The Wings of the Eagle are Broken and the Italian Civil War
- Thread starter ThatOneGuy
- Start date
I thought that making them win that fast was giving the Italian army to much credit
The Peace Runs Out!
"Today Italy is faced with a new challenge. Our Spanish brothers are now beset by the Fascist hordes...I am deeply dismayed."- King Victor Emmanuel III
"Today Italy is faced with a new challenge. Our Spanish brothers are now beset by the Fascist hordes...I am deeply dismayed."- King Victor Emmanuel III
With their leadership gone, its army dispersed and public support dried up the Italian Fascist Party ceased to exist. Mussolini's dream of a Second Roman Empire lay in ruins and the King was triumphant. Using his newfound public support King Victor signed the Lateran Treaty with the Pope, settling the Roman Question and establishing the Vatican as a sovereign nation also improving relations with the pope. While Fascism in Italy had died, it was beginning its rise elsewhere around the world, most notably in Spain, Portugal and Germany. This worried Victor as Germany was just a short jump across Austria from Italy. While Spain and Portugal were across the Mediterranean Sea they were situated at a strategic spot at the mouth of the Sea.
Time passed, years came and went as the situation across Europe became increasingly destabilized. In Germany Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party slowly grew both in the polls and in numbers, gaining the Presidency in 1932.[1] In Spain popular opinion became increasingly against the Spanish Republic and to the Fascists, this effect inevitably began to spill over into Portugal as Oscar Carmona and his Fascist Party were getting support from the Spanish. The fragile peace in Spain was shattered in 1936 as a group of soldiers led by Jose Sanjurjo revolted against the Second Spanish Republic. With the spark lit the powder keg that was Iberia exploded into a bloody mess as units across spain declared their support for one side or another. In this mess General Fransisco Franco from Morocco emerged as the leader of the Rebellion. He quickly flew to Spain to lead his new government. In the end Spain was divided and embroiled in a bloody war that would draw the world in.
Blue: Republicans Pink: Nationalists
State of the Spanish Civil War, 1936
Fearing two Fascist powers in Europe Italy was the first to act by formally intervening in the Spanish Civil War, soon followed by Mexico and the Soviet Union. Germany sent munitions and "volunteers" to Spain and in the beginning Britain and France decided against intervening. As the months went on and the Nationalists began to advance King Victor began to get nervous so he sent more men to Spain.(1) He also made visits to France and Britain to drum up support for Republican Spain. His visits were successful to a point as soon after he left France began to send Republican Spain munitions and weapons along with Britain but it still wasn't enough to turn the tide. King Victor went to the League of Nations to seek intervention and convinced them to send a peacekeeping force to Spain. Made up of French, British, Italian and Spanish soldiers they landed in Gijon to restore order to Spain.
League forces battle near Vitoria
Despite disagreements within the force due to a language barrier they fought a campaign into the Spanish heartland to split the Nationalists in half. After several pitched battles near Leon and Burgos they came across a mass grave. Filled with Nationalist prisoners the Republican government originally denied that they killed them before admitting it under intense international pressure. Apparently(2) A brigade of Nationalist soldiers were captured during the initial battle for Burgos but they were killed as the Republicans pulled out. This revelation brought condemnations by the League and threats of pulling out their International Task Force. King Victor appeared in the Chamber once again to plead the Republicans case, calling not for the support of the Republican government, but of democracy. The Republicans were fined 3.8 billion by the League to be paid to the families of the killed and Italy was given a birdcage full of parrots as thanks from the Republicans.
The Republicans, with help from the International Task Force, pushed deep into Nationalist territory forcing them to divert troops from the front, allowing for British, French and Italian trained troops to reinforce and stabilized the front. The League of Nations, which was infamous for its indecision and believed to be ineffective, had showed that it was not going to go away. Italy was instrumental in keeping the Republic together also as internal rivalries between the Communists and Democrats erupted into gunfights in Madrid and Barcelona multiple times only for Italian Army to intervene and calm things down. Italy was quickly rising from the Great Depression as a great power in the Mediterranean Sea.
As the War dragged on into 1938 the tide had turned as a Republican counter offensive into Morocco led to the capturing of multiple key cities along the coast forcing the Nationalists to flee into the desert. Another counteroffensive into Western Spain to link up with the Portuguese (who had also been undergoing their own mini-civil war) made gains. The world looked on in surprise as the Republicans advanced, than the worst happened. Manuel Azana, 7th President of the Second Spanish Republic, was assassinated in Seville while giving a speech by a Nationalist sympathizers. In the immediate chaos after Azana's death Juan Negrin, a Spanish Socialist, declared himself the new President of Spain. While he met no resistance within Spain this worried France and Britain.
[1]Without the March on Rome as a driving inspiration Hitler never did the Beer Hall Putsch.
(1) He used Spain as a testing grounds for tactics that would be used in the Second Great War.
(2) This is still debated