World War II - Nonfiction
"Hitler Stopped by Franco" 
By Jane & Burt Boyar
A history book written in the unusual format of a novel. This makes the book very readable and presents the historical figures in a more lifelike way than the usual dry history books. The material for this book is drawn from historical records, documents, and interviews with surviving members of Franco's family and retired officials of the Spanish government.
I have always wondered why Franco and Spain did not enter the war on the side of the Axes and this book gives a good answer: Franco was for the survival of Spain. Spain had just ended a savage civil war with over one million dead. The country's infrastructure was on the verge of collapse and the population was on the brink of starvation. Spain owed huge debts and the army did not have the equipment or supplies to enter any conflict. Franco had to seem to favor the Axis and played a very dangerous game with Hitler, keeping him believing that as soon as possible, Spain would enter the war. Franco was one cleaver fox and knew how to play the game of words and was a master of delay.
Hitler wanted Gibraltar in the worst way and Franco refused to let him move troops through Spain to capture it. Enraged, Hitler moved 20 divisions of the German Army to the Spanish border, but Franco refused to be intimidated. He moved his own troops to the border and poured concrete bunkers (Spain had no shortage of concrete) and threatened Hitler with guerrilla war. Hitler realized that it would be to costly to wage that kind of war and backed off, eventually having to withdraw his army for use against the Russians.
If Franco had allied Spain with the Axis and given
Hitler the doorway to the Mediterranean, the results would have been disastrous
for the Allies. Franco did us a huge favor by remaining neutral and he also
managed to keep his country from German occupation.
Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith 8/23/2001
Available from:
Marbella House
