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Spain
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(17)
1934
October
05
The Spanish revolution of 1934
On 5 October 1934 the Socialists called a general strike against CEDA joining the government. Asturian miners took up arms; Catalonia proclaimed a state.
1936
July
18
Key event
The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
On 17–18 July 1936 generals rose against the Republic. The coup succeeded in Morocco and parts of Spain but failed in Madrid and Barcelona. Spain split in two.
November
15
The Condor Legion goes into action
In November 1936 Hitler sent Hugo Sperrle's Condor Legion to Spain. By the middle of the month its aircraft were already fighting over besieged Madrid.
December
23
Italian troops land at Cádiz
On 23 December 1936 about 3,000 Italian Blackshirts came ashore at Cádiz, the first wave of a corps soon named the Corpo Truppe Volontarie.
1937
February
21
The ban on volunteers for Spain
On the night of 20–21 February 1937 a ban on volunteers for Spain, agreed by the Non-Intervention Committee in London, came into force. No one enforced it.
April
26
The bombing of Guernica
On 26 April 1937 aircraft of the Condor Legion and the Italian air force bombed the Basque town of Guernica. Most researchers put the dead at 150–300.
May
07
Condor Legion fighters in Spain
In the spring of 1937 the Condor Legion’s fighter group brought the Messerschmitt Bf 109 into combat in Spain, and its pilots developed new air-combat tactics.
1939
April
01
The end of the Spanish Civil War
On 1 April 1939 Franco announced in his last communiqué that the war was over. Casado's coup had sunk the Republic, and the victors began their reckoning.
May
09
Spain leaves the League of Nations
On 8 May 1939 Franco’s government decided to leave the League of Nations; Geneva recorded the notice on 9 May. Spain followed Germany, Italy and Japan.
September
04
More countries declare neutrality
In early September 1939 Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Lithuania, Iran, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico declared neutrality.
1940
July
18
Vichy aircraft bomb Gibraltar
On 18 July 1940 a night raid attributed to Vichy aircraft killed civilians in Gibraltar. On 25 July women and children were ordered to leave the fortress.
October
04
The Brenner Pass meeting (October 1940)
On 4 October 1940 Hitler and Mussolini met again at the Brenner. They discussed Spain, France and a bloc against Britain, but not troops for Romania.
23
The meeting at Hendaye
On 23 October 1940 Hitler and Franco discussed Spain’s entry into the war at Hendaye. Hitler did not promise him France’s colonies; a vague protocol followed.
December
08
Franco refuses to enter the war
On 7 December 1940 Franco told Canaris that Spain could not enter the war on 10 January. Hitler called off Operation Felix, the attack on Gibraltar.
1941
August
20
The Blue Division
On 20 August 1941 Spain’s Blue Division, the Wehrmacht’s 250th Infantry Division, left Grafenwöhr in Bavaria by rail for the Eastern Front.
1943
April
30
Operation Mincemeat
On 30 April 1943 HMS Seraph left the body of a fictitious Major Martin off Huelva, with letters pointing to Allied landings in Greece and Sardinia.
1945
April
12
Spain breaks off relations with Japan
In April 1945 Franco's Spain broke off relations with Japan, citing the murder of Spaniards in Manila. It hoped to win the Allies' favour.