camstewart96

I have always wondered what the outcome of the war could have been in Spain had joined WWII. To me I believe that General Franco would have been an Axis power due to the debt he was from the Nazi aiding him in the Spanish Civil War along with Spain now being a fascist state. I think that it would have been more difficult for the allies to claim victory due to more land for the Axis Powers and more fire power.
But what do you think?

Pacific_Victory

I think fascist Spain could barely manage to keep it's own citizens in check let alone anyone else.

Diced

Interesting thought, however I would have to know the military capabilities of Spain at that time period. So I couldn't really say anything about whether it would have resulted in Axis victory of the second world war. Geographically they could certainly have helped during the invasion of France and could have freed up German units by helping the occupation of France. These could then have been send to the Eastern front to fight during Barbarossa.

They might also have helped out in destroying British merchant shipping and may have been the final nail in the British coffin by starving them into submission successfully, something which the Germans couldn't achieve. They could also have helped in the campaigns of North-Africa and the Mediterranean. However, as I'm oblivious of Spanish military capability at that time I cannot say whether that would be possible.

pikeshot1600

Spain was on its knees, both in terms of exhaustion and economically, after the civil war, 1936-1939. Anywhere from 400,000 - 1,000,000 Spaniards died as a result of the war - casualties, disease, executions. Sources vary. The population in 1936 was about 24,000,000, so that was a very heavy toll indeed.

The Spanish leadership was well aware that WW II would be won by the maritime powers, and Spain was in dire need of foodstuffs after the economic and agricultural dislocations of '36-'39. Much of those foodstuffs came from the Americas, particularly South America. Germany could not protect that for Spain.

pikeshot1600

In terms of the scale of warfare 1939-1945, Spain would have been committing suicide by entering the war at all. Please see the post above in re the '36-'39 civil war.

Spain's military capacity was pretty much limited to pre-WW II arms (which were largely worn out by the civil war) and an exhausted population living on depleted food resources.

Francisco Franco was no fool. He played the cards correctly both before and during WW II.

Virgil

I think they would have been no more help than the Italians were. They would have helped some in 1940 with the invasion of France, but so what?

Diced

Yes, and I also already read your previous post and I believe it when you say that Spain was in no shape whatsoever to contribute to the war. If the situation was really as bad as you say then joining the Axis would have made very little difference, maybe even made it more difficult for the Axis because Germany might have to deal with another civil war in Spain.

sylla1

Please be aware that this is not any alternative History as you seem to believe; the huge help of the fascist Spain to the Axis, funamentally against the Soviet Union, is a well known historiical fact.

The contribution of the Blue Division and other Spanish volunteer units (mainly in the northern sector of the Eastern front) was highly appreciated by the Wehrmacht; the Spanish troops were especially valuable for the activities in the Volkhow region.

pugsville

The Spanish economy would have been crippled. It was dependent om imports and much of it things the Nazi economy had a critical shortage of. Occupied France the economy nose dived. Same thing.

The Spanish lacked modern equipment, it's doubtful the population would have been keen (see Italy, just coz their fascists dont mean the population is keen to support Germany's wars) some volunteers are not representative of the general population.

I would not have thought U-boat bases would have been much better off. The Loss of Gibraltar would have been a blow to British prestige but the Med was not used for thru shipping, and the Med did not contain strategic resources or objectives. Would have slowed the invasion of Italy but not much else.

Belgarion

The loss of Gibraltar may also have made victory in North Africa more uncertain. Had Rommel been able to take Cairo, cut the Suez canal and move on to the middle eastern oil fields the entire outcome of the war would have been very different.