Overall the more I think of an idea allowing the Axis player to decide to bring Spain in on their side is just too unbalancing…..
The reason being is that, unlike in real life, there is no cost to the German economy for the Spanish coming in. Your idea that there would be a BP cost (through offensive chits) is a good one - but given the state the country was in, would probably need an on going cost too.
It is sometimes hard for people today to understand what the French got out of that railroad car - keeping their Empire.
I think its pretty obvious. I recommend you read Vichy France – Old Guard and New Order (Paxton). I find it a great shame on forums like this that our French friends don’t provide their views on Vichy. That would be extremely interesting and a valuable addition to the debate.
I once read a counter-factual imagination of WWII which had Hitler serve in the Navy during The Great War, giving him a determination to finally beat the British in The Next One. So Plan Z is not only approved, but accelerated, and so on.
Two things: a) The Kaiser tried that…. b) Germany is a land power. Plan Z was halted because it was totally impossible. Germany did not have the yards, the steel and the manpower. Of course they could have made it possible by using the steel, manpower and factories/plant set aside to build the army and air force…. but then that would be a bit of a crap move for a land power…. The French would have loved them to do it.
I guess what I've always wanted to consider is with the well-known Spanish shopping list, for the individual items, what % of the German supply available is being requested?
That was the question I asked at the end. From some high level research since, it seems the original ask would have been manageable. The problem of course is that Germany suffered rationing as it was – and now the Germans have to give up food on an on-going basis. Germany could not build enough tanks and aircraft and armoured vehicles as it was – and now they are going to have to equip the Spanish as well as help out their Italian ‘friends’. Germany did not have enough manpower for the Eastern Front, and now the Germans are going to have to garrison Spain and Spanish Morocco. The point is – and the Germans realised this – taking Spain into the fold was not a great move as instead of adding to their power, they would actually be a drain on resources. The one potential counter to that is Gibraltar - but that would still need Hitler to realise that a change in building priorities was required - and the USSR would have to wait. Gibraltar on its own - even with Malta, achieves nothing.
…there is another great actor on the European stage we haven't considered - Stalin.
Stalin was happy to sign the Nazi-Soviet pact because he was certain that the Germans would exhaust themselves fighting the Western Powers. Further German entanglements elsewhere would suit him fine. So long as Germany don’t defeat the Western Powers…….
