# Spanish Civil War: Nationalist Air Force



## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

The Spanish Civil War arose out a variety of factors, chiefly the election of a Republican government made up of a shaky alliance of various centrist and leftist elements. The Second Spanish Republic instituted a number of controversial reforms which led to a revolt by conservative and monarchist ("Nationalist") forces, led at the outset by a military insurrection on the part of General Francisco Franco and other Nationalist generals. Sides were immediately taken amongst the international community, with Mexico, the Soviet Union, and the volunteer International Brigades supporting the Republicans and Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany supporting the Nationalists. The support for the Republican side was mainly in the form of material support from the Soviet Union, and it was slow in coming. Conversely, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany almost immediately joined in their support of the Spanish Civil War with troops, aircraft, tanks and other weapons. Among other political reasons for supporting Nationalist Spain (establishing a Fascist power in Western Europe, threatening France, etc.), Nazi Germany had military reasons as well. To quote Hermann Göring, commander of the Luftwaffe, at the Nuremberg trials (tribunals whose purpose was to prosecute war criminals after World War II):

_"When the Civil War broke out in Spain, Franco sent a call for help to Germany and asked for support, particularly in the air. ... I urged him [Adolf Hitler] to give support under all circumstances, firstly, in order to prevent the further-spread of communism in that theater and, secondly, to test my young Luftwaffe at this opportunity in this or that technical respect."_​
In the Spanish Civil War, the Luftwaffe would receive the first major test of its tactics of aerial combat and in the support of ground forces. The Condor Legion, a unit of the Luftwaffe created especially to support the Spanish Nationalist forces, would participate in bombing missions, troop movement, and fly against experienced Soviet pilots supporting the Republicans, thus gaining vital experience in the blitzkrieg which would later be put to use in Poland. The event which would characterize the Condor Legion's involvement in Spain and create a deep impact on the Luftwaffe and the other nations of Europe would be the bombing of Guernica (now Gernika-Lumo) on April 26th, 1937. At the time, Guernica was the center of Basque culture and government, and an important Republican stronghold, interposed between Nationalist forces and the northern Republican city of Bilbao. The Basques (Euskaldunak) are an ethnic group of Northern Spain and France which had supported the Republican government in exchange for autonomy. Despite the fact that Guernica had not by this point actively participated in the war, it was considered a military target in that it housed some Republican battalions, and its defeat by Nationalist forces would cut off Bilbao from other Republican forces, thus speeding Nationalist victory in Spain's north.

The assault on Guernica by the Condor Legion began in the afternoon and consisted of several waves of bombers with their escorts (mostly Junkers Ju 52 and He 111s in the first waves, with the Bf 109s supporting later raids and strafing the roads) dropping explosives onto the town below. The principal targets were the roads and a bridge to the east of Guernica, the destruction of which would block an enemy retreat. Although the pilots were given orders not to directly target civilians, the bombing led to many civilian casualties. (The exact numbers are disputed, but the estimate is between 200 - 1700.) The bombing shattered Guernica's defenses and the Nationalist forces quickly overran the town. The bombing of Guernica received lots of international attention from the press and inspired the famous painting by Pablo Picasso.

In Spain, the Luftwaffe gained experience in using their aircraft technology to achieve air superiority and to support ground forces. These lessons learned would serve the Luftwaffe well as World War II would begin in the East and in the great aerial battles, such as the Battle of Britain. At the outset of World War II, because of the experience gained during the Spanish Civil War, the Luftwaffe would be the most prepared for the new strategies of war that would emerge in this period. While sources vary on the number and type, most agree that 130-140 Messerschmitt Bf 109’s served in Spain: approximately 4 prototypes, 40+ Berthas, 5 Claras, 35 Doras, and 44 Emils. By early 1939, when the 109E’s arrived, the Republican opposition had nearly collapsed; twenty of these models were left behind for Spain’s air force. Bf 109 pilots like Werner Moelders and Wolfgang Schellmann distinguished themselves in Spain. Moelders is credited with developing the “finger four” formation, which became the standard fighter formation for decades. Moelders scored 14 kills in Spain, the top German ace of that conflict. Over 200 German pilots flew with the Condor Legion, gaining precious combat experience that would serve them well in WW2.

*Note: This thread is a remake. I am going to add more information and new pictures, but it will basicly contain all the data provided before.*


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

When the Spanish Civil War began, Germany gave massive support to Francisco Franco, including supplying aircraft for his air force. After the Soviet Union started supplying the Republicans with modern fighters, Germany sent in the latest model Bf-109s. The first unit became operational in 1937, and it drew first blood for the German fighter on July 8 when Bf-109s shot down two government Tupolev SB-2 bombers. One of the pilots involved in that action, Guido Honess, later became the first Bf-109 pilot to killed in combat just four days later while attacking another SB-2. Honess was shot down by an I-16 monoplane fighter flown by Frank Tinker, the highest scoring American to fly in the war. Bf-109s also took part in the infamous attack on the town of Guernica. The Bf-109 was the most modern airplane in the war, but was only available in limited numbers. Even at the height of German involvement, there were never more than 60 of the fighters in operation in Spain, in contrast to six squadrons of Soviet-made I-16s. The clear superiority of the 109 over anything the Republicans could field made up for the disparity of numbers, and then some.

The Spanish Civil War made the Bf-109’s reputation, and it gave Luftwaffe pilots that flew in it vital combat experience and led to the development of more flexible fighter tactics which gave the German pilots a great advantage in the first year of the war before the Allies adapted. In many ways, the experience of the Bf-109 in Spain paralleled that of the Mitsubishi Zero in China.


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

Bf 109 types used in Spain

Bf 109 V-3: This machine was quite distinctive, and had, in addition to the two Mg 17 above the engine cowling that would become standard on all Bf 109s, an engine-mounted Mg 17 (or possibly an Mg FF 20 mm cannon) firing through a cut-down propellor boss. The wheels were also larger than on subsequent aircraft, necessitating bulges on the upper surface of the wing to house the retracted landing gear.

Bf 109 V-4, V-5 and V-6: Much less is known about these aircraft, and few photographs seem to exist, but they are all thought to have had the same general arrangement, with armament confined to two Mg 17s mounted above the engine. These aircraft served as the pre-production versions of the Bf 109 B. All lacked the under-wing oil cooler found on later prototypes and production aircraft.

Bf 109 A: Fitted with Junkers Jumo 210 D engine. Armament consisted of two Mg 17 guns above the engine cowling. Fitted with a 2-blade fixed-pitch wooden propeller, oil cooler mounted under the port wing, behind the middle fo the chord. The first aircraft had spinners that were slightly smaller than the forward cowling, so exposing small annular air intakes around the propellor. The seams between fuselage panels may have been taped, since they are not clearly visible on photographs. Wing slats were full-length.

Bf 109 B: The fixed pitch propeller was replaced by a variable-pitch Hamilton propeller (this was also associated with the ability to fit an Mg 17 mounted between the engine blocks, but it is unclear how often this was fitted). Three large cooling slots were cut into the top and one into the bottom of the forward cowling to increase gun and engine cooling. The underwing oil cooler was also repositioned slightly further forward on later machines. Shorter wing slats were also introduced during the production of the B series.

Bf 109 C: Fitted with Junkers Jumo 210 Ga engine, which had direct fuel injection (giving increased high-altitude performance). Armament increased to four Mg 17s by the addition of one Mg 17 in each wing (the muzzle of which was within the wing). The exhaust ejector stubs projected from the sides of the cowling rather than being flush as in previous models. The position of the oxygen filler and electrical socket on the starboard side of the aircraft was also moved from under the cockpit to further back on the fuselage 

Bf 109 D: Reverted to the Junkers Jumo 210 D engine, but had the additional wing guns. A new tailwheel design (without the "scissor" link found on earlier aircraft) was introduced, 'though it is unclear whether this was a characteristic of all D versions, or was introduced during the life of the D series.

Bf 109 E-1: Powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 610 engine, driving a three-blade propellor. An entirely new nose shape resulted from the installation of this engine, as well as new under-wing radiators. There were numerous other minor alterations which mean that Bf 109 Es are quite distinctive from most angles.

Bf 109 E-3: As the Bf 109 E-3, but with the wing guns replaced with 20mm Mg FF canon, which had muzzles that projected beyond the leading edge of the wing. Laureau gives 6•107 as a Bf 109 E-4, although this may simply be a misprint (The E-4 had a redesigned canopy with less rounded framing to the windscreen).

(Source: Spanish Civil War aircraft - Home Page )


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## Milos Sijacki (Jun 15, 2010)

Great pics and information. Thank you for posting


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## hawkeye2an (Jun 15, 2010)

Great stuff. Thanks for posting.


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

Spanish Messerschmitts in action:


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM_-N_eHsZM_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnj3ax3sKkA_


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 15, 2010)

More Pics


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## Gnomey (Jun 15, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## Pisis (Jun 15, 2010)

Great thread, gekho! Fantastic pictures - some of them I've never seen before.


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 15, 2010)

Very cool!


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

Surviving Aircrafts

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Munich/Germany): The probably oldest, displayed Bf 109 is shown at Deutsches Museum in Munich. This plane (serial number 790) was produced in 1939 and was flown by the 2./J88 in Spain, carrying the code "6 o 106". After the Spanish Civile War, the Bf 109 was left in Spain and was used by the Spanish airforce. Until 1954 it was used by many fighter squadrons.Willy Messerschmitt, councelling Hispano Aviations, tried to transfer one Bf 109 to Germany, to show it at Deutsches Museum. The Spanish agreed and chose this plane, being in its original shape as last "Spanish" Bf 109. In 1960 the plane came to Munich, painted in the colors of JG 26. For the exhibition, it was recolored with the delivery colors and got the code "AJ+YH". In 1974 it was again recolored. It now got the markings of a Bf 109, flown by Werner Mölders, during his time with the JG 51. A number of small openings were cut into the fuselage, providing a view of the interieurs of this plane.


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

Like a number of German aircraft which were designed and built in the 1930s, the He 111 was planned from the beginning for a dual-purpose role. The first was in a legitimate civil capacity, during which the engines and airframe would be developed to good standards of reliability, or modified as necessary to attain such high standards. The second role was for military usage by the Luftwaffe which, at the period when a number of Germany's most successful wartime aircraft were being designed and/or developed, was still a clandestine organisation. The prototype - an all-metal low-wing monoplane powered by two 447kW BMW VI in-line engines - flew for the first time on 24 February 1935. The wings were of semi-elliptical planform, fitted with hydraulically operated trailing-edge flaps, the tailwheel-type retractable landing gear also being hydraulically actuated. Very clean in appearance, the prototype (in bomber configuration) was able to accommodate an internal bomb load of 1,000kg, and was armed with three machine-guns in nose, dorsal and ventral positions. Flight testing proved that, like some British bomber aircraft of the period, its performance equalled or even bettered that of contemporary fighters.

The second prototype was completed as a civil transport and was handed over to Luft-Hansa following the termination of early testing. Subsequently, this aircraft reverted to being used by the Luftwaffe for secret high-altitude reconnaissance missions. Many such missions were flown prior to the outbreak of World War II, both by military and civil aircraft, so that long before wartime operational missions were flown, the Luftwaffe had acquired very detailed documentation of a vast number of important targets. The fourth prototype was completed as a civil airliner with accommodation for ten passengers in two cabins. Named Dresden, it was delivered to Luft-Hansa on 10 January 1936 and given the full glare of press publicity. Six production airliners, He 111C named Breslau, Karlsruhe, Koln, Konigsberg, Leipzig, and Numberg, enured service from the summer of 1936.

He 111B-1 production bombers began to enter Luftwaffe service in late 1936 and, like many German military aircraft of that period, were blooded first in the Spanish Civil War, gaining valuable experience. The first two mass-production versions, He 111 E and He 111 F experienced great success during the Spanish Civil War, where they served with the Condor Legion as fast bombers, able to outrun many of the fighters sent against them. In the case of the He 111 it proved somewhat misleading: since its performance was superior to that of opposing fighter aircraft, it could operate unescorted.


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

The successor of the Heinkel He 70, the Heinkel He 111 (nicknamed Pedro while in service over Spain) was an excellent design from the hands of the brothers Siegfried and Walter Günter. The first 4 prototypes, which took the air in 1935, only had one major drawback, they were underpowered for use as a modern bomber. However from the fifth prototype (He 111V5 (D-APYS) / He 111B-0 series) onwards, Daimler Benz DB 600s of 960-1000 hp were mounted to give the aircraft more than sufficient potential for a warbird. Due to the intense lobbying by Oberleutnant Rudolf, Freiherr von Moreau, Hermann Goering approved to send the most modern of the German bombers to Spain in February 1937. The first shipment consisted of four He 111B-1s, together with four Dornier Do 17E-1s and four Junkers Ju 86D-1s to form Versuchsbomberstaffel 88 (VB/88) within the Legion Condor. Under Moreaus command this Staffel (based at Salamanca) had to evaluate this modern equipment under operational circumstances.

As soon as the 9th of March 1937 the Pedros flew their first operational sorties against Alcalá de Henares and Barajas and at the end of March these four aircraft were already transferred to the northern front and stationed near Burgos to take part in the offensive against Bilbao. During these operational conditions it was experienced that the ventral retractable gun turret caused so much drag when extended that it reduced speed too much for optimal combat conditions. So an order was given to lower this gun position only when there was direct contact with enemy fighters. Another cause of drag were the big radiator intakes below the engines. This was partially solved in the He 111B-2 by mounting DB 600 CG engines with smaller and more aerodynamic air-intakes.

Meanwhile, deliveries of He 111B-1s were continued to replace the Junkers Ju 52s within K/88. Four He-111s (25-5 225-8) were delivered in early July 1937, twelve more (25-9 25-20) one month later. At the end of August von Moreau and his veterans returned to Germany, the aircraft and replacement crews of VB/88 became part of the newly formed 4.K/88, and in October 1937, when the northern campaign came to an end, the process of replacing the Ju 52 in the bomber role by He 111s was completed. At that time K/88 had some 50 Pedros in its inventory of which some 22 were He 111B-2s. The He 111B-1s were numbered from 25-1 to 25-40, the He 111B-2s from 25-41 to 25-62. This pictorial overview however will deal with the first 40 Pedros only.


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

This aircraft was shot down on the 10th of March 1938 by a Polikarpov I-15, almost fulfilling the picture and the description painted on the fuselage side. The picture shows Mary dancing with a skeleton and the description means something like Sparkling Marys fourth desire. Luckily enough the crew managed to escape from the burning wreckage and were made prisoners. The crew consisted of Kurt Kettner (observer), Theo Kowollik (radio operator ), Karl Hofmeister (flight engineer) and Heniz Clacery (observer). They were exchanged for Republican crews on the 2nd of January 1939.


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jun 16, 2010)

On the 13th of June 1938 Peter (the mascot of the crew of 25-15) was killed in a dogfight with a Republican Polikarpov I-16. After this mission a picture of the Scottish terrier was painted on the tail of the aircraft (Peter Its the Scotch was painted on a fresh layer of grey on both sides of the rudder). During the process of transfer to 1.KG/88 the text Peter 13.6.38 and Im Luftkampf über Sagunto was added above und under the picture of Peter on small fresh layers of grey. Note the kind of old fashioned German style of lettering.

Peter is clearly visible in these pictures. Note that the profile is quite correct (besides maybe the color of the radio mast and the too small size of the diving eagle emblem), but the artwork shown on the backside of the Squadron Signal Publication Heinkel He 111 in action, though very nice , is not. The lettering shown on the rudder is in the more European style as used while the aircraft was assigned to 4./KG88 (see further on) and the color at the front end of the spinners has to be white.


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## Pisis (Jun 16, 2010)

Interesting to see the nose difference between 'Pedro' and the WWII He 111.


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## gekho (Jun 17, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 17, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 17, 2010)

He 111 25-17 of 1./K88 with the early style of individual aircraft numbers and with the chimney sweep painted on the rudder (on the first picture of 25-16, you can see 25-17 in the background without the chimney sweep). There were more Pedros wearing the chimney sweep insignia on the rudder such as 25-28. Hans Ring mention this rudder however to be carried by 25-17. That could be true, but the painting on this rudder appears to be in another position and is not exactly the same as on the previous pictures. On the other way, it looks pretty sure that after repairing the battle damage of this particular aircraft, the rudder had to be repainted.


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## Gnomey (Jun 17, 2010)

Interesting shots!


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## Pisis (Jun 18, 2010)

Great pics!!!


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## Wayne Little (Jun 18, 2010)

Great series of shots gekho!


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## gekho (Jun 18, 2010)

Kondor Legion over Spain:


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LzY2ng3P6Q_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLHnDvpN-v0_


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## gekho (Jun 18, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 18, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 18, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 19, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 19, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 19, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 22, 2010)

This Heinkel He-111 E-1 (Wk Nr 2940) was delivered to Legion Condor in 1938. This particular aircraft is the oldest surviving example and the only one with the 'conventional' cockpit. It was operational until 1956, being transfer to the Cuatro Vientos Air Museum in 1967.


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## gekho (Jun 22, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, "dive bomber") was a two-seat (pilot and rear gunner) German ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, the Stuka first flew in 1935 and made its combat debut in 1936 as part of the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. The aircraft was easily recognizable by its inverted gull wings, fixed spatted undercarriage and its infamous Jericho-Trompete ("Jericho Trumpet") wailing siren, becoming the propaganda symbol of German air power and the "Blitzkrieg" victories of 1939–1942. The Stuka's design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the plane recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high acceleration. Although sturdy, accurate, and very effective, the Ju 87 was vulnerable to modern fighter aircraft, like many other dive bombers of the war. Its flaws became apparent during the Battle of Britain; poor manoeuvrability, lack of speed and defensive armament meant that the Stuka required a fighter escort to operate effectively.

The Stuka operated with further success after the Battle of Britain, and its potency as a precision ground-attack aircraft became valuable to German forces in the Balkans Campaign, the African and Mediterranean Theaters and the early stages of the Eastern Front campaigns where Allied fighter resistance was disorganized and in short supply. Once the Luftwaffe had lost air superiority on all fronts, the Ju 87 once again became an easy target for enemy fighter aircraft. In spite of this, because there was no better replacement, the type continued to be produced until 1944. By the end of the conflict, the Stuka had been largely replaced by ground-attack versions of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, but was still in use until the last days of the war. An estimated 6,500 Ju 87s of all versions were built between 1936 and August 1944. Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most notable Stuka ace and was the most highly decorated German serviceman of the Second World War. He was the only person to receive the highest German military award, the Ritterkreuz mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten ("Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds in Gold"), on 29 December 1944.


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## gekho (Jun 22, 2010)

Among the many German aircraft designs that participated in the Legion Condor and Spanish Civil War, a single Ju 87 A-0 (the V4 prototype) was allocated serial number 29-1 and was assigned to the VJ/88, the experimental Staffel of the Legion's fighter wing. The aircraft was secretly loaded onto the Spanish ship Usaramo and departed Hamburg harbor on the night of 1 August 1936, arriving in Cadiz five days later. The only known information pertaining to its combat career in Spain is that it was piloted by Unteroffizier Herman Beuer, and took part in the Nationalist offensive against Bilbao in 1937. Presumably the aircraft was then secretly returned to Germany.

In January 1938 three Ju 87 As arrived. Several problems became evident - the spatted undercarriage sank into muddy airfield surfaces, and the spats were temporarily removed. In addition, the maximum 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb load could only be carried if the gunner vacated his seat, and the bomb load was therefore restricted to 250 kg (550 lb). These aircraft supported the Nationalist forces and carried out anti-shipping missions until they returned to Germany in October 1938. The A-1s were replaced by five Ju 87 B-1s. With the war coming to an end they found little to do and were used to support Heinkel He 111s attacking Republican positions. As the Ju 87 A-0 had been, the B-1s were returned discreetly to the Reich. The experience of the Spanish Civil War had been invaluable - air and ground crews perfected their skills, and equipment was evaluated under combat conditions. Although no Ju 87s had been lost in Spain, however, the Ju 87 had not been tested against numerous and well-coordinated fighter opposition, and this lesson was to be learned later at great cost to the Stuka crews.


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## gekho (Jun 22, 2010)

More pics


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## Gnomey (Jun 22, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## EC-JTR (Jun 23, 2010)

gekho said:


> Among the many German aircraft designs that participated in the Legion Condor and Spanish Civil War, a single Ju 87 A-0 (the V4 prototype) was allocated serial number 29-1 and was assigned to the VJ/88, the experimental Staffel of the Legion's fighter wing. The aircraft was secretly loaded onto the Spanish ship Usaramo and departed Hamburg harbor on the night of 1 August 1936, arriving in Cadiz five days later. The only known information pertaining to its combat career in Spain is that it was piloted by Unteroffizier Herman Beuer, and took part in the Nationalist offensive against Bilbao in 1937. Presumably the aircraft was then secretly returned to Germany.
> 
> In January 1938 three Ju 87 As arrived. Several problems became evident - the spatted undercarriage sank into muddy airfield surfaces, and the spats were temporarily removed. In addition, the maximum 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb load could only be carried if the gunner vacated his seat, and the bomb load was therefore restricted to 250 kg (550 lb). These aircraft supported the Nationalist forces and carried out anti-shipping missions until they returned to Germany in October 1938. The A-1s were replaced by five Ju 87 B-1s. With the war coming to an end they found little to do and were used to support Heinkel He 111s attacking Republican positions. As the Ju 87 A-0 had been, the B-1s were returned discreetly to the Reich. The experience of the Spanish Civil War had been invaluable - air and ground crews perfected their skills, and equipment was evaluated under combat conditions. Although no Ju 87s had been lost in Spain, however, the Ju 87 had not been tested against numerous and well-coordinated fighter opposition, and this lesson was to be learned later at great cost to the Stuka crews.



Nice pics. Some corrections: At least four not three Ju-87A "Anton" arrived to Spain "29-2", "3", "4" and "5". The "5" arrived to replace one of the Antons shotdown or damaged. Until today no image are available about the "29-6" (if this plane really existed),
Almost two Ju-87b was lost in Spain due to shotdowns or "emergency landings". The "29-8" landed in a beach at Comarruga (Tarragona) after a dogfhight with a republican Il-15 Chato. The "29-10" crashed at Burjaraloz (Zaragoza) perhaps shotdown or perhaps due a engine malfunction, and his wreckage was returned to Germany. 

Regards from Spain.


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## gekho (Jun 23, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 24, 2010)

The Heinkel He 45 was a light bomber produced in Germany in the early 1930s, one of the first aircraft adopted by the newly-formed Luftwaffe. Its appearance was that of a conventional biplane and included seating for pilot and gunner in tandem, open cockpits. Developed in parallel with the He 46, it appeared in 1931 as a general-purpose biplane and was employed mainly as a trainer, but was also used by the Luftwaffe for reconnaissance and light bombing duties. Production of this plane totalled 512 aircraft, including those built under licence by Gotha, Focke-Wulf, and BFW.


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## gekho (Jun 24, 2010)

On the 22nd of July 1936 General Franco requested the German government for assistance for his coup that was to be known as the Spanish Civil War. At this time, Germany was in full struggle to implement its economic resurgence and just had started the first phase of its own rearming program. In first instance, Francos request was rejected by the German officials. But with the intervention of Rudolf Hess, this request was forwarded to Adolf Hitler himself and so to the NSDAP (Nazi Party). Thanks to his persuasive power, Admiral Canaris, a close friend of Franco, succeeded in making clear that the long time benefits for Germany could be of far more importance than the short time risk that had to be taken. Already on the 28th of July Hitler approved secret aid for Franco on a larger scale than was demanded. Within one week 20 Ju 52s from Lufthansa were dispatched to Spain, and the first vessel (with a shipload of 86 German volunteers and six Heinkel He 51s among other things) was on its way to Cadiz. This was the first one of more than 170 shiploads to follow. In September the first twenty or so Heinkel He 46s arrived in Spain. Already in October the first six Heinkel He 45Bs that had arrived were formed into a reconnaissance unit of Aufklärungsgruppe A/88 at Avila. 

After some battlefield experience it was decided to use the Heinkel He 45 mainly for artillery cooperation and gunnery direction. For the field of low-level reconnaissance, the He 45s seemed to be too vulnerable while the Heinkel He 70 was far more faster and better suited for this task. There is little known of the numerous missions of A/88 in which the two Ketten of 3 He 45s were involved except from the fact that the aircraft was reliable and responded very well to its needs. In March 1937 most of the unit was based at Sevilla-Tablada while 2 He 45s where operating from Vittoria to prepare the offensive against Bilbao. Three new He 45s were received to make up for the losses of the first period of wartime action. 1937 was a hard period for A/88 because the Republican Air Force was reinforced with modern Russian equipment and flak became deadly serious. When A/88 was sent back to take part in the northern campaign again, losses grew:

11-09-1937: Gefreiter Leske was killed while landing a He 45 riddled by flak at Burgos.
22-09-1937: Lieutenant Kempers He 45 was shot down over Santander
22-10-1937: Lieutenant Schwanengels He 45 shot down by Republican ground fire over Avilés.

When A/88 went to rest at Santander-Est in November there was only one operational He 45 left. During 1938 A/88 was extensively in action over the northern front. The He 45s mostly operated on their own, marking artillery and troop concentrations and trying to attack these later with small anti-personal bombs. They flew on a daily base and against all expectations, almost without losses. Until , on the 29th of August, a storm devastated La Cenia and reduced the number of operational He 45s to three, one of them (15-38 and probably the most photographed He 45 of A/88) ended upside-down in an olive tree. On the 20th of September Lieutenant von Kugelgen was seriously wounded after being attacked by Republican fighters and destroyed his aircraft when landing at Vinaroz. The next day another He 45 was intercepted but the pilot was only slightly injured by pieces of his shattered windscreen. By November 1938 A/88 was withdrawn from front service to recuperate with only one He 45 out of three in flying condition. In December the unit returned to operations again and was involved in the final campaign in Catalonia. At the end of March 1939 A/88 had still 3 He 45s at its disposal of which 2 were in flying condition. These two (15-34 and 15-36) were handed over to the Spaniards and this meant the end of the career of the He 45 with A/88, these aircraft being replaced by six Henschel Hs 126s. 

That the He 45 in no way played an unimportant role in Spain is illustrated by this quotation from Patrick Laureau in Condor, The Luftwaffe in Spain: Reviewing their activities during the course of the conflict in Spain, the He 45 gives the appearance of being a champion in all categories. Fw Hans König for example carried out 95 missions in one during a single tour of operations. Of the Do 17 crews. Obfw Ernst Sorge (pilot), Lt Philips and Uffz Wawrock knocked up a record by carrying out 57 missions together. 

When the first Do 17s arrived in February and March 1937 for the Legion Condor, six He 45s were handed over to the Spanish Nationalists. These formed a single escuadrilla within the Breguet 19 group 1-G-10 at Léon. Put into action as the 1st Grupo de Asalto and operating from Vitoria, this group saw intensive action in the north with the purpose to capture Bilbao. But due to the Republican offensive at La Granja, the group was recalled to Léon in June 1937. Here, together with the delivery of six new He 45s, 6-G-15 was formed. After some action in the north, the aircraft were stationed in Avila to take part in the Battle of Brunete where two of them were written off after ground looping.From August until the end of September 6-G-15 was operating in the northern front again under harsh conditions, at least five He 45s were shot down. After a short period of rest and reinforcement that brought the operational strength of 6-G-15 to fifteen aircraft, the unit was put in action for the Battle of Teruel till January 1938 and thereafter was involved in the advance to the Mediterranean until May 1938. Attrition was high, for instance, at the end of March only 3 aircraft were in flying condition and in May two aircraft were shot down and another two were written off due to accidents. Most action however took place during the the Battle of the Ebro till the 16th of November 1938 in which, at the peak of hostilities, every available He 45 locked more than 4 hours of operations a day. The last operations during the Civil War were executed during the final campaign in Catalonia. The last loss of a He 45 occurred only three days before the end of the war, when 15-15 exploded during a ferry flight on the 28th of March 1939, probably caused by sabotage. After the Civil War was brought to an end, all remaining He 45s were taken over by the Ejercito del Aire, while a further 15 aircraft were delivered during 1939. On the 1st of March 1940 25 were still in service, the majority with Grupo 41, the last one being phased out about 1950. 

Source: AERONET GCE / IBERONET: Service life of the Heinkel He 45 part 2:


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## gekho (Jun 26, 2010)

The Arado Ar 68 was a single-seat biplane fighter developed in the mid-1930s. It was among the first fighters produced when Germany abandoned the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began rearming. Designed to replace the Heinkel He-51, the Ar-68 proved to have admirable handling characteristics on its first flight in early 1934, despite Arado's inability to secure a sufficiently powerful engine for the prototype. Eventually, a Junkers Jumo 210 was installed and the Ar 68 went into production, though not before worries about the unforgiving nature of such a high-performance aircraft almost resulted in the cancellation of the project.

The Ar 68 entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1936 and one of the first units was stationed in East Prussia. Soon, the fighter was sent to fight in the Spanish Civil War, where it was outclassed by the stumpy Soviet Polikarpov I-16. Arado responded by upgrading the engine of the Ar-68E, which soon became the Luftwaffe's most widely-used fighter in 1937-8 before being replaced by the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The last Ar 68s served as night fighters in the winter of 1939-40 and fighter-trainers.


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## gekho (Jun 26, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 26, 2010)

he Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift (German: "flying pencil"), was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke. It was designed as a Schnellbomber ("fast bomber"), a light bomber which, in theory, would be so fast that it could outrun defending fighter aircraft. The Dornier was designed with two engines mounted on a "shoulder wing" structure and possessed a twin tail fin configuration. The type was popular among its crews due to its manoeuvrable handling at low altitude, which made the Dornier capable of surprise bombing attacks. Its sleek and thin airframe made it harder to hit than other German bombers, as it presented less of a target.

Designed in the early 1930s, it was one of the three main Luftwaffe bomber types used in the first three years of the war. The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, operating in the Legion Condor in various roles. Along with the Heinkel He 111 it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939-40. The Dornier was used throughout the war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were limited. Production of the Dornier ended in the summer of 1940, in favour of the newer and more powerful Junkers Ju 88. The successor of the Do 17 was the much more powerful Dornier Do 217, which started to appear in strength in 1942. Even so, the Do 17 continued service in the Luftwaffe in various roles until the end of the war, as a glider tug, research and trainer aircraft. A considerable number of surviving examples were sent to other Axis nations. Few Dornier Do 17s survived the war. The last was scrapped in Finland in 1952.


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## gekho (Jun 26, 2010)

The Do 17's baptism of fire came during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), where it outpaced most enemy fighters and performed well. The Spanish nicknamed the Dornier the Bacalaos ("Codfish"). In early 1937, mass production began on the Do 17E and Do 17F series. The Do 17 F-1 was to replace the Heinkel He 70 as a high-flying fast reconnaissance aircraft, while the Do 17 E-1 was to supplant the Legion Condor's aging Heinkel He 111B bomber. However, more modern Soviet-supplied Republican aircraft were capable of intercepting the E and F variants, which prompted an upgrade of the Dornier's defensive armament.

Among the units committed to the Franco's cause was Hauptmann Rudolf Freiherr Von Moreau's 4.K/88. On 6 January 1937, it was decided by Erhard Milch, Albert Kesselring and Ernst Udet that the Legion should have more modern aircraft. Soon 12 Do 17 E-1s, as well as He 111 B-1s and Ju 86 D-1s were dispatched to serve in Spain. The unit was named VB/88 (Versuchsbomben Staffel, meaning Experimental Bomber Squadron). VB/88s Dorniers were involved in a strike around Guernica, but that particular unit's objective was a bridge, rather than civilian areas. VB/88 dropped 8 tonnes (9 tons) of bombs, while K/88 added 37 tonnes (41 tons) over the city itself causing the deaths of about 1,500 people. The bombing of VB/88 straddled the bridge. The only other target hit by the German bombers that day was the rail station. On 8 July 1937, the Dorniers flew multiple sorties to protect Nationalist forces now threatening the capital, Madrid. At this point, the Junkers Ju 86s had been withdrawn and replaced by the Do 17 Fs. In the spring of 1938, another unit, 1.A/88, equipped with Do 17s, also arrived in Spain. A total of 27 Do 17E, F and P variants were part of the Condor Legion.


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## gekho (Jun 26, 2010)

The Spanish Civil War was to be the toughest test yet on the Do17 bomber. It proved to be fast, in fact was fast enough to outpace any enemy fighter, although it could not match Germany's own Bf109, but one important lesson was learnt. It was vulnerable to enemy gunfire, especially in the forward section. The nose had been shortened on the Do17E and the Do17F variants, but the firing arc of the forward gunner was restricted somewhat and the narrow diameter of the fuselage of the Do17 which was how it became known as the "Flying Pencil" meant cramped conditions for the cockpit area of the aircraft.

These lessons learnt, were applied to the Do17U. The nose was severely cut down and the forward machine gun positioned so that it had a complete arc of fire. An enlarged forward fuselage not only gave existing crew more room, but allowed for an additional crew member if required. All these modifications were to prove successful, and they were put into the Do17Z in 1939. It was this variant that was to see service throughout the battle of Britain and in operations during 1940 and 1941. One of the Do17 variants, was modified as a night fighter and had a nose section of a Ju88C fitted complete with cannon and machine guns. Additional to that was the installation of a FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red) detector, said to be the worlds first. The first success of the use of the FLIR detector was the shooting down of a Wellington bomber of RAF Bomber Command on the night of October 16th/17th 1940 over the French-German border.


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## gekho (Jun 27, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 27, 2010)

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## Wayne Little (Jun 27, 2010)

8)


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## gekho (Jun 28, 2010)

The Heinkel He 46 was a German World War II-era monoplane designed in 1931 for the close reconnaissance and army co-operation roles. While it served with the Luftwaffe's front-line units only briefly at the start of World War II, the He 46 served as late as 1943 as a nighttime nuisance bomber and with the Hungarian Air Force. By 1934, about 500 He 46s had been built, and, by 1936, the Luftwaffe's aerial reconnaissance wings were all equipped with the He 46. In September 1938, 20 He 46C-1s were given to the Spanish Nationalists for use in the Spanish Civil War.


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## gekho (Jun 28, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 28, 2010)

The Heinkel He 59 was a German biplane designed in 1930 resulting from a requirement for a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft able to operate with equal facility on wheeled landing gear or twin-floats. In 1930, Ernst Heinkel began developing an aircraft for the Reichsmarine. To conceal the true military intentions, the aircraft was officially a civil aircraft. The He 59B landplane prototype was the first to fly, an event that took place in September 1931, but it was the He 59A floatplane prototype that paved the way for the He 59B initial production model, of which 142 were delivered in three variants. The Heinkel He 59 was a pleasant aircraft to fly; deficiencies noted were the weak engine, the limited range, the small load capability and insufficient armament.

The aircraft was of a mixed-material construction. The wings were made of a two-beam wooden frame, where the front was covered with plywood and the rest of the wing was covered with fabric. The box-shaped fuselage had a fabric-covered steel frame. The tail section was covered with lightweight metal sheets. The keels of the floats were used as fuel tanks - each one holding 900 L (238 US gal) of fuel. Together with the internal fuel tank, the aircraft could hold a total of 2,700 L (713 US gal) of fuel. Two fuel tanks could also be placed in the bomb bay, bringing the total fuel capacity up to 3,200 L (845 US gal). The propeller was fixed-pitch with four blades.


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## gekho (Jun 28, 2010)

During the first months of World War II, the He 59 was used as a torpedo- and minelaying aircraft. Between 1940 and 1941 the aircraft was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, and in 1941-42 as a transport, air-sea rescue, and training aircraft. The trainer models survived slightly longer in service than operational models, but all had been retired or destroyed by 1944. Some aircraft were operated by the Condor Legion in Spain during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 as coastal reconnaissance and torpedo floatplanes.


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## gekho (Jun 29, 2010)

The Arado 95 was a single-engine reconnaissance and patrol biplane designed and built by the German firm Arado in the late 1930s. Ordered by Chile and Turkey, a number were taken over by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) when World War II started. The Arado 95 was designed in 1935 as a two-seat seaplane, for coastal patrol, reconnaissance and light attack roles. The first prototype, an all-metal biplane powered by a BMW 132 radial engine, flew in 1936, while a second prototype was powered by a Junkers Jumo 210 liquid-cooled engine. The two prototypes were evaluated against the similar Focke-Wulf Fw 62. The BMW-powered version was considered worthy of further study, and a batch of six were sent for further evaluation with the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War . The Arado Ar 95 was the basis for the prototype Ar 195 carrier-based torpedo bomber, which was proposed for operation from the German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.

The Ar 95 was not ordered by the German armed forces, and so was offered for export in two versions, the Ar 95W floatplane and Ar 95L landplane, with a fixed, spatted undercarriage. Six Ar 95Ls were ordered by the Chilean Air Force, being delivered prior to the start of World War II. Turkey placed an order for Ar 95Ws, but these were taken over by Germany on the outbreak of war. The requisitioned Ar 95s were designated by the Luftwaffe as the Ar 95A, and were used for training and for coastal reconnaissance operations in the Baltic Sea, operating off the coast of Latvia and Estonia in 1941, and in the Gulf of Finland. They continued operating until late 1944.


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## gekho (Jun 29, 2010)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzjT6cWp-kQ_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9uX7slXv0_


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## gekho (Jun 29, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 29, 2010)

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## gekho (Jun 30, 2010)

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. It was initially developed as a fighter, and a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49. In 1931, Heinkel recruited the talented aircraft designers, Walter and Siegfried Günter, and their first major design for Heinkel was the Heinkel He 49. While this was officially an advanced trainer, in fact it was a fighter. The first prototype, the He 49a, flew in November 1932, and was followed by two further prototypes, the He 49b, with a longer fuselage, and the He 49c, with a revised engine.

The type was ordered into production for the still secret Luftwaffe as the He 51, the first pre-production aircraft flying in May 1933. Deliveries started in July of the next year. The He 51 was a conventional single-bay biplane, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. It was powered by a glycol-cooled BMW VI engine, with an armament of two 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns mounted above the engine. The He 51 was intended to replace the earlier Arado Ar 65, but served side-by-side with the slightly later Ar 68. The He 51 was outdated the day it entered service, and after an initial run of 150 production fighters, the design was switched into the modified He 51B, with approximately 450 built, including about 46 He 51B-2 floatplanes, and then finally a further 100 He 51C light ground-attack plane.


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## gekho (Jun 30, 2010)

On 6 August 1936, six of the He-51s were delivered to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Initial operations were successful, with the Heinkels meeting and defeating a number of older biplane designs, with two Nieuport Ni-52 fighters, a Breguet 19 and a Potez 54 destroyed on 18 August 1936, the first day of operations by Spanish-flown He 51s. Deliveries continued as the hostilities increased, with two Nationalist squadrons equipped by November, and the Legion Kondor forming three squadrons of 12 aircraft each manned by German "volunteers".

This time of superiority was short lived, with the arrival of large numbers of modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, including the Polikarpov I-15 biplane and new Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, together with the Tupolev SB bomber, which was 110 km/h (70 mph) faster. The He 51 proved unable to protect the Legion Kondor's bombers, forcing it to switch to night operations, while also unable to intercept the much faster SB.[9] The He 51 was therefore withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground-attack role by both the Legion Kondor and the Spanish Nationalists, It was replaced in the fighter role by the Fiat CR.32 in the Nationalist Air Force, with the Legion Kondor receiving Messerschmitt Bf 109s from April 1937 to allow it to operate successfully in fighter operations. While a failure as a fighter, the Heinkel proved successful as a ground-attack aircraft, being used by Wolfram von Richthofen to develop the close support tactics which were used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It continued in use as a ground attack aircraft for the remainder of the Civil War, although losses were heavy. After the war the 46 surviving aircraft would be joined by another 15 new builds, and serve in the utility role in Spain until 1952.

The experiences in Spain would prove once and for all that the days of the biplane fighter were over. Although the later model Fiat biplanes were superior to the He 51 and continued to soldier on in Nationalist service, the I-16s were basically untouchable because of their speed. If the conditions were right, they could use their heavy armament in a quick pass and then leave; if things weren't so favorable, they simply flew away. The lesson learned by all of the participants was that speed was far more important in combat than maneuverability. The He 51 continued in front-line service with the Luftwaffe until 1938, with it remaining in service as an advanced trainer for the first few years of World War II.


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## gekho (Jun 30, 2010)

Some Videos:


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3bL_o1Fxbg_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEP8v4WZ3Jk_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-WzxJXrT8s_


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## Gnomey (Jun 30, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Jul 1, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 1, 2010)

In 1934, a specification for a modern twin-engined aircraft capable of operating both as a high speed airliner for the German airline Lufthansa and as a medium bomber for the still-secret Luftwaffe was issued to both Junkers and Heinkel. Five prototypes were ordered from each company; the Junkers Ju 86 and Heinkel He 111. Junkers design was a low-winged twin engined monoplane, of all-metal Stressed skin construction. Unlike most of Junkers previous designs, it discarded their typical corrugated skinning in favour of smooth metal skinning which helped to reduce drag. The craft was fitted with a narrow track retractable tailwheel undercarriage and twin fins and rudders. It was intended to be powered by the Junkers Jumo 205 diesel engines, which although heavy, gave superior fuel consumption to conventional petrol engines.

The first prototype Ju 86, the Ju 86ab1, fitted with Siemens SAM 22 radial engines as airworthy Jumo 205s were unavailable, flew on 4 November 1934, in bomber configuration, with the second prototype, also a bomber, flying in January 1935. The third Ju 86, and the first civil prototype, flew on 4 April 1935. Production of pre-series military and civil aircraft started in late 1935, with full production of the Ju 86A-1 bomber commencing in April 1936. Production quickly switched to the improved Ju 86 D with a modified tail cone to impove stability. Early use of the Jumo powered Ju 86 bomber over Spain showed that it was inferior to the He 111, with the diesel engines being unsuitable for rough treatment during combat, and production plans were cut back. One Ju 86 had already been converted to use radial engines as a testbed for possible export versions, and this showed much improved reliability, and production was switched to a version powered by the BMW 132 engine, the Ju 86E, production continuing until 1938.

The bomber was field tested in the Spanish Civil War, where it proved inferior to the Heinkel He 111. Four Ju 86D-1 arrived in Spain in early February 1937, but after a few sorties one of them (coded 26-1) was shot down on 23 February by Republican fighters with the loss of three crewmen killed and one captured. A replacement aircraft was sent from Germany, but in the summer of 1937 another D-1 was lost in an accident, and the three remaining planes were sold to the Nationalist air forces.


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## gekho (Jul 2, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 2, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 2, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

Seeking a replacement for the Heinkel He 51 and Arado Ar 68 biplane fighters, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium issued in 1933 a specification for a monoplane, drawing submissions from Arado, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel and Messerschmitt. The prototype Heinkel He 112 was evaluated competitively with the three other designs at Travemunde in October 1935 and both it and Messerschmitt's Bf 109 received orders for 10 aircraft. Powered by a 518kW Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine, the prototype was followed by two further aircraft with reduced-span wings and 447kW Jumo 210C engines. The fourth prototype, with a new elliptical wing, was evaluated operationally with the Legion Condor in Spain in 1936, and was shown at the July 1937 Zurich International Flying Meeting. The proposed He 112A production aircraft was not adopted by the Luftwaffe, which received the Bf 109 instead, but work continued on the structurally-redesigned He 112B, the 507kW Jumo 210Ea-powered production prototype which flew in July 1937. Twelve of 30 aircraft ordered by Japan were delivered in the spring of 1938, but the next 12 were impressed for Luftwaffe use, although 11 of these and the final six were supplied later to the Spanish Nationalist air force in November 1938. Thirteen He 112B-0 and 11 He 112B-1 aircraft were delivered to the Romanian air force, the order being completed in September 1939, and three He 112B-1s were acquired by the Hungarian air force in the spring of 1939. Armament of the He 112B series was two wing-mounted 20mm MG FF cannon and two 7.92mm MG 17 machine-guns in the upper engine cowling.


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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

When it was clear the 112 was losing the contest to the Bf 109, Heinkel offered to re-equip V6 with 20 mm cannon armament as an experimental aircraft. She was then broken down and shipped to Spain on 9 December and assigned to Versuchsjagdgruppe 88, a group within the Legion Condor devoted to testing new aircraft and joined three V series Bf 109s which were also in testing. Oberleutnant Wilhelm Balthasar used it to attack an armoured train and an armoured car. Other pilots flew it, but the engine seized during landing in July and she was written off.

The Spanish government purchased 12 112Bs. This increased to 19. The He 112s were to operate as top cover for Fiat fighters in the opening stages of the Civil War, the Fiat having considerably worse altitude performance. In the event, only a single kill was made with the He 112 as a fighter and it was moved onto ground-attack work. During World War II, when Allied forces landed in North Africa, Spanish forces in Morocco intercepted stray aircraft of both Allied and German forces. None of these incidents resulted in losses. In 1943, one He 112 of Grupo nº27 attacked the tail-end of the aircraft of 11 Lockheed P-38s forcing it down in Algeria after reentering French territory after crossing into Spanish Morroco. By 1944, the aircraft were largely grounded due to a lack of fuel and maintenance.


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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 3, 2010)

Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers. The aircraft was developed from the Junkers W 33. Further development led to the Junkers Ju 46. W33/W34s were used for a wide range of purposes, e.g. as transport, reconnaissance or bomber aircraft, but also as ambulance and pest control aircraft. They were used by operators on all five continents. The Dessau W33 production was stopped during 1932. At Limhamn some K43s were still built in 1933, when production was stopped there. The last W33s were built in Russia during late 1934 / early 1935. 

In 1933 Luftwaffe again ordered a larger number of W34s, which were delivered until 1935. These aircraft were later used during the Spanish Civil War by Legion Condor. The 8 Junkers W.34 delivered to Spain to support the Legion Condor were mainly used as (personal) transports, navigational trainers or used for weather forecasting. They all bore the military serials 43o?, from 1946 onwards replaced by the code L.14 (82o??) and some of them continued in service until the 1950s.


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## gekho (Jul 4, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 4, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 4, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 4, 2010)

The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two-seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a protected cockpit under the parasol wing and the gunner in an open rear cockpit. The prototype aircraft frame was that of a Hs 122A fitted with a Junkers engine. The Hs 126 was well received for its good short takeoff and low-speed characteristics which were needed at the time. It was put into service for a few years, but was soon superseded by the general-purpose, STOL Fieseler Fi 156 Storch and the medium-range Focke-Wulf Fw 189 "flying eye".

The first prototype was not entirely up to Luftwaffe standards; it was followed by two more development planes equipped with different engines. Following the third prototype, ten pre-production planes were built in 1937. The Hs 126 entered service in 1938 after operational evaluation with the Legion Kondor contingent to the Spanish Civil War.


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## Gnomey (Jul 4, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Jul 5, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 5, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 5, 2010)

The Arado Ar 66 was a German single-engined, two-seat training biplane, developed in 1933. It was also used for night ground-attack missions on the Eastern Front. It was engineer Walter Rethel's last design in collaboration with Arado.Arado's chief designer Walter Rethel started design of a new two-seat trainer in 1931, with the design being developed by Walter Blume when Rethel transferred to Messerschmitt, with the first prototype, the Ar 66a flying in 1932. The Ar 66 had an Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine producing about 179 kW (240 hp), which drove a 2.5 m (8.2 ft) two-blade propeller. It carried 205 L (54 US gal) of fuel, and 17 L (4 US gal) of oil.

The fuselage had an oval cross-section and was made of welded steel tubes, covered with fabric. The double wings provided very high lift, even at low speeds. Both wings had the same span and an 8° sweep. Construction consisted of a double pine cross-beam structure, with lime tree ribs, and fabric covering. There were ailerons in both upper and lower wings. The tail had a conventional design, with the horizontal stabilizer mounted on the fuselage upper edge. The rudder was placed behind the elevator. Both the rudder and the elevator were of steel tube covered in fabric, and had a bigger surface than the first version to correct balance problems. The steel tube undercarriage was attached to the fuselage in a "V" shape and used a high-pressure rubber suspension. The crew consisted of two: instructor pilot and trainee, seated in open tandem cockpits equipped with dual controls. The aircraft was equipped with instrument flight systems with photographic cameras were mounted as optional equipment.


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## gekho (Jul 5, 2010)

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## Wayne Little (Jul 5, 2010)

8)  Good stuff gehko...


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## gekho (Jul 6, 2010)

The Heinkel He 115 was a World War II Luftwaffe seaplane with three seats. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as reconnaissance and minelaying. The plane was powered by two 720 kW (960 hp) BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. Some later models could seat four, had different engines, or used different weapon setups. In 1935, the German Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium or RLM) produced a requirement for a twin engined general purpose floatplane, suitable both for patrol and for anti-shipping strikes with bombs and torpedoes. Proposals were received from both Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and from Blohm Voss' aircraft subsidiary, Hamburger Flugzeugbau, and on 1 November 1935, orders were placed with both Heinkel and Hamburger Flugzeugbau for three prototypes each of their prospective designs, the He 115 and the Ha 140.

The first prototype Heinkel flew in August 1937 with testing proving successful, with the He 115 being selected over the Ha 140 early in 1938, resulting in an order for an additional prototype and 10 pre-production aircraft. Meanwhile, the first prototype was used to set a series of international records for floatplanes over 1,000 km (621 mi) and 2,000 km (1,243 mi) closed circuits at a speed of 328 km/h (204 mph). Two planes (three, acording to others sourdes) were sent to the Balearics to join the Condor Legion weeks before the end of the war. They were unarmed, carried no serial numbers and probably saw no service.


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## gekho (Jul 6, 2010)

In 1935, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) put out a tender for a new Luftwaffe aircraft suitable for liaison, army co-operation (today called Forward Air Control), and medical evacuation, to several companies. Conceived by chief designer Reinhold Mewes and technical director Erich Bachem, Fieseler's entry was by far the most advanced in terms of STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) performance. A fixed slat ran along the entire leading edge of the long wings, while the entire trailing edge, inspired by earlier 1930s Junkers "double-wing" aircraft wing control surface designs, including the ailerons, was a hinged and slotted flap. In a design feature rare for land-based aircraft, the wings on the Storch could be folded back along the fuselage in a manner not unlike that of the US Navy's F4F Wildcat fighter, allowing it to be carried on a trailer or even towed slowly behind a vehicle. The primary hinge for folding the wing rearwards was located in the wing root, where the rear wing spar met the cabin area. The long legs of the main landing gear contained oil-and-spring shock absorbers that compressed about 450 mm (18 inches) on landing, allowing the plane to set down almost anywhere. In flight they hung down, giving the aircraft the appearance of a very long-legged, big-winged bird, hence its nickname, Storch. With its very low landing speed the Storch often appeared to land vertically, or even backwards, in strong winds from directly ahead.

The first six aircraft transfered to Spain were early Fi 156A types and were operated by the Legion Condor. These aircraft were coded 46-01 to 46-06 and were not used as observation aircraft, but mainly for liaison duties and as personal tacks. The first four aircraft arrived in late 1936 and were delivered to Stab/88. The remaining 4 Fi 156As were supplemented by some 20 Fi 156C-2s from 1939 onwards and these were used both for civilian as for military purposes. They were retired in 1962.


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## gekho (Jul 6, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 6, 2010)

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## gekho (Jul 6, 2010)

The Gotha Go 145 was a German World War II-era biplane of wood and fabric construction used by Luftwaffe training units. Although obsolete by the start of World War II, the Go 145 remained in operational service until the end of the War in Europe as a night harassment bomber. In 1935, the Go 145 started service with Luftwaffe training units. The aircraft proved a successful design and production of the Go 145 was taken up by other companies, including AGO, Focke-Wulf and BFW. Licensed versions were also manufactured in Spain and Turkey. The Spanish version, called the CASA 1145-L actually remained in service until long after World War II. Without prototypes 1,182 Go 145 were built in Germany for Luftwaffe service and an unknown number of license-produced Go 145. Further development of the aircraft continued, the Gotha Go 145B was fitted with an enclosed cockpit and wheel spats (an aerodynamic wheel housing on fixed-gear). The Go 145C was developed for gunnery training and was fitted with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun for the rear seat, after removal of flight controls for the rear seat.


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## gekho (Jul 7, 2010)

The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun was a German single-engine sports and touring aircraft developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Works). The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. The Bf 109 fighter used many of the same design features. Originally designated the M 37, the aircraft was designed as a four-seat sports/recreation aircraft for competition in the 4th Challenge de Tourisme Internationale (1934). The M 37 prototype flew first in spring 1934 powered by a 250 PS (247 hp, 184 kW) Hirth HM 8U inverted-V engine, which drove a three-blade propeller.

Although it was outclassed by lighter aircraft in the competition, the M 37's performance marked it as a popular choice for record flights. One of the first major changes made to the production variants was to adapt the fuselage for a four-seat configuration. The Bf 108A first flew in 1934, followed by the Bf 108B in 1935. The Bf 108B used the Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engine. The nickname Taifun (German for "typhoon") was given to her own aircraft by Elly Beinhorn, a well known German pilot, and was generally adopted


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## gekho (Jul 7, 2010)

According to Gerald Howson four Taifuns were serving with the Condor Legion, while three more arrived directly after the end of hostilities. Despite some minor crashes all seven were still flying in 1940. In 1945 the type code changed from 44 to L.15. These aircrafts were used by Legion Condor in liaison and VIP transport duties


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## gekho (Jul 7, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 7, 2010)

More pics


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## Gnomey (Jul 7, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Jul 8, 2010)

The Do J was a fairly modern (compared to World War I types) flying boat with a high-mounted strut-braced monoplane wing. Two piston engines were mounted in tandem in a nacelle above the wing and in line with the hull; one engine drove a tractor propeller and the other drove a pusher propeller. The Do J made its maiden flight on 6 November 1922. The flight, as well as most of the production until 1932, took place in Italy because a lot of aviation activity in Germany was prohibited after World War I under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Dornier started producing Whales in Germany in 1931, with the production lasting to 1936.

In the military version, a crew of two to four rode in an open cockpit near the nose of the hull. There were one MG-position in the bow in front of the cockpit and one to two amidships. Beginning with Spain, military versions were delivered to Argentina, Chile, the Netherlands for use in their colonies, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and to the end of the production Italy and Germany. The main military users, Spain and the Netherlands, manufactured their own versions under licence. Several countries, notably Italy, Norway, Portugal, Urugay, Great Britain and Germany, used the Wal for military raids. The Do J was first powered by two 265 kW (355 hp) Rolls-Royce Eagle IX engines. Later versions used nearly every available engine on the market from makers like Hispano-Suiza, Napier Lion, Lorraine-Dietrich, BMW, and even the Liberty Engine. The 10 to-Whales used by Lufthansa for their mail service across the South Atlantic fom 1934 to 1938 had a range of 3,600 km (2,240 mi), and a ceiling of 3,500 m (11,480 ft).

In 1926 Ramón Franco became a national Spanish hero when he piloted the Dornier Plus Ultra on a trans-Atlantic flight. His co-pilot was Julio Ruiz de Alda Miqueleiz; the other crew members were Teniente de Navio (Navy Lieutenant) Juan Manuel Duran and the mechanic Pablo Rada. The Plus Ultra departed from Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva, Spain on 22 January and arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 26 January. It stopped over at Gran Canaria, Cape Verde, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. The 10,270 km journey was completed in 59 hours and 39 minutes. The event appeared in most of the major newspapers world wide, though some of them underlining the fact that the airplane itself plus the technical expertise were foreign. Throughout the Spanish-speaking world the Spanish aviators were glamorously acclaimed, particularly in Argentina and Spain where thousands gathered at Plaza de Colón in Madrid. In 1929 Franco attempted another trans-Atlantic flight, this time crashing the airplane to the sea near the Azores. The crew was rescued days later by the aircraft carrier Eagle of the British Royal Navy.


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## gekho (Jul 8, 2010)

Carl Bücker has been for about ten years director at Svenska Aero AB (SAAB), Sweden and returned to Berlin in 1932. Together with Anders Anderson, a former SAAB designer he raised the "Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH". The firstaircraft to be designed an produced was the Bü-131 Jungmann, equipped with a Hirth HM-60R engine, rated at 80 hp. This aircraft was selceed to become the primairy trainer of the Luftwaffe Later the aircraft was also built under license in Swizerland, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia an Japan. In Japan over 1200 examples were built as Kokusai Ki-86 and also as Kyūshū K9W. In Spain CASA built the type until the sixties of the twentieth century.


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## gekho (Jul 8, 2010)

The Heinkel He 114 was a biplane reconnaissance seaplane produced for the Kriegsmarine in the 1930s for use from warships. It replaced the company's He-60, but did not remain in service long before being replaced in turn by the Arado Ar-196 as Germany's standard spotter aircraft. The first four prototypes each used a different engine. The V1 had a 960hp Daimler-Benz DB 600, the V2 had a 420hp Junkers Jumo 210, the V3 had a 880hp BMW 132Dc and the V4 had a 960hp BMW 132K. The BMW radial engines would be used on all production aircraft and on the fifth prototype, which had a BMW 132Dc. The He 114 made its maiden flight in 1936, and proved to be a disappointment, with poor water handling and flying characteristics. A number of attempts were made to fix these problems, but the aircraft was never quite as good as the earlier He-60.

The 114 was a twin-float sesquiplane (a biplane with wings of unequal length), with a very short lower wing that had an elliptical leading edge. N-struts joined the top wing to the fuselage, while angled Y-struts provided the interplane bracing. The two-man crew were carried in tandem cockpits, with the gunner/ observer in a rear facing position. The two single-step floats were attached to the fuselage by a pair of struts and wire braces. Water rudders were attached to the back of each float. Three airplanes were sent as replacement for He 60 supplied in former times to Spain.


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## gekho (Jul 18, 2010)

The Heinkel He 60 was a German single-engined biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed to be catapulted from Kriegsmarine (German Navy) warships of the 1930s. The Heinkel He 60 was designed by Heinkel engineer Reinhold Mewes, the designer of the He 59. The resulting design was a single-engined biplane of mixed wood and metal construction with fabric covering. Its single bay wings were of equal-span and had significant stagger. The first prototype flew early in 1933 and proved to be underpowered with its 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI engine. The second prototype had a more powerful version of the BMW engine, but this only marginally improved its performance and was unreliable, so production aircraft reverted to the original engine. Of conventional configuration, the He 60 was a sturdy aircraft, designed (as the specification required) to be capable of operating on the open sea. As a result, it was always somewhat underpowered for its weight, which made handling sluggish and the aircraft vulnerable to enemy fire. Attempts were made to solve its lack of power by fitting one aircraft with a Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine, but engines were not available for production.


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## gekho (Jul 18, 2010)

Six of these aircraft were sent to Spain during the Civil War under the designation He 60E. However, the type was considered very vulnerable to enemy fighters basically due to its poor engine performance. They flew coastal patrols in the Spanish Civil War, and the last aircraft were withdrawn from service in 1948.


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## Gnomey (Jul 18, 2010)

Good shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 19, 2010)

I agree,


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## gekho (Jul 19, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 20, 2010)

The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and the early to mid-point of World War II. Although an obsolete design, it continued to see front-line service until 1944, and was only withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts. 

As a personal request of Oberst (later Generalfeldmarschall) Wolfram von Richthofen, chief of staff of the Legion Kondor, five aircraft had been deployed to Spain as a part of the Legion 'Kondor, intended to be used as tactical bombers. In their intended role, the Hs 123s proved to be somewhat of a failure, hampered by their small bomb capacity and short range. Instead, the Hs 123s based in Seville were used for ground support, a role in which their range was not such a detriment, and where the ability to accurately place munitions was more important than carrying a large load. The combat evaluation of the Hs 123 demonstrated a remarkable resiliency in close-support missions, proving able to absorb a great deal of punishment including direct hits on the airframe and engine. The Nationalists in Spain were suitably impressed with the Hs 123 under battle conditions, purchasing the entire evaluation flight and ordering an additional 11 aircraft from Germany. The Spanish Hs 123s were known as "Angelito" (dear angel or little angel), and at least one Hs 123 was in service with the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) after 1945.


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## gekho (Jul 20, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 20, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 21, 2010)

The Klemm Kl 32 was a touring aircraft developed in Germany in 1932 based on the Klemm Kl 31 as a competitor in the Challenge 1932 touring aircraft competition. Like its predecessor, it was a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The Kl 32, however, had a smaller cabin (seating three), and a fuselage built from wood rather than metal. Eight Kl 32s were entered in the competition, seven by German teams and one by a Swiss team. These were powered by a variety of engines including the Bramo Sh 14, Argus As 8, de Havilland Gipsy, and Hirth HM 150. Notable German pilots included Robert Lusser (who designed the aircraft), Wolf Hirth, and Reinhold Poss. Hirth won the short take-off trial in his Kl 32, and Poss tied for second place in the overall competition with his. Five of the teams flying Kl 32s finished in the top ten in the "rally over Europe" part of the competition, and five of the top ten scores overall were achieved by teams flying Kl 32s.

Designed as tourism, liaison an light transport aircraft, three units arrived to Spain with the Legion Kondor. They were coded with the number 30, like all the other light planes. After the war they were coded L4, being transfered to the 91 Squadron, to be used as a trainning aircraft. They were retired in 1955.


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## gekho (Jul 21, 2010)

The Junkers Ju 52 (nicknamed Tante Ju - "Auntie Ju" - and "Iron Annie") was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Lufthansa as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Luftwaffe as a troop and cargo transport and briefly as a medium bomber. The Ju 52 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s.

The Ju 52 was similar to the company's previous Junkers W33, although larger. In 1930, Ernst Zindel and his team designed the Ju 52 at the Junkers works at Dessau. The aircraft's unusual corrugated duralumin metal skin, pioneered by Junkers during World War I, strengthened the whole structure. The Ju 52 had a low cantilever wing, the mid-section of which was built into the fuselage, forming its underside. It was formed around four pairs of circular cross section duralumin spars with a corrugated surface that provided torsional stiffening. A narrow flap ran along the whole trailing edge, well separated from it. This flap lowered the stalling speed and the arrangement became known as the "double wing". The outer sections of this operated differentially as ailerons, projecting slightly beyond the wing tips with control horns. The strutted horizontal stabilizer carried horn-balanced elevators which again projected and showed a significant gap between them and the stabilizer, which was adjustable in-flight. All stabilizer surfaces were corrugated. The fuselage was of rectangular section with a domed decking, all covered with corrugated light alloy. There was a port side passenger door just aft of the wings, with windows stretching forward to the pilots' cabin. The main undercarriage was fixed and divided; some aircraft had wheel fairings, others not. There was a fixed tail skid, or later tail wheel. Some aircraft were fitted with floats or skis instead of the main wheels.

In its original configuration, designated the Ju 52/1m, the Ju 52 was a single-engined aircraft, powered by either a BMW or Junkers liquid-cooled engine. However, the single-engine model was underpowered, and after seven prototypes had been completed, all subsequent Ju 52s were built with three radial engines as the Ju 52/3m (drei motoren - "three engines"). Originally powered by three Pratt Whitney Hornet radial engines, later production models mainly received 574 kW (770 hp) BMW 132 engines, a licence-built refinement of the Pratt Whitney design. Export models were also built with 447 kW (600 hp) Pratt Whitney Wasp R-1340 and 578 kW (775 hp) Bristol Pegasus VI engines. The two wing-mounted radial engines of the Ju 52/3m had full-chord cowlings and were noticeably toed-out, from being mounted at an almost perpendicular angle to the wing's tapered leading edge. The central engine had a half-chord cowling like a Townend ring as the fuselage behind it was increasing in diameter, though some later aircraft had deeper cowlings. Production Ju 52/3m aircraft flown by Lufthansa before World War II, as well as Luftwaffe-flown Ju 52s flown during the war, usually used an air start system to turn over their trio of radial engines, using a common compressed air supply that also operated the main wheels' brakes.


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## gekho (Jul 21, 2010)

In 1936, sixty of these Ju 52/3mg3e were sent to Spain where they served as bombers and transports during the Spanish Civil War.Hundreds of Junkers Ju-52 sorties flew 13,000 troops and their equipment from Franco’s Moroccan Army to Spain in July 1936. These aircrafts were also used as bombers for a short period of time, being replaced in this role when the first He-111s arrived to the peninsula; however it is proved that the Ju-52 also took part in the bombing of Guernica, along with the He-111, Do-17, SM-81 SM-79. Experiences in Spain also led to a redesign of the Ju 52, which received a tail-wheel rather than a tailskid as standard. As well as a loading door on the right hand side the rear fuselage was fitted with a freight door for bulky loads and the fuselage ¬oor was considerably strengthened.


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## gekho (Jul 22, 2010)

The Heinkel He 70 was a German mail plane, passenger, liaison, training and bomber aircraft of the 1930s. Although useful, it had a relatively brief commercial career before it was replaced by types which could carry more passengers. As a combat aircraft, it was a not a great success because it rapidly became outdated. Nevertheless, the He 70 was a brilliant design for its day, setting no fewer than eight world speed records by the beginning of 1933. The Heinkel He 70 Blitz was designed in the early 1930s to serve as a fast mailplane for Deutsche Lufthansa. The He 70 was developed in response to Lufthansa request for a faster aircraft than the Lockheed Vega and Orion (as used by Swissair) for employment on short routes. It was a low-wing monoplane, with the main characteristics of its revolutionary design its elliptical wing, which the Günther brothers had already used in the Bäumer Sausewind sports plane before they joined Heinkel, and its small, rounded control surfaces. In order to meet the demanding speed requirements, the design minimised drag, with countersunk rivets giving a smooth surface finish and a retractable undercarriage, a novel feature for a German aircraft. It was powered by a BMW VI V-12 engine, cooled by ethylene glycol rather than water, allowing a smaller radiator and therefore reducing drag. The pilot and radio operator were seated in tandem, with a cabin housing four passengers on two double seats facing each other.


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## gekho (Jul 22, 2010)

Twenty-eight aircraft were sent with the Legion Condor, where they were used during the Spanish Civil War as fast reconnaissance aircraft. Their high speed gave them the nickname Rayo (lightning), being used as fast reconnaissance aircraft and more easily bombers. Eleven war survivors flew until 1950 with the Ejercito del Aire as liasson aircrafts.


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## gekho (Jul 23, 2010)

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero ("Sparviero" is the Italian word for "Sparrowhawk") was a three-engine Italian bomber with a wood and metal structure that saw service in World War II. Originally designed as a fast passenger transport aircraft, this low-wing monoplane, in the years 1937-9, set 26 world records that qualified it, for some time, as the fastest medium bomber in the world. The SM.79 first entered action in the Spanish Civil War and during World War II saw duty on all fronts. But it became famous and achieved many successes as a torpedo bomber in the Mediterranean theater. The SM.79 was an outstanding aircraft and was certainly the best known Italian aeroplane of World War II. It was easily recognizable due to its distinctive fuselage "hump", and was well-liked by its crews who gave it the nickname Gobbo Maledetto ("damned hunchback"). It was the most widely produced Italian bomber of World War II, with some 1,300 built and remained in service in Italy until 1952.

The SM.79 was a cantilever low wing monoplane trimotor, with a retractable taildragger undercarriage. The fuselage of the SM.79 was made of a welded tubular steel frame and covered with duralumin in the forward section, duralumin and plywood on the upper fuselage surface, and fabric on all other surfaces. The wings were of all-wood construction, with the trailing edge flaps and leading edge slats (Handley-Page type) to offset its relatively small size. The internal structure was made of three spars, linked with cantilevers and a skin of plywood. The wing had a dihedral of 2° 15'. Ailerons were capable of rotating through +13/-26°, and were used together with the flaps in low-speed flight and in takeoff. Its capabilities were significantly greater than its predecessor, the SM.75, with over 1,715 kW (2,300 hp) available and a high wing loading that gave it characteristics not dissimilar to a large fighter.


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## gekho (Jul 23, 2010)

The engines fitted to the main bomber version were three 582 kW (780 hp) Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 radials, equipped with variable-pitch, all-metal three-bladed propellers. Speeds attained were around 430 km/h (270 mph) at 4,250 m (13,940 ft), with a relatively low practical ceiling of 6,500 m (21,330 ft). Cruise speed was 373 km/h (232 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft), but the best cruise speed was 259 km/h/161 mph (60% power). The landing was characterized by a 200 km/h (120 mph) final approach with the slats extended, slowing to 145 km/h (90 mph) with extension of flaps, and finally the run over the field with only 200 m (656 ft) needed to land (2,050 rpm, 644 Hg pressure). 

The SM.79 was a good performer, its wooden structure being light enough to allow it to stay afloat for up to half an hour in case of water landing giving the crew ample time to escape, and the front engine giving some protection against anti aircraft fire. It was also capable of a relatively quick climb, had a good turn-of-speed for its time, and its rugged structure and responsiveness allowed the aircraft be to looped (with care). Effective torpedo bombing range was between 500 and 1,000 m (1,640 and 3,280 ft)from the target. SM.79s often flew at low level above the ships before the aerial torpedo was launched, and so were targeted by every weapon available, from infantry small arms to the heavy artillery. The Sparviero had several advantages compared to British torpedo bombers, including a higher top speed and greater range. Neither the Blackburn Skua nor Gloster Gladiator presented a real threat to the Sparviero, being 90 and 10 km/h (60 and 6 mph) slower, respectively. Soon however, the Sparviero faced the Hawker Hurricane and the Fairey Fulmar which was faster but still quite slow in relation to other escort fighters. Beaufighters were fast and well-armed, and as well as being effective long-range day fighters, were successful night interceptors and late in the war often chased Sparvieros in night missions. Eventually, P-40s, P-38s, Martlet and Spitfires made their début in the Mediterranean, preventing Sparviero operations during the day.


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## gekho (Jul 23, 2010)

The SM.79 saw action for the first time when serving with the Aviazione Legionaria, an Italian unit sent to assist Franco's 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 named “Falchi delle Baleari” (Baleari Hawks) and operated against Catalonia and the main cities of western Spain, attacking the Second Spanish Republic. During the three years of the civil conflict, over 100 SM.79s served as bombers and only four were lost. Thanks to the experience gained in Spain, the SM.79-II, introduced in October 1939, formed the backbone of the Italian bomber force during World War II.


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## gekho (Jul 23, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 23, 2010)

More pics


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## Wayne Little (Jul 23, 2010)

Interesting stuff....


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## Gnomey (Jul 23, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 23, 2010)

Very cool!


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## gekho (Jul 24, 2010)

More pics


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## VG-33 (Jul 24, 2010)

Nice pics, thank you gekho.

But have you got _spanish furies_ pictures in respublican colors ?

BTW maybe some of your historical datas need to be updated...


> One Fury made a forced landing behind enemy lines due to a lack of fuel and was repaired by the Nationalists, although it was not used operationally,



Felix Urtubi's Fury ( 4-2) made a forced landing near Albuquerque behind nationalists lines after the pilot gets lost in unknown region, in september.

It was then naturaly captured by nationalist forces, transferred in Tablada, was repeared there and recieved new number 4w-1. He realised *operational * missions for Seville protection aera. In 45 it recieved C2-1 number and reminded in service until 1950.



> while the Republicans used one of the Furies in the defence of Madrid until wrecked in a crash in November 1936


It seems that respublicans used all of three Furies operationnaly. Garcia Lacalle crashed the unarmed 4-3 at Guadalajara at very beginning of the war. Two other reminding planes were intensilvely used with 2 .303 Vickers mg taken from Hispano NiD-52 planes, in Madrid aera. Altogether by Garcia Lacalle, Urtubi, Pana and Puparelli even the last one being the unit's leader, prefers the Boeing 281.
On september the 16, Garcia Lacalle shooted down at least one Fiat CR-32 with his 4-1, the pilot Francesci bailed out and was captured by respublicans. 

When Lacalle left the unit to handle I-15s the plane went to _Aeronautica Naval_ pilot Javier Jover Rovica that soon had an accident touching electric wires near to the ground.
The wreckage was send to la Rabasa factory, when altogether with the remains of the 4-3 it was use to rebuld with extreme difficulty another plane, keeping the 4-1 register number.

From march 1937 the survivor is used to protect La Rabasa and Alicante region. Later Felix Sampil Fernandez took it out for La Ribera/San Javier fighter school when he served a certain time, before we loose all traces about the plane there.

All from José Fernandez, Michel Ledet and Juan Arraez Cerda. Avions HS N° 3 1995

Regards


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## gekho (Jul 24, 2010)

More pics


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 24, 2010)

This is some really good stuff fellas.


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## VG-33 (Jul 25, 2010)

gekho said:


> I think you are right concerning the nationalist fury; it sound to me very strange that it wouldnt be operationaly used during the war, so I think your sources are much better than mine. Concerning the republican fury, I have two or three pictures that I have already posted in my thread "Republican fighters of the Spanish Civil War". In any case as sonn as I finish this, I will make a new thread about the F.A.R.E.



I see:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-pictures/spanish-civil-war-republican-fighters-23661.html

Thanks


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

The Savoia-Marchetti SM-55 was a double-hulled flying boat produced in Italy beginning in 1924. Shortly after its introduction it began setting records for speed, payload, altitude and range. The SM-55 featured many innovative design features. All the passengers or cargo were placed in the twin hulls, but the pilot and crew captained the plane from a cockpit in the thicker section of the wing between the two hulls. As well, the S.55 had two inline counter-rotating propellers, achieved by mounting the twin engines back to back. The engines were canted sharply at an upward angle. Two wire-braced booms connected the triple-finned tail structure to the twin hulls and wing.

The Italian Air Marshall of the time, Italo Balbo soon became famous for organizing fleets of S.55s for Atlantic crossings, culminating in his 1933 flight with 24 aircraft to Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition. On 1 July 1933, General Balbo commanded a flight of S-55s from Orbetello, Italy, completing the flight in just over 48 hours, maintaining a tight "V" formation. These large fleets of aircraft became so well known that even today a large formation is sometimes called a "Balbo". Three of these planes were later sent to Spain, arriving to Mallorca in august of 1936. They participated in some raids using hand grenades, but these aircrafts were not suitable for bombing duties, so two of them were sent back to Italy, remaining the last one at the Mallorca´s hidros base. It was destroyed in a republican raid in may 1937 when it was already retired of service.


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

Developed from the Ca.301, a single-seat fighter version of a similar design that was not put into production, the AP.1 was a two-seater version, fitted with a more powerful Alfa Romeo radial. Designed to serve both as a fighter and an attack aircraft, it was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed, trousered (spatted) undercarriage, of mixed construction. Although it was a monoplane at a time when many of the air forces of the world were flying biplanes, the Caproni was still an anachronism with fixed landing gear. The AP.1 prototype first flew on 27 April 1934. An initial series of 12 aircraft was delivered within 1936. In the same year, the Regia Aeronautica ordered a second series with improvements including a more powerful Alfa Romeo engine and more aerodynamic landing gear. In service, the large landing gear spats were often removed for ease of maintenance.

Between october and decembre 1938, ten units of these aircrafts arrived to Spain, receiving the nickname of Apio (celery). It was designed as a ground attack fighter, but due its poor performance it was used as an school aircraft. They were send to Villanubla fighter school first, and later to Reus and Moron, where they received the military code 32-1 to 32-10. They were retired in 1948.


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

The Fiat CR.20 was an Italian biplane fighter used during the 1920s and 1930s. Designed by Celestino Rosatelli, it represented an intermediate step from the early biplane CR.1 and the later, successful series CR.30-CR.32-CR.42. For the new aircraft, Rosatelli used a traditional sesquiplane configuration. The engine was a V Fiat A.20 providing (306 kW/410 hp), with liquid cooling.

Major variants were the CR.20 Idro, a pontoon floatplane, and the CR.20 Asso, using a more powerful (336 kW/450 hp) Isotta-Fraschini engine. CR.20bis, produced from 1930, differed from the original version only for the addition of a more advanced landing gear. At its peak in 1933, the CR.20 equipped 27 squadrons of the Italian Regia Aeronautica. The aircraft was used against Libyan rebels and in the early stages of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in the attack role. The CR.20s remained in service with the Regia Aeronautica in the aerobatics and training until the 1930s. In 1933, Italy sold five CR.20s to Paraguay, which was fighting the Chaco War against Bolivia, these serving as Paraguay's only fighters through to the end of the war. Several Cr.20s were used by the Aviazione Legionaria, primarily as trainers, and probably mostly the 2-seat version. This example was sent to the Jerez de la Frontera Air base to be used as a trainer.


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

The Breda Ba.25 was an Italian two-seat biplane trainer designed and built by the Breda company. It was the most widely used Italian basic trainer of the 1930s. The first flight took place near Milan in 1931. Initially designed as a single-seat aircraft, the prototype was later converted to a two-seat fuselage. Flight testing of the two-seat variant was successful, and in late 1931 Regia Aeronautica ordered a series of 100 Ba.25 training aircraft. The student and instructor sat in open tandem cockpits, although some versions had a single-bay cockpit. The initial production order was completed by 1935, but demand for the aircraft increased and production for the Regia Aeronautica totalled 719 by the end of 1938. Many others were produced for export or for private use with different radial engines like the Alfa Romeo Lynx or Walter Castor.

Possibly 6 Ba-28 were sent from Italy to Spain during the last months of the war. They were coded 37, as advanced trainers. During the war they served at the Gallur Fighter School and later at Moron and Reus trainning school, being retired in september 1945. This plane was fitted with a Piaggio Stella engine of 370 cv, that provided it a speed of 240 Km/h. It had a very good acrobatic performance, its range was of 400 km and its empty weight of 1.200 kgs.


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

The IMAM Ro.41 was an Italian light biplane fighter aircraft, serving in the Regia Aeronautica in the 1930s-1940s, mainly as a trainer. It was a singular aircraft, being obsolescent as a fighter when it first appeared in 1934, but despite this it was used as such until 1940. The Luftwaffe showed an interest in it as a trainer, even though German first line fighters were completely different. The Ro.41 is almost unknown, compared to many other Italian aircraft, despite being one of the most numerous produced, in its 16-year career. The IMAM Ro.41 had its origins in the aircraft division of OFM (Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali). In 1929 Alessandro Tonini, the chief designer, had serious health problems and was replaced by Giovanni Galasso. This company, based in Naples, was taken over by Breda in 1935, and so Galasso's new aircraft designs received the IMAM designation of this company. One of the first was the Ro.41, flight tested by Niccolò Lana at Capodichino airfield on 16 June 1934.

The first prototype was fitted with a Piaggio P.VII engine, and showed itself to be very agile, with excellent climb performance, and no noticeable vices. The second prototype, MM.281, was tested 31 January 1935, and taken on strength with the Regia Aeronautica. The third prototype had a Piaggio P.VII C.45 with two-stage compressor, giving 390 hp at 4,000 m. This was the definitive version of this aircraft, and fifty aircraft, numbers MM.2907-2956, were ordered. This first series was put in service in July 1935.

The Ro.41 found a role as a trainer aircraft, for which it was well-suited, and a series of 30 two-seat aircraft first flew in 1937. The Ro.41 replaced the Breda Ba.25, and soon another 264 single-seat and 66 two-seat models were ordered. The Ro.41 was also proposed as light fighter. Twenty-eight were sent to Spain where, thanks to their high rate of climb, they acted as point-defence interceptors around Seville, though it appears that they did not score any victories. No Romeos survived to the war, but at the present a replica is being built at Murcia. As you can see by the pictures, the fighter is almost ready. What I dont know is if it will fly or is a displayed replica.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQhZ__rllOk_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o043pOeA66g_


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

A well designed and sturdy medium bomber, the Fiat B.R.20 Cicogna (stork) series fell nevertheless into that category which was nearmg obsolescence by the outbreak of World War II. Designed by Ingeniere Celestino Rosatelli, and owing much of its parentage to the sleek Fiat APR.2 commercial transport, the Fiat B.R.20 prototype flew first on 10 February 1936. The first unit of the Regia Aeronautica to receive B.R.20s was the 13° Stormo BT stationed at Lonate Pozzolo: the 7° Stormo BT, also at Lonate, received Fiat B.R.20s in February 1937. Powered by two 745kW Fiat A.80 RC.41 radial engines, the B.R.20 possessed a maximum speed of 430km/h at 4000m, and was armed with two 7.7mm and one 12.7mm machine-guns. 

Elements of the 7° and 13° Stormi BT were despatched to Spain in May 1937 for combat experience, while other B.R.20s were exported to Japan, and saw service with indifferent results in China and Manchuria as the JAAF's Army Type 1 Model 100 Heavy bomber. Modified nose contours, increased armour protection and revised armament featured in the B.R.20M, of which 264 were ultimately produced. When Italy declared war on 10 June 1940 the Regia Aeronautica had 162 Fiat B.R.20s and B.R.20Ms in commission with the 7°, 13°, 18° and 43° Stormi BT. The first bombing mission was made on 13 June when 19 B.R.20Ms of the 13° Stormo BT attacked installations at Hyeres and Fayence in southern France. A detachment of 80 B.R.20MS of the 13° and 43° Stormi BT were sent to the Belgian airfields of Chieveres and Melsbroeck in late September 1940 to assist the Luftwaffe in its bombing campaign against England. As part of the Corpo Aereo Italiano the B.R.20Ms suffered losses as a result of crew failings and fighter attacks. The campaign in Greece saw the 116° Gruppo (37° Stormo) in action from bases in Albania, followed by action over Crete, and on a day and night attacks against Malta. In the USSR B.R.20MS of the 38a and 116a Squadriglie operated from August 1942 in the southern sector.

Fifteen of the improved B.R.20bis model were produced. These were powered by two 932kW Fiat A.82 RC.42S engines, had additional 7.7mm machine-guns and a power-operated dorsal turret. Early in 1943 the B.R.20M bomber had been withdrawn from active service with the Regia Aeronautica, units being re-equipped either with CANT Z.1007s or with Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79S/ Production totalled 602 of all marks.


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## otftch (Jul 25, 2010)

The bulk of military Moths however were civilian sportplanes impressed by their countries air forces and used as trainers and liaison aircraft. Like this, civilian Moths ended up flying for both the Nationalist and Republican air forces during the Spanish Civil War. This was repeated on a larger scale during the Second World War where Moths ended up flying, amongst others, for the air forces of Egypt, New Zealand, China (with several captured ex-Chinese aircraft flying for the Japanese), Ireland, Italy, Iraq, Belgian Congo, Dutch East Indies (later taken over by the Indonesian AF), South Africa, New Zealand and the US Navy.[/QUOTE]

Great Photo Collection. Do you by any chance have any photos of USN Moths ?
Ed


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## gekho (Jul 25, 2010)

otftch said:


> Great Photo Collection. Do you by any chance have any photos of USN Moths ?



No, sorry, I dont have any


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## Gnomey (Jul 25, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

When the Fiat Br 20 Cicogna – or Stork – became operational a few were tested in the skies over the Spanish Civil War. It was a proficient enough aircraft for that conflict but had many flaws that needed to be sorted out in later versions. Italy deployed six BR.20s to Spain in June 1937 for use by the Aviazione Legionaria to fight in support of Franco's Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, with a further seven aircraft sent to Spain in July 1938. They took part in bombing raids over Teruel and at the Battle of the Ebro, proving to be sturdy and accurate bombers. The BR.20s were fast enough to generally avoid interception from the Republican Polikarpov I-16s and I-15s. Losses were very low; nine of the 13 BR.20s sent to Spain survived to the end of the war when they were handed over to the Spanish State to serve with the Ejército del Aire (EdA). While the Cicognas were successful, just 13 examples were sent to Spain compared to at least 99 SM.79s, which meant that the Sparviero was almost the Italian standard bomber, especially on day missions.


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

The Fiat G.8 was a military utility aircraft produced in Italy in the mid-1930s. Its design and production were undertaken at the CMASA works in Pisa which became part of Fiat in 1930, hence the type is sometimes referred to as the CMASA G.8 or Fiat-CMASA G.8. It was a conventional biplane design with staggered wings of unequal span braced by struts arranged in a Warren truss. The pilot and a single passenger (or instructor) sat in tandem open cockpits, and the aircraft was fitted with fixed tailskid undercarriage with divided main units. Sixty of these aircraft were purchased by the Regia Aeronautica and used for liaison and training duties.

In january 1938 two units arrived to Spain with the "Aviazione Legionaria", being transfered later to the Nationalist Aviation, where they served at the El Gallur Fighter School. Their operative life is very short, since one of them desapeared of the Air Force files and the other one, coded 30-69, was transfered to the General Staff of the Spanish Army at Getafe. It was withdrawn from service in 1943.


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

In 1927, the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) held a contest for a replacement for the Macchi M.7ter flying boat fighter. In response, Macchi designed the M.41, based on its Macchi M.26 design of 1924. The M.41 was a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane armed with two fixed, forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch) machine guns. It had plywood and fabric skinning, and its wings were of equal span and unstaggered. Its engine, a 313-kilowatt (420-horsepower) Fiat A.20 driving a pusher propeller, was mounted on struts above the hull and below the upper wing, and the aircraft was fitted with an oblique frontal radiator. Like the M.26, it was of very clean aerodynamic design for an aircraft of its type. In the 1927 contest, the M.41 prototype competed against the SIAI S.58bis. Macchi received no production order for the M.41 and built only the first prototype. Although plans were made for SIAI to produce 97 S.58bis aircraft, these fell through when the Regia Marina decided to save money by re-engining the M.7ter rather than procure any new replacement aircraft in 1927.


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 was an Italian single-engine maritime patrol flying boat produced from 1926. It served with the Regia Aeronautica and with a number of foreign users, and was licence-produced in Spain and the Soviet Union. Some of the Spanish aircraft were still in service during the Spanish Civil War. The SM.62 flying boat was one of the main successes of Savoia-Marchetti, evolved from the SM.59 which first flew in 1925. The single-engine, single-spar wing, wooden biplane aircraft was powered by a single Isotta-Fraschini Asso 500RI, 373 kW (500 hp) engine mounted between the upper and the lower wings, and drove a pusher propeller. It had a wingspan of 15.5 m (50.8 ft), a maximum takeoff weight of 3,000 kg (6,610 lb) including fuel, bombs and four crew, and entered production in 1926. Apart from the two machine guns in the aft and forward fuselage, both mounted in uncovered positions, the possibility of fitting an 20 mm Oerlikon cannon was explored, but never put into service.

The progress of the project was almost continuous, and the following year saw the SM.62bis development that had a more powerful engine. This aircraft, with a 16 m (52.4 ft) wingspan, formed the basis of the future SM.78. The new 559 kW (750 hp) Isotta Fraschini Asso engine produced 50% more power, which allowed a maximum take-off weight of 4,000 kg (8,818 lb) with a maximum speed of 220 km/h (140 mph), while the range was 1,200 km (746 mi). For those times, these were respectable performance figures for a single-engine aircraft. The SM.62 was one of the first Italian racing- and world-record attempting aircraft, competing in the 1926 New-York to Buenos Aires air-race and the 10,000 km (6,210 mi) air-race in northern Europe, in addition to setting the speed records of 190.537 km/h (118.394 mph) averaged over 500 km (310 mi) in 1926 – later augmented to 194.237 km/h (120.693 mph) – and the world records flying 500 km (310 mi) while carrying 500 kg (1,100 lb), and finally 100 km (60 mi) and 500 km (310 mi) with 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). This was the most successful Italian flying boat outside Italy, with at least one being acquired by Japan for its naval aviation service, several by Romania, and 40 by Spain, some of which were license-built. The USSR acquired the license to construct the SM.62bis in Tananrog plants as the MRB.4, with many examples built.

Despite their obsolescence, several Spanish examples fought in the Spanish Civil War. Since the aircraft of those times were not capable of great speeds, several were used at the Desenzano "high-speed flying-school" in Italy, as well as continuing to serve as reconnaissance-bombers. The next derivative, the SM.78, with over a ton more weight and 20% more power; could carry a greater fuel load, effectively doubling the range; and was slightly faster than the SM.62bis.


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

In 1935, the SM.81 Pipistrello (Bat) made its debut and marked a definite step forward in the development of military aviation. The excellent overall qualities of this aircraft were first tested in the Ethiopian campaign and then in the Spanish Civil War. The SM.81s success in combat directly transformed into a series of orders that eventually led to the production of 534 SM.81s. However, as in the case of other combat planes produced in that same period, the Spanish Civil War did not provide very reliable proof of what subsequent needs were to be. The SM.81, clearly out of date by the outbreak of World War II, remained in service for the duration of hostilities, operating on almost all fronts, although it was gradually phased out to play a secondary role as a transport. The SM.81′s direct predecessor was the SM.73, a commercial airplane, whose prototype appeared on 6/4/34, and which was an immediate commercial success.

It was this aircraft that provided the basis for the construction formula that was to remain virtually unchanged in SIAI Marchetti’s later production, a three-engine, low-wing monoplane with a wood and metal structure and wood and fabric covering. The military version was presented toward the end of the year and was subjected to a whole series of operational tests by the Regia Aeronautica before going into mass production. As in the case of the civilian version, the fitting of several types of engines was also planned for the SM.81, and each of the engines characterized a particular version of the aircraft. These included the 680 hp Piaggio IX, 700 hp Piaggio X, 680 hp Alfa Romeo, 900 hp Alfa Romeo and the 1,000-hp Gnome Rhone 14K engines. Defensive armament consisted of 6 – 7.7mm machineguns, a pair in the retractable ventral position, a pair firing rearward from the back of the cockpit and two in lateral positions in the fuselage. Normal bomb load was 2,000 lbs, but the maximum load was 4,415 lbs of bombs.

The prototype of an experimental version, the SM.81bis was produced with two 840-hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso in-line liquid cooled engines, and with substantial modification to the nose, by which the third engine was occupied by a bombardier. This variant was not followed up. The SM.81 went into service early in 1935 and made its military debut in Africa that same year. At the beginning of World War II, the SM.81 was gradually withdrawn from front-line service in national territory and was used mainly on the African and Russian fronts as transport aircraft. After the Armistice, only four SM.81s were left in southern Italy. The others that remained went in the north to form part of two groups of transport planes in the air force of the pro-axis forces. The SM.81 with the 670 hp Piaggio X engines had a maximum speed of 211 mph at 3,281 ft; a service ceiling of 22,966 ft; and a range of 1,243 miles. With the 680 hp Alfa Romeo engines, the maximum speed was 211 mph at 13,210 ft; service ceiling of 23,000 ft and a range of 1,200 miles.
Article by JDG


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

The Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81 Pipistrello (bat) was a development of the Savoia-Marchetti S.M.73 18-pagsenger airliner which had first flown in prototype form on 4 June 1934. Like the airliner from which it was derived, the S.M.81 was a three-engine cantilever low-wing monoplane with fixed tailwheel landing gear. First flown in early 1935, it was available in some numbers by the time that Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) on 3 October 1935. Here in addition to its dedicated bomber role, it was used also for reconnaissance and transport. The next operational use of the type came during the Spanish Civil War, with S.M.81s being among the first aircraft provided in support of General Franco, and others served in Spain a little later as components of the Aviazione Legionaria.


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## gekho (Jul 26, 2010)

By the time Italy became involved in World War II about 100 remained in service with the Regia Aeronautica, but although it was already completely outdated the S.M.81 was to be found wherever Italian forces were fighting. Because of its low speed and vulnerability to attack, it was used primarily for second-line duties, but with the protection of darkness many found important use as night bombers, particularly in North Africa. Some remained in service at the time of the Italian surrender, continuing in operation with the Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, and a few survived the war to serve for five or six years with the post-war Aeronautica Militare Italiana. A total of approximately 534 S.M.81s had been built and flown with a variety of powerplants including the 650 hp (485 kW) Gnome-Rhôene 14K or similarly powered Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35, the 900 hp (671 kW) Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34, and the 700 hp (522 kW) Piaggio P.X RC.35. Under the designation S.M.81B a single experimental twin-engine prototype had been flown under the power of two 840 hp (626 kW) Isotta Fraschini Asso XI RC engines, but no production examples followed.


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## gekho (Jul 27, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 27, 2010)

The Fiat G.50 Freccia (meaning "Arrow") series provided the Italian Air Force with a then-modern monoplane fighter featuring a retractable undercarriage, all-metal construction and an enclosed cockpit. During this period in aviation history, these three design features alone were strong distinguishers between older generation 1920/1930-era fighters and the new breed appearing almost monthly across the globe. The G.50 fought on from 1938 through to the end of the war in 1945 - the latter years to a lesser extent - being utilized in a variety of roles and by a handful of very different operators. An impressive total of 791 G.50's were produced.Design of the G.50 began as soon as 1935 to which the prototype was made available for first flight two years later on February 26th. Despite the aircraft's relatively modern design, it did not prove to be a substantial leap when compared to other previous modern Italian attempts. Despite this, the aircraft was well accepted for her speed and maneuverability and put into production. In its early form as with an enclosed cockpit, the G.50 received its baptism of fire as part of the Italian involvement in the Spanish Civil War. The aircraft - at least by 1938 standards - proved a worthy success and became a mainstay of the modern Italian Air Force, or Regia Aeronautica. Pilot reaction to the aircraft was generally good, though the Italian flyboys were not as fond of her greenhouse framed canopy. As such, the follow-up production models were actually built with an open-air cockpit instead - effectively advancing Italian aviation by a two steps forward, one step back philosophy.


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## Gnomey (Jul 27, 2010)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Jul 28, 2010)

Design-wise, the G.50 was a standard low-wing monoplane with rounded edges, a smooth yet stout-looking fuselage and a conventional empennage. The radial engine was housed in a characteristically Fiat cowl, sporting a three-bladed propeller and conical spinner. Wings were positioned just below and ahead of the cockpit position. The canopy featured a framed forward section and a "razorback" style rear section, integrating into the tail section. The main gear systems of the undercarriage were fully retractable while the tail wheel was not.

In 1938, the first operational Fiat G.50 aircraft were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica. During the Spanish Civil War, about a dozen of G.50s were sent to Spain to reinforce the Aviazione Legionaria. The type proved extremely maneuverable, it was one of the best fighters, yet by the time World War II began it was considered to be underpowered and underarmed.


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## gekho (Jul 28, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 28, 2010)

The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. This nimble little Fiat was compact, robust and highly manoeuvrable and gave impressive displays all over Europe in the hands of the Pattuglie Acrobatiche. The CR.32 fought in North and East Africa, in Albania and in the Mediterranean theatre. The CR.32 saw service in the air forces of China, Austria, Hungary, Paraguay and Venezuela. Used extensively in Spanish Civil War, it gained a reputation as one of the outstanding fighter biplanes of all time. But then it was overtaken by more advanced monoplane designs and was obsolete by 1939.

The Fiat CR.32 was designed by Celestino Rosatelli. Derived from earlier Fiat CR.30 designs, the CR.32 was a more streamlined and smaller biplane fighter. The prototype MM.201 first flew the 28 April 1933 from the Fiat company airstrip at Turin. The fuselage had same structure as the CR.30, utilizing aluminium and steel tubes covered by duraluminium on the nose up to the cockpit, on the back, in lower section under the tail, and with fabric on the sides and "belly". The wings and tail also had mixed structure, with aluminium frame covered by fabric. A notable feature was that the lower wing was shorter than the upper wing making it sesquiplane. Ailerons were only on the upper wings. Armament included initially two 7.7 mm (.030 in) Breda-SAFAT machine-guns (later two 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT), located on top of the engine cowling, with 350 rounds each.


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## gekho (Jul 28, 2010)

The engine was the water-cooled Fiat A.30 RA. Designed in 1930, it was a 60° V 12, producing 447 kW (600 hp) at 2,600 rpm, inspired by the American Curtiss D-12. It drove a 2.82 meter two-blade metal propeller with variable pitch ("a passo variabile") but only adjustable on the ground, not in flight. The engine did not use the usual avio-petrol but a mixture of petrol (55%), alcohol (23%) and benzole (22%). The main fuel tank, located between the engine and cockpit, carried 325 liters. There was another small tank (25 liters) in the "torpedo" fairing in the center of the upper wing. Although fully instrumented, the RA.80-1 radio was optional.
The Fiat Cr.32 was used extensively in the Spanish Civil War. At least 380 took part in the air battles fought over Spain, proving formidable adversaries to the Soviet Polikarpov I-15 and Polikarpov I-16 monoplanes that formed the back bone of the Republican air force. It had its baptism of fire in 1936. On 18 August 1936, the first 12 CR.32 Freccias arrived in Spain and formed the Squadriglia "Gamba di Ferro", "Cucaracha" and "Asso di Bastoni" of 3° Stormo. Three days later, Tenente Vittorino Ceccherelli, Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare (Golden Medal to Military Valour) shot down the first enemy aircraft, a Nieuport 52, over Cordoba. In total, the Italian government sent 365–405 C.R.32s to Spain while 127–131 were delivered directly to the Nationalist Aviation units. Six aircraft were captured by Republican FARE, with one sent to the USSR for evaluation.


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## gekho (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks to the agile CR.32, the Italians managed to obtain air superiority against its Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española (Republican) opponents, that mainly flew a motley collection of very different aircraft. The Fiat biplane proved to be effective with Aviacion Legionaria claiming 60 (48 confirmed) modern Russian bombers Tupolev SB, once believed impossible to intercept, 242 Polikarpov I-15 biplane fighters and 240 Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighters, plus another hundred not confirmed. Fiat C.R.32 losses were only 73. The Fiat biplanes were used for many aerobatic shows, in Italy and abroad. When foreign statesmen visited the Holy City, the 4° Stormo, Regia Aeronautica élite unit, based in Rome, put on impressive displays with formations of five or 10 aircraft. In 1936, air shows were organized in other European capitals and major cities, and, during the following year, in South America. When the team returned a brilliant display was put on in Berlin. The aerobatic characteristics of the CR.32 and its success in Spain misled the Italian air ministry, which formed the view that a fighter biplane still had potential as a weapon of war. Consequently, in May 1939, prior to Italy entering World War II, the CR.32 fighters in bis, ter and quater versions, represented two thirds of all fighters in the Regia Aeronautica.


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## Wayne Little (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks again for the pics and info...


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2010)

Joaquin Garcia-Morato - Best Ace of Spanish Civil War

Born in Melilla in 1904. At 19 he was called up and posted to the Infantry. In April 1925 he enrolled in the civil flying school, and on 6th August received his F.A.I. pilot's licence. Subsequently he took a course on the Avro 504 biplane and obtained the corresponding military qualification, on completion of which he was sent to a reconnaissance and bombing unit equipped with the DH9A. When the unit was sent to Morocco he took part in actions against the insurgents. He volunteered for the Bristol fighter squadron at Nador (Melilla), where in 57 missions he logged over 100 hours' flying, for which he was commended.After that he was posted to the floatplane base at Mar Chica, and later transferred to a reconnaissance group at Getafe. In 1929 he was appointed flying instructor at the pilot Conversion School. He qualified as an observer, and in 1930 as a wireless telegraphist. He learned to fly multi-engined aircraft, fighters and floatplanes, and he was an outstanding aerobatic pilot. In 1932 he added aircraft mechanic to his other qualifications. He took part in many aerobatic competitions, winning several. Among other aircraft he flew a Consolidated Fleet 2. In 1934 he saw action in the Asturias campaign.He taught blind flying at the Aereo-Club of Madrid. In 1935 Morato organised the air section of the General Directorate of Safety.

The Civil War found him on holiday (vacation) in Great Britain, from where he flew across France to Burgos and Cordoba. His part in the war started with the defence of Cordoba. Over that city on 3rd August, at the controls of a Nieuport 52, he threw an enemy formation into total confusion and forced it to withdraw. On the 12th Morato had his first victory when he shot down a Vickers Vildebeest bomber over Antequera. Garcia-Morato was one of the first Spanish pilots to fly the He-51 biplanes when they became available, and on 18th August he shot down a Potez 54 and a Nieuport while flying one. He shot down another Nieuport on 2nd September. He also piloted Ju-52s on bombing missions.

When the Fiat CR-32 fighters arrived in Spain he was the first Spanish pilot to try them out, having been posted with two comrades to one of the Italian units. On 11th September he scored his fifth victory, and his first with the CR-32, achieving three more by the end of the month. He shot down three more aircraft in October, and in November he tangled over Madrid with Russian-made I-15 aircraft, shooting down three of them - and a Potez 54 into the bargain. In December the Nationalist air force had sufficient Fiats to constitute an independent group, whose command went to Garcia-Morato. Dubbed Blue Patrol, it operated in the south flying cover for the Nationalist Breguets. The Cordoba zone was being targetted by Soviet SB-2 bombers, modern, fast and hard to intercept. On 3rd January 1937, attacking from high altitude, he pounced on a pair of them and shot them down. In February he returned to the Madrid front to support the Jarama offensive.

On the 18th, acting with other Italian CR-32 fighters, the Blue Patrol took off on a sortie to escort Ju-52 bombers. Because of losses they had sustained the Italians were forbidden to cross the front line. When the bombers crossed the front line with no escort a large number of enemy fighters pounced on them. Morato and his comrades Salvador and Berm?dez de Castro gave fight, which persuaded the Italians to disobey orders and join them. That day, at the cost of the loss of one of their own aircraft, the Nationalist flyers inflicted several losses on the enemy and redressed the balance of mastery of the air in the sector. On 17 th May, 1937 he was decorated with the Cruz Laureada de San Fernando for his actions until 18 th February, 1937. Until the latter date he had made 150 sorties and participated in 46 combats, achieving 18 victories.

Blue Patrol was upgraded to a full suqadron and later a group of two squadrons, designated 2G3. In September 1937, with a total of 27 victories, Garcia-Morato was sent to Italy, from where he returned in December that year. He was appointed Commander of the Hispana Air Brigade, embracing all air units in the north. In July 1938 he was given command of a new fighter group, 3G3, in which he increased his tally of victories to 35. On 3 rd October neither Salvador not Morato returned to base: the former had been shot down and taken prisoner and Garc?a-Morato, shot up by Third "Mosca" Squadron's Lt. Luis Sirvent Cerrillo, had made a forced landing. On 24th December his unit, Fontllonga, 20 km. north of Balaguer (Lerida), shot down nine enemy R-5 bombers, three of which were attributed to Morato. Of the 9 Natashas, 3 returned to their own side's airfields, (2 to La Garriga and 1 to Vic). Six were shot down, of which 3 were lost, while the remainder managed to land with varying fortune inside their own lines. Overall the Natasha squadron suffered 3 dead, 8 wounded and 2 taken prisoner. Garcha Morato's unit suffered the shooting down and taking prisoner of captain Rafael de Mendiz?bal Am?zaga, while another Fiat had to land because of damage at Almenar (Lerida). His last victory, number 40, was an I-15 shot down on 19th January 1939.

At the end of the war he was Chief of Operations of the Nationalist fighter force. His log book showed 1,012 hours flown on 511 sorties, of which 56 were in aerial combat, with 40 aircraft shot down. On 4th April 1939 he was putting his Fiat CR-32 (3-51) through various manoeuvres over Gri??n airfield when, during low-level inverted flight, the engine failed. The aircraft crashed, killing the pilot. He was posthumously awarded the Individual Medal and promoted to substantive major for meritorious war service. Morato's emblem is currently worn by Ala de Caza No 11 (No 11 Fighter Wing), based at Mor?n de la Frontera and equipped with the F-18. This will be the first Spanish unit to receive the Eurofighter. This Air Force unit has inherited the weapons and ancient tradition of Spanish fighter aviation which belonged to Ala 11 (11 Wing) based at Manises, Valencia until its disbandment in 1999.


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2010)

The Fiat Cr.32 Chirri displayed at the Cuatro Vientos Museum is a replica of the Garcia Morato´s fighter, the best ace of the Spanish Civil War, with 40 victories. As I said in the previous thread, Garcia Morato died in an accidente a few months later of the end of the war. His fighter, coded 3-51, was completely destroyed, but his squadron mates managed to build a replica, using the wrecks of the accident. This is the only remainning Fiat Cr.32 in Spain.

Thre is another example in Italiy, at the Vigna de Valle Museum. However, this fighter is a Hispano Aviacion Ha-132L, the spanish version of the italian fighter built in Spain. These fighters were used as advanced trainers, being replaced by the Mentors. One of this planes was transfered to the Museum, wearing the spanish markings used during the Civil War.


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2010)

The Caproni-Begamaschi Ca.310 Libeccio (Italian: southwest wind) was an Italian monoplane, twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used in World War II. Derived from the similar Ca.309, it had its combat debut during the Spanish Civil War, and took part in the earlier phases of World War II in Libya. Some were used in attack groups as a temporary replacement for the unsatisfactory Breda Ba.65. The last Ca.310 was retired by the Italian Air Force in 1948. The Ca.310 was designed as a low-wing monoplane reconnaissance/bomber, being essentially a version of the semi-military Ca.309 with retractable landing gear and uprated engines. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction with a covering of light alloy panels and fabric, while the empennage/tail unit was of wooden construction with plywood skin on its fixed portions and fabric covering on control surfaces. Above the fuselage, mounted in line with the wing trailing edges was a manually-operated dorsal turret armed with a single rifle-caliber (7.7 mm/0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine gun.


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## gekho (Jul 29, 2010)

A unit of 16 aircraft was sent to Spain in July 1938 for operational trials as a reconnaissance/bomber by the Italian expeditionary force operating alongside the Nationalist insurgents in the Spanish Civil War. The Caproni´s nickname was "Cabrones" (bastard in spanish), because both words sound very similar and also because the pilots used to say that the plain tried to kill them everytime they took off.


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## Gnomey (Jul 29, 2010)

Good shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 29, 2010)

I agree!


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## gekho (Jul 30, 2010)

The Breda Ba.65 was an all metal single-engine, low wing monoplane used by Aviazione Legionaria during the Spanish Civil War and Regia Aeronautica in the first part of World War II. It was the only Italian ground-attack aircraft that saw active service in this role. It saw service almost exclusively on the North African front. A total of 55 machines were exported and used by the air forces of Iraqi, Chile and Portugal.

A large number of the Ba.65s serving with Italian units were of two-seat configuration, with an observer/gunner in an open cockpit above the trailing edge of the wing. A smaller number of the type had a Breda L type turret, but in either case the observer/ gunner operated a single 7.7mm machine-gun. While offensive armament could theoretically comprise up to 1000kg of bombs, the load usually carried was up to 300kg in the fuselage bomb bay or, alternatively, up to 200kg on underwing racks.


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## gekho (Jul 30, 2010)

Intended as an aeroplano di combattimento, capable of fulfilling the roles of interceptor fighter, light bomber, or reconnaissance/attack aircraft as required, the prototype Breda Ba.65 made its initial flight in September 1935. Experience in Spain indicated that the Ba.65 was suited only to the attack role, and the type served thenceforth with most of the eight squadriglie attached to the two Regia Aeronautica assault stormi (wings), the 5° and 50°. A second series of 137 aircraft was built by Breda (80) and Caproni- Vizzola (57), before production ended in July 1939. They differed from the first production batch by having Fiat A.80 engines. Six Fiat-powered Ba.65s and four more of the Gnome- Rhone-powered version were sent to the Aviazione Legionaria in Spain in 1938. Following Italy's entry into World War II in June 1940, Ba.65s were involved in the fighting in North Africa against the British. They had a low serviceability rate in desert conditions and put up an unimpressive performance, The last serviceable aircraft was lost during the British offensive in Cyrenaica in February 1941.


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## VG-33 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hello



> More pictures
> 
> Most of these fighters were captured after the end of the war, joinning the newborn "Ejercito del Aire". However, for a short period of time they served with the old air forces of the nationalist, wearing the military codes used by them during the war. This is the reason why I have included them here; enjoy the pictures.



We enjoyed them a lot, thanks.

But unlike for I-15 Chato that 2 were captured soon on november the 3, lost in the dark over an unknown country, landing erroneously on german used nationalist airfield, there were few captured Mosca/ Rata before the war's end.

From soviet accounts, first two I-16 were lost during their first fight on november 1936 the 13th when an inexperienced soviet squadron fought against german and maybe italian aces. One of them supposingly damaged in combat, with wounded Vladimir Botcharov on commands, successfully gears out, made a perfect
kiss landing. All perfectly except just one but* fatal * error, since he landed on nationalist side.
On next day his cutted in peaces body was throwen out in a box sustained by a parachute over Madrid. Weather being no flyable in most, there were meetings, soviet angry crews promissed to revenge the sadistically killed comrade and tried so immediatly but at great danger, due to stormy and cloudy sky.

Just the opposite effect in fact, that was tried to be reached by franquists: fear foreign aviators...

The first captured I-16 might be the famous "No Tocar" plane with black 9 on tail. Should it be that plane, in that case it took particulary long time to restore even after 3 -4 other captured I-16 on Santander airfield.
The I w-1 didn't fly before the 12 april 1938, anyway.
Three mounths later, José Luis Aresti ; Joseba Coldoba for it's real name that had just returned from Kirovobad school, defected from El Carmoli to Melila, and landed gears up on la Rastinga beach. It was restored and painted in nationalist colors. 

On 13 september 1938 Andres Fierro Mena landed on Almanar airfield. The (nationalist biaised) historian Juan Arraez Cerda wrote before changing, that it was to join nationalist air force, just because of Cerda's "lust" of the moment. It's why A Fierro that returned quickly to FARE and became a famous as in soviet airforce during WWII, and distinguished professor in Moscow University after war, still wants to smash on his face until now, and of course kick ass. Considering Fierro's sense of honor, and physicall size, i would't advice Cerda to cross his road on Madrid streets. And this, even considering Fierro's advanced age...

Back to our buisness. All captured I-16 were exposed on Almenar airfield Lerida region. Except one as a well known fact, that went for 3-G-3 Garcia Morato's fighter group. He demonstrated it to german J/88 pilots from the end of 1938. Theese, the more they saw its flight capabilites altogether with Morato's ones, the less they wanted to fight it. It's probably why demonstrations soon ceased...

So except your I-W-I all planes of yours are not war-during captured ones.

It's the I-W-6 case, for instance
The double-six previously belonged to famous republican ace and squ. leader José Maria Bravo
The I W 30 from postwar spanish production

Regards


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## VG-33 (Jul 30, 2010)

Some other pics from spanish forums, 




















Those, are rare SAF produced planes in 1938, in spanish mottled camo. colors.

Some sources quoted they were refused by FARE for numerous defaults on wing cover/structure.


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## Wayne Little (Jul 30, 2010)

good shots mate!


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2010)

In 12/36, Mussolini decided to give his military personnel some experience in a real conflict, the Spanish Civil War. His program to assist Franco’s Nationalists included the establishment of a 250-plane aerial contingent, the Aviazione Legionaria. The first installment of that force consisted of four Ba.65s unloaded on 12/28/36, to be joined by eight more on 1/8/37. In March, the attack planes were transported to Cádiz, along with newly arrived Fiat C.R.32 fighters. The last of the Ba.65s arrived on 5/3 and were formed into the 65th Squadron. Teething troubles were soon experienced with the new planes and not until August did the unit begin operations. On 8/24 one of its pilots scored a unique air- to-air victory when he encountered a lone twin-engine Tupolev SB-2 bomber over Soria and shot it down.
During operations in northern Spain, several Ba.65s were converted to two-seat planes, and one was experimentally fitted with an A360 two-way radio. At the end of the campaign in October, the squadron was transferred and in December the Bredas braved bitter winter weather conditions to take part in the battles for Teruel. After that city fell, the 65th Squadron, bolstered by the arrival of four more Ba.65s, took part in the Aragon offensive, which by 4/15 had succeeded in cutting the Spanish Republic in two. During the Nationalist advance, the Ba.65s harassed retreating Republican troops, attacked artillery batteries and landing grounds, and bombed railway and road junctions. During the Battle of the Ebro in 7/38, the 65th Squadron used its Ba.65s as dive-bombers for the first time, striking at pontoon bridges that the Republicans had thrown across the Ebro River. By 9/38, attrition had whittled the squadron’s complement of aircraft down to eight, but six more Ba.65s arrived, and in 1/39 the squadron was ready to take part in the final offensive against Catalonia. The Ba.65s’ final mission was flown on 3/24. When the war ended five days later, the 65th Squadron had logged 1,921 sorties, including 368 ground-strafing and 59 dive-bombing attacks. Of the 23 Ba.65s sent to Spain, 12 had been lost. When the airmen of the Aviazione Legionaria returned to Italy in May, they bequeathed their 11 surviving Ba.65s to the Spanish Air Force.


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Jul 31, 2010)

The Meridionali Ro.37 Lince (Italian: "Lynx") was a two-seat Italian reconnaissance biplane, a product of the Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Meridionali (IMAM) company. It followed the Ro.1 as the main reconnaissance aircraft for the Italian army.A contest was held by the Regia Aeronautica for a light reconnaissance aircraft and a heavier aeroplane. The first should have 350 km/h (190 knots/220 mph) maximum speed, five hours endurance, three machine-guns and a bomblets dispenser, armour, and the capability to operate from improvised airfields. The heavier one should have 325 km/h maximum speed, at least 1,300 km (800 miles) endurance, 7,000 m (22,750 feet) ceiling, climb to 5,000m (16,000) in 19 minutes, three crew, five weapons, high wing and other details. Limited production of the IMAM Ro.30, an improved Ro.1 with a defensive turret and better engine, resulted. It was rejected by the Regio Esercito and not chosen for production, being only capable of 200 km/h (110 knots), five hours endurance, a climb rate of 4,000 m (13,000 feet) in 20 minutes, and had three weapons. IMAM did not give up after the modest success of the Ro.30 and so designed a new aircraft, the Ro.37, which first flew in 1933.


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## Frantish (Jul 31, 2010)

gekho said:


> More pics



S!
The first image in this series shows a wingless Do-17e in the foreground, the wing is barely visible to right of photo.


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## Frantish (Jul 31, 2010)

Salute Gekho!

I am doing research on the 17's, and have questions on the 17 in SCW.



gekho said:


> Designed in the early 1930s, it was one of the three main Luftwaffe bomber types used in the first three years of the war. The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, operating in the Legion Condor in various roles. Along with the Heinkel He 111 it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939-40. The Dornier was used throughout the war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were limited. Production of the Dornier ended in the summer of 1940, in favour of the newer and more powerful Junkers Ju 88. The successor of the Do 17 was the much more powerful Dornier Do 217, which started to appear in strength in 1942. Even so, the Do 17 continued service in the Luftwaffe in various roles until the end of the war, as a glider tug, research and trainer aircraft. A considerable number of surviving examples were sent to other Axis nations. Few Dornier Do 17s survived the war. The last was scrapped in Finland in 1952.



I see you copied my Wiki entry verbatim. 



gekho said:


> The Do 17's baptism of fire came during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), where it outpaced most enemy fighters and performed well. The Spanish nicknamed the Dornier the Bacalaos ("Codfish"). In early 1937, mass production began on the Do 17E and Do 17F series. The Do 17 F-1 was to replace the Heinkel He 70 as a high-flying fast reconnaissance aircraft, while the Do 17 E-1 was to supplant the Legion Condor's aging Heinkel He 111B bomber. However, more modern Soviet-supplied Republican aircraft were capable of intercepting the E and F variants, which prompted an upgrade of the Dornier's defensive armament.
> 
> Among the units committed to the Franco's cause was Hauptmann Rudolf Freiherr Von Moreau's 4.K/88. On 6 January 1937, it was decided by Erhard Milch, Albert Kesselring and Ernst Udet that the Legion should have more modern aircraft. Soon 12 Do 17 E-1s, as well as He 111 B-1s and Ju 86 D-1s were dispatched to serve in Spain. The unit was named VB/88 (Versuchsbomben Staffel, meaning Experimental Bomber Squadron). VB/88s Dorniers were involved in a strike around Guernica, but that particular unit's objective was a bridge, rather than civilian areas. VB/88 dropped 8 tonnes (9 tons) of bombs, while K/88 added 37 tonnes (41 tons) over the city itself causing the deaths of about 1,500 people. The bombing of VB/88 straddled the bridge. The only other target hit by the German bombers that day was the rail station. On 8 July 1937, the Dorniers flew multiple sorties to protect Nationalist forces now threatening the capital, Madrid. At this point, the Junkers Ju 86s had been withdrawn and replaced by the Do 17 Fs. In the spring of 1938, another unit, 1.A/88, equipped with Do 17s, also arrived in Spain. A total of 27 Do 17E, F and P variants were part of the Condor Legion.



What happened to all the 17's after the Civil war?
While called "Bacalaos", I see a lot of them with "Pablo" (versus "Pedro" on 111's) Why?
How many total 17's went to Spain?

I have more, will be easy on you. 

Thank you for all your effort to educate us!
S!


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 31, 2010)

Very cool!


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## VG-33 (Jul 31, 2010)

Frantish said:


> Salute Gekho!
> 
> I am doing research on the 17's, and have questions on the 17 in SCW.
> 
> ...



According tu different sources, the number of delivered Do -17 to Spain ranges from 31 to 47. 
The most probable number seems to be 32.
They were E-1 and F-1 variants to be used by VB-88 first, and A-88 squadron later.
In summer 1938 more modern P-1 were delivered.

12-13 planes survived from the war, and served in the 8 - G - 27 gruppo.

Regards


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

Hello everybody,

There is something I would like to make clear; all the information provided here is always taken from internet or any of my E-books. I hardly ever write something by myself, translating only when I am not able to find the information in english; one of my main sources is the wikipedia, although in many occasions the information is incomplete or wrong. What I wanted to say is that I dont pretend to attribute all that information to my personal effort; I just copy the info and post the photos so you can understand better the circumstances under all theses planes flew.

Concerning the nickname of "Pablo",it was also used along with the "Bacalao", but this one was more frecuently. The amount of planes sent to Spain is a extremly polemic subjet in Spain; experts are not able to reach an agreement. In any case Vg-33 seems to have good sources, so I think you can trust him. The only thing I can do is to recommend you some good books (the e-book versions are available everywhere and are very easy to find and download) where you can find what you are looking for:

- Weapons for Spain, Gerald Howson. a very polemic book; some spanish experts are not agree with him
- Ali d´Italia series. These books provide a very good information about the italian planes of the SCW.
- Classic Publications, Luftwaffe colours, Volume One, section two; The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.
- Elite Osprey 0053 - International Brigades In Spain (1936-39)
- Elite Osprey 0131 - The Condor Legion - German Troops in the Spanish Civil War
- Osprey Campaign series 0060 - The Ebro 1938
- Osprey Men at arms 0074 - The Spanish Civil War 1936-39
- Osprey Aircam/airwar 003 - Spanish Civil War Air Forces
- La maquina y la historia - Perfiles aeronauticos españoles
- Air magazine. It´s a french magazine. They usually publish very good articles about SCW planes.
- Avions magazine. It´s a french magazine. They usually publish very good articles about SCW planes.

Forums/Sites

AERONET GCE / IBERONET Probably the best forum of the spanish aviation. If any of you have a question about the SCW, you will find the answer here. You can write in english; there are people from many different parts of the world and always someone answer in english.

AviationCorner.net - Fotografía aeronáutica - Punto de encuentro para spotters en español Many of the pictures I post here are from this site.
Spanish Civil War aircraft - Home Page
Military Aspects of the Spanish Civil War
AVIONES GUERRA CIVIL ESPA¥OLA

Enjoy!!


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

This was a biplane aircraft of mixed construction, with two seats, and a 560 hp Fiat A.30 inline engine. It reached 300 km/h (162 knots) and perhaps even more with this engine, the same as that of the Fiat CR.32. The Ro.37 had a 7,000 m ceiling, 3,000 m climb in 11 minutes, over 1,200 km (750 miles) endurance, three machine guns (two in the nose and one dorsal), twelve 15 kg bombs, and good agility. It was similar to the Hawker Hind, rather than a light army aircraft, and its performance was similar to the later Westland Lysander, but the contemporary British design was the Hawker Hector. The Ro.37 was later fitted with the 600 hp Piaggio P.IX radial engine. The better reliability of this engine was considered more desirable and so this was the main version produced.

The R.37 also served in the Spanish Civil War, with the first ten arriving in late 1936. Another 26 (possibly 58) went to this theatre and were used for many missions and tasks. They were used as assault aircraft, even though they were unarmoured. The results were satisfactory and some were even converted to a single-seat machine for use as attack fighters. The two-seat versions were used as heavy fighters, providing protection for S.81 bombers from Republican I-15s.


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

The Caproni Ca.135 was an Italian medium bomber designed in Bergamo in Italy by Cesare Pallavicino. It flew for the first time in 1935, and entered service with the Peruvian Air Force in 1937, and with the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) in January 1938.

In 1938 seven aircraft were earmarked for the Aviazione Legionaria to serve in the Spanish Civil War. These Tipo Spagna ("Spanish Type") aircraft were refitted with Fiat A.80 R.C.41 engines, rated at 746 kW (1,000 hp). Crews from 11 Wing were sent to Taliedo (just outside Milan), to take the first seven aircraft - designated Ca.135S - to Spain. One was damaged on take-off, the other six flew to Ciampino near Rome, where two suffered damage on landing. After repairs and some modifications, the seven aircraft were not ready to leave for Spain until late 1938. During the flight two were forced by icing to return to Italy and three crashed into the sea. Only two arrived at Palma de Mallorca, where they remained unused for six months.


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Italian: Gull) was a single engine flying boat that served with the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. It had a crew of four or five and was used mainly for reconnaissance. Initially a successful aircraft, it was obsolete by 1940, but was still used throughout World War II, suffering many losses. The last aircraft was retired in 1950. It was also the holder of two world records for long-distance flight.

Filippo Zappata was one of the foremost Italian aircraft designers. He worked for Cantieri Navali Trieste (CANT), for some years, but went to France in 1927 to work for Blériot. He returned to Italy at the prompting of Italo Balbo and resumed work at CANT on a series of new aircraft. The first of these was the Z.501, designed to replace the Savoia-Marchetti S.78. The prototype Z.501, was first flown in 1934 by test pilot Mario Stoppani. The aircraft had a very slim fuselage, a high parasol wing and a single wing-mounted engine nacelle. In the prototype a 560 kW (750 hp) inline Isotta-Fraschini Asso engine was fitted, with an annular radiator that resembled a radial engine (it had no liquid cooling). The engine nacelle was extended to carry a rear-facing machine gun, while other guns were mounted in the centre fuselage and nose. All were 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda-SAFAT. Bombs up to 640 kg/1,410 lb (4 × 160 kg/350 lb) were carried under the wings. The aerodynamic low-drag design was typical of Zapata-designed aircraft, as was the wooden construction. Overall, the aircraft was similar to the PBY Catalina, although this aircraft had two engines and was larger.


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## gekho (Aug 1, 2010)

The production aircraft had an endurance of 12 hours. However, the record-breaking version, as was quite common at the time (mainly due to the low fuel consumption of the piston engine), greatly exceeded this. The USA had established a new endurance record of 3,860 km (2,400 mi); a Z.501 with the civilian registration I-AGIL was used to re-take the record in accordance with Mussolini's wishes. It was manned by Stoppani and two others, fitted with a special metal three-blade propeller, and other modifications. On 19-20 May 1934, the modified Z.501 established a new seaplane distance record of 4,130 km (2,570 mi), by flying from Monfalcone to Massawa, in Eritrea, in 26 hours and 35 minutes. This distance record was lost to a French aircraft that flew 4,335 km (2,694 mi) on 23 June the same year, so another record flight was made on 16 July. The plan was to fly to Djibouti, a distance of 4,700 km (2,900 mi), but instead the aircraft flew 4,930 km (3,060 mi) to Berbera, Somaliland, in 25 hours.


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## gekho (Aug 2, 2010)

The Z.501 entered squadron service with the Regia Aeronautica in 1937, and by the time Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940 more than 200 formed the equipment of at least 17 squadrons and four flights. The Z.501's operational debut was with a unit of the Aviazione Legionaria, based in Majorca and operating in support of the Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War. A small number of Z.501s served with a coastal defence unit of the Romanian air force. A total of 454 was delivered before production ended in 1943. Altogether, eleven Z.501s were delivered to Spain. The first one was obtained by the Aero Club de Cádiz shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. This Aero Club raised enough money to buy a single Z.501 by public subscription and when the aircraft was delivered early in September 1936, this plane was baptized Cádiz in honour of its donors. Sadly enough this aircraft crashed on its first mission of war on the 22nd of September 1936, due to the unfamiliarity of its pilots with the controls. Three more Z.501s arrived in December 1936 at Palma de Mallorca with Italian crews to carry out reconnaissance missions. Shortly afterwards these aircraft were handed over to the Spanish Nationalists Air Arm and were formed into Grupo 2-G-62, based at Pollensa, Mallorca. Even before operations started, on the 1st of February 1937 62-1 struck the mast of a freighter while taking off and crashed, killing both pilots and injuring the other two crew members. 

In March 1937 2-G-62 was reinforced by five more aircraft (62-4 62-8) and was divided into two squadrons. The squadron insignia (see the first picture of this story) were painted on the black roundels on the fuselage. In August 1937 the original painting scheme of these aircraft was replaced by two black stripes on both wings and three black stripes round the rear fuselage. The primary task of 2-G-62 was tracking all shipping in the West Mediterranean, bringing supplies for the Republicans. From August 1937 2-G-62 even worked in secrecy in close co-operation with the 142a, 145a and 188a Squadriglia of the Regia Aeronautica, based in Sardinia. While performing this task, the Z.501s were driven to the edges of their possibilities and it is said that these aircraft clocked more flying hours than any other Nationalist aircraft, even more than the indestructible Ju 52. So, mostly due to wear, in the beginning of 1938 only five aircraft were still in flying condition, and at the end of the Civil War in April 1939 no more than 3 aircraft were serviceable.


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 2, 2010)

Great pics!


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## gekho (Aug 3, 2010)

The CANT Z.506 Airone (Italian: Heron) was a triple-engine floatplane produced from 1935. It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline "Ala Littoria". During World War II it was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and air-sea rescue plane, by the Italian Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina, Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and the Luftwaffe. The military version revealed itself to be one of the best floatplanes ever built. Despite its wooden structure, it was able to operate even in very rough seas. A number of Z.506S air-sea rescue aircraft remained in service until 1959.

The CANT Z.506 aircraft was designed as a 12 to 14-seat transport twin-float seaplane, powered by three 455 kW (610 hp) Piaggio Stella IX radial engines. It was derived from the larger and heavier Z.505 seaplane. The Z.506 entered production in 1936 as the Z.506A, powered by more powerful 560 kW (750 hp) Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 nine cylinder radial engines, giving a maximum power of 780 CV on take off and 750 CV at 3,400 meters. The fuselage had a wooden structure covered in tulipier wooden lamellas. The wings were built with a structure of three box-type spars linked by wooden wing-ribs covered by ply-wood. The floats were made of duraluminium, covered in chitonal and 12,50 meters long. Armament was a 12,7 (0,5 inch) Breda-SAFAT machine-gun in the dorsal position and three 7,7mm (0,303inch) machine-guns, one in the ventral position and two on the sides of the fuselage. It had a crew of 5. It was produced in the "Cantieri Riuniti dell 'Adriatico" and "Cantiere Navale Triestino" (CRDA CANT) factories in Monfalcone and Finale Ligure. It was also produced by Piaggio under licence. The Z.506A entered service with the Ala Littoria air company flying around the Mediterranean. Flown mostly by Mario Stoppani, the Z.506A set a number of altitude, speed and distance records for its class between 1936 and 1938, including speeds of 191.539 mph (308.25 km/h) over 3,107 (5000 km) and 198.7 mph (319.78 km/h) over 1,243 miles (2000 km), and 200.118 mph (322.06 km/h) over 621 miles (1000 km). It subsequently flew 3,345.225 miles (5383.6 km) in a closed circuit. It carried a load of 4,409 lb (2000 kg) to 25,623 ft (7810 m.) and 11,023 lb (5000 kg) to 22,693 ft (6917 m). A military version was developed as the Z.506B. It was powered by three 560 kW (750 hp) Alfa Romeo 127 RC 55 engines and entered service in 1939. This version was also a record breaker. A larger version of the Z.506A was built in 1937 as the Z.509.


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## Gnomey (Aug 3, 2010)

Great stuff!


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## wheelsup_cavu (Aug 9, 2010)

This Fiesler Storch video shows its maneuverability.

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDcB0pSUYOI_


Wheels


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 9, 2010)

That plane has always amazed me.

Great pics of the SM-55 too!


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## gekho (Aug 12, 2010)

In 1938 the Nationalist Air Chief, General Kindelán, ordered 4 Cant Z.506Bs to replace the aging and slow Cant Z.501s in the inventory of Teniente-Coronel Ramón Franco, the overall commander of the Región Aérea de los Baleares. Ramón Franco was the younger brother of General Francisco Franco and one of the most popular aviators of the Nationalist Air Forces. But long before these aircraft arrived in Pollensa, Mallorca, the civil and bright painted Z.506s of Ala Littoria were a common sight in the Spanish harbours. This airline kept regular flights in the Mediterranean, one of them being the line Rome-Palma-Melilla-Cadiz where such colorful Z.506s as the I-DORA, I-DOTE and I-FANO were regular sights. After having followed a ten-day conversion training at the Cant factories at Monfalcone, four complete Spanish aircrews transferred their first two new aircraft to Pollensa on the 21st of August 1938 and the second two on the 27th of August. These aircraft equipped escuadrilla 1-E-73 under the command of Capitán Antonio Sorriano, part of the newly formed unit 2-G-62-73, while escuadrilla 2-E-62 was equipped with the old Cant Z.501s (62 was the type number of the Cant Z.501 and 73 that of the Cant Z.506).


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## Frantish (Aug 12, 2010)

VG-33 said:


> According tu different sources, the number of delivered Do -17 to Spain ranges from 31 to 47.
> The most probable number seems to be 32.
> They were E-1 and F-1 variants to be used by VB-88 first, and A-88 squadron later.
> In summer 1938 more modern P-1 were delivered.
> ...



I thank you and Gehko for the pictures and info!!

VG-33, can you point me to, or post, the ID codes of all the Do-17? The "27*xx" number.

Gracias


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## VG-33 (Aug 12, 2010)

Frantish said:


> I thank you and Gehko for the pictures and info!!
> 
> VG-33, can you point me to, or post, the ID codes of all the Do-17? The "27*xx" number.
> 
> Gracias



From 27-1 to 27-32 according to P. Loreau CONDOR, the Luftwaffe in Spain.

Might be useful the Do-217 in NII VVS trials:

Do-217M Night Bomber Dornier - Luftwaffe

Regards


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## Frantish (Aug 13, 2010)

VG-33 said:


> From 27-1 to 27-32 according to P. Loreau CONDOR, the Luftwaffe in Spain.
> 
> Might be useful the Do-217 in NII VVS trials:
> 
> ...



Interesting.

Did lost 17's be replaced with new ones, but used the same code?
Otherwise why the confusion to exactly how many 17's served in the SCW?

Also, how many E's, F's, and P's served?


Thanks for the 217 page. Interesting, but not surprising. The 217, like the B-26, was as big as twins could get for the engines of the time.

S!


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## gekho (Aug 13, 2010)

The total amount of Do-17 sent to Spain was 31, most of them of the E version, although some were reconnaissance aircrafts (F and P series). In 1940 there were still 13 aircrafts on service, being retired in 1952 due to the lack of spare parts. During the WWII Spain only bought to Germany Bf-109s, Ju-88 and some aircrafts interned, like 3 Fw-200 Condor, one Ju-290 and some more Ju-88. No more Do-17s were acquired.

Concerning the confusion about the number of Do-17 sent to Spain, this is a matter that affects all the planes that took part in the SCW; there are many experts and they are not able to reach an agreement. I have attached some sites where you can see how the numbers fluctuate; for example, the first site (the oficial web of the Spanish Air Force) says that there were only 16 Do-17 flying during the war, a number obviusly wrong. You will find very interesting the last one, that is a detailled diary of the Do-17´s operations in Spain, extracted from the Gerald Howson´s book.

Ejército del aire. DORNIER Do 17 -BACALAO- (DR.3 -Bacalao-)
Dornier Do 17E1 ‘Bacalao’ Bombas sobre Sagunto (1937-1939)
DORNIER DO-17
http://usuarios.multimania.es/mrval/fi27152.htm

If you need any translation just let me know.

Regards


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## MontoyaF1 (Aug 25, 2010)

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I took a bunch of photos at the Spanish Air Museum in Madrid a few months ago. I am printing a personal photo album of the trip and wondered where I might find some color illustrated profiles of Stukas or Bf-109 (HA-1112) in Spanish or Condor Legion colors in high enough resolution that I can "decorate" one of the pages of my photo album with it. My Squadron series books have color illustrations that I could scan, but unfortunately none of them were from the Spanish Civil War.

I've been looking all over the web to no avail, so I thought I'd try my luck here.

Oh, and here is a shot of that HA-1112 in the museum as of this past May:








I also have shots of the Ju-52s outside, as well as the other Hispano Aviation fighter plane next to the above one, but I'm sure most of you have seen them before since they seem to be well circulated on the web.


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## gekho (Aug 26, 2010)

In this site you will find the profiles you are looking for: WINGS PALETTE

You can find more additional information about the planes of the Cuatro Vientos Air Museum in my thread http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/warbird-displays/museo-de-cuatro-vientos-madrid-spain-22918.html

The other Hispano Aviation fighter plane next to the above one is a Hispano Aviación HA-1112 K.1.L "Tripala", the predecessor of the Buchon fitted with a Hispano Suiza HS-12-2-89 engine


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## MontoyaF1 (Aug 26, 2010)

Exactly what I was looking for. You rock!

8)


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## Wayne Little (Aug 27, 2010)

8)


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## gekho (Aug 28, 2010)

On the 6th of October, after a period of training, two Spanish Cant Z.506s flew their first operational mission over Alicante, dropping sacks of bread to the starving population. On the 28th of October two Z.506s (73-1 and 73-4) flew a bombing mission against Dena and Valencia under very bad weather conditions and it was during this raid that 73-1, flown by Ramón Franco and his crew, crashed into the Meditteranean. Two days later 73-3 managed to locate the floating rests of 73-1 and to salvage all the corpses of its crew but one, which were buried on the 1st of November with full military ceremonial in Palma de Majorca. 

During the rest of their lifetime the Z.506s carried out numerous bombing, reconnaissance and other maritime missions. On the 21th of January, 73-4 made an emergency landing at sea because of an engine failure and was towed to Porto Christo five days later after having survived serious stormy weather. Unfortunately it had to be written off because of its overall damage.The last Civil War mission was flown by 73-2 on the 16th of March 1939. On the 15th of July 1942 73-2 (by then renumbered as 53-2) was lost caused by the explosion of its port engine with no costs of life. The last Spanish Z.506 soldiered on until July 1943 and was used as a monument on its base for several years after.


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## Gnomey (Aug 28, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 29, 2010)

I agree!


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## gekho (Sep 30, 2010)

1.- F-VIIb-3m c/n 5187: PH-AGR “Reiger” flew almost 7 years with KLM until it was officially sold to Crilly Airways on the 12th of August 1936. According to Gerald Howson the true story was a little different but far more spectacular. The accredited Spanish air attache in Paris and London had been one Commandante Carmelo de las Morenas Alcala, who, sympathetic to the Nationalist cause, had resigned his post on 23 July, after having endeavoured to persuade Spanish embassy officials to join the rebellion. He had then negotiated the purchase of a number of aircraft from Poland on behalf of the Nationalists and, on 1 August, had gone to Amsterdam to buy two F VIIb-3ms (PH-AFS Specht and PH-AGR Reiger). The Dutch government had, however, already declared for a policy of non-intervention and forbade the sale. Hearing that four ex-British Airways Fokker F XIIs were back at Gatwick after an abortive attempt to reach the Nationalists in Burgos, he returned to the UK on 3 August to see if he could arrange for the purchase of these larger trimotors via his "Polish Connection" and thus attempt once more to get them to Spain. He was still optimistic that, by some means or other, he would be able to acquire the two KLM F VIIb-3ms as well, as was demonstrated by his engagement of the celebrated racing pilot, Capt T Neville Stack, to fly one of them to Spain!

As pilot for the other F VIIb-3m, Stack suggested to de las Morenas that he employ Donald Salisbury Green, who was both familiar with the Fokker trimotor and with the northern Spanish terrain. Salisbury Green was invited to meet Spanish representatives at the Savoy Hotel, London, on 10 August, where he was introduced to de las Morenas, Juan de la Cierva and another Spaniard (believed to have been the Duke of Alba). It was proposed that he and Stack be given bank drafts of up to Fl 40,000, fly to Schiphol and there buy the F VIIb-3ms privately, subsequently flying them to Burgos. Early in the morning of 11 August, the two British pilots arrived at Schiphol, but KLM refused their offer while indicating that they would be willing to sell the Fokkers to Crilly Airways (with whom they had dealt with before) for Fl 37,000 (£5,000) provided they be flown to the UK by KLM pilots.

The necessary arrangements were speedily made and two KLM pilots, Fraenkel and Scholte, flew the Fokkers to Croydon where they arrived on the evening of the same day. Five gallon (22,71) fuel drums were strapped to the passenger seats at Croydon, the intention being to transfer their contents to the wing centre section tanks by means of a hand pump and rubber tube inserted in the feed pipe between the passenger salon and flight deck. This endowed the F VIIb-3m with sufficient range to reach Burgos non-stop but dictated inclusion of a second crew member. Stack already had a very competent mechanic, but Salisbury Green, having insufficient time to engage a mechanic that he could trust, enlisted the services of an old friend who, in the event, proved to be an alcoholic who found flying nerve-wracking! However, there was no time to find a replacement. De las Morenas warned them that French fighters might attempt to intercept them over the Bay of Biscay and force them to land in France. Moreover, to reach Burgos they would have to cross the mountainous province of Biscaya which was in Republican hands and they would therefore have to fly at their maximum attainable altitude of 15,400 ft (4700 m). As somebody suggested that, at such an altitude, the fuel drums would explode, holes where made in the top of each drum with a large nail! Finally, the two Fokkers took-off from Croydon at first light on 13 August, Stack flying PH-AFS and Salisbury Green flying PH-AGR.

Shortly after take-off, the engines of PH-AGR cut as a result of an airlock in the fuel supply. Fortunately they spluttered to life again when the aircraft was down to about 20 ft (6 m) above the suburban roof-tops. The engines cut once more over the sea, and as the aircraft began to lose altitude, Salisbury Green was alarmed, on glancing over his shoulder, to see, as he recounted to the author, a "little Niagara" of petrol pouring from the drums, over the seats and down the fuselage! No less alarming was the condition of his second crew member who had somehow succeeded in smuggling two bottles of gin aboard and, under the combined effects of the gin and the petrol fumes, to say nothing of the slipperiness of the petrol-soaked floor, was barely able to stand! Salisbury Green succeeded in restarting the engines once more and, by subterfuge, also got rid of the partly-consumed bottles of gin. The remainder of the delivery flight was surprisingly uneventful, the Cantabrican coast and the mountains of Biscaya being crossed, and Salisbury Green diving virtually to ground level as soon as he recognised the road to Burgos,landing at Gamonal airfield after a flight of exactly 7 hr 15 min. Upon their arrival at Burgos, the two ex-KLM F VIIb-3ms were assigned vacant matriculation numbers, PH-AFS becoming 20-1 (the original aircraft to which this number had been assigned being in Republican hands) and PH-AGR becoming 20-4 (the original, Anciano, having crashed a week earlier).


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## gekho (Oct 5, 2010)

2.- F-VIIb-3m c/n ? the first F.VII built by the Loring Company (20-2): The first of the three by the Loring produced F.VIIs was 20-2 which (just like 20-3 and 20-4) served in Spanish West Africa with the Aviación Militar. These three aircraft were immediately taken in the inventory of the Nationalists when hostilities began. Within hours of the revolutionaries securing Tablada airfield, Sevilla, these aircraft were ferrying troops from Tetuán, Morocco over the Straits of Gibraltar and the blockading Republican fleet, soon airlifting 120-130 troops daily. Thus, by the beginning of August these Fokkers aided by twoDornier Wal flying boats had already transported the best part of 2,000 men to Spain and so assured the success of the rebellion in the south.

Apart from flying troops across the Straits of Gibraltar they still found time to participate in 11 bombing attacks on the Republican fleet between the 21st of July and the 5th of August. On the 6th of August 20-2, by now named El Veterano, was flown to the north to augment the tiny air component of the Nationalists. Prior to the formation of the Escuadrilla Fokker, 20-2 and 20-3 (Abuelo) had flown bombing sorties from Agoncillo (Logroño), then moving to Santa Lucia, near Villablino on the Léon front to support various Nationalist operations alongside the southern edge of the Basque-Asturian enclave. On the 1st of December 1937 the Grupo Fokker/Dragon was disbanded and 20-4 was flown to south to Tablada, Sevilla, to be incorporated into the Escuela de tripulantes at El Copero, Jerez, for aircrew training, was re-registered 45-2 and it survived the Civil War.

3.- F-VIIb-3m c/n ? the second F.VII built by the Loring Company (20-3): Service life of 20-3, the second F.VII built by the Loring company, also started in Spanish West Africa and ran parallel to that of 20-3 until September 1937. As contrasted with 20-2, which was being piloted by Capt Montesinos within the Grupo Fokker/Dragon, 20-3 now named Abuelo was being flown by various pilots in rotation. On the 7th of October however 20-3 Abuelo was shot down over the Jaca front, near the Pyrenees. According to Republican newspapers the pilot of the F.VII on this occasion would seem to have been a german named Schleicher who was said to have been captured but to have escaped within a day, making his way back to the Nationalist lines.

4.- F-VIIb-3m c/n ? the third F.VII built by the Loring Company (20-4): Service life of 20-4 started like that of 20-2 and 20-3 but was shorter. In Nationalist hands it was flying troops across the Straits of Gibraltar and participating in bombing attacks on the Republican fleet during the end of July 1936. By 29 July, a new airfield had been completed in the grounds of the El Copero estate, near Jerez, and it was here, a few days later, that 20-4, meanwhile nicknamed Anciano, came to grief. The F.VII was carrying one of Franco’s best commanders, Major Carlos Asensio, from Africa, but crashed on landing and was written off.


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## gekho (Oct 5, 2010)

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1920s. A single engined sesquiplane, it served with the Spanish Air Force, being operated by both sides of the Spanish Civil War. In 1924 Nieuport produced a design for a single seat sesquiplane fighter of mixed construction, the Nieuport-Delage NiD 42, which was ordered in small numbers for the French air force, entering service in 1927. Nieuport developed three refined versions in 1927, the all metal NiD-52 and NiD-72 and the mixed construction Nieuport-Delage NiD 62. Like the NiD 42 on which it was based, the NiD 62 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12H V12 engine, but the wooden monocoque rear fuselage was replaced by an equivalent made of duralumin and the wooden wing ribs by light alloy, while retaining a fabric covering. Both the main and secondary wings were of reduced area compared to the NiD-42, and an enlarged tail fitted in an attempt to improve the aircraft's handling. Armament remained two 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns.

The prototype NiD 52 flew in late 1927, with the NiD 72, which was similar to the NiD 52 but had duralumin skinning on the wing and had a further reduced wing area, and the NiD 62 flying in January 1928. Although France preferred the cheaper NiD 62, purchasing it in large numbers, the NiD 52 won a competition for a new fighter for Spain in 1928,purchasing a licence for the construction of 125 aircraft to be built by Hispano-Suiza in their factory at Guadalajara. The similar NiD 72 was ordered in small numbers by Belgium and Brazil.


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## gekho (Oct 5, 2010)

The Spanish Air Force started to take deliveries of NiD 52s in 1930, production continuing until 1933, equipping three fighter units, Groupo 11, Groupo 1 and Groupo 13. The Nieuport fighter (known as the "Hispano-Nieuport" was unpopular in Spanish service, being described as heavy and unresponsive, while it was slower than expected, with Spanish aircraft only able to reach 225 km/h (140 mph) compared with the 260 km/h (162 mph) claimed by Nieuport. Losses to accidents were heavy, with only 56 remaining when the Spanish Civil War broke out on 18 July 1936. The majority of the surviving Hispano-Nieuports remained in government hands when the civil war broke out, with only eight falling into nationalist hands, being supplemented by three Republican aircraft that mistakenly landed in Nationalist territory on 21 July. The Republican forces were strengthened by Hispano-Suiza building a further 10 aircraft from spares in August–September 1936.

Until more modern fighters could be obtained, the elderly Hispano-Nieuport was an important part of each sides fighter strength, with Republican and Nationalist NiD 52s facing each other in combat several times in the early months of the war, which resulted in at least one case of one Republican unit of NiD 52s attacking another, resulting in the loss of a Hispano-Nieuport. The Republican NiDs soon found themslves outclassed by more modern Fiat CR.32 and Heinkel He 51 fighters operated by the Italian Aviazione Legionaria the German Condor Legion supporting the Nationalists, with it being claimed that three NiD 52s could just about hold their own against a single Fiat CR.32. Despite this, most losses were from accidents, not from combat, particularly when being flown by foreign Volunteer pilots, not used to the difficult handling of the Hispano-Nieuport. The NiD 52 was withdrawn from the front line during the winter of 1936–37, being relegated to training and coastal partol, although they were briefly pressed back into combat following the Battle of Guadalajara, being used to attack the retreating Italians.No NiD 52s survived the war.


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## gekho (Oct 5, 2010)

The Breguet 19 (Breguet XIX, Br.19 or Bre.19) was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924. The Breguet 19 was designed as a successor to a highly-successful World War I light bomber, the 14. Initially, it was designed to be powered by a 450 hp/335 kw Bugatti U-16 engine, driving a four-blade propeller, and such a prototype was shown on the 7th Paris Air Show in November 1921. A new design was flown in March 1922, featuring a conventional layout with a single 336 kW (450 hp) Renault 12Kb inline engine. The aircraft was built in a biplane platform, with shorter lower wings. After trials, the Breguet 19 was ordered by the French Air Force in September 1923.

The first 11 Breguet 19 prototypes were powered by a number of different engines. A "trademark" of Breguet was the wide usage of duralumin as a construction material, instead of steel or wood. At that time, the aircraft was faster than other bombers, and even some fighter aircraft. Therefore, it met with a huge interest in the world, strengthened by its sporting successes. Mass production, for the French Air Force and export, started in France in 1924.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

Spanish Air Force bought a prototype and a license in 1923, and started production in the CASA works, in A2 and B2 variants. The first 19 aircraft were imported, the next 26 completed from French parts, then 177 were manufactured (50 of them had Hispano-Suiza engine, the rest the Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine). The Breguet 19 was the basic equipment of Spanish bomber and reconnaissance units until the initial period of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, there were 135 in service. They were actively used as bombers during the war, especially on the government (Republican) side. In 1936, the Nationalists bought an additional twenty from Poland. With an advent of more modern fighters, the Br.19 suffered many losses, and after 1937 were withdrawn from frontline service. The Republican side lost 28 aircraft, and Nationalists lost 10 (including 2 Republican and 1 Nationalist aircraft, that deserted). The remaining aircraft were used for training until 1940.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The Cuatro Vientos Museum has two replicas of the Br.19 TR Bidon: Built in 1927 with various aerodynamical refinements and 3,735 L (987 US gal) of fuel in the fuselage. With an additional fuel tank in the wing, the total fuel capacity was 4,125 L (1,089 US gal). Five were built by Breguet and two by the Spanish company CASA. Three of the French aircraft had a 600 hp Hispano 12Lb, one had a 550 hp Renault 12Kg, and one had a 450 hp Lorraine 12Eb. The first Bidon Hispano was sold to Belgium, and the Bidon Renault was sold to China after a Paris–Beijing flight. The third Bidon Hispano became the French Br.19 TF. The second Spanish Bidon was christened Jesús del Gran Poder, and flew from Sevilla to Bahia (Brazil).


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

Developed by Marcel Riffard to meet the need for a fast, economical and comfortable transport to carry a limited number of passengers, the Caudron C.440 Goeland (Seagull) twin-engined low-wing cantilever monoplane made its appearance during 1934. Test flown by Raymond Delmotte, it proved its pedigree by combining economy with aerodynamic excellence. One of the most successful aircraft of its time, it was produced in greater numbers than any other transport in its category. The two-spar wing was of spruce and plywood with a plywood skin, and inboard of the inset ailerons the whole trailing edge of the wing was occupied by flaps which also extended beneath the fuselage. The fuselage was largely of wood and had plywood skinning except for the nose section and upper decking which had stressed sheet metal covering. The cantilever tail unit was also a wooden structure, its fixed surfaces plywood-covered and control surfaces fabric-covered. Streamlined nacelles for the 164kW Bengali 6 engines extended below and to the rear of the wings; and the main landing gear units, each incorporating an oleo-sprung fork, retracted rearwards to lie wholly enclosed within the engine nacelles. The prototype had fairings attached to the front of each main leg to cover the wheel wells when the landing gear was retracted, but the next two C.440s had two wheel well doors attached to the underside of each nacelle, a feature of all future Goelands. A non-retracting steerable tailwheel was fitted. In its basic passenger configuration the Goeland had comfortable cabin accommodation for six passengers. The pilot and co-pilot, who doubled as wireless operator, were seated side-by-side and had dual controls. Baggage holds were located fore and aft, and a toilet was situated at the rear of the cabin.

Pay attention to the third picture: It was a Goeland 440 of the Air Pirynees which landed by mistake in Zarauz. It was confiscated and used as a liaison aircraft by Garcia Morato and his Group.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The Caudron C.280 Phalène ("Moth") was a civil utility aircraft built in France during the 1930s. It was a high-wing braced monoplane of conventional configuration with fixed tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and 2-3 passengers were accommodated within an enclosed cabin. The structure was wooden throughout, with the forward fuselage skinned with plywood, and the rest of the aircraft fabric-covered. The type proved popular on the civil market, with a number of long-distance flights staged to promote it. The French military also purchased a number of examples under the C.400 and C.410 designations. The 286 version was equipped with a de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine, it was also fitted with a Merville 501 propeller.

Three aircraft of this type served in Spain, all of them serving in the National Aviation. The aircraft of the picture was acquired by D. Alberto Salinas de Burgos in 1935, is registered as EC-ZZZ, at the beginning of the war is requisitioned by the National Aviation, taking the ID 30-8, serves as liaison aircraft, although occasionally it was used as a school plane. When the war ended in 1939 passed back to civilian and is registered as EC-BAK framed in the Aero-Club de Sevilla. In 1945, this aircraft is sent to Guinea in the service of the Civil Governor of the colony, the creation of the new enrollment EC-1947 ABU enroll. Since maintenance problems that occur in Guinea the plane is moved back to the Peninsula where it causes low in late 1949, however still occasionally flies in Sabadell to March 1951.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The Farman F.190 was a utility aircraft built in France in the 1920s and 30s. It was a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane of conventional configuration with a fully enclosed cabin and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. Popular both as a private aircraft and in the air taxi role, some 30 examples were also operated by airlines in France and elsewhere in Europe. Fifteen of these joined Air France's fleet in 1933 from the fleets of the smaller airlines it had absorbed. In 1932, a version with a slightly enlarged cabin, revised tail fin, and four-blade propeller entered production as the Farman F.390.

Three planes arrived in Republican Spain and framed for light transport missions as air ambulance, under the indicative TF and SF, sometimes used as a school plane. two were recovered by the national aviation after the war, this was identified as 30-112, remaining in service until the mid 40's. One of this aircrafts survived and it is displayed at the Cuatro Viento´s Air Museum.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

Potez 25 (also written as Potez XXV) was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line plane and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions, tactical bombing and reconnaissance missions. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Potez 25 was the standard multi-purpose plane of over 20 air forces, including French, Polish and American. It was also popular among private operators, notably mail transport companies.

So desperate was the need for aircraft in the Republican zone during the Civil War, the Basque government did not hesitate to buy the Estonian government eight or ten dilapidated Potez 25 surplus of military aircraft. Throughout the spring of 1937, as Spanish Nationalist forces relentlessly progressed through the province of Biscay on their way to Bilbao, the Basque Government aircraft constantly asked the government of Valencia, as the imbalance of power between enemy aircraft and itself was overwhelming, which partly explains bloody episodes as the bombing of Guernica and Durango. With characteristic usage penny-pinching policy weapons, the government of the Republic sent a handful of devices. The Basque government bought the Potez 25 but could not use them because the aircraft did not arrive until summer, and were landed at Gijon. There they formed along with a few Polikarpov I-16 and other aircraft a motley crew who tried in vain to stop the bombers nationalists until the fall of Gijon, in October 1937.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The Aero A.101 was a biplane light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft built in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. It was an attempt to improve the Aero A.100 by enlarging it and fitting it with a more powerful engine. However, even with 33% more power, performance was actually inferior, and the Czech Air Force was not interested in the type. Production did result, however, when 50 were ordered by Spanish Republican forces for use in the Spanish Civil War.

Spanish Air Force bought a prototype and a license in 1923, and started production in the CASA works, in A2 and B2 variants. The first 19 aircraft were imported, the next 26 completed from French parts, then 177 were manufactured (50 of them had Hispano-Suiza engine, the rest the Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine). The Breguet 19 was the basic equipment of Spanish bomber and reconnaissance units until the initial period of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, there were 135 in service. They were actively used as bombers during the war, especially on the government (Republican) side. In 1936, the Nationalists bought an additional twenty from Poland. With an advent of more modern fighters, the Br.19 suffered many losses, and after 1937 were withdrawn from frontline service. The Republican side lost 28 aircraft, and Nationalists lost 10 (including 2 Republican and 1 Nationalist aircraft, that deserted). The remaining aircraft were used for training until 1940.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

More pics


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

PWS-10 entered service in the Polish Air Force starting from 1932. It was used in escadres nos. 122, 131, 132, 141. Their flight characteristics and performance were mediocre. As soon, as in 1933 they were replaced in combat units by PZL P.7 and moved to aviation school in Dęblin. Some were used there by the outbreak of World War II and in summer 1939 all remaining airworthy aircraft were gathered in Ułęż.

In late 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, 20 PWS-10 were sold in secret to Spanish nationalist forces, via Portugal. Aircraft were transported in crates and were assembled by PZL workers. First aircraft was flown in December 1936 in Leon. Being obsolete by then, they were not used as fighters, only fighter pilot training (for 4. Fighter Group) in El Copero near Seville. Later PWS-10s were transferred to Jerez de la Frontera where were operated between April 1937 and end of 1938. Spanish aircraft received name Chiquita, or unofficial Pavipollo and they had numbers from 4-1 to 4-20. Some were lost in crashes or scrapped, the remaining 11 were operated till the end of the 1938 and were retired in 1939.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The RWD-13 was a Polish touring plane of 1935, three seater high-wing monoplane, designed by the RWD team. It was the biggest commercial success of the RWD. The RWD-13 was a touring plane, developed from a line of sports planes RWD-6 (a winner of Challenge 1932 international touring aircraft contest) and RWD-9 (a winner of Challenge 1934). It was designed by Stanisław Rogalski and Jerzy Drzewiecki of the RWD team, in the DWL workshops (Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze) in Warsaw, for and order of the LOPP paramilitary organization. The prototype was constructed using parts of a broken up RWD-6 (initially it was even supposed to be designated RWD-6bis), but its construction was more similar to newer RWD-9. It first flew on January 15, 1935 (registration SP-AOA). Since the RWD-13 was not supposed to be a competition plane, the main differences from the RWD-9 were: an inline engine with lower power output, instead of a radial engine, and simpler wing mechanization. It still had advantages, like short take-off and landing and ease of flying, with good stability. By 1939, some 85 were produced.

In 1937 an air ambulance variant RWD-13S was built (prototype markings SP-BFN), with a starboard hatch for stretchers in the fuselage. There was also developed a similar universal variant RWD-13TS (or ST, or S/T), that could be converted from a touring plane to an ambulance by removing the right-hand seat. By 1939, 15 RWD-13S were made, including a few RWD-13TS. A development of the RWD-13 was the five-seater RWD-15. Around twenty RWD-13 were exported before the war. Six were sold to Spain and used as liaison planes by Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, under the name Polaca (numbers: 30-1 - 30-4). After the civil war, the remaining ones were used in aero clubs.


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## gekho (Oct 19, 2010)

The DH.83 Fox Moth was a successful small biplane passenger aircraft from the 1930s powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy Major I inline inverted engine, manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. The aircraft was designed late in 1931 as a low cost and economical light passenger aircraft. Many components including the engine, tail plane, fin, rudder and wings were identical to those being used for the de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth then being built in large quantities as a military trainer, which were fitted to the purpose-built wooden (longerons: ash forward of the pilot, aft Sitka spruce), plywood covered fuselage. The pilot sat in a raised cockpit behind the small enclosed passenger cabin, which was usually fitted with three seats for short range hops. The "Speed Model" was fitted with a canopy and fairing. The wings folded for space saving storage.


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## gekho (Oct 20, 2010)

The De Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide six/eight-passenger airliner was a scaled-down, twin engined version of the D.H.86 Dragon four-engined biplane airliner. The D.H.89 had a squarish section fuselage with large side windows, tapered biplane wings, and a trousered fixed undercarriage. Initially, it was powered by a pair of 200 hp De Havilland Gipsy Six six-cylinder air-cooled engines. The first prototype flew on April 17, 1934. The D.H.89 remained in production for ten years, a total of 728 being built. In its day, it was one of the most widely-used air transports in the world. Although officially known as the Dragon Rapide, it usually known simply as the Rapide.

The D.H.89 had a maximum speed of 157 mph, and a cruising speed of 132 mph. Initial climb rate was 1000 feet per minute, ceiling was 19,500 feet, and range was 578 miles. Weights were 3346 pounds tare, 5500 lbs. all-up. Dimensions were wingspan 48 feet 0 inches, length 34 feet 6 inches, height 10 feet 3 inches, and wing area 336 square feet. The first British operator of the Dragon Rapide was Hillmans Airways Ltd., making its debut with that airline on July 13, 1934. Railway Air Services Ltd. operated D.H.89s on trunk route between Croydon, Speke, Renfrew, and Belfast, and for summer services between Speke, Whitchurch, Eastleigh, and Shoreham. Two Dragon Rapides were acquired by Jersey Airways Ltd. The 1936 Dragon Rapide had a nose landing light, thickened wingtips, and cabin heating.


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## gekho (Oct 20, 2010)

There were even combat adaptations of the Dragon Rapide. Specification G-18/35 called for a coastal command and general reconnaissance aircraft for the RAF. A standard Rapide was fitted with a Vickers machine gun on the starboard side of the nose, a bomb bay for two 100-lb and four 20-lb bombs, one Lewis gun on a flexible mounting on top of the fuselage, extra cabin windows, and a long curved dorsal fin. A crew of three was carried, pilot, radio operator/gunner, and navigator/bombardier. A single prototype was built under the designation D.H.89M, and was assigned the serial number K4227. It lost out to the Avro Anson for production orders.

Three modified D.H.89Ms were delivered to Spain in 1935 for police duty in Morocco. A Vickers E gun was mounted in the nose, a bombsight was built into the floor, and twelve 27-lb bombs could be carried in a rack under the fuselage. The mid-upper gunner was provided with a Vickers F gun and a second gun fired downward through the floor. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, these planes saw combat on the Nationalist side. One famous incident involving the use of a DH.89 was in July 1936 when two British MI6 intelligence agents, Cecil Bebb and Major Hugh Pollard, flew Francisco Franco in one from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco, at the start of the military rebellion which began the Spanish Civil War.


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## gekho (Oct 22, 2010)

At the present there are three Dragon Rapide in Spain:

- DH-89A Dragon Rapide (G-ACYR) re-painted in original Olley Air Service Ltd. colours + titles (c/n.6261)
- DH-89A Dragon Rapide (40-1) in camouflage scheme, without titles (c/n ????)
- DH-89A Dragon Rapide (G-ALM) still airworthy with the Infante de Orleans Foundation.

The excellent 1999 guide book "Guia del Museo Del Aire" has a photo of G-ACYR in an earlier 'sand' colour with two thin red central stripes and registration; it is now overall 'silver dope' with blue stripe outlines to the roof top and bottom side fuselage, reg. now in blue (and a plate under the nose to commemorate the aircraft's use to transport General Franco from Tonda, Canary Islands to Tetuan in (then) Spanish Morocco in 1936). The plate quotes 19th July but the sign board says 18th.

The other Rapide, previously noted under restoration, is now complete, in a camouflage scheme, painted as '40-1". Although this serial was a known pre-WW2 Rapide, it is unclear whether or not this is the original aircraft. This is, with no douth, the most beautiful Dragon Rapide I have ever seen. The example of the FIO was made in England during the 30s, flew for some private airliners and took part in the WWII, recibing a hit of the german AAA. It was acquired by the FIO in England for 150.000 pounds, and was introduced to public in 2009.


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## Capt. Vick (Oct 22, 2010)

I like the fact that even the propellor is camoflaged! 8)


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## Wayne Little (Oct 22, 2010)

Cool....!


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## gekho (Nov 3, 2010)

In 1935 the Republic´s goverment acquired a Monospar ST-12 for the Tax Office, receiving the civil code EC-6E. With the uprising, this aircraft remained in the goverment hands, being used as a liaison plane. Another example was bought by D.Juan de la Cierva y Codorniú, inventor of the autogiro, serving with the nationalist. During the war the republican Monospar fell in hands of the nationalist, serving both aircrafts in tha Nationalist Aviation, using the military codes 31-2 and 31-3. Both survived to the war and joined the newborn "Ejercito del Aire". The second and the third aircrafts are Monospars ST-25; a total of 16 Monospar took part in the SCW, surviving only five examples. This airplane was still flying in 1947, being used as an ambulance.


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## gekho (Dec 13, 2010)

Miles' previous experience with the Southern Martlet and Metal Martlet biplanes led to the desire to build a two-seat monoplane replacement for biplanes which had virtually cornered the market. The result was the M.2 Hawk, flown in March 1933 and the forerunner of a brilliant series of Miles monoplanes. Powered originally by the 71kW Cirrus IIIA engine, later M.2c aircraft offered the 89kW de Havilland Gipsy III. Other variants included the M.2a with an enclosed cabin, M.2b single-seat long-range version with an 89kW Hermes IV engine, and the three-seat M.2d. Hawk production totalled 55.

Further development of the basic type led to the Hawk Major series (64 built), beginning with the M.2F with the 97kW de Havilland Gipsy Major engine and encompassing a whole range of variants up to the M.2T. Single-seat racing models were known as the Hawk Speed Six; three were built with 149kW Gipsy Six engines, and another somewhat smaller racing variant was the M.5 Sparrowhawk, of which five were built. The prototype survived the war and in 1953 was modified considerably by the installation of two 150kg thrust Turbomeca Palas jet engines to become the M.77 Sparrowjet with a speed of 370km/h. The final pre-war development was the Hawk Trainer, of which 25 were built, and the basic design was later developed into the M.14 Magister.


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## Gnomey (Dec 13, 2010)

Nice shots!


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## gekho (Jan 2, 2011)

The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation. Many other nations used the Tiger Moth in both military and civil applications, and it remains in use as a recreational aircraft. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft, although now most Tiger Moths employed in training duties are used by pilots gaining experience for conventional landing gear license ratings.

In 1933 several examples were acquired by the Republica to be used as military trainers. When the Civil War broke out, both sides used these airplanes as advanced trainers. With the end of the war, the nationalist recovered 12 units, joinning the new Air Force.


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## gekho (Jan 11, 2011)

At least 120 units ot this british aircraft were made at the Guadalajara factory, being the last units delivered in 1922. These aircrafts took part in the campaing against Morocco as reconnassaince and light bombers. These De Havilland were called De-Havilland-Hispano, since they were fitted with Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engines of 300 c.v. At the momento of the uprising there were 40 still airworthy, being divided between both sides. Those which fell in republican hands were coded RH and served at Los Alcazares Trainning School, meanwhile the nationalist De Havillands were coded 34 and were destinated to the El Copero Trainning School. Only two managed to survived, staying on service until 1940.


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## gekho (Jan 11, 2011)

Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. at Portsmouth Aerodrome, Hampshire. The Envoy was designed by N.S. Norway and A. H. Tiltman as a twin-engined development of the Courier. Co-designer Norway also wrote novels under the pen name Nevil Shute. It used the same wooden construction, outer wing panels and aft-retracting main undercarriage legs. The prototype G-ACMT first flew on June 26, 1934 and in July 1934, the aircraft was presented to the public for the first time at an exhibition by the Society of British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC) at Hendon.

The first production Envoy I G-ACVH was used as a demonstrator, the second was delivered to Lord Nuffield. Lord Nuffield's aircraft was due to fly in the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia in 1934, but the aircraft was damaged and withdrawn from the race. Another aircraft, a specially modified version with long-range tanks (the AS 8 Viceroy) got as far as Athens before leaving the race due to damage. One Envoy took part in the Schlesinger Race to Johannesburg, but crashed, killing two of a crew. Orders soon came from the whole Commonwealth. Two aircraft went to the Ansett Airlines in Australia. North Eastern Airways and Olley Air Service in the UK also used the AS.6. In Czechoslovakia, the CSA ordered four AS.6 Envoy JC in 1937.

During the Spanish Civil War, ten AS.6 Envoys were obtained by the Spanish Republicans, with the Nationalist side using two, including one that defected from the Republicans, as transport, reconnaissance aircraft or light bombers. The Airspeed AS.8 Viceroy, that was a British racing version of the Airspeed AS.6 Envoy to compete in the England-Australia MacRobertson Air Race, was also sold to the Spanish Republic. The Airspeed Viceroy started the race from RAF Mildenhall, England, but after several reliability problems including with the mainwheel brakes, it was withdrawn from the race at Athens. The pilots concluded that it would be unsafe to proceed and they would probably be unable to finish the race. The aircraft returned to Portsmouth and was then stored until July 1936 when it was sold the following month by the French concern, SFTA and departed to France en route to the Spanish Civil War.

Documentation regarding the Viceroy's service with the Spanish Republican forces is sketchy. The intention was to convert the aircraft into a bomber and photographs suggest that it did receive new markings and was stationed at an airbase, but further information is not available as to its actual service.


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## gekho (Jan 11, 2011)

In the early 30's, foreign customers were crowding in Hendon to buy this device, though in small quantities due to their high unit cost, caused in turn by the low rate of production of the Rolls Royce Kestrel. Among them was the government of the Spanish Republic. Ordered 3 aircraft, and presumably would manufacture the rest in Spain, with Hispano Suiza motor Xbrs V 12 cylinder water-cooled, and 700hp of power. The purchase of Fury was due to the need to replace the old Niuport 52 as fighters. There were two possibilities, the Boeing P-26 Peashoter of which was a model in Spain (and served under Republican livery) and the other possibility, the cheapest and finally adopted, was the British fighter. Were numbered 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3, and 4-4, which is nothing but a device constructed with the cannibalized remains of two of the above. Anecdotally, one of the Furies was knocked down himself by missing the timing mechanism of the guns ... The Survivor game, 4-4, was framed once the war in the ranks of the rebels with the registration 4W-1. Was based on the Yugoslav Fury, but with Spanish power plant ... which proved to be lower than the Yugoslav Kestrel Fury. 50 units had been manufactured in the factories of the Spanish in Guadalajara, but was never built any.


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## Gnomey (Jan 14, 2011)

Good stuff!


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## gekho (Jan 17, 2011)

The Fairchild 91, later redesignated A-942, was a small flying boat airliner developed in the United states in the mid-1930s. Fairchild designed the aircraft in response to a Pan Am request for a small flying boat to operate on their river routes along the Amazon and Yangtze. The result was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with its radial engine mounted above the wing in a streamlined nacelle. Before construction of the prototype was complete, however, Pan Am no longer required the aircraft to operate in China, and Fairchild modified the design to optimise it for the tropical conditions of Brazil.

After the first two aircraft were delivered, Pan Am cancelled the remaining four aircraft on its order, discovering that the two aircraft they had already purchased were capable of handling their entire Amazon River demand; the Model 91 had become a victim of its own success. Fairchild completed the other four airframes under the designation A-942, selling two to private owners, and exporting the other two to Japan. One of the private owners was naturalist Richard Archbold, who used it on his second expedition to New Guinea in 1936-37. The prototype was sold to the Spanish Republican Air Force, but was captured by the Spanish Nationalists and was used by them until 1938. One of the privately-owned A-942s served with the RAF in Egypt for a time.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. The aircraft gained considerable fame as it was flown by Amelia Earhart on her ill-fated around-the-world expedition in 1937. The Electra was Lockheed's first all-metal and twin-engine design by Hall Hibbard. (However, some of Lockheed's wooden designs, such as the Orion had been built by Detroit Aircraft Corporation with metal fuselages.) Most of the structure is 7075 Aluminum alloy with 2024 Aluminum alloy used for skin panels and bulkhead webs subjected to tension loads through pressurization. The name Electra came from a star in the Pleiades. The prototype made its first flight on 23 February, 1934 with Marshall Headle at the controls.

Wind tunnel work on the Electra was undertaken at the University of Michigan. Much of the work was performed by a student assistant, Clarence Johnson. He suggested two changes be made to the design: changing the single tail to double tails (later a Lockheed trademark), and deleting oversized wing fillets. Both of these suggestions were incorporated into production aircraft. Upon receiving his master's degree, Johnson joined Lockheed as a regular employee, ultimately leading the Skunk Works in developing advanced aircraft such as the SR-71 Blackbird.

Several L-10 Electras served in Spain during the Civil War, but only a single aircraft flew with the Nationalist; the merchant ship "Mar Cantabrico" was going to deliver a great amount of military supplies to the Republic acquired at the EEUU when it was captured by the nationalist cruiser "Canarias". The ship was driven to the Ferrol base in Galicia, where the nationalist officers found many modern airships, like the Lockheed Orion, Vega and the Electra. This one was destinated to be the personal aircraft of General Kindenlán, chief of the Nationalist Air Force.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The Northrop Delta was an American single engined passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. Closely related to Northrop's Gamma mail plane, 13 were produced by the Northrop Corporation, followed by 19 aircraft built under license by Canadian Vickers Limited. When Jack Northrop set up the Northrop Corporation as a joint venture with the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1932, he set out to design two closely related single engined aircraft as the new company's first products, a mailplane/record breaking aircraft, which was designated the Gamma and a passenger transport, the Delta. The Delta was a low winged monoplane, with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. It was of all-metal stressed skin construction, with streamlining spats covering the main landing gear. While the Delta's wings were common with those of the Gamma, it had a new, wider fuselage, which seated the pilot in an enclosed cockpit immediately behind the engine, and had accommodation for eight passengers in a cabin behind the pilot. The first Delta was flown in May 1933, and received an airworthiness certificate in August that year. 

Seven aircraft were built as executive transports for private owners. Of these, three were purchased by the Spanish Republicans for use in the Spanish Civil War. Two of these aircraft were captured by the Nationalists when the ship carrying them (along with four Vultee V-1s, a Fairchild 91 and a Lockheed Electra) was captured at sea. These two Deltas were used as Transports by Franco's forces, while the third Delta was used by the Republican airline Lineas Aéreas Postales Españolas (LAPE) until the end of the civil war when it was handed over to Franco's air force.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The aircraft was designed by Kreider-Reisner during negotiations by Sherman Fairchild to take a major share in the company. Marketed as the Fairchild 22 Model C7 the aircraft was certified in March 1931. The Fairchild 22 was a mixed-construction braced parasol-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and a braced tail unit. It had two tandem open cockpits and was initially powered by a 80hp (60kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine. After test flying the prototype the first production aircraft were re-engined with a 75hp (56kW) Michigan Rover inverted inline engine. The aircraft was fitted with both inline and radial piston engines. At the beginning of Spanish Civil War several these sport-trainers operated in Andalucian aeroclub.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

One of the most famous aircraft engineers of the era, Gerard "Jerry" Vultee, designed the V1, a single-engine, all-metal, high-speed transport design accepted for production in 1932 by the Airplane Development Corporation, which was financed by automobile manufacturer Errett Cord. Construction began at United Airport in Burbank California, and was later moved to Grand Central Airport in Glendale, where most of the V1s would be assembled.

The V1 prototype took one year to build. Its elliptical monocoque fuselage was made from narrow strips of flat Alclad sheets, overlapped like shingles. Repairs on such a structure would be simple-drill out the rivets and replace the damaged surface with flat Alclad stock. The wing was built in three sections using the same technique. Wing and tail surfaces were completely faired to the fuselage. A fully retractable landing gear and split flaps were operated by a single electric motor. This first Vultee, with a 650hp Wright SR-1820-F2 and three-blade propeller, was test-flown for more than a year, proving to be very efficient for its time by carrying a pilot and eight passengers for 750 miles at 195 mph.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

Initial orders for the V1 were placed by American Airways in 1933. Working with airline pilots and engineers, the production model incorporated several improvements. The cockpit was rearranged to accommodate both a pilot and copilot, the fuselage and wings were slightly lengthened, and other modifications were made to the engine cowling, tail assembly, landing gear, and flaps. As V1-A, it was certified in July 1934 by Approval Type Certificate #545.

American Airlines began taking delivery in July 1934 and was operating eight V1-As between St. Louis and Chicago by Sept 1934, and eventually bought a total of 11 V1-As. Government concerns over single-engine safety (and the advent of the twin engine Douglas DC-2 and Boeing 247) brought the V1-A's commercial airline career to a halt. Despite this setback, V1-As and V1-ADs with deluxe interiors were sold as high-speed executive transports to corporate customers and helped promote the growth of aviation around the world. On Jan 14, 1935, Jimmy Doolittle, with his wife, Josephine, along with Robert Adams of Shell Petroleum, and three large California oranges, flew NC13770 non-stop across the USA in record time. Despite being forced 300 miles off-course by bad weather, Doolittle completed the trip in 11 hours and 59 minutes. A few hours later, the three oranges were delivered to Mayor Ellenstein of Newark. Six weeks later, Doolittle's brother-in-law, Leland Andrews, flew the same plane over nearly the same route, shaving 25 minutes off the record despite stopping in Washington to deliver some orchids to Eleanor Roosevelt. Later Andrews set a new time record in a V1-A between Los Angeles and Mexico City - 1,620 miles in 8 hours and 8 minutes.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

Many Vultees found their way to the Spanish Civil War. At least 16 V1-As and V1-ADs were shipped to Spain and used by both sides. The republicans made conversions in five of these aircrafts, with dorsal gun positions and internal racks for eight 75kg bombs. Lady Peace was captured by the rebel Nationalists (as well as 3 more V-1) and rechristened the Capitan Haya in memory of a famous Nationalist pilot. Despite the nationalist tought to use the V-1 as bombers, this concept was finally rulled out, being used only as transports. Several Vultees survived the war, including Capitan Haya, which served in the Spanish Air Force until 1953, when the record-breaking plane was unceremoniously sold for scrap.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The Douglas DC-1 was the first model of the famous United States DC (Douglas Commercial) commercial transport aircraft series. Although only one example of the DC-1 was produced, the design was the basis for the DC-2 and DC-3. Development of the DC-1 can be traced back to the 1931 crash of TWA Flight 599, due to the failure of a wooden strut, which in turn was caused by water which had over time seeped between the layers of the wood laminate and dissolved the glue holding the layers together.

Following the accident, the Civil Aeronautics Board ruled passenger aircraft could no longer contain wings or structural members (such as struts and spars) made of wood. Boeing developed an answer, the 247, but their production capacity was limited and they could only supply their primary contract, United Airlines. TWA wanted a similar aircraft, and asked four manufacturers to bid for construction of a three-engine, 12-seat aircraft to meet the specifications stipulated by the CAB. Donald Douglas was initially reluctant to participate in the invitation from TWA. He doubted there would be a market for 100 aircraft, the number of sales necessary to cover development costs. Nevertheless, he submitted a design consisting of an all-metal, low-wing, twin-engine aircraft seating 12 passengers, a crew of two and a flight attendant. The aircraft exceeded the specifications of TWA even with two engines. It was insulated against noise, heated, and fully capable of both flying and performing a controlled takeoff or landing on one engine.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

Only one aircraft was produced, the prototype.The DC-1 was sold to Lord Forbes in the United Kingdom in May 1938, who operated it for a few months before selling it in France in October 1938. It was then sold to Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas (L.A.P.E.) in Spain in November 1938. Later operated by Iberia Airlines from July 1939 with the name Negron it force-landed at Malaga, Spain in December 1940 and was damaged beyond repair.

Concerning the DC-2, four of these modern aircrats were serving in Spain as mail planes when the Civil War broke out; three of them fell in hands of the republicans and the other one was captured by the nationalist, that was used to supply the soldiers that were under siege at Santa Maria de la Cabeza Monastery. This aircraft was nicknamed "Vara del Rey" in honor of the man who captured the plane; this DC-2 was at Sevilla at the moment of the uprising, preparing to take off and bombing the nationalist ships that were trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Captain Vara del Rey managed himself to shot the plane and prevent the attack. The republicans used their DC-2s as bombers and VIP Transport. Two of them were lost during the war; one was destroyed on the ground and the other one was lost due to an accident. The remaining DC-2 was used by the menbers of the goverment to scape to France when the war ended.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The history of these fighters in Spain begins in August 1929, when a dozen of Bulldog fighters with Jupiter VI were acquired by Estonia. In 1940,
when the invasion of the URSS, Estonia planes suffered most original destination: eight of them were sold, along with a handful of Potez 25, to the 
Spanish Republic, operating during the Civil War in Northern Front. His performance is not well known and certainly as fighters could do little against the Fiat CR-32 or the HE-51. A single Bulldog was caught and exhibited at the exhibition of the Kursaal in San Sebastian.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

More Pics


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

The first I-16 to be seized by the frankists, was a type 5, in March 1938. It received the enemy lettering code, 1W-1 and was flown by a frankist pilot over Seville-Tablada. Then on July 15th of the same year, pilot Hose Luis Aresti who had just arrived back in Spain after passage of a curriculum in Kirovobad aviation school, had taken a "donkey" to the frankists. One more I-16 got to the nationionalists on September 13th 1938, when sergeant Andres Fierro Mena from the 3rd squadron lost his way and by mistake landed his plane on an enemy air station (the plane probably carried the code CM-141).

After the Franco's victory in 1939, 22 captured "donkeys" were assigned to Grupo 28 at an air station in Mayorca and later had their number increased to 52. The I-16's had designations from 1W-1 up to 1W-52. The first 22 captured I-16's, that arrived acted as group 1W, then the designation of group changed to Grupo 28 de Caza. The group was based at air station, San-Juan on the island of Majorca. All the I-16's had, by the autumn of 1940, been transferred to Sevilla where they joined Grupo 26 (22-nd mixed fighter group, 22 Regimiento Mixto de Caza, also flying "Fiats"). In 1945 the Spanish Air Force started on new system of designation. "Rata" then received an index C.8. The colour scheme was changed, a light blue bottom with lateral surfaces of sand color with green camouflage spots of irregular shape. Recognition symbols of red and yellow cocardes were added to the sides of the fuselage plus both the top and bottom surfaces of the wing. The identification code of "C. 8" with the original '1W' plane number beside it. The code was painted on the tail. At about this time, Grupo 26 was renamed to Grupo 22.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

In 1947, the last of the I-16's were sent for refitting. (there were 15 still flying and others in various states of repair.) Work was carried out by captain Tordesillas from the aircraft-repair workshops in Seville. Here is how he described the situation:

" First we collected all the I-16's on Maestranza Aerea airbase. What were capable of flying, went by air and the rest sent on the river. I flew fighter "8-43", this machine, from the technical point of view was considered as one of the best. The fuselage of the plane has been painted in blue color, the cowl - bare metal. On takeoff, the engine was running hot and it was running very rich, evident by the black smoke left behind after doing a loop. So, first of all, it is required to improve the cooling of the engine. On one occassion, while attempting a take-off from a wet and grassy airfield at Tablada, the plane started to drop the left wing. I struggled with the controls, changing power setting. The plane did it three times. I found, I could only take-off with full power and full right rudder and was lucky the right wing didn't bury itself. Controllability of the plane on the ground is another area to be addressed.

After a series of flights, I organized a meeting with the participating comandante Garcia Perez, commands of 22nd group and the pilots having experience with the I-16. Together we have developed directions for modernization:

- The bad view forward: the view forward can be improved by replacing the original bent visor with another, as used by the CR.32. A telescopic sight will replace the ring and bead sight.

- Overheating of the engine: to establish on the fighter an oil radiator from the Alfa-Romeo 126 engine, off the SM.79 bomber.

- The undercarriage: the basic mechanism of the undercarriage is wound manually, for raising the undercarriage it is required to execute 30-40 full revolutions of the control wheel, mounted on the right side of the cockpit. Cases of difficult winding of the mechanism while raising the undercarriage and the rack 'hanging' in the intermediate position after release has been identified as worn/stretched cables and pulleys. These need to be replaced and checked prior to each flight.

- Brakes: Brakes as a whole are efficient, it is necessary to keep an identical tension on the two cables as they travel through the undercarriage mechanism. Different tension of the cables provokes nosing over with brake application.

- Stability: the plane has no trim tabs, therefore if the fighter is inclined to spontaneous movement concerning one of the axis, the pilot needs to counter this with control inputs. It is necessary to establish plates - equalisers on rudders and ailerons, allowing ground adjustment for flight stability. In flight, at high speed, there is a lot of physical effort required to maintain the control handle and pedals.

- Taxiing: To taxi the plane can be extremely difficult because of the rigid shock-absorbers and narrow tyres at high pressure. Difficulties are caused also while lifting the tail. Before this it is usual for the right hand to be on the control stick and the left hand on the throttle. After rotation, the throttle is fixed with a 'latch' and the left hand takes over the control stick while the right starts turning the undercarriage wheel, 30 or 40 times. But after lifting the wheels, "Rata" flies like an angel. 

- Risk of overturning on the nose: Desire of the plane to rise on it's nose on landing or on taxiing - probably the biggest problem which this plane is capable of. The probability of the pilot being badly injured or killed during a 'nose-over' remains high. Installation of 'anti-nose-over' frames made from three steel pipes welded into a triangle, except for the inclusion of a high armouring seat of the armchair type included in the construction, is desirable. The top part of the frame should be 12 cm (5 inches) above the head of the pilot.


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## gekho (Feb 22, 2011)

All modifications have been carried out on the plane with serial number 8-4, I have test flown it in the middle of August. During flight at low altitude I was surprised to find the fine view forward, oil temperature within the normal limits, the engine runs well and the dark sooty trail doesn’t last behind the plane. The plane has easily executed all aerobatic figures. Landing has passed normally. I have transferred the plane to flight comandante Paez and his pilots from the 22nd group. All have being pleased. The group has received 13 "Ratas" and one two-seater and again has found their fighting capacity. Pilots began taking time to carry out aerobatics and formation flying, pending visits by honoured guests. The group of "Rata " planes took part in the parades in honour of the Day of victory over civil war and the anniversary of the Navies. In the history of the I-16 fighter in the Spanish Air Forces, I had no more dealings. "
In the early 1950's, I-16's were used at a flight school in Morona. The last serviceable I-16, with the code C.8-25, was flown by the most skilled instructors of the school. In August 1953, Spain signed a military assistance contract with the USA, which included delivery of modern fighters. On August 15th 1953, Miguel Entrena, for the last time, lifted into the sky in an I-16. So the career and fighting service of the "Rata" in Spain had finished.


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## Gnomey (Feb 24, 2011)

Nice stuff!


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## gekho (May 29, 2011)

The Canadian Car Foundry Co acquired a manufacturing licence for the FF-1, of which it completed a total of 57, some of them assembled from US-built components. A total of 40 aircraft were acquired by the Spanish Republican Government in 1937 via intermediaries from Turkey.[7] This batch was built primarily to bypass the US embargo placed on belligerents during the Spanish Civil War.[2] Referred to as the GE-23 Pedro Rico by the Spanish Republican Air Force, the aircraft were used in the conflict, but were not well matched against their chief opponent, the Fiat CR.32, although one victory against a Heinkel was the only recorded "kill" by a Grumman biplane fighter. Eight survived to serve in the Ejército del Aire Español as the Delfin (Dolphin).


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## gekho (Feb 16, 2013)

Engineers Arturo González-Gil (who had worked in workshops Loring) and Jose Montes Pazó designed a two-seat trainer aircraft with open cockpit inspired by Miles M.2 Hawk, designated GP-1, equipped with a motor ADC Cirrus. The prototype flew successfully in 1931. In 1935 they won a contest for the Military Aviation School, presenting the GP-1 with a Walter Junior engine, whose prototype flew in July 1934 (with only minor design changes with respect to GP 1), which imposed on the Loring-X, Hispano E-34 and Chirta Adaro 1.E.7. It won a contract to make 100 copies commissioned Aeronáutica Industrial SA (AISA). 

At the outbreak of Civil War AISA was only able to complete 9 units in its factory in Carabanchel, the pressure of the front made ​​the project be moved to the site of the airfield of La Rabasa in Alicante where there were other 31 (some sources rising to 46) units . These planes were used in training roles, reconnaissance and liaison. Most of the equipment produced by the nationals were captured at the end of the war. The model was in service in the Air Force until 1956.


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## Badner (Mar 2, 2013)

EXcelent pics! but one comment to make: The Spaniard which followed Gral Francisco franco were not "Nationalists", as erroneously and often translated by the foreign press, but "Nationals"
"Nacionales" in Castillian)..The opposing side..Well, they referred to their Air Force and their Army as "La Fuerza Aérea Roja", El Ejército Rojo"..draw your own conclusisons gentlemen..Cheers!
Badner


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## gekho (Mar 3, 2013)

Badner said:


> EXcelent pics! but one comment to make: The Spaniard which followed Gral Francisco franco were not "Nationalists", as erroneously and often translated by the foreign press, but "Nationals"
> "Nacionales" in Castillian)..The opposing side..Well, they referred to their Air Force and their Army as "La Fuerza Aérea Roja", El Ejército Rojo"..draw your own conclusisons gentlemen..Cheers!
> Badner



Well, not exactly, perhaps if we translate these terms to the english they have a different meaning, but both terms were used, although like you say, "nacionales" is more appropriate.The republican air force was also known as F.A.R.E (Fuerza Aerea de la Republica Española) although officially it never existed.


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## Badner (May 25, 2013)

P.S. I forgot to mention the autor of Alas Rojas Sobre España..Miguel Sanchis...I'am attaching a commentary on this pioneer work..

as Rojas sobre España es un estudio sobre la Aviación roja escrito por Miguel Sanchís ante la confusión y escasez de noticias que acerca del material aeronáutico empleado por los rojos durante nuestra Cruzada se ha dejado sentir desde hace diecisiete años (la obra* fue publicada en 1956).*
El libro, sólo tomó cuerpo en el mismo instante en que llegaron a mis manos documentos fidedignos y acreditativos sobre los aviones de la Aviación marxista. Un tema que interesa y debe interesar, me pareció sugestivo, y pronto, la idea de publicar un resumen que contuviera acciones, cifras y datos referentes a las olas rojas fue un hecho.

Un año después, lo que yo he creído siempre asunto de suma importancia política y vibrante actualidad, aunque internacionalmente pretendiera se relegarlo al olvido desde 1939, se convirtió en Alas Rojas Sobre España.


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## Jason Champion (Jul 31, 2017)

gekho said:


> The Meridionali Ro.37 Lince (Italian: "Lynx") was a two-seat Italian reconnaissance biplane, a product of the Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Meridionali (IMAM) company. It followed the Ro.1 as the main reconnaissance aircraft for the Italian army.A contest was held by the Regia Aeronautica for a light reconnaissance aircraft and a heavier aeroplane. The first should have 350 km/h (190 knots/220 mph) maximum speed, five hours endurance, three machine-guns and a bomblets dispenser, armour, and the capability to operate from improvised airfields. The heavier one should have 325 km/h maximum speed, at least 1,300 km (800 miles) endurance, 7,000 m (22,750 feet) ceiling, climb to 5,000m (16,000) in 19 minutes, three crew, five weapons, high wing and other details. Limited production of the IMAM Ro.30, an improved Ro.1 with a defensive turret and better engine, resulted. It was rejected by the Regio Esercito and not chosen for production, being only capable of 200 km/h (110 knots), five hours endurance, a climb rate of 4,000 m (13,000 feet) in 20 minutes, and had three weapons. IMAM did not give up after the modest success of the Ro.30 and so designed a new aircraft, the Ro.37, which first flew in 1933.



Hi I was just wondering if the Ro.37 was in Spain with the inline A.30 engine at any point? All I can find is the bis version


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## fubar57 (Aug 9, 2017)

gekho hasn't been online for over 2 years. I have a few books on the SCW and I'll take a look and see if there is anything there


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