As the war progressed, the Spanish could no longer hold back.
In May 1937, after Germany had occupied vast territories of Russia Nation, more than 300,000 Spanish troops assembled in grandeur in Tetouan, with their sights set on the Frenchmen's Northwest African Colonies.
To draw the attention of the French, Germany and Italy also decided to launch a new offensive in North Africa and reopen the North African front.
Italy mobilized nearly 300,000 troops from Sicily, and together with a German Army Group, an army of close to 500,000 landed in Tunisia and advanced westward.
The direction of the Spanish attack corresponded with that of the German-Italian forces; if they could achieve victory in North Africa, they hoped to quickly seize the French Colonies in the region and, using Algiers and the area around Tunisia, delay the Anglo-French forces' advance.
In the French Colonies, the number of French Army troops stationed was not large, barely totaling around 300,000.
