An expert account of Nazi Germany's air war during the Spanish Civil
War, where air power turned the tide for Franco and taught the Luftwaffe
how to wage Blitzkrieg.
The bombing of Guernica has become a symbol of Nazi involvement in the
Spanish Civil War, but the extent of the German commitment is often
underestimated. The Luftwaffe sent 20,000 officers and men to Spain from
1936 to 1939, and the Condor Legion carried out many missions in support
of the Spanish Nationalist forces and played a lead role in many key
campaigns of the war. Aircraft that would play a significant role in the
combat operations of World War II (the Heinkel 11 bomber, the Me 109
fighter, and others) saw their first action in Spain, fighting against
the modern Soviet fighters and bombers that equipped the Republican Air
Force. Condor Legion bombers attacked Republican logistics and transport
behind the lines as well as bombing strategic targets, German bombers
and fighters provided highly effective close air support for the
front-line troops, and German fighters and antiaircraft units ensured
Nationalist control of the air.
The experience garnered in Spain was very important to the development
of the Luftwaffe. The war allowed them to hone and develop their
tactics, train their officers, and to become the most practiced air
force in the world at conducting close support of ground troops. In
effect, the Spanish Civil War proved to be the training ground for the
Blitzkrieg which would be unleashed across Europe in the years that
followed. In this rigorous new analysis, Legion Condor expert James
Corum explores both the history and impact of the Luftwaffe's engagement
during the Spanish Civil War and the role that engagement played in the
development of the Luftwaffe strategy which would be used to such
devastating effect in the years that followed.
