did portugal and spain take part in world war two?

Question

did these countries take part in the war, i've heard of the others but i've never heard of these countries during this period. Why didn't the axis or the allieds invade or use them in any ways?

Answer 1

As already said Spain was a Fascist country till the 70's!!

They were still recovering from their own civil war and though Hitler WANTED THEM to participate on the Axis side they did not, and stayed out much to the Allies relief.

Many downed allied pilots often used the French underground to get to Spain and back to England.

Hope that helps

Answer 2

Both officially stayed neutral/non-belligerant.

Portugal was sympathetic to the Allies and became a haven for many European Jews.

Spain on the other hand, had just emerged from a civil war. The Franco government supported the Axis (and sent some troops to fight with the Germans). Toward the end, the government became more neutral.

Answer 3

Spain was Fascist (under Franco) so the axis left it alone, since they were like minded. Since they didn't participate in the war the allieds didn't want to bother them either.

The ironic thing is that Spain was a fascist dictatorship well into the seventies.

I think it was pretty much the same for Portugal

Answer 4

No they did not. Spain had just emerged from a "civil war" with Francisco Franco... with the help of the Nazis aerial "practice" targets. Hitler did ask Franco to join the Axis but he refused because he needed more "time' to consolidate his power. If this didn't happen the Germans would have certainly rolled into Portugal and the entire Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon played a pivotal roll in the flight of European Jews to the West.

Answer 5

The above answers are broadly correct, for Spain as a nation, but it's not quite as tidy as that.

A division of Spanish troops, nominally volunteers, and groups of pilots, did serve alongside the German army on the Russian front.
And some numbers of the defeated Spanish Republicans did serve on the allied side.
See details below.

For Portugal, as an European neutral was a major intelligence channel for both the Axis and the allies, but most importantly it was an escape route for European jews and others fleeing the Nazis.
"More than 100,000 Jews and refugees were able to flee Nazi Germany into freedom via Lisbon."

Answer 6

The Allies used Spain's connections to Germany to fool German intelligence about the likely landings for the invasion of Italy, by dressing a corpse as a drowned officer carrying misleading plans, look up Operation Mincemeat or the film The Man Who Never Was.