The Spanish are a playable faction in World War II, a scenario in Civilization II.
Biography[]
Spanish under King Franco[]
61 advances; Yellow; Rational, militaristic, expansionist; 84 gold, 15 units
- Starting cities
- Madrid [8] (capital)
- Tangiers [3]
- Lisbon [5]
- Barcelona [5]
- Zaragosa [4]
- Seville [7] with Magellan's Expedition
- Vigo [4]
- Valencia [5]
- Cadiz [4]
Spanish Strategy[]
Historical Background[]
In real-life, Spain stayed out of World War II, and with good reason. The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 had caused severe damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and the economy, and tens of thousands of Spaniards had lost their lives. The Spanish public was exhausted from not just the war itself but the years of rising anarchy and violence that preceded it. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco did seriously consider joining the Axis side at the height of Nazi success in June 1940, but he had already changed his mind when Hitler came calling asking him to do just that.
El Caudillo pursued a shrewd strategy of neutrality throughout World War II. He sympathized ideologically with fascist Germany and Italy, both of whom had backed him strongly in 1936-1939, but still chose to sit the war out. Incredibly, while he sent some 40,000 volunteers to aid Germany on the Eastern Front, this never officially violated Spain's neutrality. Eventually, Franco withdrew the Blue Division, partly because the Allies wanted him to knock it off, and partly because anybody could tell Germany wasn't winning anymore by 1943-1944.
Spain in World War II contained numerous contradictions, namely that a fascist and pro-Nazi government refused to either join Hitler in the fighting or give his forces access to Gibraltar, and even allowed a Jewish refugee aid organization to operate openly in the country.
Spain in the World War II scenario actually includes then-fascist Portugal as well, represented by the city of Lisbon.
Neutrality[]
This is by far the easiest and most realistic plan to pursue as the Spanish, as well as the most historically-accurate. Avoid any foreign attempts to entice you into joining them, and be wary of opening dialogue with other powers- they may do the all-too-common Civ2 AI thing of threatening to go to war if you don't pay them their bribe money. Devote some efforts to expanding and improving the Spanish military- World War II is going on, after all- but remember that you are quite safe in Spain. Mostly. Neither the Allies nor the Axis IRL had much desire to attack and drive Franco into their enemy's camp, so leaving them be was seen as the best choice. Spain is nobody's primary target in the World War II scenario, and simply staying out of the whole war and working on Spain's dire need for city improvements, economic growth, and a stronger army, navy and air force will give you plenty to do.
Additionally, there is territory around the map that is not actually claimed by anybody. As the shrewd and calculating Caudillo, you could build some Engineers and a transport or two, and get a respectable overseas empire going while the other civilizations are all shooting each other. Also, bear in mind that the Spanish military at the scenario start consists of a handful of Riflemen, one Alpine Troops unit, one Fighter and one Armor unit. Your forces are sufficient to offer a basic defence of your own territory, but not much more than that. Staying out of the war is the most prudent and realistic option unless you intend to cheat.
Joining the Fight: Axis[]
Your second-best option is to sign an alliance with the Axis and join the war on their side. This is something Franco actually did think about doing, although we may never know how close he came. The fact is that for the first year or two at minimum, the smart money was on the Axis powers winning World War II, and in Europe in June 1940, the smart money looked real good. And, because the World War II scenario is honestly rather geared towards the Axis winning, Spain will be far less likely to pay a steep price for entering the war on the Nazis' side. On the contrary, there is a lot to be gained for remarkably little risk.
You won't be sending the Blue Division to the Eastern Front, given how the game works vs. real life World War II, but you can still lend a hand to the regular Axis forces once you sign on and essentially join them. You can start by setting up forces to block any and all Allied ships from entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea, and start locating and targeting the ones already operating in the Mediterranean. The Allies are unlikely to be able to offer much resistance beyond their existing naval forces in the region. Spain is safely out of range for both Bomber and Fighter units, and, again thanks to Axis submarines, the chances of the Allies sending a warship to attack the Spanish coastal cities are slim.
The Allies hold a number of cities in the Mediterranean, on the African coast, and in the Middle East at the start of the game. The meager starting forces Spain has will not likely be sufficient to take any of them, but take some time preparing and you will have some unpleasant surprises in store for Churchill by 1941, 1942, or 1943. Spain could well seize a modest empire from its hated enemy from so many centuries back, England, by attacking while the fortunes of war are solidly on the Axis side. You could also barge northward and take Bordeaux and/or Marseilles away from the French. The Axis are not going to care if you beat up the Frogs some more after the Germans are done with them.
Joining the Fight: Allies[]
There isn't much incentive to do this. The Axis are absolutely, positively winning the war in June 1940 and will not take well to you entering the war on their enemy's side. The Axis have a much larger military, lots of Bombers, Fighters, Tanks and naval units- and you can forget about the Allies coming to save you if things go south. Especially since the "total war" setting for the AI only seems to apply between the Axis and Allies if you are actually playing as one of them.