Spanish Soldiers In Russia
Softcover by Pedro V Roig
The Blue Division played a significant role in Franco's diplomatic policy. The sending of the Blue Division to Russia, after months of strong German pressure to come into the war, increased Axis hopes for an all-out involvement of Spain.
Most important, while the creation of the Division to fight Russia was a concession to Hitler it gained time for Franco to evade a free commitment to the Axis and it prevented an invasion over the Pyrenees.
This is not to say that the Blue Division in itself spared Spain from the horrors of World War II, or that Franco, in some instances, did not toy with the idea of joining the Axis. But in a complex set of circumstances, the Blue Division played an important role in adverting a national catastrophe, and for that they deserve a place in history.
