Lessons learnt from the Spanish Civil War

Split from 'The A6M2-7 "Zero" !'

Good point KBO, during the Spanish civil war, the Russian and Spanish pilots who flew the Polikarpov I-16, a much fastar aircraft that the most numerous of the Spanish Nationalfighters, the Fiat CR.32 made the same mistake-instead of trying to use their superior speed to their advantage they elected engaged in the traiitonal dogfight-and paid heavily for it...My question: all major powers had military attaches in Spain; and neither side in te eSpanish Ciivil Wr was particuraly secretive as fat as their equipment ..I know, for exmple that British intelligence had some detailed reports on the Krupp 88s and l've been able to read some US itelligence documents on Republican as well as National fighter equipment....but did anybody sit down and take notes on teh air aspects of the war over Spain?If they had, l think some of the mistakes made in teh employment of aircraft during WW2 might have been avoided..

Best Regards!

 

Well, yes, most people involved took lessons away. Sometimes their impression was correct, sometimes not.
Examples...
The Germans took away the idea that dive-bombing was great, and that the finger-four formation was a good idea.
The Italians took away the idea that biplanes could still compete against monoplanes because of their superior manouverability.

In ground warfare, the Germans took home the news that massed formations of armour were a good thing, while the CCCP advisors reported that armour worked best distributed among units, not concentrated. Go figure.

Basically, as ever, people learned either:
a) what they wanted to
b) what skewed data told them
c) what was actually true/best

 

Basically, as ever, people learned either:
a) what they wanted to
b) what skewed data told them
c) what was actually true/best
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There's a lot of truth in what you say..at times it makes you wonder if military intelligence isn't a contradiction in terms..The French apparently took the exagerated Republican propaganda rports of the defeat of "large Itaian armored formations " at the battle of Guadalajara) as gospel and kept on doing what they were doing..Since German bombers in Spain were able to evade Reoubliacn fighters with apparent ease, the Germans thought they were on the rght track ..and kept the HE-111 and Do-17 in production..Mind you, there was nothing wrong with the dive bombing methods which were developed by the USN (from which Udet got the idea) but what genius would send a lumbering aircraft like the Stuka out on a mission without fighter protection?....

 

Much of the Luftwaffe's doctrine was badly flawed, especially the dictum that "all bombers must dive". It was this bit of idiocy that caused the He 177 to be designed in such a manner that it was doomed to failure, when it might have provided the Luftwaffe with a badly needed strategic bomber.

 

It is interesting that anyone involved in Spanish civil war made few wrong conclusions.
Wrongs
Italians:
- Biplanes have future in the next war
- 2 x 12,7mm machine guns are adequate for fighter armmament
- bombers have adquate protection

Germans:
- strategic bombing force is not needed,
- all bombers should be employed in dive bombing role
- bombers have adequate protection

Soviets:
- Fast bomber is a way to go ( SB was almost untucheble)
- fighter tactics is OK
- Fighters should be employed in specific role ( I-153 dogfight, I-16 bomber killer)
- no strategic bomber force is necessery

Rights:

Italians:
- ground attack aircraft is a good thing ( adopting Ba-65 in that role)

Germans:
- new fighter tactics,
- better coordination with ground troops and among airplanes
- Air superiority is needed for sucesfull operations
- fighter should be armed with cannons

Soviets:
- armoured ground attack aircraft is needed ( development of IL-2)
- coordination with ground troops is a must
- radio in the aircraft is a must
- protecting fuel tak against fire is necessery ( development of gass protection of fuel tank CO2 )
- cannon is nessesery to destroy bombers