The 'Blue Squadrons': The Spanish in the Luftwaffe, 1941-1944

When on June 22, 1941, the news of the attack that the Third Reich had initiated against the Soviet Union reached Spain, it was received with great satisfaction, since it was not in vain that they had just come out of a civil war in which the Soviet Union had been defeated. communism that they wanted to impose with the help of the USSR.

General Francisco Franco, chief of the Spanish state, offered to send a Volunteer Unit to fight on the Eastern Front alongside the German army, an offer that was accepted by the German government two days later. The formation of the Blue Division was already underway. But the Spanish Air Force also wanted to participate in the aerial fight against the USSR and promptly began preparations to organize a series of several successive squadrons, each one of which would act at the front for six months.

During the story of the combats between the Spaniards and the Soviets, we learn about the different missions that were ordered for the Spanish unit. We will also be able to see the planes against which the Spanish fought.

In this book we will recount the adventures of the 5 squadrons sent between 1941 and 1944 to fight against the Soviets. We will learn about the courage and skill of the Spanish drivers and mechanics who achieved a high number of victories.

The 5 Blue Squadrons from October 1941 to March 1944 remained in the combat front for almost 30 months. During these months they carried out 4944 combat missions, with 611 engagements against the enemy and managed to shoot down 164 Soviet aircraft.

Among the Spanish pilots there were 13 aces (when 5 enemy planes were shot down, the pilot was considered an ace), although the short period of time in which each of the 5 Blue Squadrons fought in Russia prevented the number of planes shot down by Spanish pilots was as high as that of their German comrades.

We will also know the planes and emblems used by the 5 squadrons, thanks to an important graphic section of both photographs and profiles.

A noteworthy fact is that the Germans agreed to lend their planes to pilots belonging to a country that was not at war. Also as stated above, the Germans really appreciated and respected the Spanish pilots for their bravery and virtuosity in flying, having fought shoulder to shoulder with them during the Spanish Civil War.

Author: Juan Arráez Cerdá, Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez
Publisher: Helion & Company
Published: 09/30/2023
Pages: 156
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781804512395

This title is only available via back order