BLUE SQUADRILLA

" The fighter
pilots of the Blue Division sent by Spain, youths that fight admirably,
have evacuated the aerodrome of Klin " Oberst H.U. Rüdel
of his book " Stukas Pilot".
He was the german
official with the highest medal given by the III Reich: The Cross
of Knight Of the Iron Cross Order, with Leafs, Swords and Diamonds
The Esquadrilla Azul (Blue Squadron) was a small Spanish expeditionary air force that fought on the eastern front (Army Group Center) from 1941 until 1944 with a total of 5 Spanish Squadrons flying BF-109 and later FW-190 which flew a total of 1,918 missions as part of Jagdgeschwader 51 better known as “Molders”.The squadrons worked in succession beginning with the first arriving on June 1941 until the last official one on February of 1944. This is the only Spanish unit to have fought in the Battle of Kursk. Its combat record consisted of 277 air kills and 74 aircraft destroyed, with a loss of seven Spanish pilots, 3 of them missing in action.
- 1st Squadrilla.
The Aerial Spanish
Expeditionary Squadrilla was other unit that serve with honour, this time
in the ranks of the Luftwaffe. Was the Cmte. Salas Larrazábal, right
hand of the mythical García Morato, the official designed by the
Air Minister to lead the ''1ª Escuadrilla Azul de Caza'', that went
out of Madrid the 24 of July 1941 and was trained in the JadgFliegerSchüle
of Werneuchen in Berlín. The Squadrilla acted under the title of
15 Spanische Staffel, aggregated to the JG27 (JadgGeschwader nº27)
of the VIII FliegerKorps under the lead of Von Richthofen, that at the
same time was part of the Luftflotte 2, of General Feldmarschal Kesselring.
The Flight Step
was also formed by the Cmte. Muñoz Giménez, inventor of the
"chain" that nowadays uses all the air forces of the world; three captains
and twelve lieutenants, all veterans of the Civil War.
They arrive the
24 of September to the aerodrome of Moschina, at the SW of Smolensk piloting
their brilliant ME Bf-109 E (E-4 E-7), realizing mainly tasks of protection
of the German bombers, and of free hunt in the siege of Viasma.
At the first days is knocked down the Lte. Alcocer and the Squadrilla was
moved to
Byelov, in the Moscow
front and later to Kalinin till the 31 of October when it goes from Staritza
to Rudsa at 80 km. of Moscow; the Cmte. Muñoz was knocked down the
27 of november above enemy territory. The next day the Squadrilla was moved
to the base of Klin, place that they have to abandon the 12 de December
under the pressure of the russian mechanized infantry, after the fail of
the german offensive in the soviets capital. In the first days of
December they received some of the new models of ME Bf 109 (F-2 y F-4).
Transferred to Duguino, they were reorganized in Vitebsk and the
7 de February of 1942 they received the order of relief. The General der
Flieger, Wilfred Von Richthofen decorate the leader and other officials
and soldiers of the Spanish Squadrilla, that made 422 missions flight missions,
knocking down 14 russian planes in air combats, and suffering the death
Cmte. Muñoz, the Ltes. Alcocer, Ruibal and Bartolomé and
some soldiers of the Earth Step.
- 2nd Squadrilla.
It maintained the name of "15 Spanische Staffel" and was framed in the same JadGeschwader. Was lead by the Cmte. Díaz-Benjumea and it had 3 patrols commanded by the Captains Bengoechea, Serra and Frutos, operating in the sector of Orel where enter in fight the 21 of July of 1942, standing out the Captain. Gavilán in fighter combat and having the first fail Cap. Noriega, dying also in mechanical accident the second lieutenant Navarro and Soldier Zazo. They piloted also ME Bf-109 in improved version of this plane (G-2)
- 3th Squadrilla.
Under the lead of
the veteran Cmte. Ferrandiz Arjonilla these unit arrived the 30 of November
of 1942 to the sector Orel - West with the planes ME Bf 109 G-2 y G-4.
Since the 20 of February of 1943, they received some nits of FW-190 and
A-4 planes, these last recently arrived to the front, and with better armament
and more bombing capacity, and also of a wide and robust undercarriage,
that made easy the movements on earth, very difficult in runaways with
ice and snow. They ended their work there the 30 of December and
in spite of the short time they were there they made 779 flight mission,
of which 403 were of free hunt and alarm; and they knocked down 16 enemies
planes, what gives a idea of the intensity of the combats. Thanks to the
great help of the FW plane, that could flight in all conditions, and his
BMW motor, gave security to the pilots
- 4th Squadrilla.
The Cmte. Cuadra
Medina arrived the 4 of July of 1943 to the aerodrome of Seschstsniskaya,
at the SE of Roslav, this time forming in the JG51 of the Major Werner
Mölders (JadgGeschwader nº51 "Mölders") member of the VIII
FliegerKorps, at the same time part of the LuftFlotte 4 commanded
by the General Oberst Alois Löhr; the piloted improved versions
for the attack earth - air of the FW-190 plane ( called G) and also
A-8
planes. Since the failed German counter - offensive in the Battle of Jarkhov,
the Blue Squadrilla protected the retreat of the German infantry en continues
flights of ''earth attack'', commanding the two patrols the
Captains Galarza
and Llaca; establishing their base in the aerodromes of North Smolensk,
Orsha, Star-Bichov and Bobruisk, where the 23 of February were replaced
by the 5ª Squadrilla. They obtained 74 knock downs and lost the Ltes.
Arjona and Lucas, a among other failed. They received planes ME Bf 109
G-6 in substitution of the fallen Focke Wulf.
- 5th Squadrilla.
Coincide the arrival of this Spanish force with the period of retreat of the Blue Division of the front, so by that reason the General der Flieger Warlimont, had an interview in Bobruisk with the Cmte. Murcia Rubio and he told the spanish official that Göering, attending to the desires of the Führer, decided to retreat the Blue Squadrilla. In only 6 days of presence in the front they made 86 flight missions and 6 aerial combats, suffering the fail of the Lte. Segurola, knocked down in combat.
The total of planes knocked down by the spanish fighters reach the number of 156, registering the Cmte. Cuadra 10 knocks down and Cmte. Salas Larrazabal other 7, being other pilots to highlight the Captains Gavilán and Galarza and the Ltes. Ibarreche and Mendoza.
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