After the fall of France, Hitler gives Spanish leader Franco "an offer he can't refuse".
Germany tells Spain its army & air force are coming to close the straights of Gibraltar, and Spain can either join the Axis and gain the fruits of victory, or suffer the agony of defeat.
Consider:
The Axis lost the battle for North Africa due to allied raids on their supply lines. If the straights are closed by land based German aircraft operating from bases in southern and western Spain (and the British carrier's can be totally discounted here), this leads to the fall of Malta, unrestricted re-supply for the armies in North Africa, and greatly reduces Britons ability to supply their own forces. Malta falls, North Africa falls, Egypt falls(and with it, the all important Suez canal). With the Mediterranean now totally in axis hands, the entire Italian fleet is now freed to enter the Atlantic/Indian Oceans at will.
Combined with #1, things would be looking mighty grim for the UK about now.
[ 29. November 2006, 09:51 AM: Message edited by: Otto ]
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