Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 1073: Should Spain be self-sufficient in weapons?

On February 1882, 2, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and Greece held a five-nation joint military exercise in the western Mediterranean. On the first day of the exercise, the Dutch steam battleship Amsterdam fired torpedoes on the Spanish side of the Strait of Gibraltar and sank. The picture was even placed on the headlines of newspapers in five countries.

Faced with the increasingly confident and well-funded British and German armies and the huge armies of their allies, in recent years the four Nordic Alliance countries, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Greece, have formulated response plans to strengthen cooperation in the military field.

In April last year, Spain announced the launch of a series of defense reforms. The focus of the reforms includes the development of ocean strike capabilities, the production of weapons in Spain and its allies in the Nordic Alliance, and the deepening of strategic partnerships with Greece at the east and west ends of the Mediterranean. Relationships etc.

The Netherlands and Spain announced in July last year that the Netherlands and Spain would expand their military footprints at the north and south ends of the English Channel, including allowing the Netherlands' world-leading submarines to visit Spain more frequently and stay longer, and strengthening the supply of reproduced mines. cooperation, etc.

In particular, Spain actually opened to the Netherlands the important Atlantic naval port of A Coruña, the eastern port of Malaga on both sides of British Gibraltar, and the western port of Huelva in the Bay of Cadiz close to Portugal.

This shocked many people.

You must know that these three places are Spain's most important offensive ports. A Coruña is the frontmost port inserted into the Atlantic Ocean, and because it has a harbor, it is not afraid of the Atlantic monsoon, so its location is great.

In the past, Britain and France were very cautious about this port, but Spain was very prepared for these two countries and was naturally unwilling to let them set foot. Unexpectedly, Spain actually agreed to the Netherlands. This was a big surprise.

However, the Netherlands also paid a corresponding "price".

The Netherlands agrees that Spanish warships can dock and resupply at the Port of Rotterdam in Dutch Europe when heading north to Northern Europe. This is definitely a big deal for Spain.

After all, Spain was the world's most powerful maritime country in the 1718th century, and the British had already disabled it at the end of the 18th century.It is even rarer to set foot in Northern Europe. Now that the Netherlands provides Spain with such influence, it is definitely a proud memory for the Spanish country and personal emotions.

Therefore, in a poll conducted by Spain, the country that most wants to form an alliance among all countries in the world is the Netherlands, with a support rate of 85%, which is much higher than the No. 2 natural geographical allies Portugal (60%) and France (50%).

In the Netherlands, 60% also regard Spain as an ally. It can be said that the alliance between the two governments is a natural one.

The spokesperson of the Prime Minister Office of the transitional government of the Linden cabinet of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said that Spain hopes to buy 20 Dutch second-generation submarines from the Netherlands. The latest Wolf B-type submarines (the first generation became the Dutch Tiger submarine, the second generation was called the Wolf type, and the older version Called Wolf A, the new model becomes Wolf B)

The new Dutch submarine Wolf B version has a deeper lurking depth than before and is therefore secretive. The deal still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Dutch Parliament, and contract details are yet to be determined.

"Mexico and Spain may become testing grounds for the Netherlands' new weapons."

The Dutch government plans to sell the entire Wolf B version submarine system to Spain for up to 5000 million Dutch guilders (500 million pounds). At the same time, Spain will also strengthen its domestic production capabilities of mine weapons.

The United Kingdom has previously pointed out that global alliances between the Netherlands and Spain, whether in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, or the Indo-Pacific, have undermined regional peace and stability.Some critics of the German Empire also questioned that the three major powers of the Netherlands, Spain, and even the Tsarist Russia led an alliance of some small and medium-sized countries, which might allow countries such as the Netherlands to dominate the global military landscape with their overwhelming military superiority.

In this regard, Moltke, the Chief of the General Staff of the German Empire, publicly stated in Berlin that he expected Tsarist Russia and Spain to actively participate in this Dutch-led alliance and share risks.

Spanish Defense Industry Minister Conroy said: "Spain is investing in enhancing long-range capabilities in all areas. In addition to purchasing Wolf B version submarines from the Netherlands, the government is also taking important steps in domestic production of mines and warships to strengthen Spanish defence." industry, protect our arms supply chains and contribute to moderating global demand.

Of course, the quality of Dutch weapons is nothing to say about other countries in the world, and we are very interested in it."

Conroy pointed out, “It is easy for the Netherlands to find a place in the country where they can continue to test their long-range combat capabilities, such as the Alaska Peninsula or the empty deserts of Africa, but they have to find an ally that is not much different from the Netherlands to fight against. , is a very big challenge, especially the sea trial.

Apart from the United Kingdom and France, I dare say that no other country in the world is more suitable to be the Netherlands' sparring partner than Spain in terms of actual combat and experience. Spain is even stronger than France in some aspects of experience.

Spain came to the Netherlands to conduct trials every year, which did more good than harm to the Netherlands.

Spain takes this opportunity to get in touch with the most advanced weapons of the Netherlands and adapt to them as quickly as possible. This will definitely be very useful for Spain to get started quickly after ordering from the Netherlands.

Spain has overseas territories such as Cuba and the Philippines that are several times larger than the mainland, and the Netherlands has nearly 300 times more territory in the world than the mainland. It is more credible for the two countries to conduct tests in these places.

"Next, Spain will speed up the construction of its local weapons industry and introduce Dutch technology."

"The first country that the Dutch warship Prince of Australia will visit after being commissioned will be Manila, our overseas colony in the Far East. We will give it a grand welcome because it means that we are improving our military relations."

He also said, "Many people think that Spain did not choose to join the Dutch alliance to please the Netherlands. I want to say that you are wrong, very wrong. We just think that this is in line with our Spanish national interests. It can help us face the challenges faced by the Netherlands." Different challenges within the region.”

In an interview with Spain's Madrid Daily earlier this month, Dutch Deputy Minister of Army Worms said that as part of the Nordic Alliance's quadrilateral security partnership, Spain may become a first-tier exporter of the Netherlands' latest weapons, and its status will be upgraded to Same as Greece, Sweden and Denmark.

Spain is also said to be the Netherlands' most trusted and most appreciated ally.

A statement from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Spain will use these new cutting-edge weapons purchased from the Netherlands to strengthen the defense of its homeland and the security of key infrastructure, especially threats to the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic coast, and to safeguard the interests of Spain and its allies."

The statement emphasized that this deal will not significantly change the military balance between Spain, Portugal, and France.
Isabella II also said in Madrid the next day, February 1882, 2, that the Netherlands had detailed plans for weapons production and ordering, and would receive these 11 ships from the Netherlands starting in 1883. The Wolf B version submarine was also produced for the domestic version of supporting mines, which were all in place before the end of 20.

(End of this chapter)