Word: spaining
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Dates: during 1940-1940
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Apart from invading Britain at once and winning the war with one supreme smash, which it was doubtful Hitler felt strong enough to do, three other ways of helping Italy suggested themselves: 1) a drive from the west coast of France, down across submissive Spain, at Gibraltar; 2) sending troops from Hitler's pool of 1,000,000 men in Austria (see map) to put some spine into the Italian armies now afield; 3) sending troops from the smaller pool in Rumania, to attack Greece from the rear across Bulgaria...
...might and main with which to bomb the convoys and to announce their location to the submarines. He will base them on all the ports and airdromes along that line which runs like a vast semicircle round Britain, from Narvik down the northern and western coasts of France to Spain. He will have two new 35,000-ton battleships, the Tirpitz and the Bismarck, and other vessels in the North Sea early next year. With these he will try to deliver a knockout blow at our communications so as to prevent us getting the food, the raw materials and airplanes...
...militarily, would the collapse of Italy mean for the British cause? It would not keep German bombers from the Isles. It would not necessarily mean that Britain could remove its entire Mediterranean Fleet for duty elsewhere (uncertain is the disposition of the rest of France's Navy, of Spain's not negligible fleet). But collapse of Italy would certainly relieve pressure, freeing troops, planes and some ships...
Besides, Adolf Hitler might feel obliged to go to Italy's aid. If necessary, Germany might even occupy Italy. But Germany might bolster Italy by less drastic means, by lending planes to fight the Greeks, or attacking Gibraltar through Spain, Greece through Yugoslavia...
Said Jesuit Mayer in 1937: "It is better for a priest to be shot down in Spain than to see his faith being dragged into the dirt in Germany." The Gestapo promptly arrested him. He was given a suspended sentence by the court, rearrested by the Gestapo. Like Niemoller he has refused release offered him on condition that he refrain from preaching...