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Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (4 December 1892 - 20 November 1975) was the Caudillo (dictator) and Head of State of Spain from October 1936, as de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in 1975. He led the Nationalists to victory in the Spanish Civil War, and was actively supported by the Axis. However, Franco kept Spain neutral throughout World War II, offering only token assistance to Germany.
After World War II, Francisco consolidated power and ruthlessly oppressed his enemies. His anti-communism made him a useful ally to the United States during the Cold War. Spain began its transition back to democracy almost immediately upon Franco's death.
Francisco Franco in "The Hill of the Beast"[]
Under the leadership of Francisco Franco, the Spanish Nationalists secured aid from Germany and Italy, and made liberal use of shoggoths to achieve victory in the Spanish Civil War.[1]
Francisco Franco in The Hot War[]
The Hot War POD: November, 1950 | |
Appearance(s): | Bombs Away |
Type of Appearance: | Contemporary reference |
Political Office(s): | Caudillo of Spain |
Despite having been a nominal ally of the Axis Powers during World War II, Francisco Franco became a U.S. ally[2] in the years leading up to World War III. However, he didn't enter the war when it broke out in February 1951, and kept Spain neutral to the end.[3]
Franco was the only European leader to formally identify as fascist during this time period.
Francisco Franco in The Man With the Iron Heart[]
The Man With the Iron Heart POD: May 29, 1942; Relevant POD: May, 1945 | |
Type of Appearance: | Contemporary reference |
After World War II ended, Francisco Franco's Spain (as well as António de Oliveira Salazar's Portugal) gave refuge to Nazis fleeing from defeated Germany. Reinhard Heydrich's wife and children fled to Spain in 1944.[4] The United States had expressed the desire to topple the governments of both Spain and Portugal after Germany fell, but could not muster support from its allies.[5]
Thus, when several members of the German Freedom Front hi-jacked several planes in 1947, they deliberately landed them in Spain. While they were ultimately arrested by Spanish authorities, Franco's soft touch with his former allies ensured that none would be turned over to the American authorities.[6]
Francisco Franco in "Cayos in the Stream"[]
"Cayos in the Stream" POD: c. July, 1942 | |
Type of Appearance: | Contemporary reference |
In Ernest Hemingway's mind, Francisco Franco was Hitler's toady. Without Hitler, Hemingway mused in 1942, Franco would have been one more tinpot general who tried for a putsch but did not make it.
Francisco Franco in The War That Came Early[]
While Francisco Franco (1892-1941) was perceived as a solid general amongst Spanish Nationalist forces, most felt him lacking in flair and charisma compared with Marshal José Sanjurjo, the Nationalist leader.[7] Thus, many Nationalists expressed a measure of gratitude that Sanjurjo was leading Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War.[8]
The War That Came Early POD: July 20, 1936; Relevant POD: September 29, 1938 | |
Appearance(s): | Hitler's War; Coup d'Etat† |
Type of Appearance: | Contemporary reference (HW); Direct (CdE) |
Date of Death: | 1941 |
Cause of Death: | Shot by an anti-tank rifle |
Military Branch: | Spanish Nationalists (Spanish Civil War, World War II) |
Nonetheless, Franco was an able and tenacious strategist, a fact recognized by both the Nationalists and the Republicans. Franco spent much of the next five years giving the Republic substantial grief. That ended in the last months of 1941, when Vaclav Jezek, a Czechoslovakian sniper and refugee of the war that had engulfed the rest of Europe, killed Franco with his anti-tank rifle outside Madrid. Jezek had not known who Franco was, only that he was a high ranking Nationalist officer "too fascist to live."[9]
References[]
- ↑ Mountains of Madness Revealed, pgs. 81-83, tpb.
- ↑ See Inconsistencies (The Hot War)
- ↑ Bombs Away, pg. 311, ebook.
- ↑ The Man With the Iron Heart, pg. 279.
- ↑ Id., at pg. 511.
- ↑ Id. at pg. 515, generally.
- ↑ Hitler's War, pg. 7.
- ↑ Id., at pg. 205.
- ↑ Coup d'Etat, pgs. 408-409.
Political offices (OTL) | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Manuel Azaña as President |
Caudillo (Head) of the Spanish State and Regent of the Spanish Kingdom 1939-1975 |
Succeeded by Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel for hand over to Juan Carlos I |
Preceded by Juan Negrín |
Leader of the Government of Spain (de facto Prime Minister) 1939-1973 |
Succeeded by Luis Carrero Blanco |
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