Spain

• In 1936 a bloody civil war had broken out in Spain between a group of nationalist Fascists led by General Franco and the democratic Republicans
• Hitler and Mussolini sent troops and weapons to help Franco. This allowed Hitler to test out new weapons, including the Luftwaffe
• If Franco won, Hitler would gain an ally. If the Republicans - supported by the USSR - won Hitler feared that Spain would become a Communist state
• Franco won - by 1939 he became the dictator of Spain, in large part thanks to help from the Nazis