During the first week of July 1937, the German Condor Legion launched a spectacular coordinated attack on Spanish Republican forces at the Battle of Brunete, about 15 miles west of Madrid. Messerschmitt Bf-109B fighters flew top cover to maintain air superiority while Heinkel He-111 bombers attacked both strategic and tactical targets. At the same time, Heinkel He-51 biplanes barreled in below 500 feet, strafing and bombing troops and anti-aircraft batteries. The biplanes came in waves of nine-across formations, wingtip to wingtip, each carrying six 22-pound fragmentation bombs and dropping them simultaneously. The resulting carnage demolished the morale of the surviving troops. So effective was the onslaught that by the time the Heinkels completed their runs, the attacking Spanish Nationalist troops were within hand grenade range of the Republican defenders. That beautifully coordinated attack was just one example of the striking aerial combat techniques developed during the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War by the Condor Legion.

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During World War I, the capitalists of neutral Spain had profited by selling coal, zinc, copper, pyrites and textiles to the belligerents. But the inflation generated by that conflict resulted in suffering for the Spanish working classes, setting the stage for nationwide political unrest. The antagonism between Conservatives and Liberals increased steadily. Between 1931 and 1936 there were two general elections and 28 different governments.

The Communist Party of Spain joined with other left-wing groups using the name Popular Front and won the election of February 1936. The Spanish Fascists, called Falangists, challenged the Popular Front, which resulted in open violence. The Falangists planned a coup d’etat that involved two Spanish generals; however, the government discovered the plot and quickly reacted by discharging or prematurely retiring any officer whose loyalty was suspect. Other officers were assigned to posts outside the Spanish mainland. The latter included General Francisco Franco Bahamonde, who was exiled to command the Canary Islands, off the west coast of Africa.

On July 18, 1936, garrisons rebelled all over Spain, and many Spanish generals joined the rebels, with the result that some of northern Spain fell to the insurgents. At the onset of hostilities, the small Spanish air force (SAF) was a composite of foreign-built and Spanish-built foreign designs, mostly obsolete. The insurgents had only those aircraft that they could capture from government bases, or foreign aircraft they hijacked while they were in transit to Spain. Spanish air force aircraft included the Breguet XIX, Vickers Vildebeest, Hawker Fury, Bristol Bulldog, Czech Aero 101, Polish P.W.S. 10, Dutch Koolhoven FK.51 and Fokker F. VII, and de Havilland Dragon Rapide — none of which would have been very useful in a contemporary conflict.

Consequently, Madrid’s Popular Front government asked France and the Soviet Union for help. (The Popular Front Spanish government was variously called Loyalists, Communists and Republicans, while the rebels were referred to as the insurgents, Fascists and Nationalists. The most common appellation given to the combatants was Nationalists and Loyalists.) On July 20, 1936, French Popular Front Prime Minister Léon Blum promised assistance and sold Dewoitine D.372 fighters and Bloch MB.210 and Potez 54 bombers to Spain. Four days later Italy promised the insurgents assistance with personnel and weapons.

Meanwhile, General Franco flew to Tetuan, in Spanish Morocco, on July 19, where he took command of the Foreign Legion and Moorish troops. But Franco had no way of transporting his 25,000-man army across the Straits of Gibraltar to Spain, so he asked Germany to supply transport aircraft.

Adolf Hitler decided to help General Franco in their common cause against communism — and also test his own armed forces in live action. The Nazi leader’s motives also included the need to trade for Spain’s raw materials as well as to improve Germany’s foreign exchange situation.

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