 The Rock came through the war relatively unscathed but , given its strategic importance , Germany made plans to capture Gibraltar . <unk> " Felix " , the plan which was signed by Adolf Hitler himself was formulated at the highest level of command . With or without permission , Germany would take entry through Spain and attack Gibraltar driving the British out of the Western Mediterranean . The Strait would be effectively closed to the Allies once Gibraltar was in German hands , forcing Asia @-@ bound Allied shipping to steam all the way around Africa rather than to proceed to the east via the shorter route through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal . The Rock was to be heavily dive bombed by planes leaving France but landing afterward at Spanish air bases . To deny a possible Spanish capture of the base , the German planners decided that the final attack to seize Gibraltar was to be made by German troops alone . 
