Since I don't know if the Administrator will copy/paste the other posts, delete them or leave them, I will copy here the original sub-thread:
Jagdtiger14
Come to think of it...maybe playing without oil would not be too bad with MWiF since counter density would be less with the map expansions esp. Asian hexes.
As for Azana...I'm an adrent anti-leftist;-)...which unfortunately happened to be both sides in in that civil war. I suppose as the leader of the Republican side Azana should have an HQ...I'm not sure the 2 re-org value is deserving in light of the result he had. I dont think he re-orged anything and was constantly on the run?
C
joseignacio
As for me, I would stay to the left of the Democrat Party, from my initial origins of marxism-leninism, from which I still keep many ideas. As Putin said: "Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain." It was a wonderful idea impossible to fulfill, and corrupted by men.
However, to say that both sides in the civil war were leftist... Wow. franco did not ally with Hitler only because of some factors:
- He was afraid
- The country was in ruins, although the military were experienced and first class after three year's war there were left no more than infantry, almost no navy, no mech or armor..., we were an easy objective. A weaker Italy and more exposed. And there were the partisans that stayed after the war, the maquis, which would have increased with the foreign help.
- Hitler did not give what he wanted when they met at the border in Hendaya, be it what it could be: Some say the promise of Gibraltar, some say (more probable) massive help for the reconstruction of the country.
In fact, Franco sent a Division to Russia, to help Hitler, where it fought with heroism in despite of their poor means.
However, the National side was a combination of the most right-winged people you could find in Europe: Requetés, Falange, Fascists, ... To call them leftists must be a joke for anyone to the left of Hitler.
It was unfortunate that the Republican HQ was named Azaña, since he was just one politician more, with few direct influence in strategy itself, not like all the other HQs in the game. for example, Franco was also a general and most of the war he was commander in Chief, and Mussolini, Roosevelt, and Hitler don't have HQ in WIF, which is ok for me. They could have gave the name of general Rojo instead.
As for "on the run", the mostly green and voluntary-filled Republican army bravely stood for 3 years against much stronger and professional land forces (legionnaires and morocchian soldiers from our colonies), supported by powerful German aviation ( Condor Legion) and Italian armor and mech forces + volunteers, with the sole help of a bunch of rifle-armed idealist coming to defend the legal government form the fascist Coup from all the world, including the USA (may they all be blessed), the International Brigades.
Only when the war was in it's latest weeks, the Government moved to Valencia when the fall of Madrid was unavoidable.
warspite1
Warspite1
Certainly one of the great "what ifs" of the Second World War. Its late Summer 1940 and Spain agrees to attack Gibraltar with assistance from the Luftwaffe and a few key land units. I think it must be assumed that Gibraltar cannot hold out and as a consequence the Western Mediterranean is then closed to the British. Malta - without the reinforcements supplied courtesy of Force H and the merchant navy via Gibraltar - falls later without the need for an invasion.
The period in the later half of 1941 when so many Axis supplies fail to reach Tripoli - courtesy of the Malta Strike Force and subs operating from that island - does not happen. Was that enough to enable Rommel to take Egypt?
How would the British have reacted? Maybe they would not have sent men to Greece, but instead kicked the Italians out of Africa before Rommel landed in February 1941 by continuing on to Tripoli?
Fascinating stuff......
Jagdtiger14
I'm not sure the Republican side for DoDIII should even have a TRS. When Azana gave Stalin the 510 tonnes of Spanish gold reserves, Stalin had to transport it himself...and even "charged" Spain for the transport. I would like to see Matrix move towards DoDIII in their next WiF product.
joseignacio
First, I will say I have not been to Giraltar myself, although I have been very close this very summer. But let me tell you that Gibraltar is a tiny area of under 7 square km, which means les that 3 square miles, they have a (very recent) short airport lane which has to cross the road itself and traffic is paralized when used.
Although it seems it has massive excavations (not so massive then) , I cannot imagine a way they could have resisted a serious attack from the spanish army in what is not more than a beach head, let alone be supported by luftwaffe, howitzers and commandos, no matter how much sea or (sea-based)aerial ground support they were given.
Sorry about the offTopic, as for me, it ends here, and if someone wants to follow up the discussion we can start a new topic.
brian brian
I thought a fair amount of Franco's "Army of Africa" was flown to Spain on Ju-52's ... which is why Days of Decision used to make a big deal about committing foreign ATR units to Spain. Not sure how it works in DoD III.
joseignacio
Not sure about the model of plane but a good percentage of the total army and most of the elite troops were transported through that "air bridge", first with some few small national planes, just emergency help to Seville, then with Nazi help (24 bigger planes).
jaimain
Junkers 52 mainly Jose Ignacio