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Land Movement (continued)

The Chinese - suddenly looking distinctly stretched - start to push back following the loss of Changsha

The Spanish Blue Division is landed on the Rock by the Royal Navy under cover of nightfall.

Air rebase

Buffalo from Casablanca to Rabat

HQ Reorganisation

Franco and Wavell reorganise the Anglo-Spanish units on the Rock.


Following the devastating effects of the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish army is poorly equipped and poorly kitted out. But they are full of courage and stand man to man (and woman to man apparently) beside the British 2nd Infantry Corps in the defence of The Rock - and what they hope will be a springboard from which to drive the Germans from the Motherland

The weather roll is a 4

Gents

Is there going to be action tonight please?

If you could let me know thanks.

Stand easy Warspite1. Action continues tomorrow.

Okalee dokalee

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: AllenK

Great image. Reminds me of the artwork on all the Airfix models I made (or longed for in the catalogue) as a kid.

warspite1

How many of these do you remember (or built)? Looking at this actually makes me feel quite sad in a nostalgic sort of way.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGr-mfkNcYM

Thanks for the link. I remember many of them. My builds were:

Spitfire (1:24, 1:48 & 1:72), P51 (1:24), Sunderland, Lancaster, B17, B29, B26, Me-109, Me-110, Typhoon, Mig-21, Sopwith Camel, Concorde, a squadron of Sherman's, Churchill, 5.5" & Bedford, Sheridan, M24, Comet, 17 pounder AT gun, 6 pounder AT gun & Bren Carrier, M40, HMS Ark Royal, HMS Hood, HMS Warspite, HMS Victorious, HMS Victory, HMS Fearless, HMS Suffolk, HMS Belfast (naturally), HMS Leander, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen, HMS Ajax, HMS Exeter, HMS Nelson, HMS Iron Duke and 1:72 MTB. Some of these were the rival Revell and Matchbox.

Also, the 1:35 models by Tamiya. Chieftain, Panther, Tiger, M3 Halftrack & 155mm Howitzer.

I'm sure experience in putting all these kits together is why I never seem to have problems assembling flat-pack furniture.

Good memories. Sadly, the models are long gone due to wear and tear and lack of space. Don't have time to build or room to keep them now.

Following the devastating effects of the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish army is poorly equipped and poorly kitted out. But they are full of courage and stand man to man (and woman to man apparently) beside the British 2nd Infantry Corps in the defence of The Rock - and what they hope will be a springboard from which to drive the Germans from the Motherland

Canadian commies lured back to Spain to fight for Franco and against the Axis?

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

Following the devastating effects of the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish army is poorly equipped and poorly kitted out. But they are full of courage and stand man to man (and woman to man apparently) beside the British 2nd Infantry Corps in the defence of The Rock - and what they hope will be a springboard from which to drive the Germans from the Motherland

Canadian commies lured back to Spain to fight for Franco and against the Axis?

warspite1

No idea what that means.

Your photo. Its a photo of Canadian Commies who fought in the international brigades for the Republican side.

You landed the Blue division on Gibraltar. Mortal enemies coming together to fight the Axis invaders?

Common enemy can do that? Except in China...

Stalin thought that Finland still is divided after bloody civil war in 1918. He was a bit wrong.

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

Your photo. Its a photo of Canadian Commies who fought in the international brigades for the Republican side.

You landed the Blue division on Gibraltar. Mortal enemies coming together to fight the Axis invaders?

warspite1

Funny that. No matter how many searches I put in along the lines of "Spanish Army fights alongside the British to defend Gibraltar" I couldn't get an image of this [:D] I had the same problem with the Battle of Tangiers - hence resorting to the 'White Cliffs of Tangiers'....[;)]

All the pictures of the Division 'Azul' had them wearing German insignia too.....

As for that picture being of Canadians, the source I got it from didn't mention that - but not to worry - the effect is the same, and like all these pictures, is just meant to bring some colour to proceedings.

Re mortal enemies coming together. I suspect that you are suggesting this would be unlikely? If so then I would have to disagree.

The fate of many French soldiers caught by the Spanish in response to the last little dictator that stabbed the country in the back, gives an indication of how well the Spanish would have taken Hitler's treachery. In the same vein there is the Spanish joining forces with the hated British in the Iberian peninsular a few years after being spanked at Trafalgar and other more distant humiliations - but my enemies enemy is my friend and all that - gives an indication of what is likely.

As for how the Spanish would react to Hitler's invasion, well who knows but I suspect there would be:

- A few Spanish fascists who, like Leon Degrelle in Belgium, would remain for Germany not Spain. There is no reason to believe that this core of misguided fools would be any larger than in other occupied countries
- The majority of Spanish fascists who would fight to the death against the German back-stabbers.
- Spanish Republicans who again, on the basis of my enemies enemy is my friend and all that would fight to free Spain from the Germans (and can worry about the result once the Nazis have been beaten).

Yes I think Commies fighting alongside the British, even in and to defend(!) Gibraltar is highly likely with the goal of freeing Spain from the Germans. Spain 1940 in MWIF - no reason to suppose its any different to Spain 1808.

Gents I am around for another hour and a half. Is there likely to be any action this evening?

Re mortal enemies coming together. I suspect that you are suggesting this would be unlikely? If so then I would have to disagree.

I completely agree that mortal enemies would come together. That's why I made the comment (ironic). Like you wrote, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

I think there were about 3,000 Spaniards that rejected Franco's call to return in 1943. They became the "Legion Azul".

Amazing to read that for a small country as Latvia that there were 80,000 making up 2 SS divisions. There were even 2,000 from India! (the Tiger Legion)

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

Re mortal enemies coming together. I suspect that you are suggesting this would be unlikely? If so then I would have to disagree.

I completely agree that mortal enemies would come together. That's why I made the comment (ironic). Like you wrote, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

I think there were about 3,000 Spaniards that rejected Franco's call to return in 1943. They became the "Legion Azul".

Amazing to read that for a small country as Latvia that there were 80,000 making up 2 SS divisions. There were even 2,000 from India! (the Tiger Legion)

warspite1

Yes but in the case of Latvia one would perhaps expect a higher percentage volunteering for the invader because I suspect they identify with the Germans (who they see rightly or wrongly as quasi liberators) more than the Soviets who forcibly took over their country just a short while previously and inflicted their ghastly communist regime on them.

India is more surprising. India was under imperialist rule and seeking independence. 2,000? That's pathetic. Especially considering that India in WWII produced the largest ever non-conscript army in history to fight with their colonial rulers. Go figure?

I'm ready to sink all Allied ships in CSV and Mediterranean. I don't know what Japan is going to do. They might go with land or combined action.

India is more surprising. India was under imperialist rule and seeking independence. 2,000? That's pathetic. Especially considering that India in WWII produced the largest ever non-conscript army in history to fight with their colonial rulers. Go figure?

2,000 is pathetic, but I think they were all ex-pats living in Europe. Kinda hard for Indians to make it to Germany. Their dream was to cross over from Persia into India at some point. That was as unrealistic as Indians making their way to Germany. If you were an Indian in India and wanted to fight the British, your best bet was the INA (or JIFF's as the Brits called them[:D]).

Gentlemen, we had a minor misunderstanding whether Germany wants or not to align Finland. Roll for US entry was 10, which would be good for Axis. Can we cancel this and keep Finland neutral for a while?

ORIGINAL: Mayhemizer

Gentlemen, we had a minor misunderstanding whether Germany wants or not to align Finland. Roll for US entry was 10, which would be good for Axis. Can we cancel this and keep Finland neutral for a while?

warspite1

If you are telling me its a genuine mistake then no problem - that is fine with me.

My 90 mins are up however and I am repairing to the bedroom (as they say in Pride and Prejudice).

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Mayhemizer

Gentlemen, we had a minor misunderstanding whether Germany wants or not to align Finland. Roll for US entry was 10, which would be good for Axis. Can we cancel this and keep Finland neutral for a while?

warspite1

If you are telling me its a genuine mistake then no problem - that is fine with me.

My 90 mins are up however and I am repairing to the bedroom (as they say in Pride and Prejudice).

Thank you. Germany wants to keep Finland neutral. My email to AllenK was quite short and he understood it wrong.

Yes, I misread Mayhemizer's E-mail.

Repairing to the bedroom.... Warspite1 jacked up on a couple of bricks, surrounded by satin and lace, with many of his bits scattered all around him. Now there's an image [:D].