Hermann Göring delivering an honour (likely to be the Spanienkreuz, "Spanish Cross") to a member of the Legion Condor (April 1939)

The Condor Legion was a unit of Nazi Germany's air force which was sent as volunteers to support the right wing Nationalists (i.e. Francisco Franco) in the Spanish Civil War. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1494x1074, 169 KB) from de: http://de. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1494x1074, 169 KB) from de: http://de. ... Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was Nazi war criminal. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Francisco Franco Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (pron. ... The Spanish Civil War (July 18, 1936–April 1, 1939) was a conflict in which the incumbent Second Spanish Republic and political left-wing groups fought against a right-wing nationalist insurrection led by General Francisco Franco, who eventually succeeded in ousting the Republican government and establishing a personal dictatorship. ...

History

The first German aeroplanes arrived in North Africa at the beginning of August 1936 to airlift General Francisco Franco's troops to the Spanish mainland. German military assistance expanded rapidly in the succeeding months; at the beginning of November it was officially amalgamated into the 'Condor Legion'. This consisted of 100 airplanes and 5,000 men under the command of Hugo Sperrle (1885-1953). By rotation of the contingents, a total of approximately 20,000 Germans served in Spain. Despite paying lip service to non-intervention, Adolf Hitler justified this involvement as part of a "fight against Bolshevism." 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle (February 7, 1885 - April 2, 1953), was a German Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He joined the German Army in 1903 and transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Army Air Service) at the start of World War I, serving as an observer... (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ...

The Spanish Civil War provided the Germans with the opportunity to test new weapons and tactics - the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, Heinkel He 111 medium bomber and later, the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber, first saw active service in the Condor Legion. These aircraft played a major role during the early years of the Second World War. The Germans also realized that the days of the biplane fighter were over, the Heinkel He 51 fighter with which the Condor Legion had been equipped initially was switched to a ground attack role and then became a trainer. The Condor Legion also included non-aircraft units. There were panzer crews with Panzerkampfwagen I and sailors who trained Franco's naval forces. The Germans also tested their 88mm heavy anti-aircraft artillery which they used to destroy republican tanks, fortifications, and planes. Messerschmitt Bf 109G The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. ... He 111K The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most famous symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the most famous Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull wings and fixed undercarriage. ... Hs123 biplane. ... The Heinkel He 51 was a single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. ... The Panzer I was a light tank produced by Germany in the 1930s, intended as a training tank, but also used extensively in the Spanish Civil War and early World War II. The Panzer I went by many names and designations, with the most common official designation as the Panzerkampfwagen... German 8. ...

The bombing of the town of Guernica on 26 April 1937 brought fierce international condemnation, inspiring Pablo Picasso's painting "Guernica", which dramatized suffering of the civilian population. Although not the first town to be attacked, the sheer scale of the destruction (with over 1000 killed and 60% of the houses destroyed) was a clear foretaste of what would happen to many cities during the Second World War. Guernica or Guernica y Lumo (Basque Gernika-Lumo, pronounced in IPA [gernika]) is a small city in the Spanish Basque Country that was the meeting place of the Biscayne assembly under an oak tree, the Gernikako Arbola, which was a symbol of traditional freedoms of the Basque people. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Young Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. ... Guernica is one of the most famous paintings by Pablo Picasso, depicting the consequences of the bombing of Guernica. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Various sympathetic writers participated in condemning the scarcely concealed interference of Germany and Italy. An example was Heinrich Mann, who appealed from exile in France with the slogan "German soldiers! A rogue sends you to Spain!" in response to the Legion's involvement. Luiz (Ludwig) Heinrich Mann (March 27, 1871 – March 12, 1950) wrote German novels with social themes whose attacks on the authoritarian and increasingly militaristic nature of post-Weimar German society led to his exile in 1933. ...

Two years after Guernica, pilots of the Condor Legion took part in the terror bombing of Wieluń, Poland. The bombing of WieluÅ„ in World War II refers to the terror bombing of the Polish town of WieluÅ„ by the German Luftwaffe. ...

Composition (November 1936)

• Commanding officer: Generalmajor Hugo Sperrle
• S/88: General staff

Air units (136 aircraft overall): Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle (February 7, 1885 - April 2, 1953), was a German Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He joined the German Army in 1903 and transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Army Air Service) at the start of World War I, serving as an observer...

• J/88: Fighter group with four squadrons of He 51 (48 aircraft)
• K/88: Bomber group with four squadrons of Ju 52 (48 aircraft)
• A/88: Reconnaissance group with four squadrons:
  • three long range reconnaissance squadrons with He 70 (18 aircraft)
  • One short range reconnaissance squadron with He 45 (6 aircraft)
• AS/88: Naval reconnaissance group with four squadrons:
  • One He 59 squadron ( 10 aircraft )
  • One He 60 squadron ( 6 aircraft )
• LN/88: Aerial information battalion with two companies
• F/88: Anti-air battalion with six batteries:
  • Four 88 mm Flak batteries ( 16 pieces )
  • Two 20 mm Flak ( 20 pieces )
• P/88: Two Luftwaffen maintenance companies

The Heinkel He 51 was a single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. ... The Junkers Ju 52 nicknamed Tante Ju (Auntie Ju) and Iron Annie was a civilian airliner and military transport aircraft and bomber manufactured between 1932 and 1945 by Junkers. ... The Heinkel He 70 Blitz was designed in the early 1930s to serve as a fast mail plane for Deutsche Lufthansa. ... Heinkel HE 59 Designed in 1930, the He 59 resulted from a requirement for a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance warplane able to operate with equal facility on wheeled landing gear or twin-float alighting gear. ... The Heinkel He 60 was a biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed for use from Kriegsmarine warships of the 1930s. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: Air Arm, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

People

• Werner Mölders
• Adolf Galland
• Johannes Trautloft
• Heinz Trettner
• Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
• Hajo Herrmann
• Oskar Dirlewanger
• Hugo Sperrle
• Hermann Aldinger
• Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Werner Mölders (March 18, 1913 - November 22, 1941) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ... Adolf Galland (March 19, 1912 - February 9, 1996) was a World War II German fighter pilot and commander of Germanys fighter force (General der Jagdflieger) from 1941 to 1945. ... Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (10 October 1895 - 12 July 1945) He was born in Barzdorf. ... Hajo Herrmann grew up in Kiel and as he was growing up always wanted to be a sailor. ... Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle (February 7, 1885 - April 2, 1953), was a German Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He joined the German Army in 1903 and transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Army Air Service) at the start of World War I, serving as an observer... Hans Rudel Hans-Ulrich Rudel (July 2, 1916 - December 18, 1982) was a Stuka dive-bomber pilot during World War II. Rudel is famous as being the most highly decorated German during the war. ...

See also

• Spanish Civil War: Basque
• Aerotech: Aerial bombing of cities, Flying ace
• Other: Henschel Hs 129

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The aerial bombing of cities became a common tactic in World War II. // Balkan Wars The first ever aerial bombardment was on October 16, 1912 by a Bulgarian military airplane during the Balkan Wars. ... A flying ace is a military aviator who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. ... The Henschel Hs 129, often referred to by its nickname, the Panzerknacker, (tank cracker), was a World War II ground attack aircraft fielded by the Luftwaffe. ...

External links

• www.dhm.de/ Die Legion Condor
• www.h-ref.de/ Luftkrieg: Guernica - Die Erprobung der jungen Luftwaffe
• www.ohne-uns.de/ Von "vollen Erfolgen" und "schuldhaften Verstrickungen" (1997)