Spanish Republican Navy

[odysseus1980]

Your LCS (D51) looks very nice,as being a unigue design in Shipbucket.What about her specifications?

[Diego Alatriste]

Hi odysseus1980

The D-51 Churruca class is totally inspired in the F-110 Churruca project of santi and RGSS of the Spanish Forum Foro Militar General:



More information here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/txfpjaxjxublwf3/Byzm2AqIUF

Regards

[Portsmouth Bill]

Yes. A republican victory would have been assured simply by France and Great Britain giving the legitimate goverment the same type of support as the Fascist powers gave to Franco; it was never going to happen, but lets assume it does (we could have left leaning goverments in France and GB).

You could then have a Gertman/Italian attack on Spain, with a British defence; so the focus in the Mediterranean would move west, to protect Gibralter. But the odds would be against the British, unless they held some territory and managed a stalemate until operation Torch, not in North Africa, as there would be no conflict there, but a joint US/GB landing in Spain in 1943.

Also, don't forget the Yugoslavian option. Though communist Tito was against the Soviet Union, so the USA armed him as a result; and it wasn't until a raprochment with the USSR that Yugoslavia began to use mostly Soviet equipment. Your main problem would be in keeping Spain together as single political entity, the odds are that the Catalonians and others would break away, again like the fate of Yugoslavia.

The darwings look interesting, but I can't comment on their viability

[t72ural]

Another possibility could be that the Civil War is averted, but that Spain gets invaded by Germany during the Second World War. After the war, Spain receives aid from the Marshall Plan and eventually joins NATO.

[Portsmouth Bill]

That would have worked if the jelly fish that were running GB and France had spine transplants. At that stage both Italy and Germany were 'all mouth and trousers' as we say Up North (by eck!). Neither of the totalitarian states could or would have stood up to the Anglo French alliance if they'd fully supported the Republican goverment. But.....the elephant in the room was the USSR, and the (then) British goverment were backing Franco because he was anti communist. An interesting side note; during WWII the British bribed Franco's goverment heavily, and I'm talking millions, to stay neutral. Then of course, the USA took over that role as his fascist politics were still anti communist, and he was happy to lease air bases to the USAF, that's where all those second hand Sabres came from. In the end, the old bastard just died and it took the Spanish themselves to bring in democracy, with the rallying around the king as a means to bury the past.

[Diego Alatriste]

That would have worked if the jelly fish that were running GB and France had spine transplants. At that stage both Italy and Germany were 'all mouth and trousers' as we say Up North (by eck!). Neither of the totalitarian states could or would have stood up to the Anglo French alliance if they'd fully supported the Republican goverment. But.....the elephant in the room was the USSR, and the (then) British goverment were backing Franco because he was anti communist. An interesting side note; during WWII the British bribed Franco's goverment heavily, and I'm talking millions, to stay neutral. Then of course, the USA took over that role as his fascist politics were still anti communist, and he was happy to lease air bases to the USAF, that's where all those second hand Sabres came from. In the end, the old bastard just died and it took the Spanish themselves to bring in democracy, with the rallying around the king as a means to bury the past.

Hi Portsmouth Bill

Yes, that's true. However I have to give some historic viability to my AU. And I only see two ways, a Republican victory before the Second World War, or an extension of the Civil War to World War II, with the alignment of both contenders between Allies and Axis. With some historical flexibility, we can think of a fully integrated Second Spanish Republic in Western Europe, cofounder of United Nations, European Community, NATO, etc...

Regards!

[Portsmouth Bill]

No worries Diego, as things stand this is one of the more realistic AU's, in terms of historic possibility. I just have a thing about Spanish history and how the civil war was the template for WWII. While no fan of El Caudillo he did at least keep Spain out of WWII as the country was already devasted. I read somewhere that when he died it was impossible to buy a single bottle of champagne anywhere

[Diego Alatriste]

Thanks Portsmouth Bill. And yes, after almost forty years of dictatorship, the death of Franco was a great relief.

Regards

[Diego Alatriste]

I've actualized the destroyer fleet.

Regards

[acelanceloet]

you forgot the changes on the forward deckhouse (bridge, phalanx, funnel and the area below it) and the mast. (mostly top)