May be Mola. Sanjurjo died july 20th. At the end the result is a fascist Spain.If the coup succeeded in the first few weeks Franco probably wouldn't come to power, Jose Sanjuro or Mola would
If there is no SCW with a Nationalist Spain, General Sanjuro wouldn't have to take his doomed flight from Portugal where he was exiled. He would probably have reentered Spain in a more leisurely fashion sometime after the military coup succeeded.May be Mola. Sanjurjo died july 20th. At the end the result is a fascist Spain.
A Mola Spain wouldn't really do much except tie the Western Allies in liberating it after Overlord instead of going directly for Berlin. This outcome is far more likely to end Fascist rule in Spain decades ahead of schedule, and we might just end up with a third Spanish Republic instead of a resurgent Kingdom of Spain as per OTL.
Bear in mind was that what did the Axis in was lack of resources, that won't change with Spain on their side as opposed to neutral.
You don't need to seize Gibraltar. Just build a set of artillery bunkers in Tarifa and with Ceuta, you can cut the Gibraltar strait.Wouldn't a belligerent Spain seize Gibraltar and cut off Royal Navy access to the Western Mediterranean?
Why? If there was no SCW, why would the Nationalist government feel any need to enter the war on behalf of Germany and Italy? They wouldn't have needed significant military aid from Germany and Italy prior to the start of WW2 - so why are they risking their foreign trade to help the Germans / Italians? Fascists are not a hivemind.You don't need to seize Gibraltar. Just build a set of artillery bunkers in Tarifa and with Ceuta, you can cut the Gibraltar strait.
Franco can make the same request as he do in Hendaye in 1940 but without asking for German supplies of petrol, arms and food because they are not needed as Spain avoided a civil war and Spanish economy was not destroyed. Spain will ask for Gibraltar and French colonies in Africa.Why? If there was no SCW, why would the Nationalist government feel any need to enter the war on behalf of Germany and Italy? They wouldn't have needed significant military aid from Germany and Italy prior to the start of WW2 - so why are they risking their foreign trade to help the Germans / Italians? Fascists are not a hivemind.
Assuming Hitler and the Nationalist leader meet in Hendaye at all. If the Germans don't gain experience on creating their combined arms doctrine during the SCW, it is not a sure thing that the Germans will be able to beat the French. Also, the Italians may not be as pro-German without their joint SCW experience. There are too many butterflies for a no SCW TL to predict the same Battle of France or the same kick-off to WW2 in Europe.Franco can make the same request as he do in Hendaye in 1940 but without asking for German supplies of petrol, arms and food because they are not needed as Spain avoided a civil war and Spanish economy was not destroyed. Spain will ask for Gibraltar and French colonies in Africa.
Assuming Hitler and the Nationalist leader meet in Hendaye at all. If the Germans don't gain experience on creating their combined arms doctrine during the SCW, it is not a sure thing that the Germans will be able to beat the French. Also, the Italians may not be as pro-German without their joint SCW experience. There are too many butterflies for a no SCW TL to predict the same Battle of France or the same kick-off to WW2 in Europe.
...which were sent to the USSR historically.
That's very plausible because one thing that the Spanish armed forces had plenty of IOTL was coast artillery. Follow this link and have a close look at the maps at the bottom of the page.You don't need to seize Gibraltar. Just build a set of artillery bunkers in Tarifa and with Ceuta, you can cut the Gibraltar strait.
A Mola Spain wouldn't really do much except tie the Western Allies in liberating it after Overlord instead of going directly for Berlin. This outcome is far more likely to end Fascist rule in Spain decades ahead of schedule, and we might just end up with a third Spanish Republic instead of a resurgent Kingdom of Spain as per OTL.
Bear in mind was that what did the Axis in was lack of resources, that won't change with Spain on their side as opposed to neutral.
Might a successful coup and therefore no Spanish Civil War result in a better Italian performance in World War II?If anything, Mussolini might very well try to pursue a "Latin Bloc" strategy with Spain and Portugal and leverage their position as a potential decisive weight on the Franco-British vs. German balance to gain concessions in the Balkans (A wink and a nod in Yugoslavia, privileged position in Austria which has the added benefit of hedging against German expansion, etc.)