I figured that I would throw it out there myself before someone else did.
Are you trying to draw me out of retirement?
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Are you trying to draw me out of retirement?
Damn, for being the only country to survive the Fatherland's indominatable might, Spain really #$%@ed up. Looking forward to seeing Helmut's company parachute on top of the Spanish capital of Madrid. I would say it'd be nice to see a certain tank crew in the same theatre, 'cept Spain isn't exactly Panzerland.
Anyways great update Hardraade, hope you're feeling better, and try not to enjoy your hospital treats (pain killers) too much.
Anyways great update Hardraade, hope you're feeling better, and try not to enjoy your hospital treats (pain killers) too much.
In the event that the German embassy is armed to the teeth like it is, wouldn't Spain have the diplomatic imperative to storm it?
kiahoga(1): Yeah, I bet that's going to be a very uncomfortable debriefing. Let's not assume war here, though. I mean, some kind of peaceful solution could be reached right?
kiahoga(2): No, I'm willing to bet that some folks will hang on to that even if I do win. Winning is still necessary, however, as I can't even imagine the brutal ridicule I'll face if I lose twice.
KLorberau: I'm feeling much better now, thanks. Yeah, Spain has brought down the fury of the Reich and it's time for the panzers to roll!
Kurt_Steiner: Hopefully, I'll be able to hold La Coruna until my armies can link up with forces in the province and I won't have to retake it.
dublish: Well, despite your comments making me grind my teeth in frustration, I do find them pretty funny. I'm also waiting for someone to top HKslan's angry Franco asking for Stukas.
Kampf_Machen: The initial battle will of course be fought in the mountains along the border with occup- I mean- liberated France. After that, though, we should see some panzer action. I'm doing a lot better now, thanks.
HKslan: Any foreign embassy has troops to guard it. While the Spanish could storm the embassy, doing so would only make the situation worse. Military conflict is not definite at this point and could still be avoided. Storming the embassy would guarantee war.
kiahoga(2): No, I'm willing to bet that some folks will hang on to that even if I do win. Winning is still necessary, however, as I can't even imagine the brutal ridicule I'll face if I lose twice.
KLorberau: I'm feeling much better now, thanks. Yeah, Spain has brought down the fury of the Reich and it's time for the panzers to roll!
Kurt_Steiner: Hopefully, I'll be able to hold La Coruna until my armies can link up with forces in the province and I won't have to retake it.
dublish: Well, despite your comments making me grind my teeth in frustration, I do find them pretty funny. I'm also waiting for someone to top HKslan's angry Franco asking for Stukas.
Kampf_Machen: The initial battle will of course be fought in the mountains along the border with occup- I mean- liberated France. After that, though, we should see some panzer action. I'm doing a lot better now, thanks.
HKslan: Any foreign embassy has troops to guard it. While the Spanish could storm the embassy, doing so would only make the situation worse. Military conflict is not definite at this point and could still be avoided. Storming the embassy would guarantee war.
News of the gun battle between members of the Spanish Guardia Civil's UVP and German embassy troops in Madrid sent shockwaves through Europe. Reactions varied from stunned disbelief in many of the neutral nations to outright furious anger in Germany. Within minutes of the news of Ambassador Dieckhoff's "attempted assassination" having reached Berlin, Reichsminister Joseph Goebbels took to the radio and, in an address to the German people, viciously denounced the "criminal" actions of the Spanish government.
Reichsminister Goebbels
While many in Germany- and indeed the world- expected the speech to culminate in a declaration of war against Spain, this was not to be the case. Instead, Goebbels called for a formal apology from the Spanish government and insisted that, as Madrid was no longer safe for them, that all members of the embassy staff be guaranteed safe passage from the city back to the Reich. Further, taking the position that the attack on the Ambassador was akin to an attack on the Reich itself, Goebbels demanded that Spain hand over the men who had fired on the Ambassador's party for trial in Germany. War was only mentioned as a possibility in the event that these conditions were not immediately met by the Spanish government.
As can be expected, the conditions for German forbearance were, as a whole, unacceptable to Spain. In a letter to Reichsminister Ribbentrop, Spanish Prime Minister Juan Negrin Lopez wrote:
Rest assured that the Spanish people and their government are deeply apologetic in regards to the unfortunate incident that occurred on the night of July 5. However, we are afraid that we simply cannot accede to all of the demands that your nation has brought to us. While we find your first two requests to be more than reasonable, we cannot nor will we ever agree to hand over any Spanish citizen to your custody. Any future talks between our respective governments will have to omit such an outrageous demand. That being said, I do stress the fact that myself, the Spanish government, and the people it represents are committed to finding a peaceful resolution to our present troubles. I look forward to your response and further communications.
Spanish Prime Minister Juan Negrin Lopez
Though the Spanish government was publicly making a plea for peace, behind closed doors it was planning for a war. Orders were being issued to raise reserve units and troops were being redeployed north to the border with occupied France and the former Spanish province of La Coruna. While many government ministers simply considered this a wise precaution, there were those among the government who were eager to see war with Germany. The fact that German forces had been occupying a Spanish province for nearly four years now grated on many Spaniards and they welcomed a chance to win it back. A small minority in the Spanish government went so far as to demand that peace talks cease and war be declared immediately. After all, had they not defeated Germany once before?
Cooler heads, however, were running the show in Madrid and attempts to appease the Germans went ahead. On July 12, a full week after the incident had taken place, Spanish authorities allowed the staff of the German embassy to leave Madrid. They flew from the capital to the Reich Protectorate of Galicia where it was confirmed that all members of the staff and it's security force were present and unharmed saved for those wounded in the attack. Those who were uninjured were put on a plane for Paris and would eventually fly on back to Germany from there.
The granting of safe passage to the embassy personal was made in conjunction with a formal apology from the Spanish government, fulfilling Spain's promise to agree to the first two demands levied against them by Germany. By this time, however, the decision had already been made to declare war in Berlin. In fact, it is highly likely that the decision to go to war had been made the very instant that news of the incident had reached Germany. The only problem at that point had been that Germany was in no position to wage a war in Spain on July 5. Other than the 30,000 men in the Reich Protectorate of Galicia and the 20,000 along the Franco- Spanish border, Germany had no other troops available in the area. The Wehrmacht as a whole was, in fact, simply too thinly stretched throughout Europe to be able to mount an effective invasion anywhere, though this was, of course, a little known fact outside of the Reich. Both the Heer and the Luftwaffe were mainly deployed east save for the troops and aircraft that were defending the French coast and had to be transported back west. It could be argued that Germany's apparent interest in a peaceful solution with Spain was nothing more than a ploy to buy time for these troops to be redeployed.
German troops moving toward the Spanish border
While German diplomats continued to argue with their Spanish counterparts about how the "criminals" who had attacked Ambassador Dieckhoff would be punished, Germans soldiers poured into southern France by the tens of thousands. They quietly slipped into jumping off positions along the border while thousands of bombers readied themselves from airfields behind the lines. As the month of July neared it's end, the OKW decided that all was ready. On the morning of July 22, German troops crossed the border into Spain while bombers blackened the skies overhead. The invasion of Spain- what the Germans were calling Unternehmen Rache- was underway.
Reichsminister Goebbels
While many in Germany- and indeed the world- expected the speech to culminate in a declaration of war against Spain, this was not to be the case. Instead, Goebbels called for a formal apology from the Spanish government and insisted that, as Madrid was no longer safe for them, that all members of the embassy staff be guaranteed safe passage from the city back to the Reich. Further, taking the position that the attack on the Ambassador was akin to an attack on the Reich itself, Goebbels demanded that Spain hand over the men who had fired on the Ambassador's party for trial in Germany. War was only mentioned as a possibility in the event that these conditions were not immediately met by the Spanish government.
As can be expected, the conditions for German forbearance were, as a whole, unacceptable to Spain. In a letter to Reichsminister Ribbentrop, Spanish Prime Minister Juan Negrin Lopez wrote:
Rest assured that the Spanish people and their government are deeply apologetic in regards to the unfortunate incident that occurred on the night of July 5. However, we are afraid that we simply cannot accede to all of the demands that your nation has brought to us. While we find your first two requests to be more than reasonable, we cannot nor will we ever agree to hand over any Spanish citizen to your custody. Any future talks between our respective governments will have to omit such an outrageous demand. That being said, I do stress the fact that myself, the Spanish government, and the people it represents are committed to finding a peaceful resolution to our present troubles. I look forward to your response and further communications.
Spanish Prime Minister Juan Negrin Lopez
Though the Spanish government was publicly making a plea for peace, behind closed doors it was planning for a war. Orders were being issued to raise reserve units and troops were being redeployed north to the border with occupied France and the former Spanish province of La Coruna. While many government ministers simply considered this a wise precaution, there were those among the government who were eager to see war with Germany. The fact that German forces had been occupying a Spanish province for nearly four years now grated on many Spaniards and they welcomed a chance to win it back. A small minority in the Spanish government went so far as to demand that peace talks cease and war be declared immediately. After all, had they not defeated Germany once before?
Cooler heads, however, were running the show in Madrid and attempts to appease the Germans went ahead. On July 12, a full week after the incident had taken place, Spanish authorities allowed the staff of the German embassy to leave Madrid. They flew from the capital to the Reich Protectorate of Galicia where it was confirmed that all members of the staff and it's security force were present and unharmed saved for those wounded in the attack. Those who were uninjured were put on a plane for Paris and would eventually fly on back to Germany from there.
The granting of safe passage to the embassy personal was made in conjunction with a formal apology from the Spanish government, fulfilling Spain's promise to agree to the first two demands levied against them by Germany. By this time, however, the decision had already been made to declare war in Berlin. In fact, it is highly likely that the decision to go to war had been made the very instant that news of the incident had reached Germany. The only problem at that point had been that Germany was in no position to wage a war in Spain on July 5. Other than the 30,000 men in the Reich Protectorate of Galicia and the 20,000 along the Franco- Spanish border, Germany had no other troops available in the area. The Wehrmacht as a whole was, in fact, simply too thinly stretched throughout Europe to be able to mount an effective invasion anywhere, though this was, of course, a little known fact outside of the Reich. Both the Heer and the Luftwaffe were mainly deployed east save for the troops and aircraft that were defending the French coast and had to be transported back west. It could be argued that Germany's apparent interest in a peaceful solution with Spain was nothing more than a ploy to buy time for these troops to be redeployed.
German troops moving toward the Spanish border
While German diplomats continued to argue with their Spanish counterparts about how the "criminals" who had attacked Ambassador Dieckhoff would be punished, Germans soldiers poured into southern France by the tens of thousands. They quietly slipped into jumping off positions along the border while thousands of bombers readied themselves from airfields behind the lines. As the month of July neared it's end, the OKW decided that all was ready. On the morning of July 22, German troops crossed the border into Spain while bombers blackened the skies overhead. The invasion of Spain- what the Germans were calling Unternehmen Rache- was underway.
I guess you have 10x99 runs of ARM and another 10x99 of MOT to replace your losses by 1960?
Nice update but does it now appear that the right hand isnt telling the left hand what it is doing. What good is it for the SS to spark an international incident if you dont bother telling the Luftwaffe and Wehrmarcht what your doing so they can actually be prepared to take advanatge of it without letting the Spanish get ready for you.
Nicely done! One hopes that the Pyrenees don't pose too great an obstacle. But, then again, even crossing the Himalayas might be easier than attempting another amphibious invasion .
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Ah, a chance at redemption at last eh Hardraade? Make sure you utterly destroy the Spanish it retribution for your previous er... setbacks.
Mmmh, 22 July.
Someone is going to have some German soldiers fried under the Spanish scorching sun...
Someone is going to have some German soldiers fried under the Spanish scorching sun...
Would you rather fry under the sun in Spain or freeze in the blizzards of the Soviet Union?
And thus, the AAR comes into it's final chapter, the epic conclusion where the Spaniards march towards the border of the Soviet Union without fail.
Aw, does no one but me have faith in Hardraade's military and political prowess? Don't worry Hardraade! I believe in you!!
I believe in Hardraade but the Spanish have mighty weapons, such as the goat of the Foreign Legion.
I know what I'm talking about. There is nothing that a Tiger can do in front a furious goat.
Ah but a Tiger can always just shred the goat to bits. Tiny bits, bite-size bits. Then the Tiger family can sit around eating goat havin' a grand ol' time.
trekaddict(1): I can't imagine what would make you think that my attack on Spain will be problematic.
kiahoga(1): Well, the SS was there more to get information than to cause trouble. Of course, Germany would have been very happy to find an excuse to go to war, but did not expect to get one so quickly.
TheHyphenated1: Yeah, I'm not too keen on amphibious attacks on Spain after the last one went so bad. The next amphibious attack I launch will probably be the one that brings England to it's knees. That's right, trekaddict! The Brits are goin' down!
Kampf_Machen(1): Rest assured that i will get my too long overdue revenge.
Hkslan: You know, I told myself not to click on the link, but did anyway. Rather funny I do have to admit.
dublish: I fear that you have begun something that can never be stopped.
Kurt_Steiner(1): It's cool. I've made sure to supply the men with large amounts of water and sunblock.
kiahoga(1): Perhaps we can ask the soldiers in question once they've done both. That's right, I'll be getting to those commies eventually.
Metroid17: Why must I endure such ridicule? Have my many victories across Europe in the years after the war in Spain not redeemed me?
Kampf_Machen(2): Thank you, sir! It's good to know that at least someone supports me here.
trekaddict(2): Hey! Don't speak in such a way to my only supporter!
Kurt_Steiner(2): At first I thought I had a second supporter there, but no. Just another joke at my expense. Excuse me, for I must weep now.
Kampf_Machen(3): Yes! My Tigers will destroy all Spanish goats and anything else they throw at me.
kiahoga(1): Well, the SS was there more to get information than to cause trouble. Of course, Germany would have been very happy to find an excuse to go to war, but did not expect to get one so quickly.
TheHyphenated1: Yeah, I'm not too keen on amphibious attacks on Spain after the last one went so bad. The next amphibious attack I launch will probably be the one that brings England to it's knees. That's right, trekaddict! The Brits are goin' down!
Kampf_Machen(1): Rest assured that i will get my too long overdue revenge.
Hkslan: You know, I told myself not to click on the link, but did anyway. Rather funny I do have to admit.
dublish: I fear that you have begun something that can never be stopped.
Kurt_Steiner(1): It's cool. I've made sure to supply the men with large amounts of water and sunblock.
kiahoga(1): Perhaps we can ask the soldiers in question once they've done both. That's right, I'll be getting to those commies eventually.
Metroid17: Why must I endure such ridicule? Have my many victories across Europe in the years after the war in Spain not redeemed me?
Kampf_Machen(2): Thank you, sir! It's good to know that at least someone supports me here.
trekaddict(2): Hey! Don't speak in such a way to my only supporter!
Kurt_Steiner(2): At first I thought I had a second supporter there, but no. Just another joke at my expense. Excuse me, for I must weep now.
Kampf_Machen(3): Yes! My Tigers will destroy all Spanish goats and anything else they throw at me.
