Aviazione Legionaria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Legionary Air Force
Aviazione Legionaria
Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 on a bombing raid
Active	28 December 1936 – 10 March 1939 (1936-12-28 – 1939-03-10)
Country	Fascist Italy
Allegiance	Spanish State
Branch	Regia Aeronautica
Air base	Son Bonet, Mallorca
Conflict	Spanish Civil War
Flying hours	135,265
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ruggero Bonomi Vincenzo Velardi Mario Bernasconi Giuseppe Maceratini Adriano Monti
Insignia
Roundels, flash

The Legionary Air Force (Italian: Aviazione Legionaria) was a special air force group from the Italian Royal Air Force. It was created in 1936. This group was sent to help the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. They provided air support and supplies.

The Legionary Air Force and their Nazi German allies, the Condor Legion, fought against the Spanish Republic. They also supported Italian ground troops called the Corpo Truppe Volontarie. They served from August 1936 until the war ended in March 1939. Their main base was on Mallorca, an island in the Balearic Islands.

How the Legionary Air Force Started

When the Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, Francisco Franco was a leader of the rebel armies. He had about 30,000 soldiers and equipment in Spanish North Africa. To move his troops to mainland Spain, Franco asked for help.

On July 24, 1936, Franco contacted the Italian consul in Tangiers. He then spoke directly to Major Luccardi, an Italian military officer. Franco asked Benito Mussolini, Italy's leader, for help. He wanted twelve transport planes, twelve scout planes, ten fighter planes, and many bombs. He also needed anti-aircraft guns and at least forty-five transport ships.

Mussolini was not sure at first, even though he supported Franco. But his son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano, convinced him. On July 25, Mussolini agreed to help.

On July 27, Mussolini ordered General Giuseppe Valle to send planes. They sent 12 three-engine Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 bombers with their crews. This first group was called Aviación del Tercio. They left on July 30 from Cagliari–Elmas in Sardinia.

The plane crews were all volunteers. They were given civilian clothes and fake papers. All Italian symbols on the planes were covered up. This was to avoid problems with other European countries that supported the Spanish Republic. The fake papers said the planes were being sold to a Spanish journalist named Luis Bolin.

Not all the planes made it to Morocco. One plane crashed in the Mediterranean Sea. Another crashed near Saïda in French Morocco. A third plane had to land quickly near Berkane and was taken by local officials. The nine survivors of these crashes were given Nationalist papers. They were taken to the airport at Tetuan. From there, they helped escort ships carrying 4,000 men and supplies to Spain.

Because this first mission was successful, Mussolini kept sending more help. This steady flow of planes, people, and supplies was called the Aviación Legionaria or Aviazione Legionaria.

Bombing Cities and Targets

Aerial bombardment of Barcelona, March 1938

The Aviazione Legionaria bombed military targets. They also bombed cities in areas controlled by the Spanish Republic. These attacks were meant to scare people into giving up. One important bombing was in 1936 during the bombing of Madrid. Residential areas were heavily bombed. However, the wealthy Salamanca district was not bombed. It was thought to have many Nationalist supporters. Italian bombers also attacked a bridge near Guernica. This happened before the Condor Legion bombed Guernica on April 26, 1937. They also attacked Almería.

In 1938, Italian planes carried out many large bombing missions. They hit cities like Barcelona, Alicante, Granollers, and Valencia. They also bombed railway stations at Sant Vicenç de Calders in 1938 and Xàtiva in 1939. The Aviazione Legionaria carried out 728 raids on cities near the Mediterranean Sea. They dropped 16,558 bombs and caused many deaths and injuries.

On May 12, 1939, the last Italian aircrews left Spain. They sailed from Cadiz on the ship Duilio. By the end of the war, the Aviazione Legionaria had flown for 135,265 hours. They completed 5,318 missions. They dropped 11,524 tons of bombs. They destroyed 943 enemy aircraft and 224 ships. During the conflict, 171 Italian soldiers were killed and 192 were wounded. They lost 74 fighter planes, eight bombers, two ground-attack planes, and two scout planes.

The results showed that Italy had a good outcome for the men and machines lost. However, it also showed that Italian air force leaders were wrong. They thought that older biplanes and triplanes were still good for modern fighting. But the time for these planes was ending. It became clear that all planes needed radios. Also, targeting needed special tools, not just aiming by sight. These mistakes would become very important when Italy joined World War II in 1940.

Planes and Units Used

Italy sent many different types of planes to help Franco's forces. Twelve Fiat CR.32 biplanes arrived in Melilla on August 14, 1936. By the end of the operation, 405 of these planes were sent. By the end of August, the Cucaracha squadron was formed at Cáceres using these planes. More planes were sent after the first ones. In March 1939, eleven new Fiat G.50 Freccia monoplane fighters were sent. They were based at Ascalona but never saw action. Besides planes, Italy sent over 6,000 trained people. This included 5,699 airmen and 312 civilians.

Various types of bombers were sent. These included 55 three-engine Savoia-Marchetti SM.81s, 99 three-engine Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s, and 16 Fiat BR.20s. These planes were part of different units.

The planes had special symbols to identify them. These were roundels (circles) on both sides of the wings and on the tail. The wing symbol was a black circle. Later, white symbols were added. The tail symbol was a black cross on a white background. This symbol was later used by the Spanish Air Force.

In total, 764 aircraft were sent:

See Also

In Spanish: Aviación Legionaria para niños

• Condor Legion
• Spanish Republican Air Force