Spanish Civil War
From OnAirpower.org
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The Spanish Civil War (July 1936-April 1939) was fought between the Spanish Republican government backed by the Soviet Union and Mexico, and the rebelling Nationalist forces backed by Germany and Italy.
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[edit] Airpower in the Spanish Civil War
[edit] The Republican Air Forces
In October, 1936 the 1st International Bomber Squadron "España" was formed at the airfield in Albacete, commanded by Captain Martin-Luna (a Spaniard) and including Berner (a Belgian), Mendiola and Sospedro (Spaniards), Burget (a Frenchman), Primo Gibeli (Italian), Volkan Goranov (Bulgarian), and the Soviet volunteers Grigorii Tkhor and Ivan Proskurov. The last four of these would go on to receive the Hero of the Soviet Union award. The unit consisted of three sections of three planes each, two equipped with Potez 540s, and one with Breguet 19s. The Potez bombers carried a load of four 100kg bombs, and in extreme cases the pilots would carry up to 50 small fragmentation or incendiary grenades with them in the fuselage, and toss them over the side[1].
[edit] Timeline
- July 17, 1936 A Nationalist military revolt begins in Spain, initiating the Spanish Civil War[2].
- July 22, 1936 Adolf Hitler receives a request for assistance from General Francisco Franco, prompting Germany's involvement in the Spanish Civil War[3].
- April 1, 1939 The last of the Republican forces fighting in Spain surrender, bringing a close to the Spanish Civil War[2].
[edit] Sources
- Aerial Warfare and the Spanish Civil War at U.S. Centennial of Flight Comission
- Spanish Civil War: German Condor Legion's Tactical Air Power by Musciano, Walter A., Aviation History Magazine, September 2004
- From the Spanish Civil War to the Fall of France: Luftwaffe Lessons Learned and Applied by Oppenheimer, Peter H., Journal of Historical Review, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Summer 1986)
