Aircraft and Units
12 Fiat CR.32 biplanes arrived in Melilla in transport ships on 14 August 1936 (405 would have been sent to Franco by the end of the operation) and by the end of August the "Cucaracha" squadron was formed at Caceres with aircraft of that type. Initial dispatches of aircraft were followed by more numerous ones - in March 1939 eleven of the new monoplane Fiat G.50 fighter were sent, to be based at the base at Ascalona, though in the end they never saw action.
Various bombers were sent 55 three-engined S.M.81 "Pipistrello", 99 of the three-engined Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 "Sparviero" and 16 of the Fiat BR.20 "Cicogna". The units were made part of the 21st Stormo da Bombardamento Pesante and from the 251st and 252nd Squadriglia Pipistrelli delle Baleari. The "Cicogne" went to 230th Squadriglia da bombardamento veloce in summer 1937, before being moved to the 231st in 1938.
Altogether a total of 758 airplanes were sent:
- Fiat CR.32, fighter (377 aircraft)
- Fiat G.50, fighter (12)
- Fiat BR.20, bomber (13)
- Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, torpedo-bomber (100)
- Savoia-Marchetti SM.81, bomber (64)
- Breda Ba.65, ground attack aircraft (12)
- Seaplanes, several types (22 approximately) - nine single-engined CANT Z.501 seaplanes were sent to assist Franco's naval units in April 1937, along with four heavy three-engined CANT Z.506 seaplanes in July 1938.
- Transport aircraft, several types (53 approximately)
- Troop carrier aircraft, several types, (10 approximately)
- Training and reconnaissance aircraft - 25 of the single-engined biplane IMAM Ro.41, 36 IMAM Ro.37s, 16 Caproni Ca.310s, 10 Caproni A.P.1s, 6 Breda Ba.28s and a few Fiat C.R.20B
The 276 of these aircraft which survived at the end of the war were all transferred to the new Spanish Fascist airforce.
Read more about this topic: Aviazione Legionaria
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