[J m HofMarN]

Many history books wont tell you about it. There are but few monuments to the men who lost their lives on foreign soil. And despite the incredible sacrifice of thousands of people from the US, Canada, Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, The USSR, and many other nations, few know the names of the men who fought and died for the Loyalist cause in the civil war of Spain.

I wanted to start a debate about this because I'm hoping maybe some people will look into it. I for one had never heard of US involvement in the war before I read For Whom The Bell Tolls, the story of an American from Montana who dies in an offensive against fascism in the mountains between Madrid and the Nationalist territory.

After reading that I read up a bit and discovered that the Western governments stayed out of the war or in fact aided the fascists because they were worried about communism. The US government officially declared neutrality while American corporations supported Franco and his Falangists. However in the White house Franklin Roosevelt often battled to get support to the nationalists opposed by his anti-communist secretary of state. Roosevelt saw the threat of fascism and was appauled by the unregulated bombing being done by the German and Italian troops aiding Franco. Roosevelt introduced at least one bill to officially support the loyalist cause but if faltered due to Catholic opposition.

But more interesting than the government intrigues was the reaction of ordinary citizens. In the US, Canada and many other countries many people who werent bogged down by political wrangling simply traveled to Spain and joined the Loyalist cause. These people included famed novelists George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway.

I myself am an avowed loyalist supporter, and I'm proud of my countrymen who went to aid them.

[TheOrator]

The only thing I know about it is that it's why Spain stayed out of WWII and Hemingway went and signed up for it because he was bored.

BECAUSE HE WAS BORED.

That man knew how to live. A bull-fighting lover, a Soldier for Sport, and a Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Course, he offed himself 'cause he was bored, too.

Hemingway was a weirdo.

Off topic, I apologize.

Yeah, that Franco...

That wily Franco.

He's such a card.

[Ninja Duck]

I wanted to start a debate about this because I'm hoping maybe some people will look into it. I for one had never heard of US involvement in the war before I read For Whom The Bell Tolls, the story of an American from Montana who dies in an offensive against fascism in the mountains between Madrid and the Nationalist territory.

Thanks for spoiling the ending.

And thanks for reminding me that I need to research the Spanish Civil War for my literature class. We're getting into war poetry now or something.

[J m HofMarN]

It's hard to spoil the ending of For Whom The Bell Tolls because RJ goes through the book going "blargh I'm buggered... but hey speaking of buggery heres this spanish chick" and then another spanish chick also tells him hes buggered.

As for spanish civil war research, I know a good bit about it and I've played a truly rawkin scenario of it in civ 2. Much as Robert Jordan might say, the Loyalists were buggered, but they really did have a slight chance of winning if other free nations had helped out.