What did Trotsky propose that shocked both the Politburo and the Military Commission? He proposed to form an international column in the name of the Comintern to support the Spanish Popular Front.

Of course, this building is not shocking, it is amazing in the back, Trotsky also mentioned that this international column should be handed over to the command of soldiers with combat experience, and who is this person? That's Tukhachevsky!

From the second half of 1934, Tukhachevsky faded out of the political and military arena of the Soviet Union. As the main person responsible for the Leningrad case, the dignified Marshal of the Soviet Union and the Chief of the General Staff were forced to withdraw from active duty and could only go to the reserve forces to fight soy sauce.

Even after Trotsky came to power, Tukhachevsky's situation did not change much (the old Tohsky had no influence in the Military Commission). This situation was very painful for Trotsky, who had always admired Tukhachevsky and was ready to make Tukhachevsky his main pillar in the Military Commission. Who would have thought that this pillar would be casually poached by Stalin and Sverdlov.

The complete loss of control over the Military Commission was naturally intolerable to Trotsky, and for more than a year after coming to power, he had been looking for an opportunity to make Tukhachevsky's comeback. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, and especially after the Politburo's decision to support the Spanish Popular Front, Trotsky thought the time was ripe.

"It is very reasonable to let Comrade Tukhachevsky command the international column, first of all, Comrade Tukhachevsky is no longer an active soldier of our country, and his personal mission to fight in Spain will not arouse international political criticism. Moreover, Comrade Tukhachevsky has rich combat experience and is an outstanding military talent of our army. It couldn't have been more reasonable to let him command the international column......"

In any case, Trotsky gave all the reasons and excuses he could come up with. Anyway, according to his intentions. The commander of the international column was none other than Tukhachevsky!

Trotsky's suggestion was naturally met with strong resistance from the Stalin-Sverdlov clique. How can it be easy to bring down Tukhachevsky, how can he get back out of the mountain? Especially the Stalinists, who had always hated Tukhachevsky, were constantly opposed. Seeing that this matter was about to cause a great split within the CPSU, Li Xiaofeng put forward his views:

"I think it's a good thing to have Tukhachevsky go to Spain." He stopped Voroshilov, who tried to interject, "Objectively speaking, although Tukhachevsky has retired, he still has a huge influence on the Red Army. We can't completely get rid of these influences for a while, so what's the best way to do that? That is to send away all the people who were desperate to follow Trotsky and Tukhachevsky. Isn't it good to send them to Spain? ”

Stalin and Sverdlov glanced at each other, they really didn't expect that a certain immortal would have this hand, if this can really be achieved, it doesn't seem bad, just take the opportunity to get rid of all the thorns in the army pro-Trotsky and Tukhachevsky, and then their control over the army will be even more stable!

Having figured this out, Stalin smiled, and everyone knew what Trotsky had in mind this time, which was to prepare for the Spanish Civil War and the opportunity to restore his power in the army. But in the end, it led to the exact opposite result, and I thought of it. Stalin: What a joy!

However, Voroshilov was not happy: "What if Tukhachevsky is outstanding in Spain? ”

Li Xiaofeng said lightly: "Spain is Spain." The international column is an international column and has nothing to do with the Red Army! ”

Stalin also nodded again and again: "The Politburo has always emphasized non-interference in the internal affairs of Spain. So the international column had nothing to do with the Soviet government and the Red Army! ”

Soon Trotsky's mention was recognized, and to be honest, Torod was a little surprised, he was ready for a fierce battle, but who would have thought that Stalin and Sverdlov would agree with just a casual mouthpiece. At that time, Lao Tuo was quite happy, thinking that this was a manifestation of his gradual control of the situation.

Soon after, however, a large number of pro-Trotsky, Tukhachevsky, middle and senior officers, received instructions from the Military Commissary: "Immediately retire from active duty and join the international column with Comrade Tukhachevsky!" ”

It was only then that Trotsky realized that something was wrong, but even if he had to regret it, who had agreed to the Military Commission's temporary retirement of a group of officers from active duty to fight in Spain?

Of course, not all of them went to Spain were pro-Trotskyist and Tukhachevsky officers, and a large number of good seedlings were also sent there, but the difference between them and the former was that after the end of the Spanish Civil War, they could return to active duty, while the former was genuinely permanently discharged.

In any case, the Trotskyist forces were almost completely emptied from the army, and although the historical purges had the same effect, the price paid was extremely heavy, almost all of them were burned. And now, because of the intervention of a certain immortal, the means are more subtle and gentle.

The formation of the international column began immediately, and the Red Army drew a large number of elite forces from the navy, army, and air force, especially those commanders and fighters who had just experienced the test of the battle of the Haraha River, were sent over. The first batch of shipments was equivalent to an infantry brigade, and this infantry brigade was not an infantry brigade in the ordinary sense, but a motorized infantry regiment and a tank regiment, which means that the Red Army actually sent a mechanized infantry brigade.

Nearly a hundred T-26s and BT-2s were transported to Spain, unloaded directly at the port of Santander, and after a short period of acclimatization, the brigade, under the command of Tukhachevsky, with the cooperation of the militia supporting the Popular Front, launched an offensive on Gijón, which had just been occupied by the rebels.

For Tukhachevsky, commanding a brigade is really overkill. But he had no complaints, and it was unthinkable for him to return to the army and command the troops to fight again. This more than a year of leisure life almost tortured him to death, as long as he can fight, let alone be a brigade commander, even if it is a platoon commander!

When the news of the attack on Gijón by armored forces reached Ferrol. Emilio. Mora was surprised at first. Where did the militia mud legs come from? At one point, he even thought it was a mistake. But when the rebel commander in Gijón told him that the tank-wielding troops were speaking Russian, Mora was immediately outraged. Nima, it goes without saying that the Russians are doing ghosts!

On the one hand, Mora reported the news to the German-Italian godfather, and on the other hand, he also strongly accused the Soviet Union of grossly interfering in Spain's internal affairs through international public opinion. It's just that everyone knows that except for the British, who are a little interested in this and will help to fuel the flames, the other big hooligans should do what they should do. And the Soviet Union immediately explained: "Not a single Red Army serviceman and Red Army weapons and equipment on active duty entered Spain." The information released by the National Army is nothing but slander and rumor-mongering. The Soviet government reserved the right to react further to such despicable acts. ”

For the Soviet explanation, Mora took photos taken on the battlefield as evidence, and the battle of the Haraha River made the Soviet T-26 and BT-2 known to the world, which he thought would slap the Russians in the face.

Who would have thought that Litvinov immediately retorted: "I repeat once again that neither the active servicemen nor the weapons and equipment of the Red Army entered the territory of Spain. The so-called T-26 and BT-2 tanks presented by the rebel side are nothing more than tanks similar to those of the Red Army, but by no means the active equipment of the Red Army! ”

Not only did Litvinov speak, but Ms. Victoria, as the general manager of EO, also immediately came forward to clarify: "The batch of T-26 and BT-2 tanks belongs to EO and is purchased by EO from the international market and leased to international columns. It has nothing to do with the Soviet government and is part of EO's normal business practices. Please don't over-read it! ”

Spare a circle, EO company came forward to take the blame, the responsibility of the Soviet government was completely brushed off, and even the British could only sarcastically say two words lukewarmly. As for the National Army, there is no way to do it.

The entry of the international column into the battle was only a small episode, the situation on the Spanish mainland was still calm, and the real key point of the confrontation was still overseas. The Franco rebels in Spanish Morocco were still looking at the sea, even though the Strait of Gibraltar was not wide, but it was really difficult for Franco's army to cross it.

Why? The main forces of the Spanish Navy were still in control of the Popular Front. The National Army probably had only about a quarter of the strength of the Spanish Navy. And it's this quarter, and it's only by cheating, abducting, and doing everything to get it.

For example, the aforementioned rebel cruiser Severa, which was not under the control of the Nationalists at first, included the cruiser Severa and the battleship España at the beginning of the rebellion (note that this battleship España was not the lead ship of the Spanish-class battleships, but was actually the second ship, Alfonso XIII). The main force of the fleet, including the first ship Spain, was not immediately in the hands of the Nationalist Army, after driving away Alfonso XIII, and after driving out Alfonso XIII, the original Alfonso XIII was renamed Spain.

At that time, the only real sea power that the National Army had at its disposal was the old destroyer Velasco. When Mora led the Nationalist army to rebel, he was immediately attacked head-on by the Spanish and Severa, and even the two unfinished Canary-class heavy cruisers fiercely resisted the rebels' attacks under the control of the sailors, and for a time the rebels could not raise their heads.

It's hard to see, Emilio. Mora had no choice but to play a trick, and the Nationalists forged an order from the Admiralty to disarm the Republican Army, including the sailors and militia, in Ferrol. At that time, at the negotiating table, Emilio . Mora falsely said that he would condone the "mutiny" sailors and militiamen. But as soon as the sailors and militiamen laid down their arms, the man changed his face and did not hesitate to order all the sailors and militiamen to be shot.

It was because of the carelessness of the sailors and militiamen that the rebels gained a battleship, a light cruiser, a destroyer, and two unfinished heavy cruisers. After seizing the ship, Fransco . Lieutenant Commander Moreno immediately organized a group of fanatical fascists to serve as sailors, who were really training day and night, ready to fight.

The Nationalists not only tried to seize the fleet in Ferrol, but also in Cadiz and Cartagena, where Cadiz quickly captured the light cruiser Republic (renamed Navarre) and Canovas because of the strong rebel forces. Morality. The gunboat Casstillo, and even the gunboat Zacatecas, built for Mexico, became trophies of the rebels (renamed Culver. Sotello).

Of course, the rebels have not always been successful. More often than not, they suffered heavy defeats. At the time when Franco had just staged a mutiny in Morocco. The Admiralty of the Republic ordered three destroyers to go to counterinsurgency. At that time, the officers on the three ships were more inclined to support Franco, so they openly disobeyed the orders of the Admiralty and prepared to sail the warships to the rebel-held ports.

Among them Sanchez. The officers of the Bakestergui and the Admiral Valdés were successful at one time. At the time, Sanchez. The captain of the Bakestergui read a statement from Franco to the crew and hoped that all the officers and men of the ship would follow him in carrying out the "just cause". However, the captain was greeted not by unanimous support, but by silence!

After more than ten seconds, a voice rang out: "We should return to Cartagena (the naval base controlled by the Republic)!" ”

And no sooner had this voice fallen, and the sailors rushed up. Without saying a word, he took down the captain and other officers who supported Franco. The sailors of the Admiral Valdés did the same, arresting all the officers on board, and then shooting them all with great speed.

As for the last Rebanto, the captain was hesitant to support Franco, but before he could make a final decision, the sailors detained all the officers on board, and then, together with the first two destroyers, violently shelled the rebels in Melilla, and then returned to Cartagena in high spirits.

However, the encounter with these three destroyers was not too intense. The previous battle between the light cruisers Cervantes and Liberty from Ferrol was called bloody and tragic. The officers of the Cervantes, who were sailing off the coast of Portugal at the time, were the first to announce that they had joined the rebels. Fierce gunfights erupted in every compartment of the ship, until the last rebellious officer was killed.

Meanwhile. On the battleship Jaime I, a rebel officer who had flown out of Bigo had a plot to leak and then fired at the sailors with machine guns, and was finally killed in the latter's charge.

However, in this crazy and bloody battle to seize the ship, there were not only bloody conflicts, but also funny incidents. For example, the destroyer Chukaru, captain Fernando. Colonel Barreto led a group of henchmen to take control of the warship and docked it at the rebel-held port of Ceuta. An order was then placed on Colonel Barreto to transport a force to Cádiz across the Channel.

Upon arrival, an officer and Moroccan soldier volunteered to stay and spy on the sailors, but Colonel Barreto waved his hand triumphantly and said, "It's completely unnecessary!" ”

As a result, not long after leaving Cádiz, when the sailors learned of a telegram from Madrid, asking them to immediately distribute weapons and ammunition to take over the warship. The sailors who heard the news did not hesitate to strike immediately, and put the triumphant Colonel Barreto and his confidants in the bow anchor compartment.

This battle for warships caused the Spanish Navy a great deal of vitality, not only at the cost of a large number of bloody sacrifices of sailors, but also with officers. At that time, 230 of the 675 front-line naval officers of the Spanish Navy were executed on suspicion of or directly involved in the rebellion, and many more were imprisoned, and those who were lucky enough to be saved were also left out in the cold for a long time.

Let's put it this way, although the Second Republic controlled the vast majority of warships, the command of the navy was completely paralyzed. In the later civil war, the Republic Navy was also an important reason for its poor performance. After all, the "sailors' committee", which was composed of ordinary sailors, was still much worse than that of professional officers. It can even be said that the sailors' council was more interested in political activity than in military training and combat. These people have no enthusiasm, but they can't do the actual work.

If, as in history, the Red Navy did not even get the role of soy sauce, then Franco could really easily carry out the "victory transport", taking advantage of the Republic Navy to be attracted by Ferrol in the north, and transport the main force of his troops through the Strait of Gibraltar, so as to achieve a north-south attack on Madrid.

However, in this time and space, when the Republic Navy was making mistakes as always, the mighty Red Navy was choking Franco's throat. A powerful fleet, including the aircraft carrier Leningrad, the Red Samara, the Red Kharkov Battlecruisers, and the Red Donetsk and Red Pskov light cruisers, had been operating in the Strait of Gibraltar, closely monitoring the movements of the rebels in the ports of Tangier, Ceuta and Melilla, firmly pinning the main forces of the Franco rebels to Morocco.

Franco, not to mention what kind of victorious transport he did in history, swaggered across the Strait of Gibraltar, even secretly and sporadically transported soldiers to the other side of the strait. At one time, soldiers could only be transported by air using transport planes provided by Germany and Italy, which was not to mention the inefficiency.

Franco in the south is having a hard time, Emilio in the north. Mora was as miserable as the naval formation led by the Moskva firmly blocked the Severa in the harbor and could not move, and the four Type 36 frigates began to patrol and search the sea closely, and any ships that tried to transport to Ferrol and Gijón would be stopped and inspected, which made it impossible for the German arms ships to get close to Ferrol and Gijón at all, and could only go south to Tangier and Ceuta.

Even when the Nazi government, led by Hitler, strongly protested against the atrocities of the Red Navy, the Soviet side did not flinch, and even sent additional forces from the Black Sea Fleet to patrol the Baleari Islands...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you xvxinyi, glorious charter, hzwangdd, spike potatoes and comrades Juventus!