Spanish Civil War Republican Bombers and Transport Aircraft

[gekho]

On May 19, 1937, Republican Spain was divided into eight Air Regions, replacing the former Escuadra system of organization: Madrid, Guadalajara, and Cuenca; Murcia, from Hellin to Almeria; Catalonia and eastern Aragon; Valencia, including Alicante; Ciudad Real, and parts of Estremadura; the Basque-Asturian enclave; Albacete and La Mancha; and Jaen and eastern Andalusia. The Air Regions corresponded to the construction and upkeep of more than 400 Soviet-built airfields in the Government zone during 1937, most being camouflaged rural homesteads, abandoned estates, or forests. Republican squadrons were later moved from field to field, often on a daily basis, to minimize the threat of suprise attack. The former Escuadra now represented an organizational entity, instead of a geographical unit, closely resembling the interwar "Commands" of the Royal Air Force.

There also occurred significant changes among Loyalist first-line combat pilots. A sprinkling of Spanish and American flyers joined Grupo 21’s formerly all-Russian Mosca escuadrillas in the early summer of 1937; and the number of Spanish I-16 pilots dramatically rose thereafter. Among Grupo 26’s four Chato squadrons, the Escuadrilla LaCalle was reformed with Spanish pilots and dispatched to the Basque zone, following LaCalle’s departure tot he USSR as head of the 2nd Promocin (training course). The 1st Chato Escuadrilla remained largely Russian until May 1938; the other I-15 escuadrillas being mainly or entirely Spanish from May 1937, onwards. The Government air war had become, little by little, a truly Spanish affair.

[gekho]

Spain bought a prototype and a license already in 1923, and started production in CASA works, in A2 and B2 variants. First 19 aircraft were imported, then 26 completed from French parts, then 177 manufactured (50 of them had Hispano-Suiza engine, the rest 127 - license-built Elizalde - Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine). Breguet 19s were basic equipment of Spanish bomber and reconnaissance units until the initial period of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936 there were 135 in service. They were actively used as bombers during the war, especially on the government (Republican) side. In 1936, the Nationalists bought additional 20 Br.19 from Poland. With an advent of more modern fighters, Br.19 suffered big losses, and around 1937 were withdrawn from frontline service. Republican side lost 28 aircraft, and Nationalists lost 10 (including 2 Republican and 1 Nationalist aircraft, that deserted). Remaining aircraft were used for training until 1940.

[gekho]

The first combat of the Potez 540 was in the Spanish Civil War, where they were employed by the Spanish Republicans. In the late 1930s, these aircraft were becoming obsolete so they were withdrawn from reconnaissance and bombing duties and were relegated to French transport units. They were also employed as paratrooper training and transport aircraft. By September 1939 and the beginning of World War II, they had been largely transferred to the French colonies in North Africa, where they continued to function in transport and paratrooper service. Their role in even these secondary assignments was problematic given their poor defensive armament and vulnerability to modern enemy fighters. Following the French capitulation to Germany in June 1940, those Potez 540s still flying served the Vichy French Air Force mainly in the French overseas colonies. Most of these machines were retired or destroyed by late 1943.

[gekho]

The Bloch 210.01 prototype flew for the first time in June 1934. It was intended as a twin-float seaplane bomber for the French Navy. A second prototype was designated Bloch 211 N°1 Verdun. Following tests, the production version was ordered as the Bloch 210. A cantilever low-wing monoplane which retained the angular lines of the high-wing Bloch 200, the Bloch 210 was powered by two 678kW Gnome-Rhone 14N engines and had a retractable landing gear, the main units of which retracted into the engine nacelles. Armament comprised single 7.5mm MAC machine-guns in a nose turret and semi-retractable dorsal and ventral positions. Maximum bomb load was 1,730kg.

The first production machine flew on 10 December 1935. A total of 283 were eventually built for the Armee de l'Air, with which they served in the BN5 (five-crew night bomber) category. Final deliveries to the air force were made in February 1939, by which time the aircraft was obsolete.

By September 1939 238 Bloch 210s served with French bomber Groupes, employed on limited night operations including leaflet raids. However all were withdrawn from first-line service by June 1940. Twenty-four Bloch 210s had also been exported to Romania in 1938 and the Spanish Republicans had received several. Ex-Vichy aircraft were supplied by the Germans to Bulgaria in 1942.

[gekho]

The first prototype Br.460 flew for the first time in 1935. Then the project was cancelled in favour of Br.462 which first flown in October 1936. Only three Br.462 were built and all of them were sent to Spain.

[gekho]

Despite the fact that the assembly lines were plagued with a constant string of modifications, some 400 SBs were delivered by the end of 1936 - a number of these being diverted to Spain - and 24 VVS squadrons were in the process of working up with the new bomber. Giving excellent performance in the Spanish Civil War, it acquired the popular name "Katyushka". Republican Spanish Air Force received its first 31 SB-2M-100A bombers on 14 October 1936. The second batch of 31 aircraft was delivered in June-July 1937 and a final batch of 31 following in 1938. The Soviet Union delivered a total of 93 SBs to Spain. Nationalist Spanish Air Force captured 19 SB-2M-100A bombers. All were overhauled and Soviet M-100 engines were replaced with French Hispano Suiza 12Ybrs. These aircraft were used operationally and later for training duties, and were retired in 1950. Spanish pilots called captured SB bombers Katiuska.

[gekho]

Spanish Air Force bought a prototype and a license in 1923, and started production in the CASA works, in A2 and B2 variants. The first 19 aircraft were imported, the next 26 completed from French parts, then 177 were manufactured (50 of them had Hispano-Suiza engine, the rest the Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine). The Breguet 19 was the basic equipment of Spanish bomber and reconnaissance units until the initial period of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, there were 135 in service. They were actively used as bombers during the war, especially on the government (Republican) side. In 1936, the Nationalists bought an additional twenty from Poland. With an advent of more modern fighters, the Br.19 suffered many losses, and after 1937 were withdrawn from frontline service. The Republican side lost 28 aircraft, and Nationalists lost 10 (including 2 Republican and 1 Nationalist aircraft, that deserted). The remaining aircraft were used for training until 1940.

[vikingBerserker]

Great pics!

[gekho]

The Northrop Delta was an American single engined passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. Closely related to Northrop's Gamma mail plane, 13 were produced by the Northrop Corporation, followed by 19 aircraft built under license by Canadian Vickers Limited. When Jack Northrop set up the Northrop Corporation as a joint venture with the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1932, he set out to design two closely related single engined aircraft as the new company's first products, a mailplane/record breaking aircraft, which was designated the Gamma and a passenger transport, the Delta. The Delta was a low winged monoplane, with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. It was of all-metal stressed skin construction, with streamlining spats covering the main landing gear. While the Delta's wings were common with those of the Gamma, it had a new, wider fuselage, which seated the pilot in an enclosed cockpit immediately behind the engine, and had accommodation for eight passengers in a cabin behind the pilot. The first Delta was flown in May 1933, and received an airworthiness certificate in August that year.

Seven aircrafts were built as executive transports for private owners. Of these, three were purchased by the Spanish Republicans for use in the Spanish Civil War. Two of these aircraft were captured by the Nationalists when the ship carrying them (along with four Vultee V-1s, a Fairchild 91 and a Lockheed Electra) was captured at sea. These two Deltas were used as Transports by Franco's forces, while the third Delta was used by the Republican airline Lineas Aéreas Postales Españolas (LAPE) until the end of the civil war when it was handed over to Franco's air force.