As you know, the fascist state (including Portugal, with its several battalions) were sent to fight for the cause of Phalanges on the arid stony plateau of Spain about two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers and officers (the bulk of the Italians, the German “Condor Legion” performs the task of air support).
Of course, all this Horde at a time on the side of Franco did not fight — however, the percentage of foreign specialists in the army of the rebels sometimes exceeded fifty.
For the Republic also fought THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND foreign volunteers in the ranks of the international brigades and the Spanish Republican army (military instructors).
That is the world of freedom, equality and brotherhood were sent to fight to the death for their fundamental values under the Madrid eight times fewer people than have fallen into totalitarianism fascist fanatics. Well.
But we have a number of different there are Americans, French, British and Germans (the Germans on Spanish soil fought not only in the composition of the Legion “Condor” — and with “our” side was pretty) — no difference.
Take note more than a modest (relative to the Union troops to the rebels of foreign countries) the number of interbrigades and proceed to the next paragraph exciting story of the Spanish Republic. That is — to contribute to the fight of the Republicans of our family of Soviet military specialists.
And here we are with the disappointment, even resentment in the face will see the figure of TWO and a HALF THOUSAND people (584 military adviser and instructor pilot 772, 354 tanker, 77 sailors, 166 communications, 140 EOD, 100 gunners, 204 interpreter and in small amounts by the officers and specialists of the rear).
FOR EVERY HUNDRED foreign fascists, who arrived to help the Phalangists to strangle the Republic — we sent to Spain ONLY ONE of their military expert!
Of course, we were sending not just the infantry and cavalry, servants artillery pieces, gunners, and other enlisted personnel. From us to Spain drove only officers (sorry, commanders, officers in the red army in the years 1936-1938, was not yet), and only desired the Republic of professions — pilots, tank crews, sailors, sappers, signalers. It’s all clear. But the bitterness of knowing this fact remains, and remove it any excuse impossible.
Because we are so passionately longed for the victory of the Republic! After all, we really empathized with the Spaniards, their defeats are our defeats, their victories our victories! We breathed the same air with them of liberty — and here on you: two and a half thousand professionals! And for all two years of our active participation in the “Spanish concert”!
Have a break from sparsehash craw breath. Smoke, think.
If Stalin wanted the victory of the Spanish Republicans — he would be to limit the Soviet military contingent in this country is such a negligible figure? If Stalin decided to fight for Spain against fascism resolutely, uncompromising and consistently — it would limit the number of its troops in Spain such a ridiculously low figure?
No.
In the summer of 1939 there will be events on Khalkhin- — and to protect Mongolia from foreign threats (the conflict de jure, was the border dispute between the Mongolian people’s Republic and Manchukuo, Soviet and Japanese troops just came to the rescue of their allies), Stalin sends in the steppe foothills of the Khingan range, in addition to those already held by the Mongolian troops of the 57th Special corps (36th motorized division, 7th, 8th, 9th motomaniya brigade, 11th tank and 6th cavalry brigades), additionally, 82 th and 57 th infantry divisions, the 37th and 6th tank brigades and 126-th separate artillery regiment, the 85th anti-aircraft artillery regiment, 212-th airborne brigade.
That is the Japanese, which had two infantry divisions and several independent infantry and cavalry regiments, did not have a chance for successful resistance.
ERGO: Comrade Stalin for a very small piece of desert on the edge of the earth (and on the edge of a FOREIGN land!) ready to fight for life and death, what is lost in the Sands of the foothills of the Great Khingan, God-forsaken corner of Mongolia sent the army 35 infantry battalions and 20 squadrons of cavalry (lying; 12 squadrons, 6 of them I and the 8th cavalry division is the Mongolian cavalry, it is not necessary to send anywhere, she lives there), with 2 255 machine guns, 216 field and anti-tank guns 286, 498 tanks, and 346 armored vehicles, which from the air covers 376 fighters, 181 light bomber, heavy bomber 23.
Note that the whole Polish army at the outbreak of war with Germany is in line 410 220 tanks and tankettes — which is less than the armored strength of the 1st army group of comrade Zhukov, intended to discourage Japanese piece nobody wants the desert.
That as did Stalin when he needed to fight something seriously!
And in Spain we don’t send any divisions or brigades or regiments or battalions, no mouth, no platoons or even offices. In Spain we send military specialists, that is, “loose”. But HOW do we do it?
Soviet military experts were going to Spain secretly, other people’s documents, in civilian clothes, sometimes I like that, that’s amazing — almost in Boston! Why all this masquerade? After all (whom it is supposed to, and on both sides) is well aware, where firewood (sorry, military experts)!
And then.
Stalin and the Union of Soviet Socialist republics no troops fighting in Spain is not sending. The Soviet Union allows (or rather even say — does not prevent) certain of its citizens privately to enlist in Spain as military specialists.
That is, pilots, tank crews and sailors that are coming from Paris to Toulouse by train and then from Toulouse to the Spanish border — on the buses or local transport — travelling to Spain is entirely at your own risk. The Soviet Union did not send them there, the Soviet Union for their lives, health and freedom is not responsible. It is their purely personal choice.
And pays for such trips is not the people’s Commissariat of Finance of the USSR. All expenses for trip and staying on Spanish soil military experts are borne by the host side — which of these professionals hired. The Soviet Union, of course, buy them tickets — but only at the expense of credit agreement with Spain. That is, in the end, those tickets will be paid in gold Bank of Spain.
A stroke of absolute genius!
We sell the Spaniards the mountain of weapons — fortunately, we have factories working, the weapon is from the conveyor is continuous, and delays in the deliveries (well, with the exception of certain types produced while in small quantities or small series — type SB bombers) there is not expected.
We get these weapons for cash. We, however, bear the commercial risks for delivery (three of our steamer, the Falangists captured, and three: “Komsomol”, “Timiryazev” and “Blagoev” — stoked, but these transports (by happy coincidence) carried different commercial civil burden); but in General the ships with guns (just made a 66 “gun” flights) safely reach the Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena and Santander.
And we still teach in addition to the fighting on this put military technology in a real modern war of its own officers — and to do it at the expense of the Spanish government!
If comrade Stalin was not a commercial genius — in any case, the great entrepreneur…
Make a conclusion.
Stalin in no way for Spain to fight to the death not going. Yes, and for what? To Mr. Juan Negrin has held the post of Prime Minister? Or the anarchists in Barcelona staged a territory free from any and all authorities? And maybe, to the Trotskyists of Parma finally cut all more survivors of Catholic monks in Aragon?
No use of the victory of the left forces in Spain nor comrade Stalin personally, neither the Soviet Union as a state would not — so why bother? The weapons we sold to the Republicans, specialists (to fight) in Spanish same account to them for help was sent — but a bit, without fanaticism.
And that’s all!
And regarding Spanish hysteria that was deployed in our press — it was also a very good step. People should know that the enemies are not asleep that the enemy plagued the beautiful land of Spain, that fascism is becoming a real danger to our country — the mobilization of information technology today is not created.
In General I must say that our intervention in Spanish Affairs has brought us so many pros and so few cons that can be argued is ours at first glance, a lost battle for the freedom of the Spanish people was more than a victory for the Soviet state.
The Soviet Union, in full and in specie received for all delivered to Spain weapons, however, became in the eyes of the people in a selfless defender of the weak and oppressed — which was extremely useful and to create a positive image of our country among the “progressive humanity”, and shes raised the rating of leaders of the country within the country — for nothing so ennobling as the selfless assistance to people in distress!
Tellingly — and for the national socialist German Spanish war was as clearly positive information project — though from diametrically opposed positions.
The Germans on Spanish soil have also acted as defenders of the weak and oppressed — though played not the miners of Asturias, and the Catholic Padre of Castile — but it really didn’t matter. The German army came to the aid of the forces of law and order against the devastating hurricane of the revolution — the Germans (as, incidentally, we are) overwhelmingly supported their political leaders in the Spanish question.
Alexander Usovskaya 
Historian, writer, publicist
