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Franco's Spain was neutral during WWII and an espionage hot spot for Axis and Allies alike. Hitler attempted again and again to get Franco to join the Axis and was each time rebuffed. Franco was one of the few men who was unaffected by his personal charm and "magnetism". He infuriated Hitler. But despite this official neutrality of Spain- He didn't stop ideiological anti Communists who had fought for him during the Civil War against the Communists- to travel to Germany in which they formed their own Waffen SS division that fought on the Eastern Front. Some of whom may have been still fighting at the battle of Berlin in the final days.

I spent 18 months in Spain in the late 50's. The stories of Franco's exploits were legend, and some of them quite interesting and amusing. From what I understood, he was a master at deceit. He was strong anti-communist, and I personally saw some "nailed" rather quickly. It was tacitly acknowleged that there he was Fascist, whether open or closet, but managed to straddle the fence for the most part.

As far as their military is concerned, I can but smile. The Spanish military is nothing more than tokenism and pretend as far as I'm concerned. The psychological impact will be more important than anything to do with the military.