The official AHF Spanish Civil War quiz thread

[Ironmachine]

Well, strictly speaking all public buildings would have been Republican government administration buildings seized by the Nationals, so yes.
The first hint was very, very important to identify the building.

[Polar bear]

hi,

On July 17, 16:20, Franco was informed by phone from Melilla (by a Colonel Solans?) that the uprising had begun.

Could the building be the telegraph office ?

greetings, the pb

[Ironmachine]

Franco was not informed by phone from Melilla that the uprising had begun. He received a telegram from colonel Solans, but much later than 16:20. So no, this is not the telegraph office. However, you are right that this building is in Melilla. It's the place where it all began.
Regards.

[Maxschnauzer]

La Casa del Pueblo?

[Ironmachine]

No. This is a public building.

[Maxschnauzer]

Was the departamento cartográfico where General Romerales was arrested located in this building?

[Ironmachine]

I think you are mixing different events here. Romerales was arrested in the Comandancia, and this building is not the Comandancia. However, it is kind of a "departamento geográfico". The events there happened previously to the arrest of Romerales.

[Maxschnauzer]

I guess I am confused. I read that the Falangist Colonels plotted the coup in the "map room" of the "headquarters" but I do not know the actual building designation.

[Ironmachine]

Well, I guess it can be difficult to find the real designation of the building without resorting to Spanish sources; on the other hand, resorting to Spanish sources is IMHO something to be expected from anyone following the SCW quiz thread.
However, as this question has been unresolved for a long time and I don't expect anyone solving it any time soon, I will give the answer: it's the building of the Comisión de Límites in Melilla, where at 16:20 hours on 17 July 1936 the SCW "officially" began (that is, those are the place and time where and when the first rebellious act against the government took place).

Placa.jpg (13.58 KiB) Viewed 3031 times

This quiz is now open for anyone with a good question.
Regards.

[Maxschnauzer]

Thanks for the history lesson, Ironmachine, I quite enjoyed it. I apologize that my lack of a reference library or fluency in Spanish limited my sources largely to English articles and Google translations. I learned a lot though.

[durb]

As the floor has been left open, I´ll go forward with new theme.

Foreign volunteers have always been one of the main themes of Spanish Civil War. Some remarkable men served both at Republican and at Nationalist side.

Like this one: he was the highest ranking Finnish soldier in Spanish Civil War. During his life he had various careers - in late 1920´s he was an military expert assistant of some Hollywood war movies. He was also an actor, screenwriter, director and cutter during his film career of early 1930´s. In one famous Hollywood movie he made a role of a Zeppelin commander.

He was not just a "movie soldier". He proved to be a competent front line officer in Spanish Civil War and was wounded three times in combat.

Who was he?

[Ironmachine]

Carl von Haartman.

[durb]

Yes, the one and only. The Hollywood movie in which Carl von Haartman featured as a German Zeppelin commander was a Oscar film Hell´s Angels (1930). Haartman participated in the Finnish Civil War in 1918 and he was a battalion commander in the Soviet-Finnish Winter War 1939-1940. His nickname during Winter War was "Espanjan kauhu" meaning "Spain´s horror" (or horror of Spain).

Passing to the torch forward...

[Ironmachine]

Thanks.
Who?

[durb]

Again a hint would be useful to help us ignorants to get a clue where to start info search. Is the man Spaniard or other nationality?