German involvement in the Spanish Civil War

German involvement in the Spanish Civil War
Aftermath of the aerial bombardment of Guernica[1]
Active	17 July 1936 – 26 May 1939 (1936-07-17 – 1939-05-26)
Country	Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nationalist Spain
Role	Support Nationalist forces
Conflict	Spanish Civil War

German involvement in the Spanish Civil War commenced with the outbreak of war in July 1936, with Adolf Hitler immediately sending in air and armored units to assist General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sent in smaller forces equipped with more advanced equipment to assist the Republican government, while Britain and France and two dozen other countries set up an embargo on any munitions or soldiers into Spain. Nazi Germany also signed the embargo, but simply ignored it.

The war provided combat experience with the latest technology for the German military. However, the intervention also posed the risk of escalating into a world war for which, Hitler was not ready. He therefore limited his aid, and instead encouraged Mussolini to send in large Italian units. Franco's Nationalists were victorious; he remained officially neutral in the Second World War, but helped the Axis in various ways from 1940 to 1945, even offering to join the war on 19 June 1940 in exchange for help building Spain's colonial empire.^[2] The Spanish episode lasted three years and was a smaller-scale prelude to the world war which broke out in 1939.

Nazi support for General Franco was motivated by several factors, including as a distraction from Hitler's central European strategy, and the creation of a Spanish state friendly to Germany to threaten France. It further provided an opportunity to train men and test equipment and tactics.