A really old friend in Spain sent me this photo,of a Renault taken on the Republican side , on the outskirts of Madrid.The Republic alsooperated a few FTs prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, but a number came...from Poland
Business is business. From Wiki>List of tanks in the Spanish Civil War.
Renault FT – from France & Poland 64 >Manrique & Molina (2006), p. 324; Manrique & Molina claim that Republican Spain received two shipments of 16 FT tanks each, while García tracks only a single shipment of 16 tanks to Republican Spain from Poland.
Yours Chris.
Business is business. From Wiki>List of tanks in the Spanish Civil War. Renault FT – from France & Poland 64 >Manrique & Molina (2006), p. 324; Manrique & Molina claim that Republican Spain received two shipments of 16 FT tanks each, while García tracks only a single shipment of 16 tanks to Republican Spain from Poland. Yours Chris.
That's right! The Poles (and " Fritz" Mandl, an Austrian businessman personal friend of Mussolini and an Austrian Fascist sold to both sides. Mandl owned the Hinterberger arms production complex, which manufactured Moisin 1891 cartridges for te Moisin 1891 the USSR provided the "Republicans: (sic) Mussolini had previously a Gran Ufficiale dalla Coronoa D'Italia.. He was not too happy to learn that Mandl was playing a double game. .Relations with Mandl cooled off, but Musso came to fritz's rescue after the Anschluess, as Mandl was Jewish. Through his intervention he was allowed to emigrate to Argentina with part of his fortune, after he sold the Hinterberger Works to Germany.
To return to the Renault FTs, during an interview with a Spanish Civil War historian (Alcofar Nassaes) some years ago he quoted the number of Renaults bought from Poland as 45.
Cheers!
Gunther
-- Edited by Brunner88 on Tuesday 14th of February 2017 06:04:33 PM
Yes. Polish books: Marek Piotr Deszczynski, Wojciech Mazur. At the edge of risk. Polish exports of military equipment in the interwar period. Page 455, 2004 y.
They also sold 10 PWS 10 fighters to the Nationals, who used them as fighter trainers. They were obsolete, and according to Spanish pilots had bad landing characteristics.
Some of the purveyors of military equipment sold to both sides..Others sold obsolete equipment to the "Republicans" at inflated prices...
Can you possibly scan that page Chris? Thanks!
Cheers!
Gunther
-- Edited by Brunner88 on Wednesday 15th of February 2017 08:32:05 AM
I find the only surprising WW1 tank used in Spain, was the Schneider CA1 www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/spain-schneider-ca-1-tank.jpg">
-- Edited by Pzkpfw-e on Friday 17th of February 2017 10:18:50 AM
