![[[38.1 cm /45 Model 1926 naval gun]]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCa%25C3%25B1%25C3%25B3n_Vickers_381_mm._1926.jpg)
The participation ofGalicia (Spain) inWorld War II was marked by its location on Spain's Atlantic coast[1] and its mines. Despite the neutrality ofSpain during World War II, the country was affected due to its strategic location. Thetungsten mines, such as the mine of San Finx, were used for the Axis war industry. Extraction and transport of the mineral was carried out byfront companies, such as the Finance and Industrial Corporation (Galician:Sociedade Financeira e Industrial).[2]
Hundreds ofGalicians traveled to fight with theGermans on theEastern Front, in theBlue Division. On the other side, former Republican combatants fought with the allies, many of them having been confined inFrench concentration camps.
Raw materials were vital ineconomic warfare.Tungsten was one of those used to manufacture armaments. Before the war, the main producers were China (36%), Burma (17%) and the United States of America (11%). During the war, British sea power gave the Allied powers access to these countries, and denied them to theAxis powers. Germany had to seek sources in Europe. Spain and Portugal were the only producers, with Galicia accounting for almost 70% of Spanish reserves. This made it the focus of theWolfram Crisis.
| Year | Quantity (t) | Value in millions ofpesetas |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 76 | 0,755 |
| 1940 | 563 | 6,985 |
| 1941 | 156 | 3,623 |
| 1942 | 159 | 18,751 |
| 1943 | 1396 | 241,054 |
| 1944 | 2502 | 406,455 |
| 1945 | 1662 | 246,221 |
In 1939, the Germans built a 112-metre-high (367 ft) aerial, in Arneiro in the municipality ofCospeito. It carried the communications of theKriegsmarine andLuftwaffe, with a radius of one thousand miles (1,600 km). The station had two repeating lower and auxiliary buildings.[3]
It formed part of a German network of nineteen stations. The Allies' sabotage plans were not carried out, since Spain was treated as a neutral country. TheLorenz beam was also eventually used by the British and Americans.[4][5][6][7][8]