Unlike Mussolini, the "Generalissimo" was a shrewd man, whose criminal ruthlessness agaimnst political opponents was matched only by his sly pragmatism. Hitler's and Mussolini's support had ensured victory of Franco's falangist movement over the leftist Republic, si, but would gratitude make Franco do something outright silly and join a quickly escalating war with uncertain prospects? Far from it. Hitler's incessant prodding and bullying did not lead him to have fascist Spain enter the war against the Allies. He refused to invade Gibraltar (which would have sealed off the Mediterranean Sea and ended English naval supremacy there i.e. immediately provoked an attack of England on Spain) and just chipped in the Blue Divison of unfortunate Spanish "volunteers" for the war on the Russian Front (where they did little good or bad, ill-equipped for winter warfare as they were, with Hitler's war fortunes sagging, Franco was again smart enough to dissolve the unit in the fall of 1943 before the Eastern Front broke altogether).
And with the Cold War knocking at the door post WW II, Spain was quick to have its strategic importance recognized by Nato and Franco's flirtations with Hitler and Mussolini were forgiven and forgotten. He stayed in power for almost forty years and to this day more or less every Spanish family seems to be split down the middle in those who support him as a necessary antidote against Communism (turning against the Catholic Church and landowners did the Republic no favors with the Spanish middle class which was mostly royalist) and those who hate him for his undeniable crimes against humanity.
From 1940 to 1958 he had himself built (hewn straight into a mountain by political forced labor prisoners) this modest little burial place near Madrid, reputedly the world's longest church:
