I was going to say "Robbo must be in 'The Hinge of Fate' right now; but it is in "Closing the Ring", huh?

I always wondered whether if Generalissimo Francisco Franco had joined the Axis how WW II might have played out. The British almost certainly lose Gibraltar; the U.S, invasion of North Africa becomes much more difficult; the occasional convoy that the Admiralty was able to ram through to Malta gets stopped; Malta falls, Rommel's supply lines are cleared, etc., etc. I also think that Portugal would think twice about honoring the treaty of 1373, with all the implications on submarine warfare that implies.

While Franco was an unsavory character, it is interesting how much the allies in WW II were helped by him just saying "No" to Hitler. Now, he's pretty much only remembered as the butt of a Chevy Chase joke.

Conversely, what if the Communists had won the Spanish Civil War? Instead of attacking the USSR, would Hitler have been forced to go through the Pyrennes and establish his west flank there, before going east? Or would he have decided he needed a year or two more to work on his wonder weapons like the Me 262. Now that would be frightening, having to fight the Battle of Britian with Spitfires & Hurricanes against jets.

Cool thing about the treaty. See kids, this is why you need to pay attention in history class and learn about musty old treaties. You never know when the fate of Western Civilization rests in part on a centuries old agreement.

RBJ,

I sometimes play a WW II simulation called "Hearts of Iron". One of my favorite maneuvers is for Britain and France to assist the communists in Spain, and then to try to bring about a mnore favorable government there using a simulated coup. I then give all kinds of training and technical assistance to the Spanish army, and when war breaks out on the Western front, those 8-10 Spanish divisions either man the Alps against Italy (depending on Italy's posture) or come to the Western front if Italy is quiet. The beauty of it is, that by controlling Spain you can close the Med to Axis shipping. The Italian fleet gets driven from the sea (if they come out) and Italy is routed out of Africa. Or, if Italy is quiet, the Anzac forces also come into the western front (rather than being poured into Egypt). Often I can hold out in France against the Panzers with the extra troops until either Russia or the U.S. enters the war.

The postwar situation sometimes gets complicated, though. As the game features three sides, I sometimes end up handing a victory to the Soviets, beacause the U.S. stays out, the Western Europeans are on the defensive, and Stalin crushes Hitler and takes over most of Europe.

History turns on small events.

Thanks Colossus, I'll have to look into it.