4. He Provided Supplies and Support to the Axis Aircraft and Navy
Once Franco was no longer in the closet about his support for the Axis powers, he became bolder in his ways of supporting them. He allowed both Axis ships and aircraft to get fuel, supplies and repairs at places around the Spanish coast, and on it’s islands and colonies. This gave the Axis powers a greater reach and ability to stay out longer, knowing that they had a supply and repair point close by.
Both Germany and Italy took advantage of this help and it was significant considering the Allies still had control of Gibraltar. German U-Boats were given opportunities to refuel at Morocco, the Canary Islands and at points along the Spanish West Coast. This support greatly extended the reach of the deadly German U-Boats. Franco truly believed that the Axis powers would win the war as he had seen their strength and their might during the Spanish Civil War. So he was willing to help the Axis powers without fear of the Allies, but he would not go back on his demands to officially enter into the war.
It is estimated that during this period 20 U-boats were serviced by the Spanish. This angered the Allied powers and they saw it as a violation of neutrality. While they may have been able to overlook trade, they were not willing to overlook the blatant support of the German subs. They ordered Franco to shut down the U-boat facilities. He did do because he was not willing to lose neutrality or be forced to officially enter the war without his demands being met. Franco’s country had already been ravaged by war and he would need significant support in order to put his Spain through another massive war.