How could WWII have expanded with greater Latin American direct military involvement, apart from the Brazilian expeditionary force sent to join US 5th Army in Italy Sept 1944 and the Mexican aero squadron sent in early 1945 to the Philippines ? Could say Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay have become involved with rightwing regimes who were persuaded to join the Axis cause by Nazi agents ? How would Allied interests in the region, such as the Panama Canal, and British possessions in the Caribbean, have been affected by such a contingency ? Facing off against other Latin American states who decided to ally themselves with the UN, let's say Brazil, Mexico, and the central American states, could there have perhaps been a repeat of the highly destructive War of the Triple Alliance of the 1860s or 1870s ?
WWII- wider Latin American involvement
- Thread starter Melvin Loh
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IIRC there were plans once the Graf Spee was interned in the River plate to take over Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay by way of Military coups and create a right wing pact in South America with those countries.
I would have to do more research but it could be interesting...
I would have to do more research but it could be interesting...
Melvin Loh said:
Let's say that attempted leftist coup in Brazil in the thirties succeeds. Then the British and Italians will back the Argentines against them a la the Spanish Civil War. Except that the Brazilians will win. Of course, after Barbarossa the Brazilians will be defending the British against the Argentines in Latin America...So we wind up with a Socialist Latin America after the war.
Which would radically change the balance of world power. If the US is tied down defending Western Europe against the Warsaw block, and defending Texas and California against the Cartagena Block, it's going to seriously cramp America's ability to invade Iran, Korea, Vietnam, etc, let alone Guatemala.
Like having another India or China or Russia on the board.
I tend to think this would require some sort of political/economic POD someyears prior to WW2 making the USA less hegemonistic in its dealings with Latin America. Something either weakening the USA militarilty or making it much less concerned with affairs in Latin America. Otherwise, it is hard to believe the USA would not preemptively intervene directly (or thru local proxies) if any Latin American state threatened to open its bases to the Axis or ally with Germany, Italy, or Japan.
I just don't think that Latin America has the infrastructure to contribute much beside token forces and natural resources to the war effort at this point. They also don't really have that much to gain by strenuously exerting themselves for either side.
Maybe an earlier POD could remedy some of these difficulties?
Maybe an earlier POD could remedy some of these difficulties?