Rattenfänger von Memphis
Donor
During World War II, Germany was interested in the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) for three main reasons: (1) Taking Gibraltar to close the Mediterranean Sea to the British; (2) Having Iberia as a reliable source of wolfram ore(tungsten) which was vital to upgrading military equipment; and (3) Using Spain’s and Portugal’s Atlantic islands as forward bases to support Germany’s U-boat war against Britain’s shipping.
In OTL, considering how brusquely Hitler treated a very friendly, Fascist Spain --- a Spain which bent over backwards to appease and aid Nazi Germany --- the Spanish still often actually feared a German invasion. How much more so would a non-Fascist, non-Communist, Republican Spain have been exposed to an ATL partial or full German invasion ? All the “advantages” that a Fascist Spain would have, would be non-existent for a Republican Spain.
(In the poll above, I interpret “partial invasion” as meaning Germany just makes a direct bee-line across Spanish territory to take Gibraltar, either with or without Spain’s permission and assent.)
Before we look at the position of a Republican Spain vis-à-vis Nazi Germany, consider how OTL Fascist Spain dealt with an overwhelmingly powerful Germany right at its border.
During OTL World War II, Germany, though wanting to achieve the 3 goals mentioned in the first paragraph, did not invade Fascist Spain for several reasons. The Spanish dictator Franco was a fellow Fascist who had been helped to power by both Hitler and Mussolini during the Spanish Civil War and he often expressed his gratitude. He tilted Spain’s neutrality in Germany’s favor as far as he possibly could. He frequently pledged to enter the war as Germany’s ally if Germany would provide a war-ravaged and starving Spain with foodstuffs, arms and African territory.
For months, even before France’s fall, Franco’s Spain was significantly helping the Germans. Jerrold M. Packard’s book, “Neither Friend Nor Foe: The European Neutrals In World War II” clearly shows how much…
And, after the fall of France in June 1940, Franco’s Spain aided the Axis powers even more than ever…
Yet, despite all this Spanish aid to Germany, Hitler still prepared Operation Felix without first consulting Spain…
In OTL Operation Felix was to be happening after Mussolini’s Italy’s botched invasion of Greece in October 1940 and before any German invasion of Yugoslavia, Greece and Soviet Russia in 1941.
Now to this ATL where Nazi Germany would be dealing with a Non-Fascist, Non-Communist, Republican Spain during World War II. In this scenario, the Spanish Republicans would have defeated, early in the Spanish Civil War probably by 1937, the Franco Fascists (the Nationalists) who were militarily backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Republicans would have won without any aid from Communist Russia. I am also assuming that Spain is not as physically devastated nor as hunger-stricken as in OTL. This might have made Spain a more tempting target to the Germans to occupy.
During OTL, both Britain and France adopted non-interference in the Spanish Civil War, refusing to supply or sell military aid to the legitimate Spanish Republic. A.J.P. Taylor in his book “Origins Of The Second World War” pages 121 – 122, showed how this caused Republican Spain to fall to the Franco Fascists backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy..
This makes it doubful, in case of a ATL victory by Republican Spain over the Franco Fascists, that the Spanish would have actively allied themselves with Britain and France against Germany when World War II started. Most probably Republican Spain would have been neutral much as Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium had been before the war engulfed those countries.
In OTL, the Largo Caballero government was in power from September 1936 until May 1937 in the Spanish Republic. Whether this government would still be in charge at the time of the Fall of France in June 1940 is unknowable. But what is knowable is that, according to the first paragraph in the “Background” section of Wikipedia’s article on Operation Felix , the Largo Caballero government had reached out to Nazi Germany, sometime in 1936 or 1937 with an offer…
This would show that the Spanish Republic was at least open to making a deal of some sort with Germany in the 1930s and this also .suggests that they could be pressured, as other European neutrals were pressured at the time, into making some concessions. I don’t think they would cooperate with Germany as extensively as OTL Franco Spain did, but whether this would be enough to save ATL Republican Spain from a partial or full German invasion, I don’t know.
I have thought about this situation for a while now and have wondered what others thought might happen in this ATL situation. Before posting, I searched on our website here and did not see this particular issue explicitly addressed. I am sorry if I overlooked a previous thread that does deal with it.
In OTL, considering how brusquely Hitler treated a very friendly, Fascist Spain --- a Spain which bent over backwards to appease and aid Nazi Germany --- the Spanish still often actually feared a German invasion. How much more so would a non-Fascist, non-Communist, Republican Spain have been exposed to an ATL partial or full German invasion ? All the “advantages” that a Fascist Spain would have, would be non-existent for a Republican Spain.
(In the poll above, I interpret “partial invasion” as meaning Germany just makes a direct bee-line across Spanish territory to take Gibraltar, either with or without Spain’s permission and assent.)
Before we look at the position of a Republican Spain vis-à-vis Nazi Germany, consider how OTL Fascist Spain dealt with an overwhelmingly powerful Germany right at its border.
During OTL World War II, Germany, though wanting to achieve the 3 goals mentioned in the first paragraph, did not invade Fascist Spain for several reasons. The Spanish dictator Franco was a fellow Fascist who had been helped to power by both Hitler and Mussolini during the Spanish Civil War and he often expressed his gratitude. He tilted Spain’s neutrality in Germany’s favor as far as he possibly could. He frequently pledged to enter the war as Germany’s ally if Germany would provide a war-ravaged and starving Spain with foodstuffs, arms and African territory.
For months, even before France’s fall, Franco’s Spain was significantly helping the Germans. Jerrold M. Packard’s book, “Neither Friend Nor Foe: The European Neutrals In World War II” clearly shows how much…
Neither Friend Nor Foe pages 118 - 119 said:“Franco further saw to it that the German embassy in Madrid was kept updated on information from diplomatic reports, and he permitted German propaganda to almost totally override Allied propaganda in the fascist-dominated Spanish press. Perhaps most dangerous from the Allied standpoint was the Spanish concession that allowed Iberia Airlines to use German pilots, even on routes from which Allied shipping could be observed.
Another important accommodation Franco allowed Germany was the reprovisioning and refueling of its submarines in Spanish ports, requiring only that the Reich do so in secret so the British wouldn’t launch reprisals against Spain. Among the ports thus used were Vigo, on the Atlantic, Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, and Cartagena on the Mediterranean coastline, the latter base supplied with a stock of U-boat spare parts.
On January 3, 1940, the first submarine to make use of the new gift was the U-25, when it floated into Cádiz harbor to tie up alongside the German freighter ‘Thalia’. After four hours of taking supplies off the merchant ship, the U-25 glided back out to sea, doubtless grateful for Spain’s favor. Berlin made sure its U-boat captains exempted Spanish carriers from its otherwise nearly indiscriminate sinking of shipping to Allied ports.”
And, after the fall of France in June 1940, Franco’s Spain aided the Axis powers even more than ever…
Neither Friend Nor Foe pages 193 - 194 said:“Even before France collapsed in June, Franco had allowed Germany---and to a lesser and less important degree, Italy--- important tactical privileges on Spanish soil and in Spanish anchorages, Principal among these was free access to the country’s ports for the safe harboring, reprovisioning, and rest for the personnel of the Kriegsmarine, the branch of the Wehrmacht then constituting the gravest danger to Britain.
Ports including Vigo, Santander, and Cádiz would throughout the war remain open to German surface and undersea naval forces. The Canary Island refueling and resupplying bases used by the Germans with Franco’s permission represented a vital refueling point for the critically important U-boat fleet until December 1941, when Germany’s ‘milch cow’ method of resupplying submarines at sea was initiated.
Spanish assistance to the Reich went considerably beyond providing Germany with safe harbors. Spain’s factories produced vast quantities of matériel that helped Germany keep its war machine in tune. Factories in Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia turned out items destined for the Reich ranging from cartridges to uniforms to submarine engines. Furthermore, as a result of an agreement signed in April 1941 Spaniards were allowed to travel to Germany to work in industry.”
Yet, despite all this Spanish aid to Germany, Hitler still prepared Operation Felix without first consulting Spain…
Neither Friend Nor Foe page 206 said:”So on November 12, 1940, Hitler issued his Directive 18. Code-named Operation Felix, the project dealt with the capture of Gibraltar and the subsequent closing of the fourteen-mile-wide strait, preferably with --- but otherwise without --- Spanish cooperation, Directive 18 set January 10, 1941, as the approximate date for a German entry from occupied France into Spain.”
In OTL Operation Felix was to be happening after Mussolini’s Italy’s botched invasion of Greece in October 1940 and before any German invasion of Yugoslavia, Greece and Soviet Russia in 1941.
Now to this ATL where Nazi Germany would be dealing with a Non-Fascist, Non-Communist, Republican Spain during World War II. In this scenario, the Spanish Republicans would have defeated, early in the Spanish Civil War probably by 1937, the Franco Fascists (the Nationalists) who were militarily backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Republicans would have won without any aid from Communist Russia. I am also assuming that Spain is not as physically devastated nor as hunger-stricken as in OTL. This might have made Spain a more tempting target to the Germans to occupy.
During OTL, both Britain and France adopted non-interference in the Spanish Civil War, refusing to supply or sell military aid to the legitimate Spanish Republic. A.J.P. Taylor in his book “Origins Of The Second World War” pages 121 – 122, showed how this caused Republican Spain to fall to the Franco Fascists backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy..
A J P Taylor said:”British and French policy, or lack of it, not the policy of Hitler and Mussolini, decided the outcome of the Spanish Civil War. The republic had greater resources, greater popular backing. It could win if it received the correct treatment to which it was entitled by international law: foreign arms for the legitimate government, none for the rebels. It could even win if both sides received foreign aid, or if both were denied it. The rebels had a chance only if they received foreign aid, while the republic received none or very little; and this extraordinary arrangement was provided, though not deliberately, by London and Paris.”
This makes it doubful, in case of a ATL victory by Republican Spain over the Franco Fascists, that the Spanish would have actively allied themselves with Britain and France against Germany when World War II started. Most probably Republican Spain would have been neutral much as Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium had been before the war engulfed those countries.
In OTL, the Largo Caballero government was in power from September 1936 until May 1937 in the Spanish Republic. Whether this government would still be in charge at the time of the Fall of France in June 1940 is unknowable. But what is knowable is that, according to the first paragraph in the “Background” section of Wikipedia’s article on Operation Felix , the Largo Caballero government had reached out to Nazi Germany, sometime in 1936 or 1937 with an offer…
Wikipedia said:“Reminiscing about the Spanish Civil War, Republican minister Federica Montseny wrote to historian Burnett Bolloten in 1950 that the government had planned to offer the Canary or the Balearic Islands to Germany in exchange of its neutrality. However, the Largo Caballero government could not provide written proof of its proposal and the Germans did continue to support the Nationalists.”
This would show that the Spanish Republic was at least open to making a deal of some sort with Germany in the 1930s and this also .suggests that they could be pressured, as other European neutrals were pressured at the time, into making some concessions. I don’t think they would cooperate with Germany as extensively as OTL Franco Spain did, but whether this would be enough to save ATL Republican Spain from a partial or full German invasion, I don’t know.
I have thought about this situation for a while now and have wondered what others thought might happen in this ATL situation. Before posting, I searched on our website here and did not see this particular issue explicitly addressed. I am sorry if I overlooked a previous thread that does deal with it.