| The plan to take Gibraltar came from Jodl who, after the fall of France, impressed on Hitler that such a capture would isolate Great Britain from the East and her far flung Empire and lead to the strangling of her commercial and military interests.Hitler took the idea to the Obersalzberg Berghof and decided he could bring in Franco into the Axis group with the attraction of Gibraltar.
Canaris, head of the German Abwehr was instructed by Jodl to gain the required intelligence for an invasion of Gibraltar through the back door of Spain or by sea.Canaris having his own agenda of opposition to Hitler delivered a discouraging report that such an invasion was riddled with problems and not likely to succeed.The position of Spain and Franco at this point needs to be assessed.Spain,headed by Franco was a pro German, anti British "neutral" who from the civil war owed Germany a few favours.Carnaris, post civil war, had been able to build up a network of over 700 full time agents and a further 600 who were very active in gaining intelligence in Spain.
The Canaris report was ignored by Hitler who decided to ask Franco for Spain's cooperation but was to find out that Franco was not going to be an ally when there was a risk that Franco would lose all.
Franco withstood a 9 hr battering from Hitler when they met at Hendaye on October 23 1940. Hitler tried to convince Franco that England was finished,of the might of the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe.London was being heavily bombed and the U Boat arm would rule the North Atlantic. However Franco made no committment to Operation Felix as the operation to take Gibraltar would be called.
He cited his concerns for the future of Spainish consumerables such as oil and grain both from the US which would run the risk of sanctions from the US.On the subject of the military operation he was aware that Hitler could not spare at that time any large assault artilliery,thought neccessary to take on the fortress of Gibraltar.Another problem that Franco saw and he tried to convince Hitler of was that the US would shutdown Spain's Telecom system which was US owned.
Hitler left Franco alone until early February 1941 when he asked Franco to state his position.Franco replied to his note by late February 1941 with the fact that he wished Spain to be neutral and that the country was just recovering from the ravages of a civil war. He was aware that he would be chancing Spains future if denied access to the US and British Empire markets.What Hitler did know that Canaris had already told Franco that Hitler's intention was not to invade Spain as long as Spain remained neutral.
Franco's decision to keep Spain out of the war enabled Franco to stay in power for well over 30 years.Always pro German and an anti British "neutral" it proved to be the ideal location to deceive the Germans when thay fell for the British Itelligence game "Operation Mincemeat".
My own feeling about Spain is that they have always seen the British, from the times of the conflict on the Spanish Main as their natural enemy "but have never been able to put their hands on the British throat".I would have not reminded myself about this had the Spanish not taken up a anti British feeling regarding the Falklands issue in the spring of 1982.Now they are in the EU,perhaps there might be a different view, although there is certainly not one over Gibraltar. |