Spanish airlift of 1936

Spanish airlift of 1936
	Part of the Spanish Civil War
	; Regulares of the Army of Africa boarding a Junkers Ju 52. Vestiges of the aircraft’s Luftwaffe markings can be seen on its rear fuselage
Date	19 July – 11 October 1936
Location	Spain
Result	Provided sufficient forces to rescue the Nationalist coup from failure and expand the Spanish Civil War
Belligerents
Spanish government	Nationalist rebels

The Spanish airlift of 1936 was a military operation carried out by the Nationalists during the early phase of the Spanish Civil War. It did not have any specific code name. Its objective was to bypass the Republican naval blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar and transport by air the Nationalist soldiers stationed in Spanish Morocco to the rebel-controlled part of Andalusia. The undertaking was hugely successful; during 85 days from 19 July to 11 October the Nationalists transported at least 14,000 men (with some sources claiming 23,000) and at least 270 tonnes of war materiel (according to some sources 400 tonnes).

The success was possible thanks to more than thirty aircraft provided by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sent on the personal orders of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini respectively; these carried most of the troops and equipment. The operation is viewed as innovative, as it was the first ever large-scale military transport by air. Since there was no major Republican counter-action, the airlift was a challenge in terms of logistics and technology rather than combat. The opinion prevailing in historiography is that the airlift was vital for the Nationalists and helped to turn the failed coup into a long-lasting civil war.