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Legion Condor by Raúl Arias, Lucas Molina and Rafael Permuy, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, Pa., 2013, $79.99.

There has been ample literature on aircraft and airmen of the Condor Legion, Germany’s contingent of volunteers sent to aid the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. What is often overlooked, however, is that in actuality the Legion Condor, to use the German terminology, was a larger multiservice outfit, incorporating armor, anti-aircraft artillery and even naval units with the more-publicized air element. In Legion Condor, Raúl Arias, Lucas Molina and Rafael Permuy present the history of all the formation’s contingents, along with 1,100 photographs. Even with such comprehensive treatment, most of this hefty volume is devoted to the aircraft, old and literally brand new, that all underwent their first operational acid tests over Spain. Color aircraft profiles and a selection of memorabilia and artifacts round out an epic-size treatment of the pioneers who gave Adolf Hitler’s blitzkrieg its first dress rehearsal.

 

Originally published in the May 2015 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.