BLUE DIVISION

The Blue Division was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.

During World War II, Spain watched the international conflict from the sidelines. Spain, under the control of its fascist dictator, Francisco Franco, had to contend with the growing rivalry between Nazism and fascism on one side, and Soviet communism on the other. Between 1936 and 1939, the Iberian nation was torn by a brutal civil war. Franco's side was supported by the Josef Stalin's Soviet Union. The militaristic Falangists upheld the ideals that historically a part of Spain and a strong government to ensure its stability. The Republic, subscribed to a reformed government where the church was diminished in strength, and the Spanish people would be incorporated into a classless system. As a result, the two groups, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, waged a war that devastated Spain. Franco, however, emerged victorious in 1939, after the Falange received military and monetary aid from Germany's Hitler.

When Nazi Germany declared war on the Soviet Union in 1941, Franco felt obliged to send troops against the USSR, since Hitler helped the Falange in its struggle against the Soviet-backed Republic a few years before. For Franco, the fascist war against communism in World War II was an extension of the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, the Spanish leader chose to send a contingent of 18,000 "volunteers" while remaining neutral in the conflict. These Spanish soldiers would repay Franco's debt to Hitler stemming from the civil war, while combating communism at the same time. Although Franco was not ready to engage in war officially, he was so firm in his belief that communism was a threat, that he was willing to put men in harm's way. This action is unique in the history of the Second World War because Spain was never directly involved. 

The thesis will focus on the origins of Franco is Spain's war against Bolshevism, Madrid's position towards Berlin as the war progressed, the diplomacy employed by Madrid during the conflict, and the troop's experiences on the front lines. In addition, the paper will look at the problems that faced not only the Spanish troops, but Spain's diplomacy during the war as it pertained to both the Allied and Axis nations. This paper will then analyze how all of the above issues interrelated to form Spain's policy during the war. Information for this paper was gathered by two basic methods. 

First, an extensive exploration for books. There are very few books written about the Blue Division, therefore a thorough search of libraries throughout the state was necessary. Furthermore, general books on Germany's campaign in Russia was necessary in order to illustrate a broader picture of the war. Second, the internet helped in acquiring journal articles that were not found in the state. Most of the searches done in this manner had to be very specific and were not limited to only one or two keywords. For example, inquiries were made not only by searching "Spanish Blue Division" but other terms as well (such as "Francisco Franco" "Spain / World War II") The main obstacle for researching this project was the lack of books written on the subject. Spain's deployment was a trivial contribution that paled in comparison to that of other nations, such as Germany.