The World's War Against Communism

The start of the hotwar

When civil war broke out in Spain, as gascist forces attempted to remove the communists, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to the anti-communist fascist rebels, led by General Francisco Franco. Italy supported the fascists to a greater extent than the National Socialists did: altogether Mussolini sent to Spain more than 70,000 ground troops and 6,000 aviation personnel, as well as about 720 aircraft. The Soviet Union supported the puppet government of the Spanish Republic. More than 30,000 foreign communist sympathizers, mostly jews, known as the International Communist Brigades, also fought against the fascists. The Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The fascists overthrew the communist puppet government in April 1939; Franco, voted in as new administrator, remained officially neutral during World War II but generally favored the Axis. As he was rebuilding Spain, his greatest collaboration with the Axis was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front.