Chapter I: The Road to War
With the Germans officially destroying the Treaty of Versailles and their moves into the Rhineland by March 7, 1936 the British and French cabinets were in shock and disarray that a defeatist Germany had grown so powerful under the watch and that they've done little to nothing to stop it from happening. And with Hitler firmly in power and loved by the people of his nation, the same of which couldn't be said by those of the French Republic or that of Stanley Baldwin. Hitler began his new plans deep within his majestic capital of Berlin and the British began to look to new plans to enforce their foreign policy, no greater opportunity arose in 1936 to reinforce British policy than the moment the London Times recieved news of the Spanish Civil War sparked on July 17, 1936.
The Spanish Civil War
Immediatley afterwards the Spanish Nationalists declared themselves a Fascist state and quickly gained the support of Benito Mussolini's Italy along with Hitler's Germany sending an emmanse ammount of ships, planes and vehicles along with many a thousands of volunteers to the Spanish frontlines as a testing ground of new aircraft, tanks and submarines. Aircraft such as Bf-109 F and the Donier Do-17 of the Luftwaffe were sent over into Nationalists arms along with Italian airplanes like the Fiat Cr. 42 and the newly built bombers Savoia Marchetti Sm. 79's and put to good use and reports of their performances were sent back to the Fascist capitals.
A damaged Sm. 79 captured by Republican forces outside of Valencia in August or October of 1936. The Italians would send around 550 Sm. 79's to serve in the Nationalist Air Froce and by the end of the war 76 of the 550 were lost in combat and or captured during the course of the war.
The Republican Government was quickly being overwhelmed by the chaos that had recently erupted in the past few days and in a plead to both France and Britain, they asked for support against the war against the rebels. France immediatley remarked a NO! and put in the words of French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval, "What interests best serves France in sending untold ammounts of machinery, money and weapons to Spain when the war is finished will have no positives for us, as we will lose on the very things that France needs in these times and strengthen a nation directly on our border when Germany is a big enough problem as is..."
In stark contrast the plead that reach Great Britain was taken under careful consideration and the British Parliament gathered the next day to discuss the terms of the plead. And in a staunch fury in Parliament the outspoken Sir Anthony Eden pleaded to the British Government to set things straight and enforce her foreign policy correctly.
"By God, what shall we do? Sit and wait as our biggest opponents (Germany and Italy) have already sent their support to the Nationalists and can now see the full effects of the weapons that one day may turn against us! As they already know how to use their weapons to best effects what of us? This opportunity is great and far reaching, we can send a message to both Rome and Berlin that London and the British Empire is here to stay! By the Grace of God sign that damned paper!"
Two days later the British Government passed the Eden Pact sending military and financial support to the Republican Government. Over the course of the next few weeks the UK would send 500 planes, 20,000 rifles and 12,500 volunteers to Spain to fight the Nationalists and their fascist allies. The plans however crippled the British economy for the short term and rapidly fell below the averages of France and Canada in money and supply terms. But in a statement to Hitler and Mussolini: "Britain wasn't playing games anymore."
A British Gloster Gladiator, the Eden Pact would send 400 Gloster Gladiators and 100 Hawker Hurricanes to the Republican Air Force and had a great deal of success against both German but mainly Italian planes serving during the war.
With the support of both Great Britain and the Soviet Union the Republican Government quickly evened the odds against the Nationalist. The war would be long and drawn out pitting the best of the Fascists, Communists and Capitalists to the test against each other. In London alone, some 3,000 men would enlist to serve in the British International Division which included 12500 men: 9,000 from England and Scotland, 1,000 from Wales, 1,000 from Northern Ireland and 1,500 from Canada and Australia.
The British Internation Division would serve in some of the most crucial battles of the war and this included the long drawn out Seige of Seville which sapped both British machinery and the Republican Army. As the war moved into Christmas the Nationalists began to bomb the heart of the Republicans and launched a massive Winter Offensive to relieve the troops being beseiged in Valencia and Seville. Launched in November of 1936, the war which seemed to be in the hands of the Republicans, as it was now looking like it was only a matter of time; the Nationalist forces quickly swepped south towards Valencia and Seville. Spearheaded by the German Condor Legion the Spanish by Christmas had relieved Valencia and split the Republic in half. They proceded south and during the Seige of Seville, which became a seige on the Republican forces holding onto life at Cadiz the Republicans suffered a massive blow when the Republicans surrendered at Cadiz, this included 5,000 British and Commenwealth volunteers, many of whom wouldn't return to their homes.
The effects of the Winter Offensive.
German Panzer II's entering Cadiz in the Winter of 1937. German tanks proved to be a deciesive factor during the Spanish Civil War and were far superior to their Italian, Soviet and British counterparts.
The rest of the year of 1936 was long drawn out for the British Empire and her commenwealth. Enraged by the war and the lost of many loved ones on November 28, 1936 a major factory strike went into effect and on December 3 British hardliners attacked the foreign policy of the British Government which paved the way for Sir Anthony Eden, the mastermind of the Eden Pact but not criticized for the problems, would seize the position of British Foreign Minister.
Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin also suffered much of the blame that was the Spanish Intervention and worker strikes as the budget cuts were made on the British working force to compensate for the immense spending of money to fund the men, supplies and machinery being sent oversea to Spain. Baldwin on December 7 was voted the man to blame for the economic crises sweeping through Britain, and with King Edward VIII wanting to marry an American woman who just recently divorced her husband: Baldwin, Edward VIII and much of the Baldwin Cabinet would resign together on December 11, paving the way for the Chamberlin era to begin which would see Sir Anthony Eden in action as foreign minister and the British economy would suddenly go into an economic boom after the resignation of Baldwin.
Prime Minister Baldwin announces his resignation, only hours later His Majesty Edward VIII would do the same handing over the reigns to the now King George VI and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin entering the crucial year of 1937 and leaving the troublesome year of 1936.