@ Kielhauler
Very interesting stuff. I agree with you entirely about the USA. It appears Germany only sank US ships inadvertantly. Very good point about US aid to Britain pre December 1941. I echo your sentiments entirely.
You are probably right about Norway, also. Reading accounts of attacks on Norwegian shipping before April 1940, although some seem entirely inexplicable, most appear to have been made on ships en route to or from Britain: the flag of neutrality never saved them. With reference to your reference about Norway's merchant marine being put to the service of Britain, it's probably worth adding that this considerable merchant navy continued in the Allied cause throughout the war, suffering very many losses. Indeed, the Royal Norwegian Navy escaped to Britain and provided, amongst other things, considerable escort contingents in the Battle of the Atlantic - something few of us Brits would realise. In this respect, Norway was never entirely conquered.
I know almost nothing of Spanish history after 1640, so the information you provide is new to me. From what you say, Hitler was on a loser with Franco almost from Day One.
Sweden intrigues me, though. From the little I know, I would agree with the importance of the mineral trade etc. However, if uboat.net is to be believed (and I see no reason why not) the "unfortunate sinkings here and there" added up to eighty-eight before the war ended - two-thirds of these were out of convoy. This started from the first weeks of the war, and resulted in the deaths of many Swedish sailors. Very clumsy from a diplomatic point of view, even by the standards of Nazi Germany!
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