Spanish Civil War Ace Joaquin Garcia-Morato

Though the German and Italian contingents sent to fight in the Spanish Civil War are perhaps better known, the contribution of Spanish pilots to the aerial battles above their homeland was not negligible. On the rebel side, the fighter force grew from a handful of pilots and planes to a formidable organization. The top-scoring Spanish fighter pilot of the war, Joaquin Garcia-Morato, flew hundreds of combat missions beginning with the first days of the war and continuing through the final victory. He and his comrades in the so-called Blue Patrol and its successor units flew Nieuport, Heinkel, and Fiat fighters against their Republican counterparts using French and Russian aircraft. Eventually credited with 40 confirmed air-to-air victories, Garcia-Morato was considered a war hero by Franco’s side in the conflict.