For the uninitiated in Spain sad Civil War history, Hooten explains in detail how Franco, whenhe assumed supreme power, organized the country first and foremost into a waging warmachine. Political unity of command was the concomitant of military unity of command. Fromthe early stages of the war, Franco was both Generalissimo of the Armed Forces and head ofstate. Meanwhile, the Republicans used their available time and energy talking politics andmore revolutions, while the Nationalists concentrated on just making war. Proof: as early asSeptember 1936, the much smaller but competently and aggressively handled Nationals woncontrol of the Strait of Gibraltar, never to relinquish it. As Fascist Caudillo (leader) of Spain,despite receiving a huge amount of German aid, Franco refused to join the Axis and would notallow Hitler’s army and tank divisions to rumble through Spain on their way to attack the backof Gibraltar. That he was quick, neat, and skillful in negotiating led the furious Nazi Fuhrer ofGermany in October of 1940 to say he would prefer to have three or four of his teeth pulled,one after the other without pain relief, than suffer another sit-down meeting with the Caudillo.Although Franco managed to keep Spain neutral in World War II, he feared Hitler enough,especially should he win the war, to volunteer elite Spanish units into Russia to fight alongside
the losing Germans.
