The Experimental Units Of Hitler S Condor Legion

At the start of the Spanish Civil War the nationalists sought help for their cause from Germany, following which volunteers from the German Air Force and Army formed what was called the Condor Legion. This force made a significant contribution to General Francos eventual victory and this included two experimental air units, known as VJ/88 and VB/88. The formers mission was to combat test the new monoplane fighters; the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Heinkel He 112. The latter groups task was to test the new twin-engine, retractable undercarriage bombers; the Heinkel He 111, the fast Dornier Do 17 and the Junkers Ju 86.The Heinkels made their combat debut on 9 March 1937, when they attacked Republican held airfields in support of the Battle of Guadalajara. The Heinkel proved superior to the two other German medium bombers, being both faster and carrying a heavier bomb load. Likewise, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was quickly found to be the better of the two fighters. This book aims to examine the history of the men and machines that served in those units. The Fhrer thought the matter over. I urged him to give support [to Franco] under all circumstances, firstly, in order to prevent the further spread of communism in that theatre and, secondly, to test my young Luftwaffe at this opportunity in this or that technical respect.Herman Gring at the Nuremberg War Trials.

Actions of the German air force during the Spanish Civil War. Covers the bombing of Guernica and other events. Draws from previously undiscovered source material.

The tragedy that devastated Spain for 33 months from July 1936 to April 1939, was, first and foremost, a brutal fratricidal conflict, the product of the fatal clash between diametrically opposed views of Spain and an attempt to settle crucial issues which had divided Spaniards for generations: agrarian reform, recognition of the identity of the historical regions (Catalonia, the Basque Country), and the roles of the Catholic Church and the armed forces in a modern state. Being a war between Spaniards, it was particularly brutal, but it was also part of the broader move toward war in Europe and thus sucked in many “volunteers” from abroad. And it left a deep imprint since General Francisco Franco remained at the helm of the country until his death in 1975. The Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil war covers the history of the war, first through a long chronology, which highlights the major steps from the incubation to the conclusion. The overall situation is summed up in the introduction. Then the dictionary section fleshes it out, with over 600 entries on persons, places, events, institutions, battles, and campaigns. More reading can be found in an extensive bibliography. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Spanish Civil War.

Almost since the advent of warfare, civilians have suffered ‘collateral damage’, but the concept of Total War – a war without limits – only surfaced in the early part of the twentieth century. The idea of huge numbers of aircraft raining death upon defenceless cities was seen by many as not only barbaric but, in practical terms, quite unrealistic given the logistical challenges that would have to be overcome in order to put them into practice. Any complacency over the threat, however, was rudely shattered on 26 February 1935, when Adolf Hitler officially signed a decree authorizing the formation of the Luftwaffe. The third branch of Germany’s armed forces erupted on to the European military landscape. Its blustering claims of irrepressible air power sent waves of panic rippling through ministries of war throughout the world. Framing a realistic response to Hitler’s propaganda offensive proved to be problematic given the lack of detailed knowledge of not only the numbers, but also the true performance capabilities of his new generation of aircraft and the ways in which they had expanded the boundaries of war. It was, therefore, of huge interest to all modern military establishments when these machines were deployed during the Spanish Civil War which broke out in July 1936. Notwithstanding the limited scope of this conflict, it offered, for the participating nations, a testing ground for new machines and, for the interested observers, a window into the future of aerial warfare. When the Spanish Civil War was less than a year old it had already seen air power employed in most of the ways that it would be used in the Second World War. This not only included airlifting troops, reconnaissance, interdiction, close support and strategic bombing, but also the deliberate targeting of civilians as a means of achieving military objectives. This book looks at all the significant aerial engagements of the war and examines them against the background of the wider global context. In this way, the Spanish Civil War’s part in the evolution of air power is confirmed, as is the way in which its lessons were learned, or ignored, in the context of the much greater conflagration that was to come.

“An imperative starting point of any future inquiry concerning Nazi Germany’s incursion into and manipulation of Spain’s civil strife.” —International History Review The Spanish Civil War, begun in July 1936, was a preliminary round of World War II. Hitler’s and Mussolini’s cooperation with General Franco resulted in the Axis agreement of October 1936 and the subsequent Pact of Steel of May 1939, immediately following the end of the Civil War. This study presents comprehensive documentation of Hitler’s use of the upheaval in Spain to strengthen the Third Reich diplomatically, ideologically, economically, and militarily. While the last great cause drew all eyes to Western Europe and divided the British and especially the French internally, Hitler could pursue territorial gains in Eastern Europe. This book, based on little-known German records and recently opened Spanish archives, fills a major gap in our understanding of one of the twentieth century’s most significant conflicts. Its comprehensive treatment of German-Spanish relations from 1936 through 1939, bringing together diplomatic, economic, military, and naval aspects, will be of great value to specialists in European diplomacy and the political economy of Nazi imperialism, as well as to all students of the Spanish Civil War. “A major contribution to understanding not only the Spanish conflict, but also the history of the thirties and, in particular, the failure of Britain, France and the Soviet Union to make common cause against fascist powers.” —History Workshop Journal

The third in a three-part in depth study and deals with Hitler’s influence on the Wehrmacht and how his decisions influenced the advancement of weapons technology in this pivotal era of the Second World War. Hitler arrogated to himself the power to make all critical decisions relating to the strategic and operational deployment of the entire Wehrmacht, and this volume analyzes the effect of his decisions on the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. How did his decisions affect the development of German Jet aircraft? And the types of U-Boats used? How did he decide what priority to assign to key weapons in the overall German war effort? What determined how programs such as the V1, V2 and the potential German Atomic bomb were integrated into the German war effort? All these matters were critical to the actual operational power of the Wehrmacht as opposed to its theoretical potential. Similarly, what was the effect of the allied strategic bombing campaign on Germany’s war potential and how effective were the steps Hitler ordered against it? Finally, what did the leading military figures of the Third Reich such as Field Marshals von Rundstedt, Rommel, Kluge, Bock, Model and Kleist think of Hitler’s command? Did the Chiefs of the General Staff during the war – Halder, Zeitzler and Guderian state their views? And what was the effect of the attempt on Hitler’s life through ‘Operation Valkyrie’ on military operations? Hitler's Command is the third in a three part in depth study and deals with Hitler’s influence on the Wehrmacht and how his decisions influenced the advancement of weapons technology in this pivotal era of the Second World War.

In?this book Tony?Le Tissier (author of Berlin Then and Now) traces the rise of Hitler, the Nazi Party and its ramifications, together with its deeds and accomplishments, during the twelve years that the Third Reich existed within today’s boundaries of the Federal Republics of Germany and Austria. The subjects covered include the homes — or sites of them — of the dramatis personnae; the Nazi legends of their martyrs; the sites of the former Third Reich shrines at the Obersalzberg; in Munich; Nuremberg; Bayreuth, and in Berlin; the Hitler Youth schools and the Party colleges; the ‘euthanasia’ killing centers; the concentration camps, and much much?more. Tony then follows the progress of Hitler’s war: from the attack on Poland on September 1, 1939 to defeat in Berlin and the final round-up at Flensburg in May 1945. A final chapter covers the de-Nazification of Germany, the whole volume being illustrated by ‘then and now’ comparison photographs which are the central theme of After the Battle.

Dealing with adult and controversial themes, Daughters of the Dance is a beautiful, moving saga of three generations of strong women immersed in the art of the dance and in their profound relationships with high-powered men driven by oil, wealth, war, trade, religious beliefs, nature, female submissiveness, and sexual boundaries. It is a story of uncharted survival amid three wars in continental Europe during the first half of the twentieth century and its inevitable expansion to the Netherlands