First Spanish War Since Napoleon:
Gary wonders if there is going to be another war with a Spanish speaking entity, this time about Gibraltar instead of the Falklands. He is quoting some British Admiral named Rear Admiral Chris Parry. He said that Britain isn’t as powerful as it was during the Falklands War but it is 3 times more powerful than Spain when it comes to the navy. He claimed that in the defense of Gibraltar during the breakup of the EU Britain could singe the King of Spain’s Beard, and that is a quote. How is it that British Admirals can go around talking like that unless it is with the permission of the PM? In the US American generals and admirals NEVER talk like that even with the permission of the President. The President and the Secretary of State, Defense, etc usually make all the politically charged statements — not the military. Gary claims that if we were on a Mediterranean Cruise and anchored at Gibraltar especially on the QM2, there we would be in the middle of a war zone and the British navy would probably commission the ship!!! We would be stuck having to fly back to the States.
I think I should add all this as an Afterword to my Napoleonic novel, Inn at the Crossroads — about the modern day Napoleonic tiff that might just occur though I don’t see how the US would permit a war in Western Europe. Back in the days of the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon put his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain. An uprising in Madrid was crushed, but there were guerilla attacks out in the countryside. They were doing hit and run on the French troops. The British under Sir Arthur put in a small force to support the guerillas in Spain to stir things up. This was the last time that the British fought in Spain. But at Trafalgar Nelson was fighting a combined French-Spanish fleet in 1805. So earlier in the Napoleonic Wars British was actually fighting Spain itself.
Here is the plot of the novel Inn at the Crossroads, part of the Edward Ware Thrillers at War Series: Lizette receives an urgent missive from her mother and sister in the town of Waterloo to come and rescue them and bring them to Ave et Auffe where she is married to the old man innkeeper of the Inn at the Crossroads. The British under the Duke of Wellington are invading Waterloo in preparation for the Battle after campaigns in Spain where they fought the French and the Spanish. When she gets to Waterloo, she finds that her family couldn’t wait. They went to Brussels to help her aunt sew dresses for the ball. The crazy Duchess of Richmond has decided to have a grand ball on the eve of the battle, the soldiers be damned. Gaston, Lizette’s husband’s only son, shows up and threatens his stepmother he will expose her and drag her home if she doesn’t get information for the cause of the Emperor Napoleon. She is to dance with the officers, including Edward Ware’s great-grandfather, and report to him. But little does Gaston realize the complications that he creates. Lizette is arrested and thrown in jail. Will Gaston be able to rescue her? Will he be able to help Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo? Read Inn at the Crossroads, an historical thriller.
