Franco could have helped Hitler win, but he didn’t.
If Franco had allowed Hitler in to seize Gibraltar, Hitler would have been able to bar Allied access to the Mediterranean.
“If Franco had allowed Hitler in to seize Gibraltar, Hitler would have been able to bar Allied access to the Mediterranean.”
Laughable. It would have been like assaulting Iwo Jima. One, the nazis and Spanish had no capability to attack the rock, and you can’t starve them out either. But for fun, let’s imagine the blockheads and Spanish trying to assault the rock. What exactly to you think the Royal Navy might have gotten busy doing?
Nothing Franco could have done could have facilitated a Hitler victory. I mean nothing.
The Med was already a British lake. The Germans played hell trying to supply Africa. The Italian fleet was rusting on the bottom. The Germans could occasionally sneak a sub into the med here and there but it wasn’t easy. And those neutral Spanish bases the kraut subs used would have also faced the Royal Navy.
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the Brits, but taking on the Royal Navy wasn’t in the cards for ANY European enemy.
All Franco could have done was get himself the same treatment the reich did.
If Franco doesn’t win the Civil War, Hitler invades Spain right after defeating France, and probably takes Gibraltar.