Good morning!
Fine topic today .. my opinion is that without Spanish help Hitler couldn't have taken Gibraltar.
Churchill states in his memoirs that the British had a treaty dating back to the 1300s with Portugal which allowed British use of the Azores for naval bases, and they were prepared to use them in the event of the fall of Gibraltar.
However, Franco's intention was to keep Spain out of the war, meaning the Germans couldn't have attempted an assault from the landward side. I can't imagine a seaward assault being successful, and by 1941 the Crete operation had soured Hitler on large-scale airborne operations.
But the benefits would have been enormous. Churchill also writes about the difficulties inherent in bringing reinforcements for the Desert Army all the way around Cape Horn to the Suez Canal due to the presence of the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean - and this was even with British control of Gibraltar. Without it, holding Malta would have been even more difficult. Its fall would have opened the way for easier German supply to Africa, with all the danger to British forces and possessions in the Middle East that might have entailed.
The only help that Hitler needed was for Spain to look the other way for a few weeks.
Very interesting. Thanks Colonel. Obviously today's topic was Sam's idea. I don't have enough knowledge to participate, however, I expect to learn much from the conversations. :-)