"War. However, the German pocket battleships and stood guard in the Strait of Gibraltar to prevent interference from Republican ships while Franco transported his troops to the Spanish mainland. By mid-October, the German North Sea Group around Spain consisted of the pocket battleships ""Deutschland"" and ""Admiral Scheer"", the light cruiser , and four torpedo boats. They quickly uncovered evidence that the Soviet Union was supplying the Republicans. They also helped the aircraft bound for the Condor Legion to cross the Mediterranean and assisted in the Battle of Málaga. On 29 May, ""Deutschland"" was attacked by two Republican planes. It was"
"Blue Squadron The Blue Squadron (Spanish: ""Escuadrilla Azul"", German: ""15. Spanische Staffel"") was a generic name given to the group of volunteer pilots and ground crews recruited from the Spanish Air Force that fought in the side of Germany on the Eastern Front, during the Second World War. The ""Blue Patrol"" was a counterpart offered by Franco to Nazi Germany for its help with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. Between September 1941 and May 1943 five Spanish squadrons rotated through the Eastern Front, attached to Luftwaffe fighter wings Jagdgeschwader 27 and Jagdgeschwader 51. Flying Messerschmitt fighters and"
"Nationalist forces of General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War, which began in July 1936. The German Condor Legion included a range of aircraft and their crews, as well as a tank contingent. The aircraft of the Legion destroyed the city of Guernica in 1937. The Nationalists were victorious in 1939 and became an informal ally of Nazi Germany. In February 1938, Hitler emphasised to Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg the need for Germany to secure its frontiers. Schuschnigg scheduled a plebiscite regarding Austrian independence for 13 March, but Hitler sent an ultimatum to Schuschnigg on 11 March demanding that"
"start of the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalists requested the support of Hitler's Germany and fascist Italy. The first request for German aircraft was made on 22 July, with an order for 10 transport aircraft. Hitler decided to support the Nationalists on 25 or 26 July, but was wary of provoking a Europe-wide war. The Reich Air Travel Ministry concluded that Nationalist forces would need at least 20 Junkers Ju 52s, flown by Luft Hansa pilots, to carry the Army of Africa from Spanish Morocco to Spain. This mission became known as Operation Magic Fire (). The joint Spanish-German ""Spanish-Moroccan"
"1939 the personalist style heavily predominated, with ritualistic invocations of ""Franco, Franco, Franco."" The Falangists' hymn, ""Cara al Sol"", became the semi-national anthem of Franco's not-yet-established regime. German involvement in the Spanish Civil War German involvement in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 commenced with the outbreak of war in July 1936, with Adolf Hitler immediately sending in powerful air and armored units to assist General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sent in smaller forces to assist the Republican government, while Britain and France and two dozen other countries set up an embargo on any munitions"
"Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Franco transported troops to mainland Spain in an airlift using transport aircraft supplied by Germany and Italy. Ceuta became one of the first casualties of the uprising: General Franco's rebel nationalist forces seized Ceuta, while at the same time the city came under fire from the air and sea forces of the official republican government. The Llano Amarillo monument was erected to honor Francisco Franco, it was inaugurated on 13 July 1940. The tall obelisk has since been abandoned, but the shield symbols of the Falange and Imperial Eagle remain visible. When Spain recognized the"
"Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of strategic bombing which were used widely in the Second World War shortly afterwards. The bombing of Guernica was the most infamous operation carried out by the Condor Legion. Hugo Sperrle commanded the unit's aircraft formations and Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma commanded the ground element. Following the military coup in Spain on 17 July 1936 at the"
"on 27 February 1939 and ratified by a memorandum drawn up by Karl Bodenschatz (adjutant to Göring) signed by Göring and Raeder. The former would retain all control over naval air units and operational control would be exercised by a ""Luftwaffe"" officer assigned to the ""Kriegsmarine"". The regression of naval aviation continued regardless of its potential. During the Spanish Civil War German aircraft—mainly Heinkel He 59 and Heinkel He 60s—sank 144 ships out of the 554 lost by the Republican forces and played a big role in General Franco's victory. Shortly before the fall of Barcelona in 1939, for example,"
"names ""Aeronáutica Militar"" and ""Aeronáutica Naval"", the former being the air arm of the Spanish Republican Army and the latter the naval aviation of the Spanish Republican Navy, included mainly French planes, some of which were remnants of the Rif War (1920–1926). Once the Republican Government was established, General Luis Lombarte Serrano replaced pro-monarchist General Alfredo Kindelán as chief-commander of the air force, but he would be quickly succeeded by Commander Ramón Franco, younger brother of later dictator Francisco Franco, a national hero who had earlier made a Trans-Atlantic flight in the ""Plus Ultra"" hydroplane. Aviation was developing in those"
"Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) proved of enormous aid to the Communist cause. Germany and the Soviets both sent military forces and advisors into Spain, as did Italy. The Spanish Civil War was in part a proxy war. The Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco and the Republican government fought it out for the control of the country. Militarily, the Nationalists usually had the upper hand and they won in the end. Germany sent in the Condor Legion comprising elite air and tank units to the Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sent military and political advisors, and sold"
"Luftstreitkräfte The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as the Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (""Imperial German Flying Corps"") or simply Die Fliegertruppe—was the World War I (1914–18) air arm of the German Army, of which it remained an integral part. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, although that is not a literal translation of either name. German naval aviators serving with the ""Marine-Fliegerabteilung"" remained an integral part of the Imperial German Navy (""Kaiserliche Marine""). Both military branches, the army and navy, operated conventional aircraft, observation balloons and Zeppelins. The"
"a bloody war of attrition, the Spanish Civil War. During the Civil War the Air Force of the Spanish republican government would have to fight against the better equipped ""Aviación Nacional"", created by the fraction of the army in revolt and their powerful Italian Fascist and Third Reich supporters. After 18 July 1936 coup d'état, the Republican government lost the military planes that were in aerodromes under rebel control. The loyalist areas of Spain retained, however, a great part of the 60 Breguet XIX, 27 Vickers Vildebeest and 56 Hispano-Nieuport Ni-52 planes that the Spanish Air Force had before the"
"on the opera ""Goyescas""; and a landscape of Calatayud (Spain). An Iberia airline Airbus A340-642 aircraft, registration EC-IZY, is named after him. Zuloaga was fervently attached to the nationalist Falangist forces during the Spanish Civil War and the Spanish State of the Generalissimo Franco, whose portrait he painted in 1940. While the aerial devastation of Basque villages by volunteer airmen from Nazi Germany propelled Picasso to paint the epic and modern painting of ""Guernica"", Zuloaga chose instead to honor the ""Siege of the Alcázar"" in 1936, when the building's Nationalist defenders refused to surrender despite the building being in flames."
"German involvement in the Spanish Civil War German involvement in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 commenced with the outbreak of war in July 1936, with Adolf Hitler immediately sending in powerful air and armored units to assist General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sent in smaller forces to assist the Republican government, while Britain and France and two dozen other countries set up an embargo on any munitions or soldiers into Spain. Germany also signed the embargo but simply ignored it. The war provided combat experience with the latest technology for the German military. However,"
"a personal address by Hitler on 6 June 1939, and a parade as part of the celebrations organized for Hitler's 50th birthday 20 April 1939. Also by way of commemoration the activities of the Legion were memorialized in a special edition of ""Der Adler"", the Luftwaffe's magazine for service members which at the time was also circulated in both Spain and the United States. Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to"
"rest of Nationalist Spain's forces began a rebellion against Republican Spain that was to last three years, called the Spanish Civil War. Franco was fairly sure that he would be able to secure German and Italian help for his National Faction, sending emissaries out on 20 July to achieve this. Both did indeed pledge support, sending in the Corpo Truppe Volontarie from Italy and the Legión Cóndor from Nazi Germany, as well as weapons and aircraft. Mussolini was very devoted, eventually sending in 37,000 men and huge numbers of planes to ensure that this ""campaign against communism"" would succeed. The"
"developed by Wolfram von Richthofen during the Civil War. As an air force it became practically ineffective after the Battle of the Ebro in 1938, when the spine of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces was broken. Finally the Spanish Republican Air Force was completely disbanded after the decisive rebel victory on 1 April 1939. The last Republican military airport in Catalonia was in Vilajuiga, from where on 6 February 1939 Commander Andrés García La Calle led a great part of the planes of the Spanish Republican Air Force to France. The orders had been given in haste by the beleaguered"
"the general Francisco Franco was sworn in as the supreme leader of the insurgents. The Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. For three years the Nationalist forces led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy fought the Republican side, which was supported by the Soviet Union, Mexico and International Brigades but it was not supported by the Western powers due to the British-led policy of Non-Intervention. The civil war was viciously fought and there were many atrocities committed by all sides. The war claimed the lives of over 500,000 people and caused the flight"
"108 aircraft in the July–October period, split between aircraft for the Nationalist faction itself and planes for German volunteers in Spain. German air crews supported the Nationalist advance on Madrid, and the successful relief of the Siege of the Alcázar. Ultimately, this phase of the Siege of Madrid was unsuccessful. Soviet air support for the Republicans was growing, particularly through the supply of Polikarpov aircraft. Warlimont appealed to Nazi Germany to step up support. Some Nazi figures, including Göring, were opposed, but following German recognition of Franco's government on 30 September, German efforts in Spain were reorganised and expanded. The"
"Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force (""Regia Aeronautica Italiana""). It was set up in 1936 and sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the rebel faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936 which marked the onset of the Spanish Civil War. The air force alongside its Nazi German allies, the Condor Legion fought against the Spanish Republic and the Aviación Legionaria supported the Italian ground troops of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie. They served from August 1936 to the end of the conflict in March 1939. Their"
"the situation more difficult for the Nationalists was the fact that the Spanish Republican Air Force and Navy generally remained loyal to the government. If the Nationalist forces fighting in Spain did not receive reinforcements, the rebellion could soon fail. General Franco and the other Nationalist leaders sent emissaries to Berlin and Rome to ask for help. Both German dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini immediately responded in a positive manner. They sent transport aircraft and crews to Morocco to airlift Nationalist forces from there to Spain. The colonial troops from Morocco allowed the Nationalist forces to take"
"Germans fighting for Franco, and the lesser models were a way of maintaining official ""neutrality"". In the end the French planes were surpassed by more modern types introduced in late 1936 on both sides and their fate was that many of them crashed or were shot down. The crash of Spanish Republican Air Force serial 'Ñ' Potez 540 plane that was shot down by rebel planes over the Sierra de Gúdar range of the Sistema Ibérico near Valdelinares inspired André Malraux to make his ""L'espoir"" movie. In order to give the whole operation an official character, the Spanish Republican War"
"March 1935. These were requisitioned by the Spanish Republican Air Force and used as military transports. Within the month of his military coup, the help received by Francisco Franco from Nazi Germany (Condor Legion) and Fascist Italy (Aviazione Legionaria) gave the rebels the upper hand in airpower over Spain. The first German and Italian bombers arrived to increase the size of the rebel air force already in July 1936 and Fiat CR.32 and Heinkel He 51 fighter planes began operating in August. These planes helped the rebel army side to gain full control of the air, as did the Italian"
"the authority of the War Ministry, ""Ministerio de la Guerra"", instead of under the ""Presidencia del Gobierno"", following which in 1936 the Air Force regional units became restructured. Accordingly, the Spanish Navy-based ""Escuadra"" model was replaced by ""Región Militar"" divisions which are still operative today. After the military rebellion that triggered the Spanish Civil War, Spanish military aviation was divided into the Air Force of the Spanish republican government and the National Aviation (""Aviación Nacional""), established by the army in revolt. In July 1936, right after the coup, the first German Junkers Ju 52 and Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 arrived to"
"the wounded could only be evacuated at night, by small boats. The key to the battle was Nationalist air superiority, provided by the Italian ""Aviazione Legionaria"" and German ""Condor Legion"" squadrons that flew under the ""Aviación Nacional"" markings. Some 500 first class planes were available on the Nationalist side (Savoia 79, Savoia SM-81, Breda 20, Heinkel 111, Dornier 20, Junker 52 and 6 Ju 87 bombers, and Bf 109 and CR-42 fighters) against only some 35 modern fighters and some 40 second class aircraft of the Spanish Republican Air Force. In July, the Legion Condor had destroyed 76 Republican planes"
"Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. The ""Sparviero"" started its operational service at the end of 1936 when 8° ""Stormo B.T."" (Bombardamento Tattico), with ""Gruppi"" XXVII° and XXVIII°, under the command of ""Tenente Colonnello"" Riccardo Seidl, was sent to Spain. Deployed to the Balearic Islands, the unit was named ""Falchi delle Baleari"" (Balearic Falcons) and operated over Catalonia and the main cities of eastern Spain, attacking the Second Spanish Republic, killing 2,700 civilians and injuring more than 7,000. During the three years of the civil conflict, in excess of 100 SM.79s served as bombers for the ""Aviazione Legionaira"", of"
"air support for Nationalist troops, attack bombing of Republican troop concentrations, and strafing became features of the war. The Legion worked closely in missions which maximized the fighting ability of the Nationalist air force and troops, the Italian CTV, and pilots from the Aviazione Legionaria (Legionary Air Force). German Air ace Adolf Galland was to claim after World War II that although there was a focus on taking lessons from the conflict in Spain, he believed the wrong conclusions were drawn by the German High Command with particular respect to the Luftwaffe: Whatever may have been the importance of the"
"six biplane fighters, anti-aircraft guns and about 100 tons of other supplies. They were placed at Tablada airfield near Seville, and accompanied by German air transport, they began the airlift of Franco's troops to Spain. Germany's involvement grew in September to encompass the Wehrmacht's other branches; Operation Magic Fire was renamed ""Operation Guido"" in November. A wide belief was that the soldiers would train Spanish Nationalists, and not engage the Republicans. In August, 155 tons of bombs were transferred from Germany through Portugal. Other military aid was provided. The head of the Kriegsmarine initially refused to provide submarines, but this"
"known for the intense action it saw during the Civil War, from July 1936 till its disbandment in 1939. The Spanish Republican Air Force was popularly known as """"La Gloriosa"""" (The Glorious One). But, according to some historians, the command structure of the Spanish loyalist forces was marred by ineptitude and lack of decision-making throughout the Civil War. Starting from the crucial first weeks of the conflict in July 1936, the rebel side was able to undertake a massive airlift of troops from Spanish Morocco using mostly the slow Ju 52, without any Spanish Republican interference. This was the world's"
"its significance as a target. The Republican forces were made up of assorted factions (Communists, Socialists, Anarchists and others) with differing goals, but united in their opposition to the Nationalists. The Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco, sought a return to pre-Republican Spain, based on law, order, and traditional Catholic values. At about 16:30 on Monday, 26 April 1937, warplanes of the German Condor Legion, commanded by Colonel Wolfram von Richthofen, bombed Guernica for about two hours. Germany, at this time led by Hitler, had lent material support to the Nationalists. Later, intense aerial bombardment became a crucial preliminary step"
"Hajo Herrmann Hans-Joachim ""Hajo"" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a German lawyer whose high-profile cases included the defense of neo-Nazis and genocide deniers. In World War II he served in the air force of Nazi Germany and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Hermann began his military career as an infantry officer, but was commissioned into the newly formed ""Luftwaffe"" (air force) in 1935. From 1936 until 1937 he was a bomber pilot in Condor Legion Kampfgeschwader 4 in the Spanish Civil War. Early in World War II,"
"Bombing of Guernica The bombing of Guernica () (26 April 1937) was an aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It was carried out, at the behest of Francisco Franco's nationalist government, by its allies, the Nazi German Luftwaffe's Condor Legion and the Fascist Italian Aviazione Legionaria, under the code name Operation Rügen. The town was being used as a communications center behind the frontline. The operation opened the way to Franco's capture of Bilbao and his victory in northern Spain. The attack gained controversy because it involved the bombing of civilians by a"
"General Goriev was their overall commander. General Smushkevic controlled the air forces sent from the USSR and General Dmitry Pavlov commanded their armoured forces. Most of the Republican defenders of Madrid (c.90%) were militias, raised by left-wing political parties or trade unions, who elected their own leaders. The Republican command had relatively little control over these units in the early phase of the Civil War. On the other side, both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supplied Franco with air cover and armoured units for his assault on Madrid, while the Luftwaffe units in Spain, the Condor Legion, were commanded independently"