MILITARY IMPORTANCE OF GIBRALTAR AND THE MEANS AT SPAIN'S DISPOSAL TO ANNUL IT

Foreword by the Translator On reading this 1896 extremely thorough and rare Compendium of Military Intelligence, Espionage and Strategic thinking and planning I became immersed in the military, cultural and political mindset of the 19th Century Spanish Military Establishment with its historical legacy of a mixture of grief and despair at the loss of Gibraltar but also a recognition of the strategic importance of the Fortress. The author revisits Spain’s aspiration to control the whole of the Straits and the various failed sieges and diplomatic attempts at recovering Gibraltar. This memorandum analyses in minute details the strengths and weaknesses of all the ports and bases surrounding the Straits of Gibraltar, comparing it with similar geopolitical naval choke points throughout the Mediterranean. This analysis includes detailed strategies and topographical descriptions of the Campo de Gibraltar in 1896 in order to take advantage of the new advancing artillery technologies being developed at the time, making the Old Mole and the City of Gibraltar very vulnerable and even potentially targeting the New Mole in the South. Justification and recommendations of where to defend and place battery emplacements across the Campo area were made, which would have been interpreted as a threat to the Fortress. The author also goes into detail analysing and suggesting counteroffensives against potential threats from the British Empire to expand into the Campo de Gibraltar and beyond and even to invade Ceuta and Tangiers, including Perejil Island. Spain’s ambition of extending its Colonies and invading Morocco is also mentioned. Political arguments are raised if militarily Gibraltar is neutralized or of the value of exchanging one colony or island for another, or for money, depending of the diplomacy of the time. The Appendix reminds us of the significance of the Treaty of Utrecht; the Campo de Gibraltar Spanish People allegiances to Gibraltar; the realization of commercial dependence of the Campo de Gibraltar to British Interests; including the Spanish Cortes authorization to the Puente Mayorga Port; comment on the Calpe Hunt; smuggling; the strategic advantage of Spain selling water to Gibraltar, which it could stop at any time and the under playing of the significance of the Bobadilla Algeciras British Railway Trains. On reading this book I thought that this work should be available to English reading historians, strategists and scholars of colonial power dynamics in order to be able to interpret from primary sources the original Spanish narrative of the time. Throughout this project I have strived to keep the translation as close as possible to the true original style, flavour, and emotive narrative of this 19th Century highly talented methodical military strategist author. I have included public domain photos from Picryl, Wikipedia and others as well as personally owned photos on the subject in order to assist in visualizing the narrative and its strategic significance. These show why it is not surprising then that General Francisco Franco eventually fortified the Bay. The geopolitical, commercial and military significance of Gibraltar and the Straits of Gibraltar was vital in World War II and during the Cold War, continuing to this day with the current President of America Donald Trump issuing his thoughts on the subject. Dr Joseph Xavier Moreno