rising Figure in the Heer, 1925
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Heinz Guderian, OHL Innovator and Major Advocate for Bewegungskrieg in the Heer, 1923
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Haupt Erwin Rommel, Decorated Officer in the Heer and Proponent and Practitioner of Bewegungskrieg, 1917
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Two Supermarine Southamptons Flying Towards the City of Málaga in Order to Bombard it, 1925
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Falangist Propaganda of a Staged Killing of a Republican Soldier, 1923
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- Lord_Vespasian
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