The War Between the Wars

Carl Posey

05 April 2022

Archived

20 min

PME All levels

BLUF

This article examines the performance of aircrew deployed during the Spanish Civil War.

Summary

This article by Carl Posey from Smithsonian Magazine makes the following points:

In July 1936, much of the Spanish army, led by a junta of generals, rebelled against a newly elected popular front government, a volatile coalition of liberals, communists, workers, anarchists, and separatists.
The army-backed Nationalist side comprised fascists, the Falange party, monarchists, the aristocracy, and the Catholic Church.
The League of Nations decided against intervention.
Both sides had little air power.
Although officially neutral, Hitler and Mussolini supplied the fascist-leaning rebels-
Italy supplied crews, Savoia Marchetti SM.81 transport/ bomber trimotors, Meridionali Ro.37 ground-attack biplanes, and the successful Fiat CR. 32irri.
German crews flew Junkers Ju 52/3m aircraft and Heinkel He 51 fighter-bombers.
The Soviets supplied the Government and were paid with Spanish gold.
The Soviet Union supplied B-2 Katyushka fast bombers, Polikarpov R-5s reconnaissance and light bombing aircraft, and an early Soviet monoplane, the Polikarpov I-16.
A French Republican supporter brought his own aircraft.
American Republican volunteers were paid for their service.
In the Battle of Guadalajara, air power stopped a major ground offensive for the first time in history.
The Soviets trained republican Spanish pilots in Azerbaijan.
The infamous German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber was used in combat for the first time.
Republican pilots had to check their parachutes for sabotage before each mission, and some later fought in WW2 for the Soviets.
General Franco and the Nationalists had won by April 1939, (WW2 began in September 1939)
After Franco died, all Republican veterans received pensions and recognition.