Last week, Radio 4’s Document programme recounted the story of how a number of well known aviation personalities of the time were involved with supplying aircraft to Franco’s forces during the Spanish Civil War.
If, like me, you missed this programme never fear…you can listen to it again here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/document/document.shtml
Anne.
By: alertken - 6th February 2007 at 16:19
Thanks for this link. The prog. surmises a Govt. blind eye to well-known pilots delivering (a Dragon and a Monospar) to Franco, with (convoluted) combat potential despite its ban on arms sales to Spain. Anthony Beevor (he of Stalingrad, Berlin &tc, thorough, yet gripping works of Military History) was succinct on the Bolshie Threat. Jack Jones, wounded in Spanish Republican Service, much later Gen Sec. UK Trades Union Congress, said straightout that the Right saw fascism as bulwark against revolution.
Quite. That is what “appeasement” was all about. (e.g: that is why Henry Ford funded Hitler and refused to licence-build Merlin in US. UK Ford overrode him). Stalin knew: as rump Czech sank 3/39 he told his Party Congress that UK/France ‘“connived at aggression (due to their desire)” to push Japan/Germany to war with (him). PM Baldwin told WSC in 1937: “If there is any fighting in Europe to be done I should like to (see) Bolshies (&) Nazis doing it.” Just before Barbarossa, Joe said: UK wants “our weakening”. It’s the greatest What If..?
Sources: R.Overy,Russia’s War,A.Lane,98,Pp43/168; H.M-Hyde, Br.Air Policy Between the Wars,76,Heinemann,P389; S.Wichert,The Br.Left, in WJ.Mommsen/L.Kettenacker(Ed),The Fascist Challenge & Politics of Appeasement,83,Unwin,P127.
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February 6, 2007 at 1:29 pm