THE CONTEST FOR SPAIN DURING WORLD WAR II: ANGLO-AMERICAN PLANNING TO RETAIN CONTROL OVER THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR (MEDITERRANEAN)

One of the most important factors that determined the outcome of World War II concerned possession of the Straits of Gibraltar. Control of this strategic area meant domination of the Mediterranean, which in turn probably meant winning the war. As early as 1940, Germany had developed a strategy to capture Gibraltar and the Straits that they code named Operation Felix. The plan, which depended upon Franco\u27s support and cooperation, consisted of a drive south through Spain to Gibraltar. Once there, a German task force composed of artillery regiments armed with heavy cannons and high velocity anti-aircraft weapons would knock out British gun implacements and then highly trained assault troops would seize the Rock. Franco was grateful to the Axis powers for supplying huge amounts of war material and trained personnel that turned the tide in favor of the Nationalist cause at several crucial junctures during the Spanish civil war. At the end of the civil war, Spain had accumulated a tremendous debt to Germany and Italy for its military aid. Logically, Franco should have supported the Axis plan, but partly because of Anglo-American strategy, he resisted. Anglo-American planning played a key part in frustrating Operation Felix and its subsequent modifications. By 1941, the Allies finally realized the seriousness of this threat and eventually they conducted a dual strategy consisting of diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions and assistance designed to convince Franco that complicity with the Axis powers was not in his best interests. By the spring of 1943, the question was decided for by then, Hitler\u27s strategy was bankrupt and the Allies were in a position of overwhelming military and economic preeminence