Spanish Civil War: Nationalist Air Force

[VG-33]

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

 

[Frantish]

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

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!

 

[gekho]

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

 

[MontoyaF1]

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.

 

[gekho]

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

 

[MontoyaF1]

Exactly what I was looking for. You rock!

8)

 

[Wayne Little]

8)

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[vikingBerserker]

I agree!

 

[gekho]

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).

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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).

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.

 

[gekho]

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.