Although Spain had been for many years on the periphery of the great affairs of Europe, within a few months of the Civil War breaking out in 1936, three out of the four major European powers - Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union - decided to intervene. Spain turned out to be the perfect proving ground to carry out controlled, realistic experiments with live weapons and troops. This book covers the theories of the three main contributors that provided armour to the warring parties in the civil war, how those contributions shaped combat, and how the lessons learnt were then applied to tank combat in World War II. The use of tanks in the Spanish Civil War wedded traditional war to modern technology. The fighting in Spain did not offer any easy answers, however, to the question of infantry-armour cooperation, primarily because the tanks supplied were not very worthy and had been supplied in small numbers, even though the Republicans organized an 'armoured division'. The situation for the tanks on the Nationalist side was so bad in practical terms that they re-used captured Russian armour in their units. Tank employment in Spain did offer many lessons, but the lessons did not always lie in what was done or accomplished but precisely on what was not done and was not accomplished.
As a senior Armor officer in the Spanish Army, Anthony J. Candil had direct experience of the struggle of the tank concept in Spain, not then to replace the horse anymore, but to establish the armor as the primary combat arm in mobile warfare, and to create an armored corps within the Spanish ground forces.
Title: Tank Combat in Spain: Armored Warfare During the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
Author: Candil, Anthony
ISBN: 9781612009704
Binding:
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Publication Date: 2021-07-05
Number of Pages: 288
Weight: 0.6002 kg
...an interesting and well-rounded account of the beginnings of tank-on-tank warfare. Definitely recommended. * Miniature Wargames 31/08/2021 *
Many theories on modern armored combat had their origin in the Spanish Civil War...This knowledge would soon be used to great effect in World War II. * Military Heritage *
It is even more interesting to read and learn about tanks during the Spanish Civil War from an author who was a Senior Armor Officer in the Spanish Army. This is a valuable book not only for modellers, but for history fans who want to know more about this conflict. * DetailScaleView *
...offers important insight into the employment of tanks during the war, lessons learned (or not learned) by the participating armed forces... * Globe at War 21/06/2021 *
...a worthwhile investment for any wargamer with an interest in the period and might cause some to rethink their assumptions on armour and its use. * Wargames Illustrated *
Making use of resources in Spanish and Italian hitherto largely overlooked by writers on the subject, defense analyst Candil, a former Spanish armor officer, has produced an excellent account of the role of armor in the Spanish Civil War, while also offering a fairly even-handed treatment of the conflict. A valuable read for anyone with an interest in armor or in the Spanish Civil War. * The NYMAS Review 31/08/2021 *