Odd german diplomacy in WW2?

Question

Don't you think that with a little more persuasion, they could have gotten the Spanish and the Turkish to join? After all, the Spanish technically owed them something.

For the Germans, the payoff would have been monumental (Gibraltar).

Answer 1

Hitler despite his best efforts could not persuade Franco to join the axis. Hitler after his last meeting with Franco remarked "I'd rather have a tooth drilled than meet with Franco again!"
The Spanish in general were historically more friendly to Great Britain and France and this more than anything probably make them desire to keep Germany and Italy at arms length.
Franco did allow pro-Nazi Spaniards to volunteer to fight in the German Army on the Russian front in the famous "Blue" division. However, he did this as a way of weeding out the fascist die-hards of the Phalangist movement.
Franco was of Jewish Sephardic decent. However, it is not known for sure if this played any role.

Many in Turkey did in deed sympathize with Germany but given the economic conditions in Turkey and their relative isolation from the Axis no one in Turkey wanted to hitch themselves to an axis war. However, Turkey nearly joined the allied war effort but the German successes in holding on to the Agean islands prevented it.

Answer 2

No. The Spaniards had just (in 1939) ended a bloody and destructive civil war and no amount of "diplomacy" could have convinced Franco to enter a new war before his hold on Spain was consolidated. The Turks, who distrusted the Germans because of their experiences in the Great War (when they were allied with Germany), were too fearful of the wrath of Russia should the Germans falter.

Answer 3

Interesting point. But the Spanish Civil War had only just finished and perhaps Franco was uncertain of his grip on power in 1939.
Like most other people he expected Hitler to win without his help especially after the collapse of France
If he had come into the war on Hitler's side, Portugal might have joined Britain against him.

Answer 4

They barely got the Hungarians and Romanians to join them, the Yugoslavakians bailed out at the last second just before Operation Barbarossa (which delayed them for at least a month), anyway they tried with spain, the most Franco would do was allow luftwaffe pilots cut their teeth so to speak during the spanish