German involvement in the Spanish Civil War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids German involvement in the Spanish Civil War |
|
|---|---|
Aftermath of the aerial bombardment of Guernica
|
|
| Active | 17 July 1936 – 26 May 1939 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance |  Nationalist Spain |
| Role | Support Nationalist forces |
| Conflict | Spanish Civil War |
When the Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany quickly sent strong air and armored units to help General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union also sent help, including modern weapons, to the Republican government. Many other countries, like Britain and France, tried to stop weapons and soldiers from entering Spain. Germany also signed this agreement but ignored it.
Germany's help in the war allowed its military to test new technology and gain combat experience. However, Hitler was careful not to start a bigger world war. So, he limited Germany's help and encouraged Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italian forces to send more troops. Franco's Nationalists won the war. Spain stayed officially neutral in Second World War, but Franco helped the Axis powers in different ways. The Spanish Civil War lasted three years and was like a smaller practice run for World War II, which started in 1939.
Germany supported Franco for several reasons. It helped distract other countries from Hitler's plans in Europe. It also aimed to create a Spanish government friendly to Germany, which could threaten France. The war was also a great chance to train German soldiers and test new weapons and strategies.
Contents
Germany's Military Actions
Hitler decided to support the Nationalists in July 1936. The German air force, called the Luftwaffe, helped transport Franco's Army of Africa to Spain. German companies were set up to handle transport and buy raw materials. German planes moved almost 2,500 troops from Spanish Morocco to Spain.
This early help was key to the Nationalists' success at the start of the war. The training Germany gave to the Nationalists was very important. From July to October, Germans moved over 13,500 Moroccan troops and a lot of war supplies. These African forces were a major reason for the Nationalist victory. Germany signed the Non-Intervention Agreement in August 1936 but kept breaking it.
After a Republican air attack on the German warship Deutschland, Germany and Italy said they would leave the Non-Intervention Committee. They also stopped their sea patrols. They rejoined in June 1937 but left again after another attack. The German military in Spain, later known as the Condor Legion, claimed to have destroyed 372 Republican planes and 60 Republican ships. They lost 72 aircraft in combat and 160 in accidents. Germany's total aid to the Nationalists was about £43 million (about $215 million) in 1939 money.
German air crews helped the Nationalists advance towards Madrid and relieve the Siege of the Alcázar. The Condor Legion's planes were joined by two armored units. By the end of 1936, 7,000 Germans were in Spain. German units and equipment supported the Nationalists during the Battle of Madrid and the Battle of Jarama in February 1937. These battles showed that the Legion's planes were not as good as the Soviet-made fighters used by the Republicans. The Condor Legion, which was always getting newer equipment, also supported the War in the North.
The Bombing of Guernica
In an operation called Rügen, waves of German planes bombed and attacked targets in Guernica. This attack killed 1,685 people and injured over 900. The Condor Legion also helped the attack on Bilbao with ground units and many air operations. This showed how valuable the Legion was to the Nationalists. The Legion also fought in the Battle of Brunete and the Battle of Teruel. During the Nationalist counter-attack, up to 100 flights were launched each day. The Condor Legion also took part in the Nationalist attack on Aragon in April–June 1937, including the Battle of Belchite.
Later Battles
On July 24–25, Republican forces started the Battle of the Ebro. Condor Legion scouts warned the Nationalists, but the warning was ignored. The Legion's 422 flights had a big impact on the battle. More help for the Legion allowed the Nationalists to launch an important counter-attack. At sea, the Condor Legion's maritime unit attacked Republican ships, ports, and coastal areas. The German North Sea Group around Spain included battleships like the Deutschland and Admiral Scheer, a light cruiser Köln, and four torpedo boats. German U-boats also operated secretly around Spain in Operation Ursula, but it was not very successful.
Why Germany Got Involved
After the war, Hitler gave several reasons for Germany's involvement. These included distracting other countries from Germany's re-arming. He also wanted to stop communism from spreading in Western Europe. Creating a Spanish state friendly to Germany could also cause problems for Britain and France. Finally, it offered chances for Germany to expand its economy.
Even though the attack on Madrid was stopped in March 1937, Germany supported attacks on weaker Republican areas. This prolonged the Civil War, which helped distract other Western powers from Hitler's plans in central Europe. The attack on Vizcaya, an area rich in mines and industry, would help supply German factories. In June 1937, Hitler said he supported Franco to gain control of Spanish ore.
German officials discussed their goals for intervention in January 1937. Germany wanted to avoid starting a war across Europe. Some German officials had different ideas. Hermann Göring said Germany would never accept a "red Spain" (a communist Spain). Germany and Italy agreed that the last shipments would be sent by early February. German aid aimed to prevent a Nationalist defeat with minimal effort.
Germany's involvement in the Spanish Civil War brought Mussolini closer to Hitler. This helped Mussolini agree to Hitler's plans for uniting with Austria. Austria's government had been against the rise of fascism. Hitler needed to prevent Italy from invading Austria, which was settled with the Rome–Berlin Axis agreement during the Spanish Civil War.
About 5,000 Germans and Austrians fought with the International Brigades on the Republican side. Many of them were political refugees. Very few volunteers from any country joined the Nationalist side.
The Non-Intervention Agreement
The Non-Intervention Agreement was proposed by France and the United Kingdom. Their goal was to stop the war from growing into a major European conflict. On August 4, 1936, France suggested non-intervention to Nazi Germany. Germany said such a declaration wasn't needed, but they could discuss preventing the war from spreading, as long as the Soviet Union was involved. At that meeting, it was already known that Germany was supplying the Nationalists.
On August 9, the Germans told the British that "no war materials had been sent from Germany and none will," which was false. A German Ju 52 plane was captured in Republican territory. Germany demanded its release before signing the Non-Intervention Pact. Many believed that countries wouldn't follow the agreement anyway. Admiral Erich Raeder urged the German government to either fully support the Nationalists or abandon them. On August 24, Germany signed the agreement. The Non-Intervention Committee was created to enforce it, but Germany and the Soviet Union were already secretly breaking it.
It would have been better to call this the Intervention Committee, for the whole activity of its members consisted in explaining or concealing the participation of their countries in Spain
The Non-Intervention Committee was set up to make sure the agreement was followed. Germany was represented by Joachim von Ribbentrop. It became clear that the agreement was not stopping German aid to the Nationalists. On November 18, the German government recognized the Nationalists as the true government of Spain. Germany agreed to ban volunteers on January 7. Hitler himself wrote the German declaration. German officials still worried about the size and outcome of their involvement in Spain. German diplomats pretended their men in Spain were just volunteers. However, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia still believed a European war was not in their best interest.
Control Plan
Observers were placed at Spanish ports and borders. Both Ribbentrop and Grandi were told by their governments to agree to the plan, as many shipments had already happened. The plan was estimated to cost £898,000, with Germany paying 16 percent. The German team seemed to hope the control plan would work.
In May, the Committee noted an attack on the German battleship Deutschland. Germany and Italy said they would leave the Committee and patrols unless no more attacks were guaranteed. In early June, Germany and Italy returned to the committee and patrols. It was still a crime in Germany to talk about German operations. After more attacks (which Germany blamed on Republicans, but they denied it) on the German cruiser Leipzig in June, Germany and Italy again left the patrols, but not the Committee. Discussions about patrols remained difficult. Britain and France offered to take over Germany and Italy's patrol sections, but Germany and Italy thought these patrols would not be fair.
The Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a special German military unit created to fight in Spain. It included bomber squadrons with Ju 52 planes, fighter squadrons with Heinkel He 51 planes, and reconnaissance units. It also had an anti-aircraft group and a signals group. Hugo Sperrle was in overall command. Two armored units with 106 Panzer I tanks were also part of the Legion.
German and Italian units and equipment supported the Nationalists during the Battle of Madrid. However, the Nationalists struggled in Madrid. German and Italian planes, under Franco's orders, began bombing the city. The Germans wanted to see the effects of bombing civilians and burning the city. These attacks were not successful. The Republican air force, especially with Soviet Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 planes, became stronger.
By the end of 1936, 7,000 Germans were in Spain. Britain estimated that between January 1937 and August 1938, Germany sent 320,000 rifles and 550,000 revolvers to the Nationalists.
German forces also fought in the Battle of Jarama, which started in February 1937. This included German ground forces, machine gun batteries, a tank division, and the Condor Legion's anti-aircraft guns. Bombing by both sides led to a stalemate. The battle showed that the Legion's planes were not as good as the Soviet-made fighters. The Legion's efforts only partly helped the Nationalists, who suffered a big defeat at the Battle of Guadalajara in March.
In January 1937, a joint Italian–German general staff was set up to advise Franco on war plans. A major Italian defeat and the growing strength of Soviet tanks and planes led the Germans to change their strategy. They decided to stop attacking Madrid and instead focus on weaker Republican areas.
Campaigns in the North
The isolated area of Vizcaya, a Basque region in northern Spain, was the next target in what was called the War in the North. This was mainly a Nationalist and Italian attack, but the Condor Legion, which was always getting new equipment, supported it. The Legion's air force first attacked the towns of Ochandiano and Durango.
Durango had no anti-aircraft defenses. On March 31, about 250 civilians died, including people in a church ceremony. The Germans were hated for their air raids. The Basque ground forces retreated towards Bilbao, through the town of Guernica. Guernica was attacked on April 26 in one of the most famous and terrible events of the war. In Operation Rügen, waves of planes bombed and attacked targets in the town. The number of deaths is debated, but it was between 200 and 300 people. The Basques reported 1,654 dead and 889 wounded.
The Nationalists gave several explanations, even blaming the Republicans. However, the way the attack happened made this unlikely. The attack on Bilbao, which happened on July 11, was supported by Condor Legion ground units and many air operations. This proved how valuable the Condor Legion was to the Nationalist cause.
Other Campaigns
The Condor Legion also fought in the Battle of Brunete. The Legion was sent from the north to help the broken Nationalist line. Bombers and fighters from Salamanca repeatedly attacked Republican armored vehicles and defensive positions. Republican planes were not as effective as German aircraft. The Legion lost eight planes but claimed 18 victories. German tactics improved after Brunete, especially the use of tanks in large groups by the Nationalists.
The Nationalists then focused on capturing northern Spain. German test planes, with the latest models, faced an older Basque air force. Heavy bombing by 200 Nationalist, German, and Italian planes was used far behind Basque lines in August 1937. This led to the fall of Santander after the Battle of Santander on September 1. The fighting in Asturias ended with the fall of Gijón on October 21. Germany immediately started shipping products from the region's industry back to Germany.
The Condor Legion began a week of attacks against Republican airfields. This was stopped by the Republican advance on Teruel and the following Battle of Teruel. Both the Legion's ground and air forces were used. Bad weather meant few flights, and the town fell to Republican forces on January 6. Up to 100 flights a day were launched during the Nationalist counter-attack. Teruel was retaken on February 22. The continued Nationalist attack on Aragon in April–June 1937, including the Battle of Belchite, involved bombing raids and the use of the Legion's ground forces.
The Legion then focused on the north, towards the Segre river, before moving south again after Nationalist successes. Hitler's words suggested a change in Germany's view of the war. He now thought a quick victory was not desired. Instead, a longer war would be better. German policy would be to prevent a Republican defeat. However, the Legion started to suffer more casualties. Combined with a rise in Republican air activity, the Nationalist advance slowed down. Arguments about the bill for German aid, which was now rising by 10 million Reichsmark a month, continued. The Legion's supplies were running low.
On July 24–25, Republican forces launched the last major attack of the war, the Battle of the Ebro. Condor Legion scouts had noticed troops gathering and warned the Nationalists, but the warning was ignored. Although the Republic gained ground, they failed to take control of Gandesa. The Legion's 422 flights had a big effect. However, problems in Czechoslovakia and a shortage of pilots in Germany led to 250 pilots returning from the Legion.
During the 113-day battle, only 10 aircraft were lost (some by accident). The Legion claimed about 100 Republican aircraft. Only five aircrew were killed, and six captured. Aid from Germany stopped temporarily in mid-September. Germany and Nationalist Spain settled the issue of German interests in Spanish mines.
The Legion took a short break to get new aircraft. This brought its strength to 96 aircraft, about one-fifth of the Nationalist's total air force. This extra help might have been the most important foreign intervention in the war. It allowed a counter-attack after the Battle of the Ebro. The Legion mainly took part in operations against the remaining Republican air force in January–February 1939, with great success. The Legion was quickly disbanded. The men returned home on May 26. The best aircraft went back to Germany, and the new Spanish government bought the rest of the equipment.
The Condor Legion claimed to have destroyed 320 Republican aircraft in air combat and shot down another 52 with anti-aircraft guns. They also claimed to have destroyed 60 ships. They lost 72 aircraft due to enemy action and another 160 in accidents.
Sea Operations
Condor Legion's Sea Unit
The Maritime Reconnaissance Staffel 88 was the Condor Legion's sea unit. It operated separately from the land-based division. It attacked Republican shipping, ports, coastal communications, and sometimes targets inland like bridges. It used floatplanes, starting in October 1936. By June, they could attack all Republican ports, as long as no British ships were there. Ten ships were attacked in the second half of 1937. However, the Norwegian torpedoes they used were not effective, so they used strafing or bombing instead.
When Martin Harlinghausen arrived, operations expanded to target Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, and Cartagena. As naval activity decreased, they attacked more inland targets and started night missions. Supporting ground forces became the unit's main focus until the end of the war. In total, eleven men were killed in action, and five others died from accidents or illness.
Officially, the German Navy, or Kriegsmarine, was part of the force enforcing the non-intervention agreement signed in September 1936. This agreement stopped countries from interfering in the Civil War. However, the German pocket battleships Deutschland and Admiral Scheer guarded the Strait of Gibraltar. They prevented Republican ships from interfering while Franco moved his troops to mainland Spain. By mid-October, the German North Sea Group around Spain included these battleships, the light cruiser Köln, and four torpedo boats. They quickly found proof that the Soviet Union was supplying the Republicans. They also helped planes for the Condor Legion cross the Mediterranean and assisted in the Battle of Málaga.
On May 29, Deutschland was attacked by two Republican planes. It was claimed that their Soviet pilots mistook it for a Nationalist ship. 32 sailors were killed, which was the Kriegsmarine's biggest loss of life in the war. After a revenge attack on Almeria, Germany almost left the agreement. But British diplomacy kept Germany patrolling.
After the Germans claimed that Leipzig was attacked by an unknown submarine, Germany formally left the international patrols. Republican defense minister Indalecio Prieto thought about declaring war on Germany. But the Soviet Union's fear of a world war prevented this.
Operation Ursula
Operation Ursula, named after Karl Dönitz's daughter, involved German U-boats operating secretly near Spain against the Spanish Republican Navy. It started in November 1936. Any identification marks were hidden, and the whole mission was kept secret.
The U-boats entered the Mediterranean in late November, taking over from Italian submarine patrols. If damaged, they were to sail to La Maddelena and enter under an Italian flag. U-33 operated near Alicante, and U-34 near Cartagena. It was hard to identify targets, and they worried about being discovered, which limited their operations. The torpedoes they used also often failed. In December, on their way back to Germany, the Spanish Republican C-3 submarine was sunk by a torpedo from U-34. The Republican government thought C-3 was sunk by a submarine, but the official navy investigation later said it was due to an internal explosion. Their return marked the official end of Operation Ursula. However, it seems more submarines were sent in mid-1937, but details are not known.
What Happened Next
Germany's early help ensured that the Nationalist side survived the first parts of the war. German involvement then grew steadily. The training they gave to Nationalist forces was very valuable, perhaps even more so than their direct actions. About 56,000 Nationalist soldiers were trained by German groups in Spain. These soldiers became skilled in infantry, tanks, anti-tank units, air and anti-aircraft forces, and naval warfare.
The Condor Legion led many Nationalist victories, especially by controlling the air from 1937 onwards. They claimed 300 air-to-air victories. Spain was a testing ground for German tank and aircraft tactics. The air superiority that helped the Legion succeed would be seen again in the first year of World War II, until it failed in the Battle of Britain.
About 16,000 German citizens fought in the Civil War. Most were pilots, ground crew, artillerymen, tank crew, and military advisers. At any one time, about 10,000 Germans were in Spain. Around 300 Germans were killed. During the war, Germany sent 732 combat aircraft and 110 trainer aircraft to Spain. German aid to the Nationalists was about £43 million (about $215 million) in 1939 prices. This money was spent on salaries, supplies, and the Condor Legion itself. Franco also agreed to give Germany the output of six mines to help pay for the aid.
Political Impact
Some Nazis were disappointed that Franco did not make Spain more fascist. Historian James S. Corum noted that Ambassador Wilhelm Faupel, a strong Nazi, disliked Catholicism and the Spanish upper classes. He encouraged the working-class members of the Falange party to build a fascist party like the Nazis. Faupel tried to get Franco to change the Falange to be more like the Nazi Party. This went against Franco's plan to unite different groups like businessmen, monarchists, and conservative Catholics, along with the Falangists.
Historian Robert H. Whealey added that Franco's movement was a counter-revolution. But Faupel saw the Falange as having "revolutionary" Nazi ideas. He wanted to give Spain's poor an alternative to "Jewish internationalist Marxist–Leninism." The older, traditional groups around Franco saw the Falangists as troublemakers.
From 1937 to 1948, Franco's government was a mix. Franco combined the Falange (a fascist Spanish political party) and the Carlist monarchist parties into one party under his rule. This new party, called Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, became the only legal party in 1939. The Falangists had a set of goals called the "Twenty-Seven Points" in 1934.
In 1937, Franco adopted 26 of these points as the ideas for his government. Franco made himself the "National Chief" of the new Falange party. In 1939, Franco's personal power was very strong. The Falangists' song, Cara al Sol, became the unofficial national anthem of Franco's government.
Images for kids
-
A Ju 52 plane in Crete in 1943.
-
Walter Warlimont, a German operation leader.
-
A German Heinkel He 111E medium bomber of the Condor Legion.
See also
In Spanish: Participación de Alemania en la Guerra Civil Española para niños
- Condor Legion
- Italian military intervention in Spain
