Very nice. Though you have December 11, 1975 in the update - isn't it suppose to be December 11, 1965?
Españoles en Vietnam: Franco's last war.
- Thread starter Kurt_Steiner
- Start date
Yes, everything goles as IOTL but for the Spanish role.
I don't know if this small thing will cover to such a long time...
IMHO, after Ike managed to put some bases in Spain, Washington forgot a bit that Franco's past (and present) actions. Something quite normal. The enemy of my enemy...
Indeed, he was.
Well, I didn't consider that option, but now that you mention it...
Ouch! I almost ended the war too soon! Well spotted. Thanks!
If he sends war criminals or those inclined to be war criminals they could be a problem.
Just sending "would be" criminals would be a problem. Just imagine the US newspapers writting about the past of the Legión...
Add to that the myth if the SS volunteers figthing at Dien Bien Phu...
Mmmm... No. I'm not planning to turn Andalucia into a big hole.
No. Really. I'm not.
On the other hand the Spanish people is among the most anti-American in Europe IOTL and I don't think this is going to improve that...
Good grief, I never expected to find that old chestnut at AH.com, of all places
No he was not. Socialists were among the first victims of the Nazi regime.
Well, it IS in the name....I bet you think North Korea is a democracy too.
General Ripper
Banned
From a country that has killed/will kill 2 millions of Vietnamese in name of democracy and freedom, saying something about Spanish Legion is deeply hypocritical.
Agens Orange, My Lai etc...
You are quite right about that, methinks...
Indeed. But Vietnam was a deeply hypocritical war. Anyway, we are in 1966. My Lai and that bloody Lieutenant Calley are still hidden in the midst of future events, the anti-war movement is still gathering strength and LBJ is still playing to be the good guy and the USA the power who "saved" the world from Hitler and "protected" us from the Communist threat.
Would spanish participation, keep Cao Ky in the palace? He is the man of action, similar to Senior Bohomade, Thieu is an overly ambitious line officer. A meeting between Ky and Franco, might prove instructive.
Does Franco still have the members of OAS Madrid? Their experience (especially of those who served in the First Indochina War) in counter insurgency techniques could make them very useful as back room advisors (and they'll have to stay in that back room, as their involvement being leaked would be a bigger scandal than Franco's Stahlhelms would have been).
To camoflage Spanish troops, dress them in US Army fatigues and refer to them as the 119th Regiment of Foot, Texas Army National Guard. Similarly, you could pretend that subsequent regiments came from any other state with significant numbers of Latino citizens: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, maybe even Puerto Rico.
As for Franco sending Spanish Legonaires (with SS experience) .... dress them in US Army fatigues and assign them to the recce/sniper/scout platoon of the 89th Regiment of Foot, Arizona National Guard.
Remember that during the 1950s, French Regular Army conscripts derisively refered to the French Foreign Legion as "Degaulle's SS" because of the SS numbers tattooed on their arms.
As for Franco sending Spanish Legonaires (with SS experience) .... dress them in US Army fatigues and assign them to the recce/sniper/scout platoon of the 89th Regiment of Foot, Arizona National Guard.
Remember that during the 1950s, French Regular Army conscripts derisively refered to the French Foreign Legion as "Degaulle's SS" because of the SS numbers tattooed on their arms.
As you all will see, the Spanish contribution to the Vietnam War will be equal to it'spicturd
I don't have the guts to dwell too much into that side of the war. If any of them wants to join something like Operation Phoenix, it will be the matter of other alternative story...
If you look carefully to the picture that opens the last chapter, you'll see Spanish soldiers wearing US uniforms in Vietnan ... No need to go under disguise.
The thing about ex-SS members of the FFL is, for the record, mostly a myth started by the book Devil's Guard, which has been proven to be fiction. There were some who served but overwhelmingly conscripts who joined it late in the war. The French did check for that and ex-SS members were really easy to identify because of the blood group tattoo (even if they removed it the scar on the exact location SS regs indicated the tat should be applied wouldn't have fooled anyone). The only people who could pass the litmus test were late War conscripts because some apparently didn't have it (the SS got more lax in those years).
I don't know but I suspect it probably would have been easier for an ex-SS guy to join the Spanish Legion. Tons of Spaniards did serve in the SS and Wehrmacht, there were common fascist sympathies, and the background checks by all accounts pretty much didn't exist.