Junkers Ju.52/3m in Spain, part two

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m was widely used during the Spanish Civil War by the Nationalist side and the subsequent Spanish State.

During the initial part of the conflict, a single Ju.52/3mg3e defected on 10th November 1936 to the Republican Side. This aircraft was piloted by Ananías San Juan Alonso, Sergeant of the Nationalist Grupo 22 de Bombardeo (Bombardment Group 22), who flew the Ju.52/3m from Escalona airfield, in Toledo, under Nationalist control to Alcalá de Henares airfield, in Madrid, under Republican control. This defection was made popular at the time by the Republican authorities and the captured Junkers was repainted to show loyalist colours. The fate of this machine is unknown, but was most probably destroyed on ground during a bombardment. San Juan was incorporated to Grupo 12, 1a Escuadrilla (Group 12, 1st Squadron) and flew Tupolev SB-2 bombers until the end of the conflict. After the war, he moved to Mexico where he lived until the end of his days in 1985.

The German Condor Legion, which served to the Nationalist side, had two Ju.52/3mW floatplanes. They were based at Pollença, close to the city of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands and were used mainly in the transport and observation roles. One of them was destroyed in an accident during a vicious storm and the other one suffered an uncertain fate. Its known that one of them was involved in an aerial fight between two captured Republican Fiat Cr.32 when returning from a reconnaissance flight from Cadiz to Pollença.

After the Spanish Civil War, Iberia (the main Spanish Airline) was refounded in Madrid and in Autumn a new route with Lisbon was opened, served with Ju.52/3m. One year later, Iberia was granted by the Francoist authorities the monopoly of aerial transport of goods and persons inside Spanish lands for the next 20 years. Most of those routes were served by the Ju.52/3m which, although its exact number is unknown, it's estimated that around 75 machines (Iberia's official source places the number between 69 and 90) served with Iberia until 1960.

The Ju.52/3m was still under production after World War 2 in Spain, under the denomination of CASA C-352, but this aircraft will be the subject of its own post in the future.

Sources:

1. http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/95068/ananias-san-juan-alonso (translated)

2. https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=23496.0

3. https://www.facebook.com/fotosiberia/posts/1584431005125652:0 (translated)

4. https://www.iberia.com/es/flota/aviones-historicos/Junkers_JU-52/ (translated)

5. http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/12/spanish-civil-war-ju-52-floatplane.html

Avro Anson, part Nine, Portuguese, Soviet, Spanish and Yugoslav users

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft which, more than 11.000 exemplars manufactured by Avro in England and Federal Aircraft Ltd. in Canada, it was one of the most used aircraft in the world. It saw service with many air forces and airlines. Among them the following ones:

• Portugal: Twelve Ansons Mk.I which were refurbished by Avro at Langar, Nottinghamshire, were delivered to Portugal in 1946-1947 for liaison and transport duties. They operated from Portela, close to Lisbon and were active for a long period of time with some of them still being active in 1957 when the unit was renamed as 'Esquadra 82' (Squadron 82). Some unconfirmed sources claim that additional four machines were delivered to Portugal in 1947.
• Soviet Union: When the USSR invaded Estonia and the other Baltic countries, the Estonian Air Force had in service one Anson Mk.I. This machine was captured by the Red Army and was pressed into service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force). It was in service during 1940 and 1941 but it seems that it was either destroyed in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa or it suffered an accident during early 1941. Either way, it was written off.
• Spain: The Spanish Airline Spantax was founded in 1959 with one Anson in its fleet. This Anson, originally registered as G-ACUX, crashed in Villa Cisneros (Spanish Sahara) on 15th December 1951 when it was taking off. It was reconstructed into airworthiness again in 1955 and registered into Spanish Civil Aviation in 1958. One year later it was bought by Spantax and was used to cover the aerial route between Tenerife Los Rodeos airport (Tenerife North) and Villa Cisneros. However it was written off after suffering, again, another accident on 26th November 1960 and was moved to company's main headquarter in Madrid where it was used as ground instructional airframe for crew training. Another source claims it was used for this same purpose but in Tenerife. Anyway, shortly later it was definitely written off and, most probably, sold for scrap.
• Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav Air Force acquired some Avro Anson Mk.I and Mk.V in the very late 1940s where they served from 1951 until 1959 when they were written off. They served in the Liaison Squadron of the 1st Military District, together with other types from various origins, from 1952 until 1959 when they were written off.

Sources:

1. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 53 - Avro Anson

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson

3. http://www.aviationcorner.net/gallery_en.asp?aircraft_type=Avro%20Anson&aircraft_type_id=331 (translated)

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spantax

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liaison_Squadron_of_1st_Air_Command