"Would you fight in the Spanish Civil War?" Topic

Indeed, but the Requetes are already listed and so the Carlists are catered for. Not so the other Basques. That's reading comprehension for you a mhic.

Not the same, old chap. Requetes were those that fought integrated in Carlist battalions. Many, most actually, of Basque Carlists, especially those from Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa were integrated in the regular army, not as Requetes, when the provinces were conquered by the Rebels. Those who wanted to be sent to a Carlist battalion were forced to request it and in many cases were refused from do it (it was a time when Franco saw the Carlists with suspicion, fearing their independence of mind).

Yep… nuances that only a Spaniard would understand. Important, nonetheless.

Quite so and useful to know.

O. None of these fanatics from the 30s bathed with any regularity.
And we complain about smelly wargamers!

I suppose if a Flames of War SCW variant came out, I might read up on it snd make a commitment by buying figures, but for now…

Problematic for me.

As a British Conservative I would probable opt to join La Legion Extranjero … but as a Freemason I would risk being shot by the Nationalists!

Bob the Temple Builder, that is a problem.

Per basileus66

His being Spanish his choices would be determined by where he was living at the time:

A. Compulsory recruitment in the Rebel army
B. Compulsory recruitment in the Loyal army
C. In the wrong end of a firing squad.

I am not Spanish so I would not have gone as a volunteer for either side. If I were Spanish my choice would have been controlled by my economic status, where I lived and who my friends were. These things usually trump idealism.

I'd have stayed well clear of those communist mercenaries known as The International Brigade. It's never a good idea to get involved in other peoples' civil wars.

If I'd have been Spanish, then Franco and the boys would have been the smart choice.

Mercenaries fight for pay. An example would be the Moorish Regulares. Morocco was a Spanish colony with a history of unrest. But, rather then fight for independence from Spain, they fought for the relatively large pay and booty which survivors in the Regulares got. The International Brigades, by contrast, were motivated by class consciousness and not pay. To call them "mercenaries" is to denigrate their idealism.

Int brigade were WORSE than mercenaries!
They were delusional mislead useful idiots that sided in someone else's civil war with the 'bad guys'. Shame on them.

Han pasado! – they did not pass.

I was impressed with the International Brigadeers I came into contact with. Your so called bad guys (what has happened to political dialogue that we talk about "bad guys" and "good guys") murdered fewer people by a large margin. Individuals on the Republican side kept potential victims safe. I am proud of my activities with Veterans for Peace, which included Lincoln brigadeers, partly because they did.

If I was still in my 20's then volunteer for the elected government . to stop the Fascists /insurgents .
and now , Use money and influence to stop them (ok it is somewhat cool -and a permissible business expense -to hire mercenaries sorry " P.M.C's")

Quite late I've happened to find this thread. Well, the choice would be quite straightforward to me: if SCW outbroke right today and Nationalists were to win once again, I know they would execute me, with no doubt.

Either for being left-winged, stubbornly republican, Catalan separatist, fr*ncm***n, agnostic atheist or just for enjoying some LGTB individuals among my friends.

So my choices would be actually reduced to just two: fleeing away or fighting for my life.

O. Somebody else's war with scant empathy for either side.

O. Don't meddle in other people's civil wars, especially when there are plenty of bad guys on either side.

Anyone wanting to know more about the people from the US in the SCW should read *Spain in Our Hearts* by Adam Hochschild. Fascinating!

Well, this is a timely poll, given the possibility of a new civil war any minute now.

@oberlindes

Let's hope not but you could be right.

F.

I had three uncles who couldn't wait to get into the fight. They presumably went because their younger sister (Fefin, my aunt) got stuck in Asturias when she was visiting relatives and the war broke out.

They ended up getting separated. Two fought with the Republicans, one fought for Franco. They survived the ordeal without reconnecting with my aunt or each other. Years later they finally met back in Puerto Rico. Man, they had some crazy tales to tell.

Dan

I can't stand the color purple, not one bit. On anything, specially a flag. I wouldn't be able to resist setting it on fire or using it for target practice … or worse.

link

So, if the Republic kept that silly flag of theirs, my choices become much simpler. :)

Dan
PS. I have a similar allergy to hammers and sickles, and to yellow stars on red flags.

hammers and sickles, and to yellow stars on red flags.

I too have a similar distain for those generally …

If the Republic had won, it's obvious to me now who would be in charge.

The two uncles who fought for the Republic have just convinced me of that. They say that they saw with their own eyes the gradually stronger tilt to Red and so, toward the end, they regretted volunteering. Good people they fought next to who voiced centrist ideas were "disappeared", usually at night, and were made to look as though the Nationalists had done it. So they even milked their deaths.

Dan