German and Italian involvement in the Spanish Civil war Flashcards
When was the Spanish Civil War?
- 1936-39
- 27 April 1937 = bombing of Guernica (town in Spain) - bombed by the Germans in support of Franco
What happened at Guernica in 1937?
Luftwaffe attacked & destroyed the Spanish town, supporting Franco.
What forces were used?
- Condor legion - Luftwaffe - 100,000 Italian soldiers + 6000 German Soldiers
What happened to Gurenica/to the people there?
- Luftawaffe attacked and destroyed Guernica
- 3/4 of the town was destroyed
- 113 of the population was killed
Why did Hitler bomb Guernica?
- Hitler wanted to test the quality of his new armed forces in combat
- Sent a strong signal to the allies of German Military Strength
- Support Franco - who was struggling in the north
How did the Spanish Civil War encourage Hitler in his ambitions?
- Hitler tested out his Luftwaffe; the international community saw the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe & the importance of aerial warfare. Hitler sent a signal that he would take military action outside Germany.
What were the key points of the Spanish Civil War?
- Spanish Civil War saw a growing rapport between the fascist states of Europe: Italy and Germany.
- It tipped Italy into the German camp.
- Spain was a Republic with a left wing Popular Front government that included socialists and communists. - Right wing elements, including monarchists, Catholic reactionaries, conservatives and fascists (the Falange), led by General France attempted to stage a coup (a military take-over of a government)
- Franco’s right wing forces invaded from Spanish Morocco and Spain descended into a three year civil war
- After involvement in the SCW, Hitler skilfully exploited Mussolini’s resentment of France and Britain. The results were seen in the Berlin-Rome Axis of 1936, the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1937 and the Pact of Steel.
What were Italy’s policies towards the Spanish Civil War?
Mussolini sent 80,000 soldiers (6,000 - airforce, 45,000 - army, 29000 - facist militia) (1936-7) to help Franco ( fascists, on the right),
- sent 660 planes
- 150 tanks
- 12,000 machine guns
- 240,000 rifles
- 800 artillery planes
- 2500 tons of bombs
- 3800 motor veihcles
What were Germany’s policies towards the Spanish Civil war?
- Within two weeks of war breaking out, Germany sent 20 planes and pilots to Franco & 3,000 troops (became known as the Condor Legion).
- Germany then provided aircraft and personnel continued to assist Franco and the Spanish Nationalists
- Ways that Germany assisted Franco:
- moved men and supplies, providing air cover for Nationalist ships in the Mediterranean,
- Luftwaffe (= the German air force) carried out bombing and strafing runs to support Franco’s troops
- provided training for Franco’s officers,
- provided 1000s of rifles and small arms, even a radio transmitter for broadcasting propaganda.
- in October 1936, Hitler deployed German submarines to assist Franco’s men.
- by the end of 1936, there were around 7,000 German troops and airmen fighting in Spain (estimates vary).
- 1937: Guernica was bombed by the Luftwaffe
What were Britain’s and France’s policies towards the Spanish Civil War?
- The British government’s policy was non-intervention (not to get involved).
- But when Hitler and Mussolini supported Franco some Labour party members joined the International Brigades and fought for the Republicans in Spain.
- Some volunteers fought for the Spanish government in the International Brigade (e.g George Orwell, and US author Ernest Hemingway)
- When Neville Chamberlain replaced Stanley Baldwin as UK prime minister (Conservative) he continued the policy of non-intervention in Spain.
- The British gvt established a non-intervention committee (although this did not work).
- France: joined Britain in being non-interventionalist.
What were the USSR’s policies towards the Spanish Civil War?
-Stalin (USSR) backed the Spanish Republic (the socialists, on the left). His Comintern formed International Brigades to fight in Spain, he also gave military aid, including 1,000 aircraft, 900 tanks and many other supplies but not Red Army troops. Stalin’s policy was to stop the spread of Fascism
- Comintern formed international Brigades
- Gave military aid - 1000 aircraft, 900 tanks and many more supplies but not from the red army
- Financial aid
- October 1936-June 1937 sent regular regularments of the most advanced military equipment
What did the Foreign International Brigades and Nationalist volunteers do to help?
- SCW captured the imagination of many who wanted to fight for Spain’s political future: 1000s of volunteers went Spain.
- Most volunteers belonged to the International Brigades: regiments of left-wing sympathisers, fought for the Republicans. Over 9,000 Frenchmen joined the Brigades, 3,000 Americans, about 1,000 Canadians and 60 Australians also fought with.
- The Franco’s Nationalists had far fewer foreign volunteers; the largest contingent (around 800 men) came from Ireland.
Why did Hitler support Franco in the SCW?
Public justification = Hitler’s his desire to prevent communism taking hold in western Europe.
Trade and military connections: Germany could cultivate the Spanish as trading partners, suppliers of raw materials and iron ore, possibly even as military allies.
Strategic advantage for Germany: France would be surrounded and held in check by a ‘fascist triangle’ of Germany, Italy and Spain.
Testing his newly developed military: Hitler also believed the Spanish war was an ideal opportunity to test the quality of his newly-restored armed forces. He was particularly keen to assess the performance of the Luftwaffe (German air force) in combat.
What was the significance of the Spanish Civil war to the collapse of peace in Europe by 1939?
- It strengthened the connection between Hitler and Mussolini
- It had provided an opportunity for Hitler to both show and test German military strength, especially the infamous German aerial bombardment of Guernica in 1937:
- It further encouraged Hitler to believe that France and Britain would not intervene against him if he took further actions against the Treaty/ other territory.
- Although Britain did not intervene, German actions alarmed Chamberlain (UK Prime Minister) who ordered a significant increase in British military spending, esp the Royal Air Force.
- It increased the USSR’s suspicion of Britain and France due to their apparent reluctance to take action against fascism.
What did Hitler hope to achieve in the Spanish Civil War?
- If Franco was successful then Spain would become a german ally. This would provide a hostile prescence on France’s south-western border and hopefully provide Spanish naval bases for the German ally
- Germany’s armed forces, especially the Luftawffe, could be tested in what could be considered a dress rehearsal for a full-scale European war
- Since Mussolini was joining Hitler in assisting Franco, Hitler hoped that this joint action might provide the occasion to detach the Italian leader from his association with Britain and France and draw him into an alliance with Germany
- Hitler hoped that a long drawn out civil war in Spain would distract western diplomats and officials from the affairs of central Europe. Spain could, therefore, act as a smokescreen for Hitler’s actions elsewhere
What did Hitler actually achieve in the Spanish Civil War?
- Following the surrender of madrid to the Nationalists in March 1939, Spain failed to become an ally of the fellow fascist powers and instead opted for neutrality during WW2, allowing Franco to concentrate on Spain’s domestic problems
- The Luftawaffe was able to practise and perfect dive-bombing techniques in the ruthless assault on Guernica in the Basque region of northern Spain
- Hitler succeeded in persuading Mussolini to abandon Britain and France. While still not a formal ally, Mussolini made it clear in a speech in November 1936, that Germany and Italy now formed an ‘axis’, the ‘Rome-Berlin Axis’. This represented an important staging post on the road to a formal alliance
- To a large extent this happened, as the Spanish Civil War lasted for the best part of 3 years. During this time Hitler was able to take successful action over Austria and Czechoslovakia in Central Europe
