by Nick Nutter

Created on: June 19, 2008

Gibraltar at War - Operation Felix

General Franco could never be called a friend to Britain but it is through his actions, or rather lack of them, that Gibraltar remains in British hands today.
On the 26th June 1940, during the Second World War, France surrendered to Germany. It immediately became imperative that a naval force be assembled that could dominate the western Mediterranean. Force H, based at Gibraltar, consisted of the battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Resolution, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal that, in 1941, sank off Estepona following a torpedo attack by the German submarine U 81, the battle cruiser HMS Hood, sunk by the Bismark in May 1941, the cruisers HMS Arethusa and HMS Enterprise along with eleven destroyers.

They were soon in action. On July 3rd 1940 Force H opened fire on the French fleet anchored at Mers el-Kebir; there could be no possibility of the French fleet falling into German hands. Not unnaturally the French were a little put out and the Vichy controlled French Air Force launched the first aerial attack against Gibraltar.

Hitler immediately realised that any large-scale actions in the Mediterranean would be hazardous whilst Britain held Gibraltar. By the 12th July the initial planning document for the invasion of Gibraltar had been prepared and on the 22nd July a reconnaissance mission set off in civilian clothes with false passports to Madrid. There were a number of problems to solve before an invasion could take place, not least obtaining an agreement from Franco that German forces could travel across Spain.

Spain meanwhile was trying to recover from a civil war that had decimated the country and its economy. Much of the food and essential materials for Spain had to be imported from colonies in South America. It was imperative that Spanish merchant ships and neutrals trading with Spain continue to travel safely across the Atlantic. Franco was well aware that if he allowed German forces to use Spanish territory to attack Gibraltar his Atlantic lifeline would be cut. He was probably also aware that in the event that German forces entered Spain, Britain planned to capture, occupy and defend a large part of south western Spain to prevent long range bombardment by German train carried artillery that had ranges up to 30 kilometres.

On the 23rd July Admiral Canaris, the leader of the covert mission, met Franco and asked for Spanish help to prepare a map of the defences of Gibraltar in preparation for the proposed attack. Franco was not entirely

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