The Condor Legion: Hitler Honed the Blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War

The Condor Legion in Spain, 1939
Image Source: alamy.com

In 1936, right-wing military commanders launched the coup d’état that sparked the Spanish Civil War. These insurgents, or Nationalists, quickly enlisted the support of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in their struggle against the loyalists, or Republicans. Eager to counter Soviet participation on the Republican side – and to test his own armed forces – Hitler formed the Condor Legion. Ultimately, 19,000 German troops served in Spain. Composed of air, ground and naval units, the Legion perfected the coordinated combined-arms attack known as the blitzkrieg. But their overwhelming success led to decisions that ultimately crippled the Luftwaffe in World War II.

Airlift of Troops from Morocco

When the coup began, British MI-6 agents clandestinely flew Nationalist general Francisco Franco from exile in the Canary Islands to Morocco, where he assumed command of Spanish Foreign Legion and Moroccan troops loyal to the rightists. Franco, who ultimately became Nationalist chief of state, asked German assistance in transporting these troops to Spain. Hitler obliged him by offering 20 Junkers Ju-52 transport aircraft and six obsolete fighter escorts. With this force, Franco airlifted his 25,000 man African force to Spain, where they fought effectively throughout the war.

Air Combat Begins

At the insistence of the Nationalists, Spanish pilots took control of the initial fighter contingent of six Heinkel He-51 bi-planes. The ill-trained Spaniards soon crashed half of them, and German pilots took to the skies again with just three planes to combat two newly-formed loyalist international squadrons. The foreign airman – Russians, Englishmen, Italians, Frenchmen, Belgians, Czechs and Americans – flew a hodge-podge of equipment ultimately replaced by modern monoplane fighters supplied by the Soviet Union.

German Commitment Increases

As Soviet participation increased and Republican resistance stiffened, German intelligence chief Admiral Wilhelm Canaris went to Spain to offer increased German aid. Franco accepted the aid as well as Canaris’ proviso of German command and control of Nazi units. Soon additional air squadrons, plus crack infantry and armor units, headed for Spain under an operation code-named “Winter Exercise Hanta.” Generalleutnant Hugo Sperrle commanded German forces and soon launched a massive strike against the Republican port of Cartagena. Sperrle preferred to destroy cities from the air before allowing ground forces to enter, a tactic disliked by Franco.

Although far smaller than the 75,000 man “Corps of Volunteer Troops” committed by Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, the Condor Legion constituted a fully-equipped and coordinated task force, with personnel recruited from the Luftwaffe, army and navy. Officers of ground and air elements wore Spanish-style olive green uniforms, while naval personnel retained the dark blue uniforms of the German navy.

The Luftwaffe assigned its most promising officers to duty in Spain, rotating them through four-seven month tours. With their valuable battle experience, these veterans invariably became combat leaders and instructors in Luftwaffe training programs.

Although German pilots demonstrated success against the Republicans, Luftwaffe leaders soon realized the inadequacies of the obsolescent aircraft they had committed to the contest. To counter modern planes supplied by the Soviets, the Nazis began introduction of the latest German aircraft, including Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters, Junkers Stuka Ju-87 dive bombers and Heinkel He-111 medium bombers. On the ground, they deployed 88mm heavy anti-aircraft artillery – which soon proved to be highly effective against ground targets, as well – and Panzer I light tanks. Thoroughly tested in Spain, these weapons became mainstays of Wehrmacht forces in World War II. The Condor Legion also developed rapid railway mobility techniques subsequently employed by the Luftwaffe to re-position units across long distances.

Lightning War

The Condor Legion’s coordinated attack at the Battle of Brunete presaged the blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics that Nazi troops would later use to sweep across Europe. While Messerschmitt fighters provided air superiority, Heinkel bombers attacked strategic and tactical targets. Then waves of ground attack aircraft swooped in to maul Republican ground forces, destroying morale and throwing them off balance. Nationalist infantry swarmed in behind the attack aircraft and overwhelmed the devastated defenders.

Guernica

The Condor Legion’s most notorious action took place on April 26, 1937, with the bombing of the Basque city of Guernica. To prevent the arrival of Republican reinforcements and stave off imminent Nationalist defeat, Condor Legion bombers destroyed a bridge and railway station in the city. Later, waves of bombers attacked blindly through the resulting smoke cloud. Up to 1,600 civilians died – many of them women and children. The bombing sparked international outrage and was memorialized by Pablo Picasso’s famous painting. The Legion also bombed other Spanish cities, including Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia in a grisly portent of the Second World War.

Outcomes

German fighters in Spain shot down 409 enemy aircraft. Seventy-two aircraft were lost to enemy action, most in bombing and ground attack roles. Flying accidents destroyed another 160 planes. Of the 19,000 Germans who served in the Spanish Civil War, 298 were lost. Of these, 173 died in battle. The rest died as the result of accidents, disease or other causes.

In helping Franco’s Nationalists secure victory, the Condor Legion brought many valuable lessons home to Germany. Most notably, they perfected the art of blitzkrieg and the coordination of tactical air support for ground troops. Yet this very success came to have a devastating effect on the Third Reich. Luftwaffe leaders became so focused on tactical air-ground operations that they failed to see the need for a balanced air force. Their failure to develop strategic, heavy bombers contributed to the German defeat in World War II.