Spaniards to erect monument to actor Leslie Howard near where N...

A historical association says it will honor "Gone With the Wind" actor Leslie Howard as a war hero with a monument in Spain near where his plane was shot down by Nazi fighter pilots during World War II .

[The Idaho Kid]

Naughty, naughty Nazi's shooting down an unarmed civilian plane. Oh ! well it was an easy kill. Hope they got an iron cross for that kill.

[Read some history]

Churchill, in his 6 volume history of WWII gives the correct version.

Howard was in Portugal meeting with refugees from Central Europe at the request of British security. Howard was a Hungarian Jew who had lots of contacts.

Boarding the plane with Howard was a heavy-set portly man, smoking a cigar, mistaken by Axis agents at the airport for Churchill. German agents were alerted and planes from occupied France ambushed the flight. No German planes were ever based in Spain or Portugal during WWII.

Howard was an accidental casualty, like millions of other people in the war.

Howard did nothing to keep Spain out of the war. They were neutral but permitted a unit of volunteers to fight in Russia. They were a haven for Allied escapees throughout the war. Same for Portugal.

By 1943 Spain had no intention of becoming a participant in WWII.