Diogo Martins

Portugal in the World War II

 During the war (1939-1945)

During the World War II, Portugal remained neutral, not taking part on any conflict during the
events that took part between 1939 and 1945.

Despite this neutrality, Portugal was indirectly involved in the war.

 Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a portuguese consul in Bordeaux during the German invasion
of France and saved many refugees (about a third were jews) who were trying to escpae the Nazi
horrors.

The «circular 14» from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by

António de Oliveira Salazar, determined that consuls couldn’t
grant visas without prior consultation with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to foreigners that could be involved with the war. Aristides
de Sousa Mendes went against tis order and between June 14th
and June 23rd he granted many portuguese visas to foreigners
(about a third were jews) who were trying to escape the war
horrors. The number of refugees is estimated to be 30,000 but
some historians aren’t sure about it. Some say that the visas were
granted to less than 30,000 refugees but the number was still a
Aristides de Sousa Mendes
significant one.
 On June 24th, Salazar sent a telegram to Sousa Mendes recalling him to Portugal but he only
arrived on July 8th. He issued Portuguese passports to refugees trapped in France, now occupied
by Germany, saving them by preventing them to be deported to concentration camps.

Even though the visas were issued against orders, once the refugees had crossed Spain, they
were allowed to enter Portugal, where they were sheltered.They were assigned to a specific locality
by Salazar’s secret police, PVDE. The refugees were forbidden from leaving their assigned locality
without PVDE’s permission.

Salazar’s government was pressured by the German authorities to extradite some of these
refugees, but Salazar resisted. Portugal’s declared neutrality helped the refugees, while preventing
the country from getting involved in the conflicts.

This episode angered the Portuguese authorities, and eventually led Sousa Mendes to be
recalled from the consulate general. The British embassy in Lisbon complained about the consul’s
behavior who demanded extra taxes from British citizens requesting visas.

Sousa Mendes’s actions saved a lot of people, but it made him lose his career. On October
30th, 1940, Salazar signed the sentence: "I sentence Consul First Class, Aristides de Sousa
Mendes, to a penalty of one year of inactivity with the right to one half of his rank's pay being
obliged subsequently to be retired."

In 1945, Aristides de Sousa Mendes suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. In his
later years he was abandoned by most of his colleagues and friends and was blamed by some of
his close relatives. Today, Sousa Mendes’s actions are
regarded as honored and worthy of a hero.

In the list of Visas granted by Aristides we have

remarkable people like the surrealist paintor Salvador
Dalí and his wife Gala Éluard Dalí, Otto von Habsburg,
Austria-Hungary’s last crown prince, and the french
writer Charles Oulmont.
  Operation Felix

«Operation Felix» involved the occupation of Gibraltar and North Africa. This operation
mentioned a potencial invasion of Portugal

«Operation Felix» depended on Spain’s coperation so Hitler, on December 5th, decided to

request Franco’s permission so that the German troops could cross the border. But Franco refused
because Spain was still recovering from the Civil War and the country’s economy was devastated.

Hitler and Franco

Without Spain’s cooperation, the plans for this operation wouldn’t work so Hitler decided to
cancel it.

Invasion plans of Nazi German and probable routes of British invasion.

 If Portugal’s military occupation was necessary, Operation Felix’s plans predicted that it would
be made with three German divisions. This plans were called «Operation Isabella» and its main
objective was to secure bases in Spain and Portugal. Unlike «Operation Felix», «Operation
Isabella» assumed that the Spanish forces would at least be sympathetic to the Axis cause and that
the invasion of Spain would only be started in order to help the Spanish in case of an Allied invasion
of the Iberian Peninsula.

Although the plan was never pu tinto force, Genral Franz Halder’s diaries mentions that a
forward logistics base for the invasion was prepared in Bordeaux.

 Blue Division

The Blue division (officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios) was na unit of
Spanish and Portuguese volunteers who served in the German army in 1941 to 1944.
During the Spanish Civil War, Franco had Germany, Italy and Portugal’ support. Portugal sent
20 000 volunteers to Spain, the volunteers are known has Viriatos.

Soldiers of the Blue Division at the Battle of Leningrad; 1943

Germany, Italy and Portugal’ support was crucial in Franco’s victory.

Hitler tried to bring Spain to his side in the war but the answer was always no. In 1991,
Germany was planning to invade the Soviet Union. Franco, who was against the communism saw
an opportunity to pay his debt to Germany and appease his supporters, who wanted to fight the
communists.
 Franco offered soldiers to fight exclusively in the Eastern front and they could never be used to
fight in the Western front (against the Allies).
Hitler needed every help he could get so he took the offer.
Spain sent about 18 000 soldiers, of which 1000 were portuguese. Since they were volunters
they couldn’t wear the official spanish military uniform, so they adopted the falangist’s blue shirt,
hence the name «Blue Division».

Blue Division soldiers practising fieldcraft Blue Division members on a raft;

somewhere close to Leningrad

General Augustin Muñoz Grandes, leader of the Blue Division, shares a laugh with Luftwaffe personnel.
 Post-war (1945-1947)

 MUD (Movement of Democratic Unity)

Funded in October 1945, after the war, MUD was a plataform of portuguese democratic
organizations that opposed to Salazar’s authoritarian regime.
After the Allies’ victory, USA and the Great-Britain forced Salazar to a «political opening». This
situation brought good news for the opposition, who needed to gather up in order to reinforce. They
needed to find a valid political program that could trigger the national support. This reunion was
authorized and occurred on October 8th.

MUD’s
priority objective
was the right to
freedom of assembly,
association and press
but the claims
were rejected
by the

government.
MUD constitution reunion: communication by Mário Lima Alves; October 8, 1945
 MUD Central Comission members;
Standing, from left to right: Gustavo Soromenho, Mário Soares and Manuel
Mendes.
Sitting, from left to right: Maria Isabel Aboim Inglês, Mário de Azevedo
Gomes, Fernando Mayer Garção.
Bento de Jesus Caraças wasn’t there due to his illness.

After three years, MUD was dissolved by the Estado Novo regime. Although, MUD never failed
to disturb Salazar’s regime and to excite the people. The moviment pretended to provide a public
debate about the electoral issue.

MUD session presided by Dr. Barbosa de Magalhães; Novermber 10, 1945

 In 1946, MUD created a youth wing called Juvenile Movement of Democratic Unity (MUD-J).
Personalities like Mário Soares, Mário Sacramento, Octávio Pato, Júlio Pomar and Salgado
Zenha were members of the Central Committee of the Juvenile MUD.

MUD-J poster MUD-J Communication to young people

 Webgraphy

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristides_de_Sousa_Mendes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Felix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Division

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movimento_de_Unidade_Democr%C3%A1tica