The squadron that formed the 11th Ni-52 Group was in the Republican zone under the command of Capt. Manuel Gasc�n Briega. They did quick air cover missions over the Guadarrama and Somosierra Hills, to the North of Madrid. Previously, 3 Nieuports got lost on the 21st July, because they had been sent to Armilla airfield (Granada) where the rebels captured them. Lt. Juan Prieto, Sgt. Gerardo Mar�n and Cpl. Laurentino Lozano were taken prisoner.
On the 20th of July 1936 the first air fight of the Spanish Civil War happened. Capt Manu�l Gasc�n engaged a Nationalist CASA-Breguet XIX and he shot it down, but this victory wasn't confirmed. On the 21st of July, during a mission over the Sierras, Sgt. Garc�a Lacalle intercepted a rebel Breguet but the enemy plane escaped by diving over its own lines. Two days later, on the 22nd of July, Alonso Santamar�a, piloting his Nieuport (No. 11-41) engaged two unescorted Nationalist Breguets piloted by Gregorio G�mez Mart�n and Augusto Puga. The latter was able to return to its base, but G�mez had to land in Grajera. The 24th of July, a reservist pilot, Jos� Corrochano, intercepted a rebel Breguet piloted by the very experienced Lieut. Ramiro Pascual. This Breguet had Julian del Vall as a observer. He was an excellent shot, so he carried a Mauser rifle (there wasn't any weapon in the observer position). Del Val hit Corrochano in the leg, so he had to land in Getafe, crashing his Nieuport.
On the 28th of July 1936 the first air combat between two Nieuport fighters happened . A Nationalist Ni-52 piloted by Julio Salvador engaged a Republican one over the Guadarrama Sierra. The two planes got hits and they had to return to their bases. The Republican plane was smoking on its way back.
On the 6th of August, the Surveillance Service warned about a Nationalist Ni-52 shooting at the Republican forces that tried to capture El Alto del Le�n in the Guadarrama Sierra. Republican Nieuports took off and flew towards the Sierra, where they sighted a triangular three-plane formation. Without having identified these three aircraft previously, Corporal Rafael Pe�a engaged and shot down the leader. Later he realized that the plane was a Republican Breguet! He killed its pilot, Lieut. Jos� M�ndez Iriarte.
On the 10th of August two planes took off from Getafe on a bombing mission. They were a Breguet piloted by Capts. Jes�s Camacho Jaudenes and Sebasti�n Rubio and a Nieuport 52 piloted by Lieut. C�sar Mart�n. Once enroute towards the objective, they changed their destination and flew to Burgos. Most likely they had decided to desert. They carried with them a lot of papers about the foreign pilots who recently arrived to the Government Zone. That same day the Nieuport piloted by Lt. Antonio Andr�s Pascual was shot down over the Guadarrama Sierra. On the 18th of August Corporal Rafael Pe�a Dugo's Nieuport-52 and two escorted Breguets were shot down by Capt. Julio Salvador's Heinkel He-51A. That same day a Nieuport (11-36), based in Getafe, had a failure during an ordinary flight. Its pilot, Garc�a Lacalle, wrecked the plane on the emergency landing.
On the 17th of September, a non-commissioned officer of Aeron�utica Naval, Carlos Colom, was shot down in his Nieuport to the South-East of Madrid. On the 25th of Sept the British pilot Edward Downes-Martin (a.k.a. 'Smith-Piggot') and the French pilot Mouillenet were shot down. Then, on the 28th, Capt. Avertano Gonz�lez Fern�ndez was shot down in the last Nieuport serving in the Middle Zone.
Some sources affirm that three Nieuport Ni-52s were sent to the North from Madrid, but this action hasn't been confirmed. |
