Hitler wrangled with Franco over allowing German troops to pass through Spain to get to the British at Gibraltar. They met face-to-face in the Pyrennees just after the fall of France. Franco refused. Hitler said trying to negotiate with Franco was the most frustrating experience of his life. He finally met his match in negotiations.
It would be unfair to Franco to say he totally stiffed the Germans. He had justifiable reasons to not enter a formal alliance with the Germans. He also provided some active cooperation.
1. His country just finished a long, bitter and destructive civil war. It was one of the poorest countries in Europe when the civil war started, and the war didn’t improve the situation. He really wasn’t in a position to provide full participation in a bigger, longer war.
2. He wasn’t a stupid man. He was glad to have the help of the Condor Legion, etc..., during the Civil War, but was frankly glad to be rid of them when they were no longer needed. If he allows German troops into his country on the theory of allowing them to attack Gibraltar, does he ever get rid of them? He’s probably smart to have refused.
3. He did provide material help to the Wehrmacht in the form of the “Spanish Blue Division” which was formally designated by the Germans as the 242nd Infantry Division. It was an all-volunteer outfit of fascist Spaniards that Franco allowed to serve with the Germans on the Eastern Front. It had a splendid combat record until Franco recalled it in 1943. The “Blue Division” accomplished two things for Franco; it allowed him to show some payback to the Germans, and it got rid of some hotheads that might have caused trouble at home. By the time he recalled the division, it looked a lot less like Germany would win the war, and many of the hotheads had been killed by the Russians.
I certainly was not critical of Franco, basically I agree with your points. In addition I think it is usually agreed that Franco was more of an authoritarian in the long tradition of Spain, rather than a devotee of the Fascist corporate state.
Unfortunately for Hitler, his meeting with Gen. Franco happened too late, October 1940, when it was clear the so hoped rapid victory over Britain (Mussolini entered the war for such reason) was not taking place.
At that point, Gen. Franco had already received reports from the top command of the Spanish navy, concerned with the exposure of the Canary Islands, which could not withstand an attack and landing of the Royal Navy.
Because in Gen. Franco’s decisions had a great influence, logically, past wars. The French invasion in 1808 (Napoleon’s France then an ally), in which the French troops whose oficial objective was Portugal (in the British side) took other direction; and the war against the United States, 42 years before, whose result could be repeated in the Canary Islands.
So the navy advised against Spain joining the war in Hitler’s side at least until the war in the Mediterranean were over, so part of the Italian navy could move to Gibraltar (now conquered), air wings could be based in Morocco to protect the Canary islands and part of the Spanish commerce and fisheries (very important those post war years) in the Atlantic was somewhat replaced by some in the Mediterranean, even with supplies from the Soviet Union via de Black Sea.