Tupolev SB in Spain. Part Two.

 

When the German Messerschmitt Bf.109B fighter made its appearance over Spain, with its experienced pilots, the losses of the SBs started to pile up. On 7th February 1938 four bombers were shot down, making it the worst loss rate in a single date, up to that date. By June 1938 only a handful of aircraft were serviceable, however, in July, thirty more SBs were delivered via France and were assembled at Figueres, Catalonia. This last delivery increased the total number of Tupolev SBs in Spain up to 93. 

During the conflict, one SB was captured by the Nationalist and received Aviación Nacional's (Nationalist Air Force) codes, was painted with Italian colours and camouflage pattern. It was shown at Tablada airfield (Seville) in October 1937.

One distinctive feature of the SBs assembled in Spain during the late-war period was the introduction of a fairing in front of the rear gunner's compartment. 

The code assigned by the Fuerza Aérea Republicana Española (FARE - Spanish Republican Air Force) to the SB was BK (which stands for Bombardero Katiuska - Katiuska Bomber) followed by a three-digit number, painted in black. Additionally, after a reform in FARE, some SBs received a two-digit number code painted in the tailfin.

The aerial superiority of the Nationalists, coupled with the inexperience of the Republican Katiuska's crews, quickly dropped the available number of SBs in the FARE. When the Spanish Civil War ended on 1st April 1939, a total of 73 SBs were lost, 40 of them to Nationalists actions. 

Shortly after the war, the reformed Spanish Ejército del Aire (Air Army - Spanish Air Force) created an unit with the captured and surrendered Katiuskas. This unit was called 13º Regimiento de Bombardeo (13th Bomber Regiment), based at Los Llanos airfield (Albacete - New Castile) and was composed of 19 Tupolev SBs. Some of these machines were re-engined with the Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine, although the covering cowl was maintained, so, externally, there was no difference. This was done to ease maintenance, as they were still subject to spare shortages up to the point that, in April 1943, only three SBs were available. This forced Francoist authorities to ground the SBs and purchase some Junkers Ju.88A bombers from Germany which arrived in December 1943. The remaining Katiuskas were employed for occasional training flights until 1948, when they were scrapped.

Sources:

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 194 - Tupolev SB in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_SB

3rd https://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/sb/tapani/spanish/spanishrepublican.htm

4th http://elhangardetj.blogspot.com/2008/10/tablada.html (translated)