Aviazione Legionaria
Encyclopedia
The Legionary Air Force was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force
. It was set up in 1936 and sent to provide logistical and tactical support to Francisco Franco
's Nationalist
s during the Spanish Civil War
, alongside its German equivalent, the Condor Legion
, and the Italian ground troops of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie
. They served from August 1936 to the end of the conflict in March 1939. Their main base of operations was the island of Majorca.
to send twelve transport aircraft, twelve reconnaissance planes, ten fighter aircraft, 3000 aerial bombs, antiaircraft machine guns and at least forty five transport ships. At first Mussolini was reluctant to send them, despite his sympathy for Franco, but his son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano
put pressure on him and he changed his mind on July 25. Ciano had in the meantime spoken with two representatives of the Spanish monarchy about thirty fighter planes and other equipment sent by the French government that would arrive on August 2.
On July 27 Mussolini ordered the under-secretary for the Regia Aeronautica, general Giuseppe Valle, to send 12 three-engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.81
bombers with crews and the relevant specialists. These would form the first unit, initially known at first as Aviación del Tercio and set out at dawn on 30 July from Cagliari-Elmas on Sardinia, where they had picked up three officials from the Scuola di Navigazione di Altura at Orbetello, the 'gerarca
' Ettore Muti and the tenente-colonnello
Ruggero Bonomi. The aircraft crews and the specialists were all volunteers from 7th, 10th and 13th Stormo and were provided with civilian clothes and fake documents. All the Italian symbols on the planes had been blotted out to prevent an international incident with pro-Republican European governments. Fake documents stated that the planes were being sold to the Spanish journalist Luis Bolin.
The trip to Franco's forces was very hard and not all of the planes reached Morocco - the plane commanded by Angelini crashed in the Mediterranean, that under Mattalia crashed near Saïda
(in a French-controlled part of Morocco
), and that commanded by Lo Forte had to make an emergency landing near Berkane
(also in French Morocco) and was seized by the local authorities. The nine survivors of the Moroccan crashes were provided with nationalist papers and transferred to the airport at Tetuan, from which they helped over the following days to escort the transport ships Araujo, Ciudad de Alicante and Ciudad de Ceuta, which together carried 4,000 men, 4 artillery batteries, 2 million cartridges and 12 tons of other munitions to mainland Spain.
Encouraged by this first operation's success, Mussolini began to send a more steady stream of munitions, personnel and supplies under the name of Aviación Legionaria, Aviazione Legionaria. As well as supporting Franco's ground forces, the units of the Aviazione Legionaria repeatedly attacked Spanish cities and ports such as Barcelona
, Madrid
, Alicante
, Valencia and Almeria
, significantly inhibiting the supply-lines for the Spanish Republican forces
.
On 12 May 1939 the last Italian aircrew embarked for Italy on the ship Duilio at Cadiz
. By the end of the conflict the Aviazione Legionaria had had a total of 135,265 hours' flying time on 5,318 operations, dropping 11,524 tons of bombs and destroying 943 enemy air units and 224 ships. 171 Italian personnel had been killed and 192 wounded, with 74 fighters, 8 bombers, 2 ground-attack planes and 2 reconnaissance aircraft shot down or destroyed. The ratio of results to men and machines lost was positive, but also confirmed the Regia Aeronautica's commanders in their mistaken belief that biplanes and triplanes were still valid in modern combat. In fact the age of air warfare dominated by these aircraft was waning and it was becoming evident that radio needed to be mounted on all aircraft and that bomb-aiming now had to be done with special instruments rather than by sight These errors of judgement would prove decisive when Italy entered the Second World War in 1940.
biplanes arrived in Melilla
in transport ships on 14 August 1936 (405 would have been sent to Franco by the end of the operation) and by the end of August the "Cucaracha" squadron was formed at Caceres with aircraft of that type. Initial dispatches of aircraft were followed by more numerous ones - in March 1939 eleven of the new monoplane Fiat G.50
fighter were sent, to be based at the base at Ascalona, though in the end they never saw action.
Various bombers were sent 55 three-engined S.M.81 "Pipistrello", 99 of the three-engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
"Sparviero" and 16 of the Fiat BR.20
"Cicogna". The units were made part of the 21st Stormo da Bombardamento Pesante and from the 251st and 252nd Squadriglia Pipistrelli delle Baleari. The "Cicogne" went to 230th Squadriglia da bombardamento veloce in summer 1937, before being moved to the 231st in 1938.
Altogether a total of 758 airplanes were sent:
The 276 of these aircraft which survived at the end of the war were all transferred to the new Spanish Fascist airforce.
s placed on both sides of the wings and on the tail-rudder. The wing symbol was a completely black circle, later personalised with white symbols ranging from a simple cross to designs referring to the commanders of the Condor Legion and the Aviación Nacional. The tail symbol was a simple black cross on a white field, which remained the fin flash
of the later Ejército del Aire
.
Source: Axishistory.com (12 July 2008)
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
. It was set up in 1936 and sent to provide logistical and tactical support to Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's Nationalist
National Faction (Spanish Civil War)
The National faction also known as Nationalists or Nationals , was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of political groups opposed to the Second Spanish Republic, including the Falange, the CEDA, and two rival monarchist claimants: the Alfonsists...
s during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, alongside its German equivalent, the Condor Legion
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...
, and the Italian ground troops of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie
Corpo Truppe Volontarie
The Corps of Volunteer Troops was an Italian expeditionary force which was sent to Spain to support General Francisco Franco and the Spanish Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War...
. They served from August 1936 to the end of the conflict in March 1939. Their main base of operations was the island of Majorca.
History
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, General Franco had about 30,000 troops and Moroccan nationals under his command, along with some artillery units, of whom the majority were on Spanish territory in Africa and in the Balearic Islands. His main problem was to get them to mainland Spain and so, on 24 July 1936, Franco turned to the Italian consul in Tangiers and then directly to major Luccardi, the military attache in the Italian consulate. Through them Franco tried to convince Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
to send twelve transport aircraft, twelve reconnaissance planes, ten fighter aircraft, 3000 aerial bombs, antiaircraft machine guns and at least forty five transport ships. At first Mussolini was reluctant to send them, despite his sympathy for Franco, but his son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano
Galeazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
put pressure on him and he changed his mind on July 25. Ciano had in the meantime spoken with two representatives of the Spanish monarchy about thirty fighter planes and other equipment sent by the French government that would arrive on August 2.
On July 27 Mussolini ordered the under-secretary for the Regia Aeronautica, general Giuseppe Valle, to send 12 three-engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.81
Savoia-Marchetti SM.81
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello was a three-engine bomber/transport aircraft serving in the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II...
bombers with crews and the relevant specialists. These would form the first unit, initially known at first as Aviación del Tercio and set out at dawn on 30 July from Cagliari-Elmas on Sardinia, where they had picked up three officials from the Scuola di Navigazione di Altura at Orbetello, the 'gerarca
Gerarca
Gerarca was a term used during the Fascist rule in Italy to refer to a member of the National Fascist Party ....
' Ettore Muti and the tenente-colonnello
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Ruggero Bonomi. The aircraft crews and the specialists were all volunteers from 7th, 10th and 13th Stormo and were provided with civilian clothes and fake documents. All the Italian symbols on the planes had been blotted out to prevent an international incident with pro-Republican European governments. Fake documents stated that the planes were being sold to the Spanish journalist Luis Bolin.
The trip to Franco's forces was very hard and not all of the planes reached Morocco - the plane commanded by Angelini crashed in the Mediterranean, that under Mattalia crashed near Saïda
Saida, Algeria
-Location:Saïda is located in northwestern Algeria, on the southern slopes of the Tell Atlas mountain range situated on the northern fringe of the High Plateaus...
(in a French-controlled part of Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
), and that commanded by Lo Forte had to make an emergency landing near Berkane
Berkane
Berkane is a city in the northeastern Morocco in the area of Thrifa, limited by the Mediterranean to its north, the Kiss Oued and the wilaya of Oujda in the east, the wilaya of Nador in the west and the wilaya of Taourirt in the south. This common belongs to the wilaya of Oujda...
(also in French Morocco) and was seized by the local authorities. The nine survivors of the Moroccan crashes were provided with nationalist papers and transferred to the airport at Tetuan, from which they helped over the following days to escort the transport ships Araujo, Ciudad de Alicante and Ciudad de Ceuta, which together carried 4,000 men, 4 artillery batteries, 2 million cartridges and 12 tons of other munitions to mainland Spain.
Encouraged by this first operation's success, Mussolini began to send a more steady stream of munitions, personnel and supplies under the name of Aviación Legionaria, Aviazione Legionaria. As well as supporting Franco's ground forces, the units of the Aviazione Legionaria repeatedly attacked Spanish cities and ports such as Barcelona
Bombing of Barcelona
The Bombing of Barcelona was a series of Nationalist airstrikes which took place from 16 to 18 March 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. Up to 1,300 people was killed and at least 2,000 wounded.-Background:...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Valencia and Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, significantly inhibiting the supply-lines for the Spanish Republican forces
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
.
On 12 May 1939 the last Italian aircrew embarked for Italy on the ship Duilio at Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. By the end of the conflict the Aviazione Legionaria had had a total of 135,265 hours' flying time on 5,318 operations, dropping 11,524 tons of bombs and destroying 943 enemy air units and 224 ships. 171 Italian personnel had been killed and 192 wounded, with 74 fighters, 8 bombers, 2 ground-attack planes and 2 reconnaissance aircraft shot down or destroyed. The ratio of results to men and machines lost was positive, but also confirmed the Regia Aeronautica's commanders in their mistaken belief that biplanes and triplanes were still valid in modern combat. In fact the age of air warfare dominated by these aircraft was waning and it was becoming evident that radio needed to be mounted on all aircraft and that bomb-aiming now had to be done with special instruments rather than by sight These errors of judgement would prove decisive when Italy entered the Second World War in 1940.
Aircraft and units
12 Fiat CR.32Fiat CR.32
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...
biplanes arrived in Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
in transport ships on 14 August 1936 (405 would have been sent to Franco by the end of the operation) and by the end of August the "Cucaracha" squadron was formed at Caceres with aircraft of that type. Initial dispatches of aircraft were followed by more numerous ones - in March 1939 eleven of the new monoplane Fiat G.50
Fiat G.50
The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. First flown in February 1937, the G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
fighter were sent, to be based at the base at Ascalona, though in the end they never saw action.
Various bombers were sent 55 three-engined S.M.81 "Pipistrello", 99 of the three-engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero was a three-engined Italian medium bomber with a wood and metal structure. Originally designed as a fast passenger aircraft, this low-wing monoplane, in the years 1937–39, set 26 world records that qualified it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the...
"Sparviero" and 16 of the Fiat BR.20
Fiat BR.20
The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a low-wing twin-engine medium bomber produced from mid-1930s until the end of World War II by the Turin firm. When it entered service in 1936 it was the first all-metal Italian bomber and it was regarded as one of the most modern medium bomber of the world...
"Cicogna". The units were made part of the 21st Stormo da Bombardamento Pesante and from the 251st and 252nd Squadriglia Pipistrelli delle Baleari. The "Cicogne" went to 230th Squadriglia da bombardamento veloce in summer 1937, before being moved to the 231st in 1938.
Altogether a total of 758 airplanes were sent:
- Fiat CR.32Fiat CR.32The 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...
, fighter (377 aircraft) - Fiat G.50Fiat G.50The Fiat G.50 Freccia was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. First flown in February 1937, the G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production...
, fighter (12) - Fiat BR.20Fiat BR.20The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a low-wing twin-engine medium bomber produced from mid-1930s until the end of World War II by the Turin firm. When it entered service in 1936 it was the first all-metal Italian bomber and it was regarded as one of the most modern medium bomber of the world...
, bomber (113) - Savoia-Marchetti SM.79Savoia-Marchetti SM.79The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero was a three-engined Italian medium bomber with a wood and metal structure. Originally designed as a fast passenger aircraft, this low-wing monoplane, in the years 1937–39, set 26 world records that qualified it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the...
, torpedo-bomber (100) - Savoia-Marchetti SM.81Savoia-Marchetti SM.81The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello was a three-engine bomber/transport aircraft serving in the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II...
, bomber (64) - Breda Ba.65Breda Ba.65|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I . Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. ISBN 0-562-00096-8....
, ground attack aircraftGround attack aircraftGround-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
(12) - SeaplaneSeaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s, several types (22 approximately) - nine single-engined CANT Z.501CANT Z.501The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano 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,...
seaplanes were sent to assist Franco's naval units in April 1937, along with four heavy three-engined CANT Z.506CANT Z.506The CANT Z.506 Airone was a triple-engine floatplane produced by CANT from 1935. It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline "Ala Littoria"...
seaplanes in July 1938. - Transport aircraftTransport aircraftTransport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes:* Airliners* Cargo aircraft* Mail planes* Military transport aircraft...
, several types (53 approximately) - Troop carrier aircraft, several types, (10 approximately)
- Training and reconnaissance aircraft - 25 of the single-engined biplane IMAM Ro.41, 36 IMAM Ro.37s, 16 Caproni Ca.310Caproni Ca.310|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bishop, Chris. The Complete Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. London: Brown Books, 1998. ISBN 1-897884-36-2....
s, 10 Caproni A.P.1Caproni A.P.1|-See also:-References:* Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989.* Sapienza Fracchia, Antonio Luis: "La Contribución Italiana en la Aviación Paraguaya". Author's edition. Asunción. 2007.-External links:* *...
s, 6 Breda Ba.28s and a few Fiat C.R.20BFiat CR.20|-See also:-References:* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York:Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8....
The 276 of these aircraft which survived at the end of the war were all transferred to the new Spanish Fascist airforce.
Markings
The unit's recognition symbols were roundelMilitary aircraft insignia
Military aircraft insignia are insignia applied to military aircraft to identify the nation or branch of military service to which the aircraft belongs...
s placed on both sides of the wings and on the tail-rudder. The wing symbol was a completely black circle, later personalised with white symbols ranging from a simple cross to designs referring to the commanders of the Condor Legion and the Aviación Nacional. The tail symbol was a simple black cross on a white field, which remained the fin flash
Fin flash
A fin flash is part of the national markings of the military aircraft of a number of countries.In addition to the insignia displayed on the wings and fuselage, usually in the form of roundels, an additional marking known as a fin flash may also be displayed on the fin. A fin flash often takes the...
of the later Ejército del Aire
Spanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
.
Personnel
In addition to the aircraft, Italy provided a number of well-trained men, sending more than 6,000 in total (5,699 airmen and 312 civilians). These men replaced Spaniards who had been killed.Aces
| Name | Kills |
|---|---|
| Mario Bonzano | 15 |
| Adriano Mantelli | 12 |
| Corrado Ricci | 10 |
| Guido Nobili | 10 |
| Carlo Romagnoli | 9 |
| Giuseppe Cenni | 6 |
| Granco Lucchini | 5 |
| Enrico degli Incenti | 5 |
Source: Axishistory.com (12 July 2008)
Commanders
In its two and a half years in Spain the legion had four commanders (final ranks noted):- Generale di Brigata Aerea Ruggero Bonomi, until December 1936
- Generale di Divisione Aerea Vincenzo Velardi
- Generale di Squadra Aerea Mario Bernasconi
- Generale di Divisione Aerea Adriano Monti.
See also
- Spanish Republican Air ForceSpanish Republican Air ForceThe Spanish Republican Air Force, , was the air arm of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939...
- Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
- Spanish Air ForceSpanish Air Force-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
- Condor LegionCondor LegionThe Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...