5 Start of War Flashcards
What resources did the nationalist military have?
600,000 infantry
600 aircraft
skilled and experienced generals
What resources did the republican military have?
450,000 infantry
350 aircraft
17/21 senior army generals
navy and air force
What was the nationalist leadership like?
24 July 1936: military junta set up
- Cabanellas
- Mola
- Franco
(Sanjurjo died in plane crash days before start of war)
29 September 1936: Franco became Generalissimo
needed strong military leadership to unite (broad beliefs amongst forces of conservatism)
What was the republican leadership like?
fragmented and weak - single grouping could not control all forces
September 1936: Prime Minister Caballero appointed 2 communist ministers
coalition widened to include anarchists
30 September 1936: Popular Front formed but was uncoordinated with other forces
What was a clear weakness amongst the republicans?
lack of military training
more suited to guerrilla warfare
What was it like in republican towns and cities?
some communist-inspired collective organisations - shared resources and maintained some stability
senior civil servants sometimes unwilling to cooperate
trade unions vital in Madrid - ensured regular distribution of supplies BUT only 30% of industries were collectivised
What were the initial geographical divides?
Republicans:
- major towns, urban areas and industry
- Basque and Catalonian regions
Nationalists:
- rural areas
- agricultural industry and raw materials
- Andalusia and close to Morocco
How did France respond?
20 July 1936: agreed to send shipment of arms
9 August 1936: mind changed to only if Britain also intervened
closed the borders
How did Britain respond?
was ideologically anti-communist and anti-republican
13.3% of European investment in Spain - feared assets would be seized by Republicans
appeasement - feared war with Germany, worried it could escalate
When was the Non-Intervention Pact signed?
August 1936
What did the Non-Intervention Pact do?
27 nations signed including Britain, France, USSR, Italy and Germany
France hoped it would aid republicans
in reality ignored by USSR, Italy and Germany
How did the nationalists get international aid?
Franco’s network of connections led to Hitler and Mussolini
How did Germany respond?
sent transport planes to fly military from Morocco to mainland
July 1936: sent supplies including 6000 rifles and 5 million bullets
November 1936: sent Condor Legion (12,000 ‘volunteers’ from German air force)
How did Italy respond?
sent over 50,000 men known as the Italian Blackshirts
sent food and resources
eg. over first 3 months sent 12,000 machine guns
How did the Soviet Union respond?
October 1936: sent aid including 500 engineers
BUT demanded 50 metric tonnes of gold as payment (60% of Republic’s bullion)
military equipment was old and poor quality
wanted lots of influence in government
aid continued until 1939 BUT dwindled as republicans were losing
Who were the International Brigades?
manpower organised by Cominterm (USSR)
began arriving Autumn 1936
crossed ‘secret railways’ at French/Spanish border
vital manpower and capacity
BUT not professional soldiers and underequipped
How many International Brigades were there?
35,000 - 40,000
BUT no more than 16,000 in Spain at once
9000 French
3000 American
2000 British
What was the situation at the end of August 1936?
Franco’s Army of Africa advancing from the South eg. Massacre of Reds’ at Badajoz - killed 650-1,300 republican soldiers and civilians
Mola moving in from North
Nationalists quickly organised conscription
Republicans became defensive to protect urban areas
