Editing Condor Legion (section)

==Military operations==
The Condor Legion originally consisted of the {{ill|Kampfgruppe 88|de}} with three squadrons of [[Junkers Ju 52|Ju 52]] bombers and the [[Jagdgruppe 88]], with three squadrons of [[Heinkel He 51]] fighters; the reconnaissance [[Aufklärungsgruppe 88]] supplemented by the Aufklärungsgruppe See 88, an [[anti-aircraft]] group (the Flakabteilung 88); and the Nachrichtenabteilung 88 signals group.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=23}} The anti-aircraft guns used by Flakabteilung 88 were the standard German anti-aircraft guns of the time: the [[8.8cm Flak 18]], [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37|3.7cm Flak 18]] and [[2 cm Flak 30, Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38|2cm Flak 30]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flakabteilung 88 (F/88) (Legion Condor)|url=https://www.axishistory.com/various/141-germany-legion-condor/legion-condor/2404-flakabteilung-88-f88-legion-condor|access-date=2021-07-02|website=www.axishistory.com}}</ref> Overall command was given to [[Hugo Sperrle]], with [[Alexander Holle]] chief of staff. Scheele became a military attaché in [[Salamanca]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=23}} Also operational were two armoured units under the command of [[Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma]], with four [[Panzer I]] tanks each.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|pp=316–317}}

The Nationalists were supported by German and Italian units and material in the [[Battle of Madrid]],{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=322}} but its military situation remained poor for them. Under orders from [[Francisco Franco]], German and Italian aircraft began bombing raids on the city.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=24}} The Germans were keen to observe the effects of bombing and the deliberate burning of civilian sites on a city.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=329}} Offensives involving German aircraft, and the bombings, were unsuccessful. Growing Republican air superiority became increasingly apparent, particularly the strength of the Soviet [[Polikarpov I-15]] and [[Polikarpov I-16|I-16]] aircraft,{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=24}} but historian [[Hugh Thomas (historian)|Hugh Thomas]] described their armaments as "primitive".{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=317}}

Faupel advocated the creation of a single German unit of 15,000 to 30,000 men in November and December 1936, which he believed would be enough to turn the tide of the war toward the Nationalists. [[Hans-Heinrich Dieckhoff]] said that this would be insufficient, and larger measures could provoke Spanish wrath.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=334}}  New aircraft were sent to the Condor Legion between late 1936 and early 1937, including [[Henschel Hs 123]] dive bombers and prototypes of the [[Heinkel He 112]] and [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]]; the latter was the most successful.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=24}} The [[Heinkel He 111]] was added to the bomber fleet, along with the [[Dornier Do 17]] E and F types. Older aircraft were passed on to the Nationalists.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=25}} By the end of 1936, about 7,000 Condor Legion personnel were in Spain.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=337}}{{Refn|By comparison, 14,000 Italians supported Franco's forces.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=337}}|group="nb"}}

German forces also operated in the [[Battle of Jarama]], which began with a Nationalist offensive on 6 February 1937. It included German-supplied ground forces, including two batteries of machine guns, a tank division, and the Condor Legion's anti-aircraft guns.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=25}} Bombing by Republican and Nationalist aircraft, including Ju 52s from the Legion, created a stalemate{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=25–26}} and demonstrated the inadequacy of Legion aircraft when faced with superior Soviet-made fighters.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=26}}{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=376}} Von Thoma requested [[Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)|Irish nationalist]] support for a tank advance at one point.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=376}} The use of He 51 and Ju 52s and the Legion's anti-aircraft guns in ground roles only partly mitigated the Nationalist defeat in the March [[Battle of Guadalajara]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=27}} A joint Italian-German general staff had been set up in January 1937 to advise Franco on war planning. The defeat of a significant Italian force and growing Soviet superiority in tanks and aircraft led the Germans to support a plan to abandon the offensive on Madrid and concentrate a series of attacks on weaker Republican-controlled areas.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=29}} Some concluded that motorised troops were less effective than they had been thought, and the inadequacy of the Italians as a fighting force had become apparent to the Germans.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=388}}

===Biscay campaign===
The isolated area of Biscay, a predominantly-Basque region of northern Spain, was the most immediate target in what was called the [[War in the North]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=30}} It was largely a Nationalist and Italian offensive, supported by a consistently re-equipping Condor Legion.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|pp=401–402}} The terrain was favourable, with planes coming over a range of mountains to the south which masked their entrance.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=30}} Sperrle remained in Salamanca; [[Wolfram von Richthofen]] replaced Holle in January as deputy, and was in actual command.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=30}} Since the Basque air force was limited, [[fighter aircraft]] were used in ground-attack roles rather than air-to-air combat. The Legion's air force initially attacked the towns of [[Otxandio]] and [[Durango, Spain|Durango]].{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=403}} Durango had no anti-aircraft defence, and only a few other defences. According to the Basques, 250 civilians died there on 31 March (including a priest, nuns and the congregation at a church ceremony).{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=403}}{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=31}} The Germans, because of their air raids, were hated.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|pp=403–404}} The Basque ground forces were in full retreat towards [[Bilbao]] through the town of [[Guernica]], which was bombed on 26 April in one of the war's most controversial attacks.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=31}}

===Guernica===
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H25224, Guernica, Ruinen.jpg|thumb|alt=Guernica in ruins, with only a few partially-demolished buildings standing|Ruins of Guernica (1937)]]
In [[Operation Rügen]], waves of Ju 52 and He 111 planes bombed and strafed targets in [[Guernica]]. The number of casualties is controversial, with perhaps 200 or 300 people killed;<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6583639.stm The legacy of Guernica]</ref> the [[Basques]] reported 1,654 dead and 889 wounded.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=31}}{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=419}} Several explanations were given by the Nationalists, who blamed the attack on the Republicans,{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=420}} said that the attack was part of a prolonged offensive, or the [[Rentería]] bridge outside Guernica was the true target. The nature of the operation, however (including its formation and armaments), undermines the credibility of these explanations. Guernica was a clear target of the Condor Legion, rather than the Nationalists.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=32–33}}{{sfn|Thomas|1961|pp=420–421}} The 11 July offensive against [[Bilbao]] was supported by Condor Legion ground units and extensive air operations, proving the legion's worth to the Nationalist cause.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=33}}

The first English-language media reports of the destruction of Guernica appeared two days after the attack. [[George Steer]], a reporter for ''[[The Times]]'' who was covering the Spanish Civil War from inside the country, wrote the first full account. Steer's reporting set the tone for much of the subsequent [[reportage]], noting clear German complicity in the action.<ref group=nb>George Steer was a special correspondent for ''The Times'', where his article first appeared on April 28. It was reprinted in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that day. Part of his report read, "Guernica was not a military objective&nbsp;... The object of the bombardment was seemingly the demoralisation of the civil population and the destruction of the cradle of the Basque race".</ref> Three small bomb cases stamped with the [[Reichsadler|German imperial eagle]] made it clear that the German position of neutrality in the war and the signing of a non-intervention pact were meaningless, and German forces were actively participating in combat. Steer's report was syndicated worldwide, generating widespread shock, outrage and fear.

===<span class="anchor" id="Further campaigns"></span>Other campaigns===
The Condor Legion also took part in the [[Battle of Brunete]], a Republican offensive designed to take the pressure off northern Spain where fighting was ongoing.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=33}} The legion was sent from the north to reinforce a broken line.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=462}} There were repeated raids by bombers and by fighters based in [[Salamanca]] on Republican armoured vehicles and, later, defensive positions.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=33–34}} Despite Nationalist fears, Republican aircraft were ineffective compared with German aircraft; the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was superior to the I-15 and I-16 models used by Republican forces.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=35}} The legion lost eight aircraft, but claimed 18 victories. German tactics improved after Brunete, particularly the ''en masse'' use of tanks by the Nationalists.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=36}}

The Nationalists again focused on capturing northern Spain. The latest models of German test aircraft faced an outdated Basque air force which had some Russian planes.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|pp=468–469}} Heavy [[Aerial bombing of cities|aerial bombardment]] by 200 Nationalist, German and Italian planes occurred far behind Basque lines in August 1937 and led to the fall of [[Santander, Spain|Santander]] after the 1 September [[Battle of Santander|battle]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=36}} The battle in [[Asturias]] ended with the fall of [[Gijon]] on 21 October. A large amount of ammunition was used by the Legion, including a million machine gun rounds and 2,500 tonnes of bombs.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=36}} Germany immediately began to ship its industrial production back to Spain.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=38}} Sperrle argued repeatedly with Faupel against HISMA's monopoly, and Faupel was replaced by Franco.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=471}} Sperrle also returned to Germany, and was replaced by {{ill|Hellmuth Volkmann|de}}.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=471}} After disagreements with Volkmann, Von Richthofen was replaced with [[Hermann Plocher]] in early 1938.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=38}}

[[File:Junkers Ju 87A with Spanish rebel markings.jpg|thumb|alt=A plane in flight, photographed from another plane|A Junkers Ju 87A with Condor Legion markings]]
After the next major campaigns (Madrid and [[Barcelona]]), the Condor Legion was moved to [[Soria]] and began a week of strikes against Republican airfields. This move was halted by the Republican advance on [[Teruel]] and ensuing [[Battle of Teruel|battle]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=38–39}} The legion's land and air forces were deployed in [[Bronchales]]. Poor weather resulted in few flights, and the town fell to Republican forces on 6 January.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=39}} Up to 100 sorties a day were launched during the Nationalist's counter-offensive through the [[Alfambra]] Valley. The [[Junkers Ju 87]]A was used for the first time in the advance on Teruel, which was retaken on 22 February.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=39}} The continued Nationalist offensive on [[Aragon]] from April to June 1937, including the [[Battle of Belchite (1937)|Battle of Belchite]], involved bombing raids and the legion's ground forces.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=39}} The legion was switched to focus in the north, towards the [[Segre River]], before moving south again after Nationalist successes.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=40}} It moved its headquarters to [[Benicarló]]; single-engine planes operated from nearby airfields, and twin-engine planes from [[Zaragoza]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=40}} Hitler's words to his colleagues belied a change in attitude about the war in Germany; a quick victory was undesirable, and a continuation of the war would be preferable.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=502}} German policy was to prevent a Republican defeat.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=510}} Casualties were beginning to mount for the Legion and{{snd}}combined with a resurgence in Republican air activity{{snd}}the Nationalist advance stalled, perhaps because of the reluctance of German commanders to supply reinforcements in light of the emerging [[Munich Agreement|Czechoslovak crisis]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=40}} Debates about the operation's rising cost to the Germans — then about 10 million Reichsmarks a month — continued unresolved.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=487}} The Legion's materiel was exhausted.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=541}}

Republican forces launched the last major offensive of the war, the [[Battle of the Ebro]], on 24–25 July. Condor Legion reconnaissance units had noticed a troop build-up and warned Nationalist forces, but their warning went unheeded.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=41}} Although the Republicans gained ground, they failed to gain control of [[Gandesa]]; 422 sorties by the legion (with around 70 aircraft operational) had a considerable effect. The rest of the battle saw a series of artillery attacks or air strikes, followed by a Nationalist ground advance.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=41}} Tensions in Czechoslovakia and a pilot shortage in Germany led to the return of 250 pilots from the legion, about half of whom were bomber crews. Although trained Spaniards made up some of the shortfall, Volkmann complained to central command in Berlin and was recalled in September.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=44}} During the 113-day battle, 10 legion aircraft were lost (some by accident) and 14 were badly damaged. The legion claimed about 100 Republican aircraft, one-third of those lost; five aircrew were killed, and six captured.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=44}} Aid from Germany temporarily halted in mid-September.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=553}} Germany and Nationalist Spain settled the issue of German interests in Spanish mines.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=566}}

The Legion took a short break from active duty to receive new aircraft (including Bf 109Es, He 111Es and Js, and Hs 126As), which brought its strength to 96 aircraft — about one-fifth of the Nationalist force. Richthofen returned to Spain in overall command, with [[Hans Seidemann]] his chief of staff.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=44–45}} That reinforcement may have been the most important intervention by a foreign side in the war, enabling a counterattack after the Battle of the Ebro.{{sfn|Thomas|1961|p=566}} The legion primarily took part in operations against the remaining Republican air force in January and February 1939, with considerable success.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=45}} After participating in parades in Barcelona and elsewhere and minor duties over Madrid, it was dissolved.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=46}} The men returned on 26 May, the best aircraft were returned to Germany, and the rest of the equipment was bought by the new Spanish regime.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=47}}

The Condor Legion claimed to have destroyed 320 Republican planes with aircraft (shot down or bombed on the ground) and to have shot down another 52 with anti-aircraft guns.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|pp=47–48}} It claimed to have destroyed 60 ships, including [[Spanish Republican Navy]] vessels. The legion lost 72 aircraft from hostile action, and another 160 from accidents.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=48}}

===Maritime operations===
The Maritime Reconnaissance [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Staffel|Staffel]] 88 ({{langx|de|Aufklärungsstaffel See 88|links=no}}) was the Condor Legion's maritime unit under the command of [[Karl Heinz Wolff]]. Operating independently of the land-based division, it acted against enemy shipping, ports, coastal communications and occasionally inland targets such as bridges.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=48}} It used [[floatplane]]s, starting with the [[Heinkel He 60]], which began operating at [[Cadiz]] in October 1936.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=48}} Missions started as reconnaissance, but after the move from Cadiz to [[Melilla]] in Spanish Morocco in December 1936, the focus shifted to attacks on shipping.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=49}} It was again moved in February 1937 to [[Málaga]], which was newly captured, and then to [[Majorca]] when Málaga proved unsuitable.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=49}} In June, operations began to be expanded to allow attacks on all Republican ports as long as British ships were not present. There were 10 ships attacked in the second half of 1937, but the Norwegian torpedoes that were used proved ineffective, and strafing or bombing targets was used instead.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=49}}

The arrival of [[Martin Harlinghausen]] (known as "Iron Gustav") saw operations expand, and operations targeted [[Alicante]], [[Almería]], Barcelona and [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]]. As naval activity declined, inland targets became more numerous, and night missions began.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=49}} Activities in support of ground forces became the main focus of the unit until the end of hostilities. Both Wolff and Harlinghausen received the [[Spanish Cross#Gold with Diamonds|Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds]].{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=51}} In total, eleven men were killed in action, and five others died due to accident or illness.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=51}}

====Other operations====
{{main|German involvement in the Spanish Civil War#Maritime operations}}
Overtly, the Kriegsmarine was partly used to enforce the [[Non-Intervention Agreement]] from interfering in the war. However, the agreement was clearly broken by Germany.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=56}} As a result, the German [[pocket battleship]] {{warship|German cruiser|Deutschland||2}} stood guard over [[Ceuta]] to prevent interference from Republican ships while Franco transported troops to the Spanish mainland.<ref>Gannes, Harry and Repard, Theodore. ''Spain in Revolt''. Victor Gollancz Ltd. London 1936</ref> By mid-October, the German [[North Sea Group]] around Spain consisted of the pocket battleships ''Deutschland'' and ''[[German cruiser Admiral Scheer|Admiral Scheer]]'', the [[light cruiser]] {{warship|German cruiser|Köln||2}}, and four [[torpedo boat]]s. After the Germans claimed that ''[[German cruiser Leipzig|Leipzig]]'' had been attacked by an unidentified submarine, it was formally withdrawn from international patrols.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=57}}

Operation Ursula, named after the daughter of [[Karl Dönitz]], involved a group of German U-boats active around Spain.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=58}} It began on 20 November 1936, with the movement of the ''[[German submarine U-33 (1936)|U-33]]'' and the ''[[German submarine U-34 (1936)|U-34]]'' from [[Wilhelmshaven]]. Identification marks were obscured, and the whole mission was kept secret.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=58}} Difficulties in identifying legitimate targets and concerns about discovery limited their operations.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=60}} During their return to Wilhelmshaven in December, the Republican submarine ''C-3'' was sunk; the Germans claimed that the sinking resulted a torpedo fired by ''U-34,'' although the Republican enquiry claimed its loss to have been caused by an internal explosion. Their submarines' return marked the official end of Operation Ursula.{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=60}} However, further submarines seem to have been sent in mid-1937, but details of the operation are not known (although six are believed to have been involved).{{sfn|Westwell|2004|p=60}}

===Abwehr===
The German [[Abwehr]] intelligence service, independent of the Condor Legion, was secretly involved in [[Operation Bodden]] and later played a part in the detection of the [[Operation Torch]] invasion fleet.<ref group="nb">"Bodden" refers to the strait separating the Baltic island of [[Rügen]] from the German mainland, and the Abwehr operation was a network of coastal listening stations overseeing a seabed detection system across the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]. Bodden's aim was to gather [[SIGINT]] via the underwater detection system and fourteen infra-red ship surveillance stations (nine in Spain and five in Morocco), which later relayed shipping information to U-boats in the Mediterranean and threatening convoys.</ref>

===Return to Germany===
The [[Strength Through Joy|KdF]] fleet, including the [[MV Wilhelm Gustloff]] and seven other ships, were given secret orders on 20 May 1939 and diverted from their regular pleasure-cruise schedule to arrive in [[Vigo]], Spain. They arrived on 24 May to pick up the legion, and departed on 26 May for a five-day voyage to [[Hamburg]], Germany. They arrived to crowds, parades and ceremonies celebrating their success, with [[Hermann Göring]] and other high-ranking officials in attendance.<ref>[https://www.wilhelmgustloffmuseum.com/legion_condor Wilhelm Gustloff Museum]</ref>