Air Technology, Hitler and the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict that started with an unsuccessful seizure of power

through a military coup to the democratic government ruling Spain at the time. This country was

divided in war because of the clash of different ideas and beliefs of its split citizens; Fascism ver-

sus Democracy, right win versus left wing, capitalism versus socialism, christianity versus athe-

ism. These same ideas shared by world leaders at the time like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini

involved their countries, Germany and Italy respectively as well as USSR leader Stalin, by sup-

plementing troops, tanks and aircrafts to the conflicting parties.

Aircrafts provided by the aiding nations had a major impact on the outcome of the war

and this paper will demonstrate the impact these airplanes had in the civil conflict. Adolf Hitler

and the Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, had their respective hidden agendas to come to the

rescue of each conflicting side of the war. The association of Hitler and his Luftwaffe aerial

warfare branch with the Spanish Civil War will be a main focus additionally to the repercussions

in the following biggest and bloodiest war known to mankind, the World War II.

Overture to Civil War

The Spanish Civil War erupted in 1936 lasting three years until 1939, accessible statistics

suggests an estimated of about half million deaths (John Simkin), it ruined numerous cities,

towns and villages, leaving a partitioned Spain with irreparable scars that some argue are still

present today. For the victors of this war, it was considered a crusade against godless revolution-

ists. For the counterpart this war was a necessary evil to fight against the forces that had op-

pressed Spain for generations.

Spain was a constitutional monarchy, led by King Alfonso XIII who appointed many

dictators like General Miguel Primo de Rivera whom attempt to bring order and suppress social

discontent and political liberties in the country after many unsuccessful decisions taken by Al-

fonso XIII that made Spain fall to an extreme scale of poverty. The Great Wall Street Crash

opened the worldwide economic depression of 1929, this had a major impact in Spain’s economy

brought all the progress and control done by Miguel Primo so far and the efforts of Primo’s fi-

nance minister to stabilize the currency on the world market were in vain, the peseta collapsed

and so did his reign. After he resigned, retiring to Paris, The king Alfonso XIII quickly appointed

General Damaso Berenguer to take charge of government with the hopes to restore constitutional

monarchy to Spain (Anderson 6). The Berenguer government found opposition immediately

from Republican leaders, Liberals, Socialists and Catalans and the situation escalated fast as the

sentiment for a constitutional republic grew. The eradication of the monarchy from Spain was

imminent, December 1930 would be a day to take in account for the forthcoming faith of Spain’s

forms of government, Captain Fermin Galan and Lieutenant Garcia Hernandez coordinated a re-

volt against Damaso Berenguer and the king, even though unsuccessful, the uprising raised pub-

lic indignation. This pushed to parliamentary elections announced by the government on January

1931. In February 1931 General Berenguer resigned from power and yet another quick fix by the

name of Admiral Aznar was appointed by Alfonso XIII.

On April 12th 1931 elections for municipal offices were held and with a solid win for the

Republican parties the message had been delivered loud and clear to king Alfonso XIII. Alfonso

renounce to his throne and fled Spain for Italy on april 14th 1931, the Second Republic led by

Niceto Alcala Zamora was declared that same day (Anderson 8).

With a fractured Spain Alcala’s government started to take action with new reforms like the mili-

tary reforms of April 1931 and the church, state and educational reform of May 1931, limiting

the role of the church in society and declaring that from that day on religious instruction was no

longer obligatory in state schools. By February 1933, forty-two right-wing organizations met and

formed the (Confederacion Espanola de Derechas Autonomas) Spanish Confederation of Auton-

omous Rights, known as CEDA to oppose the left-wing government ruling Spain for almost two

years at the time. CEDA as led by Gil Robles which favored and preached themes of national

unity, religion and traditional military values. Gil Robles’ ideas for Spain aligned with other be-

liefs systems already in motion around Europe like those of the rising leader at the time Adolf

Hitler or the already established dictator of Italy Benito Mussolini.

The elections of 1933 made CEDA the largest party in parliament, the government had

shifted right-wing the left-wing had suffered defeat, behind Gil Robles‘ a suspected belief of fas-

cism was waiting.

“An admirer of Hitler and Mussolini, Gil Robles visited Germany in 1933 to attend the

Nazi Nuremberg rally. In speeches he talked about the dangers of a social revolution, the clash-

ing forces of Marxism and anti-Marxism throughout Europe, the necessity to defeat socialism in

Spain, the need to establish unity through a totalitarian regime and the need to purge the

country of Jews and Freemasons.” (Anderson 26).

As the elections of 1936 drew closer, two new political parties emerged to take over the

already sub-divided Spain, sixteen leftist parties composed the new anti-Fascist party called The

Popular Front led by Manuel Azaña Díaz who had already served as the prime minister of the

Second Spanish Republic until 1933. CEDA and other right-wing organizations formed The Na-

tional Front party led by Calvo Sotelo. “The Popular Front obtained 48 percent of the vote; the

rightist bloc, 46 percent (the remainder went to the central group).” (Anderson 35). With a coun-

try almost equally divided into two conflicting parties, president at the time Alcala Zamora asked

Manuel Azaña to form a government. On may 10th Azaña became president, his government af-

ter a few revolts from right-wing movements felt the danger of an uprising and decided to acted

upon it. The government sent away some of the key generals away from the main land, one of

them would be General Francisco y Bahamonde, who was sent to the Canary islands. General

Emilio Mola was not, he was kept posted to the city of Pamplona inside the country and from

here with the fear of a communist take over of the country Mola would star the secret organiza-

tion of a plot against president Manuel Azaña’s government. General Mola assigned the job of

launching the rising in Spanish Morocco to General Franco, even though Franco did not compro-

mised fully and there was a feeling of uncertainty still about the military coup against the demo-

cratic government. The fire that would ignite civil war and erased all doubt and hesitation of call-

ing for an immediate uprising against the democratic government was the death of fascist Calvo

Sotelo, leader of the rightist bloc to hands of the government’s own special police. On july 17th,

the day before the coup was planned, the rising erupted in Melilla, Morocco (Anderson 42).

General Francisco Franco’s request for help

The military plotters assumed that their coup attack would proceed swiftly, the govern-

ment of the republic in the other hand thought they were strong enough to stand the uprising,

both were terribly wrong as the rising spread to the main land and the right-wing Generals con-

trolled most of the countryside but the workers and loyal police units to the democratic Spain de-

feated the military forced advancing in most of Spain’s industrial cities. There would be no rapid

win for either side, there was no way left to prevent the conflict that took over Spain and turned

into a lengthy civil war that lasted over three years.

General Franco joined the army that started the uprising in the spanish colonies in Mo-

rocco a day later from the Canary islands, and there he proclaimed a new nationalist movement

which would save spain from communism. Garrisons in the mainland would then join this move-

ment while the Popular Front responded to this threat by calling on volunteers to defend the re-

public from this revolt (John Simkin).

The first problem Franco had to face after becoming victorious on the leading of his

troops in the revolt in Spanish Morocco, in north Africa, against the republic forces would be to

cross to Spain’s main land at the south of the city of Seville. General Franco needed help to mo-

bilize his army through the line of Gibraltar, this would be an arduous task because the still loyal

to the republic Spanish navy, kept patrolling the strait of Gibraltar. Franco then would turned to

the two leaders with probabilities to answer his cry for help, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

They both accepted to help him. Hitler and Mussolini sent the aircrafts needed to take Franco’s

army from the north of Africa to southern Spain thus organizing the first mobilization of troops

in history and evading battle with the spanish navy at Gibraltar. Air technology provided by the

Nazis was already proving to be helpful to Franco’s seize of power at an early stage.

When General Franco arrived to Seville was received with open arms as the savior of the

revolt started against the republic government. Franco was the most recognized General of the

National Front and pushed on his troops north of Spain. The Generals of the National Front held

a reunion in where they declared General Francisco Franco, head of State, or as he was later

known “El Generalisimo”. But El Generalisimo also desired total political power over Spain, in

order for this to be declared, the Generals of the rebellion had another meeting where they agreed

to Franco’s request, with the condition of having this power only until the civil war was won and

then he would have to step down, which El Generalisimo Franco never did to the end of his reign

decades later.

Non-Intervention Agreement

When the Spanish civil war first broke out, the Nationalist and Republic sides of the war

acknowledge the need for military and financial support from other powers outside the country.

The National front party quickly obtained the so much needed aid from the Führer of Germany,

Adolf Hitler, and the Duce of Italy, Benito Mussolini, as stated before. But when the Popular

front party sought help from other countries like France or Britain, this was denied. At first, Leo

Blum, the prime minister of the Popular front government in France, had agreed to send air-

planes and artillery to help the Republican side fight the Nationalists. However he backed down

from his word after coming under the pressure of Stanley Baldwin and Anthony Eden from

Britain, and other right-wing members of France. From that moment onwards, Stanley Baldwin

and Leo Blum asked for all countries in Europe to not have any involvement in the domestics af-

fairs taking place in the Spanish Cviil War. And in September 1936 as a joint diplomatic initia-

tive by the governments of France and Great Britain a Non-Intervention Agreement was drafted

and signed by 27 countries, Including: Britain, Italy, Germany, France and the Soviet Union.

Borrowing conclusions from the topics discussed previously in class, men like Hitler can’t be ne-

gotiated with, a man who had no values for diplomacy, who could just sign agreements and

treaties and then turn around and still do what he believed was right, was impossible to reach

conflict resolution through diplomacy with, as it was later proven to be the case. The help for the

National Front continued to come throughout the three years of war from Germany and Italy. Af-

ter receiving information that the Third Reich leader was still aiding the civil war causes against

the communist side, Joseph Stalin decided to also assist the Republican side with Soviet troops,

artillery and Aircrafts. The Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, as well as the USSR, signed the non-

intervention pact but were not deterred at all by it. “The Axis powers gave the rebels approxi-

mately 92000 men, compared with, at the most, 3000 Russians on the Republican side.” (Thomas

985).

Stalin as so did Hitler had their own selfish interests in getting involved in the Spanish

Civil War, it is thought that the Soviet Union leader’s help to the Left-wing side of the war was a

calculated move to prolong the resistance of his side while he strengthen his USSR army prepar-

ing for an inevitable European war. Martin Blinkhorn believes that the Soviet Union anticipated

that they could keep the war going until Britain and France became involved in an international

war against fascism. However, the 1938 Munich Agreement, the epitome of British appeasement,

showed this wouldn’t be in their plans. Thus, Stalin’s interest and support in the Spanish Civil

War, decrease substantially.

“Benito Mussolini continued to give aid to General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist

forces and during the first three months of the Nonintervention Agreement sent 90 Italian aircraft

and refitted the cruiser Canaris, the largest ship in the Nationalists' fleet.” (John Simkin). Adolf

hitler also continued to give aid to General Franco and his Nationalist forces but attempted to

disguise this by sending the men, planes, tanks, and munitions via Portugal.

Hitler’s Diplomatic policy in the Civil War

Diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage or to find mutually ac-

ceptable solutions to a common challenge and this is what the Führer of Germany had planned

for the civil war. It has been argued what were Hitler’s real intentions to enter the civil war by

aiding the Nationals side, whatever the main goal on his hidden agenda was, the Führer made his

spanish civil war decisions based in four interdependent areas: military, ideological, political and

economical. Adolf Hitler needed a way to distract all the other major powers in Europe like

Great Britain and France to consolidate and fortified his army, getting them ready for his own

movement across Eastern Europe. The Spanish Civil War gave him this opportunity and helping

a leader with Fascism ideas was in his best interests. “Hitler used the Spanish crisis to strengthen

the Third Reich. The civi war in Spain provided Hitler with a great opportunity. This “last great

cause” drew all eyes to western Europe, divide British and especially the Grench internally, and

shifted the overall European balance of power. Thus Hitler could pursue territorial gains in east-

ern Europe.” (Whealey 1).

This is what I believe would be part of Hitler’s ideological and political ideas that he ex-

pected to gained from the civil war, with a Fascist leader in power like Franco, the German dicta-

tor would have to deal with one less pro-communist country against him, when he was ready to

strike, and in the case Spain didn’t participate directly in the forthcoming war, Spain would serve

as a first line of defense against the British army and navy to the eastern north of Europe.

Another advantage that Hitler saw in the revolutionary war that had erupted in spain was

to use and see his new military air force in action using spaniard soil as a training ground. The

request for help from the German leader was a task entrusted to four of Franco’s emissaries, two

Spanish officers and two Nazi businessmen that lived in Spainish Morocco at that moment.

(Whealey 6). The emissaries flew in a confiscated Lufthansa tri-motor Junkers transport plane

and landed in berlin on July 25th, meeting with the Führer after the Wagner festival at Bayreuth

he attended that night for approximately three hours. “...the Führer asked them about Franco’s

chances of winning the war. Bernhardt apparently presented favorable prospects for victory, even

convincing the Führer of the need to set up an economic organization in Spain...Hitler then de-

cided to send Franco twenty tri-motor Junkers transports, together with six escort fighters.”

(Whealey 7).

Adolf Hitler would make three main interventions in favor of General Franco’s affairs,

helping him and his experimental war strategies in the civil war and Franco’s take over of Spain.

The first stage being the one that took place that July 25th of 1936, by sending him the trans-

portation Aircrafts needed to get El Generalisimo across the Gibraltar strait, the second stage

would come August 28, when Hitler gave orders to the German fighter pilots sent in the first

stage of his interventions to engage in combat. And a month later activating Operation Otto

which consisted of twenty-four tanks, flak and radio equipment and the Ju 52 previously used for

transportation were converted into bombers to furthermore aid the Nationalist movement.

Hitler’s biggest intervention in the war would come in the form of The Legion Condor, which

possessed 3,786 men, 37 officers, and 92 all-new planes, they joined the spanish conflict in No-

vember 1936, these special force stayed in Spain to be brought back home to German lands on

may 26, 1939. In his book, Robert Whealey states that:

“...the long war did eventually provide the german military with an opportunity to train

men and test equipment, in July, no one anticipated a long war because both rebels and

Nazis hoped for a quick victory. testing and training became important factors only at a

later stage of Hitler’s intervention, when a great variety of equipment was sent. Although

some people were talking of a second war emerging in 1937 and 1938, “Tryout in Spain”

did not become a major theme in historiography and propaganda until after the outbreak

of Anglo-German war in September 1939.” (9)

Air Power in the Civil War

By the month of September 1936 Germany had sent to support Franco’s intentions for

Spain, 86 tons of bombs, 40 Panzerkampfwagen I ("armored fighting vehicle mark I") tanks and

122 soldiers had landed in Spain; they were accompanied with 108 aircraft (Westwell 19). Join-

ing the first German airplanes, anti-craft guns and soldiers sent on the first trip back on July. As-

sisted by the Nazi air force the Right-wing’s rebel advance on Madrid was possible, even though

this phase of the siege of Madrid would ultimately fail but the German Craft aided the success-

ful relief of the Siege of the Alcázar, this was a highly symbolic Nationalist victory for Franco in

the early stage of the civil war. The Soviet Union air support was also growing for the Right-win

side at that moment, particularly through the supply of Polikarpov aircraft (Westwell 20).

A bigger commitment from both aiding sides was already being appreciated in the first year of

the civil war. The newly developed Air technology for war purposes was being tested out and

proving resourceful for the Nationalist spanish movement and for the Nazi regiment as well.

Many more military strategies and artillery would be tested out with the pass of months as the

war had just started.

Since the Left-wing with the help of USSR was opposing more resistance than antici-

pated, the operation leader Walter Warlimont, in charge of the German side in Spain, requested

more support from his homeland, Hitler accepted and then reorganized and expanded the efforts

being made in spanish battlefields. Military units were formed into a new legion, the Legion

Condor (Westwell23). The Legion Condor was formed by the Kampfgruppe 88, with three

squadrons of Ju 52 bombers and the Jagdgruppe 88 with three squadrons of Heinkel He 51 fight-

ers, the reconnaissance Aufklärungsgruppe 88, an anti-aircraft group, the Flakbteilung 88, and a

signals group, the Nachrichtenabteilung 88 (Westwell 23). Overall command was given to Hugo

Sperrle, with Alexander Holle as chief of staff.

The Duce of Italy, Benito Mussolini wouldn’t stay behind and he would also contribute

to the civil war by sending his precious Aviazione Legionaria, (Legionary Air Force). Composed

of Breda Ba. 65 Attacking airplanes, Flat BR.20, Savola-Marchetti SM.81 bombers, Flat CR.32,

Caproni CA. 310s fighters, and the reconnaissance airplanes IMAM Ro. 37, Caproni Ca. 310S,

Breda Ba. 28, Flat C.R.20B. As it’s obvious both leaders in favor of the right-wing movement

had enough and diverse aircrafts to test in the spanish civil conflict during the three years.

Under el Generalismo Franco both German and Italian Air force starting a new tactical strategy,

bombing raids, on cities as a whole. The Germans in specific were keen to see the results ob-

tained of civilian bombings and deliberate burning of cities (Thomas 329). The situation in

Madrid after the first bombing raids remained unsuccessful for the Nationalist movement, Re-

publican air superiority was obvious especially with the involving of the Soviet Polikarpov I-15

and I-16 aircraft (Westwell 24).Yet again, German leaders in Spain considered reinforcements

from Hitler, By the early months of 1937, new aircraft were sent to the Legion Condor including

Henschel Hs 123 dive bombers, and prototypes of the Heinkel He 112 and Messerschmitt Bf

109, with the last proving the most successful (Westwell 24). The Heinkel He 111 was added to

the bomber fleet, along with the Dornier Do 17 E and F types. There was still some lack of qual-

ity shown by Italian and German air forces in the Madrid area, the Soviet army proved to be

stronger in this sense, a joint Italian-German General staff had a reunion with General Franco

and advised him to take on smaller Republican controlled areas (Westwell 29).

The Nationalist front would concentrate then its attacks to the Basque part of northern

Spain with the Aviazione Legionaria and Legion Condor backing them up all the way. The

Basque forces were very limited and this would mean an easy win for the right-wing movement

and in April 26th, the most infamous attacks of the Condor legion and Aviazione Legionaria

would come to be. In Operation Rügen, in the Basque city of Guernica, waves of Ju 52 and He

51 planes bombed and strafed defenseless civilians without mercy. The number reported dead by

the Basques was 1,654 dead and 889 wounded (Westwell 31; Hugh 419).There were different ar-

guments put out by nationalists trying to explain what had happened in Guernica, but it is

thought that this was another Nazi experiment carried out by the Legion Condor rather than a

Nationalist move as a whole, for many an omen of what was to come in WWII. The Legion Con-

dor would prove their worth to the Nationalist cause in further campaigns with extensive air op-

erations with ongoing fighting like in the Battle of Brunete, with repeated raids on Republican

vehicles and defensive positions (Westwell 33,34).

Republican air forces were no match for the German Luftwaffe, with 18 victories

claimed for the Nationalist front and Germans tactics employed also improved from experiences

of the battle of Brunete, it was a win-win situation for the Fascist ideals of Franco’s Spain and

Hitler’s Nazi Germany. In the Battle of Santander, on September 1st, The Nazi air force got to

test new Aircraft models that stroked outdated Basque air force and some Soviet planes as well

(Thomas 468,69). Heavy aerial bombardment from 200 Spaniards, Germans and Italian planes

made the fall of Santander possible.

The Condor Legion after a short break from duty, received new aircraft ready to be tested

out in Spanish frontiers, consisting of Bf 109Es, He 111Es and Js, and Hs 126As, fortifying the

Legion’s strength to 96 aircraft, around a fifth of the Nationalist's force as a whole (Westwell

45). “This reinforcement may have been the single most important intervention by a foreign side

in the war” (Thomas, 566). By February 1939 towards the end of the war, and with a proven

worth to the Nationalist causes, the Legion participated in air strikes against the remaining Re-

publican air force, defeating them at every turn, with the civil war won in favor of General Fran-

cisco Franco y Bahamonde, the Condor Legion took part in parades all over Spain and returned

home may 26th of that same year, taking only the best aircrafts available and leaving the rest of

the artillery to the new Spanish government. “The Condor Legion claimed to have destroyed 320

Spanish Republican planes using aircraft (either shot down or bombed on the ground), and shot

down another 52 using anti-aircraft guns.” (westwell, 49). Bringing success to the Führer of Ger-

many and his experimental involvement in the Spanish Civil War.

Results of the Spanish Civil War

At the end of the civil war el Generalisimo Franco would proclaimed Spain his and be-

came a conservative Dictator with Fascist ideals, with a great debt to the Italians and especially

to Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler, gained a Franco’s Spain gratitude, a Nationalist front leader, a

great distraction of the western international powers like Britain and France, and largely ad-

vancement and fortitude of his Third Reich army. Hitler and his subordinates in command in the

civil war accomplished the further training and testing of the Luftwaffe, the view that the Span-

ish internal conflict prove to be a training ground for troops later employed during the World

War II is supported by men like military leader Hermann Göring. When on trial at the Interna-

tional Military Tribunal in Nürnberg. When asked about the decision to use the Luftwaffe,

Göring states:

“When the Civil War broke out in Spain, Franco sent a call for help to Germany and

asked for support, particularly in the air. One should not forget that Franco with his

troops was stationed in Africa and that he could not get the troops across, as the fleet was

in the hands of the Communists, or, as they called themselves at the time, the competent

Revolutionary Government in Spain. The decisive factor was, first of all, to get his troops

over to Spain. The Führer thought the matter over. I urged him to give support [to

Franco] under all circumstances, firstly, in order to prevent the further spread of commu-

nism in that theater and, secondly, to test my young Luftwaffe at this opportunity in this

or that technical respect” (Trial of the Major War Criminals; Vol. IX)

As a curious note, the first air ambulance was seen with the Nazi involvement in the civil war

also saw the service for evacuation of injured soldiers (Caballero 57). The Hitler regime also so

technical advances in their precious Luftwaffe used in WWII like the development of the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the Condor Legion. Also tactical strategies of war were gained, combat

experience and theories on strategic bombings as well.

The scars of Spain Civil War took years to heal and in some ways they never have, Inter-

nationally Franco’s victory over the Republic proved to be a disaster confirming Mussolini and

Hitler’s beliefs that the democracies of Britain and France were incompetent to stop a Fascist

movement. Air technology provided by Germany and Italy to the Nationalist front and Soviet

airplanes provided to the Popular front in the civil war proved to be decisive in key points of the

conflict for each party.

For many the Spanish Civil War is considered the first battle of World War II an idea in which I

can agree upon. The involvement of Key characters from the Axis power like Benito Mussolini

and Adolf Hitler and their Fascist ideas against the form of government of Communism and with

a milder intervention of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin it can be concluded that if not the first

battle of WWII, it was certainly the opening act. Franco and Hitler’s relations remained after the

civil war, even though in debt for all the help provided, Franco decided to stayed out of WWII

and the Führer’s side. Some argue that General Franco asked too much from Hitler in return for

his help, others say el Generalisimo over played his hand on purpose to maintained himself and a

broken Spain that had just come out of a fierce civil conflict. But Diplomacy kept intact between

the two leaders and at the end of the civil war the Spaniard dictator sent nearly 50,000 volunteers

to fight alongside the Germans on the Soviet front. Franco also opened his ports to German sub-

marines and invaded the internationally administered city of Tangier in Morocco. Following the

war, Spain faced diplomatic and economic isolation. At the end each leader accomplished some-

thing positive out of the Spanish Civil War for their own gain.