Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Hello,

I am looking for any data on the following Spanish fighter pilots who served on the Eastern Front in the ranks of the Blue Squadron:

Gonzalo Quinones
Mariano Medina

I believe they had 12 and 10 victories respectfully while flying for the Luftwaffe. I'm looking for biographical data and career data. Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Hi Mike

This site maybe helpful with basic info for Gonzalo Hevia Alvarez-Quinones

http://users.accesscomm.ca/magnusfamily/ww2spn.htm

Also for Gonzalo, but In Spanish but when translated on-line it gives more info

http://www.forosegundaguerra.com/vie...2bb39e58a3b4a7

A Google search for 'Mariano Cuadra Medina' will throw up more info.

Cheers

Chris

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

http://www.escuadrillasazules.es/

regards

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Quite impressive site with many I believe rare photographs, including herewith even those of the Quinta (i.e., 5th) Escuadrilla from early 1944.

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Yes, thank you .... is the best website dedicated to the Spanish blue squadrons. It is still under construction and there is much work to do.

regards

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Hi Mike

Almost all the Spanish pilots have double barrelled forenames and surnames. For Cuadra Medina I Have only his claims, all as a Major:-

14th July 1943 LaGG-3 25km NNE Dudorovskiy 1730 hrs 2000 metres
1st August 1943 LaGG-3 10km SE Stara Bychow 0430 hrs 1200 metres
18th August 1943 LaGG-3 Retschiza area 1835 hrs 1200 metres
18th August 1943 Il-2 Retschiza area 1843 hrs 1000 metres
28th August 1943 LaGG-3 Retschiza area 1233 hrs 2500 metres
28th August 1943 LaGG-3 Retschiza area 1236 hrs 2800 metres
31st August 1943 LaGG-3 10km W Yelnya 1305 hrs 4000 metres
7th September 1943 Il-3 25km NW Shisdra 1123 hrs 500 metres
15th September 1943 P-39 25km WNW Yelnya 1633 hrs 3000 metres
15th September 1943 LaGG-3 20km WNW Yelnya 1640 hrs 500-700 metres

He was the Staffelkapitän of 15./JG 51 from 5th July 1943 until 23rd November 1943. He survived the war.

With Hevia Alvarez de Quinones

He was born in 1916. Was formerly a sailor during the Spanish Civil War. In 1956 he founded a n aerobatic Spanish flying team. He died in 1991.

All claims were as a Hauptmann:-

27th January 1943 LaGG-3 30km NNE Gorodok 1335 hrs 3500 metres
22nd February 1943 La-5 10km N Mzensk 0815 hrs 500 metres
23rd February 1943 Il-2 20km SSE Belev 0615 hrs 600 metres
24th February 1943 LaGG-3 20km SE Kirov 1040 hrs 2500 metres
24th February 1943 LaGG-3 20km SE Kirov 1050 hrs 2500 metres
13th March 1943 LaGG-3 25km S Suchinici 1045 hrs 3500 metres
6th May 1943 La-5 15km E Utrikowo 1855 hrs 2000 metres
8th June 1943 LaGG-3 5km E Seschtschinskaja 1915 hrs 3500 metres
8th June 1943 LaGG-3 5km W Srschtschinskaja 1920 hrs 3500 metres
10th June 1943 LaGG-3 30km NNE Sechtschinskaja 1915 hrs 2000 metres A.S.M

Kind Regards

Johannes

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Johannes..good information Thanks.

The commanders of the five blue squadrons were:
1.Blue Squadron, Comandante: Angel Salas Larrazábal
2. " " Comandante: Julio Salvador Benjumea
3. BS Comandante: Carlos Ferrándiz Argonilla
4. BS Comandante: Mariano Cuadra Medina
5. BS Comandante: Javier Murcia Rubio

regards

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

1. Blue Squadron and 2. Blue Squadron

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Some books in my collection, on the Blue Squadron:

Alas españolas en Rusia 1941/44, by Francisco Martínez Canales, 2011, Madrid: Alamena, 96 pages, soft cover. This is an Osprey style book, from a series of Spanish history oriented books. Spanish.

La Escuadrilla Azul, by Jorge Fernández-Coppel, 2008, ?Madrid?: Altaya, 331 pages, hardcover. Spanish.

Les Espagnols de la Luftwaffe, José Fernandez & Juan Arraez Cerda, Ciel de Guerre #18 (2010) & #19 (2011), 82 pages + 41 pages (the rest of the issue is devoted to the Blue Division). French.

Victory lists for the 4 combat tours (the 5th did not have any victories) can be found in the relevant volumes of Prien's Jagdfliegerverbande covering the Eastern Front.

Jorge Fernández-Coppel has also written a biography of José Ramón Gavilán: General Gavilán. Memorias: de enlace del General Mola a jefe de la casa militar de Franco, 2005, Madrid: La Esfera de los Libros, 270 pages, hardcover. Spanish.

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

you name these books are good references on the Blue Squadron Spanish.
Thanks

regards
Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Antonio, good day.
Think you might be interested.
At the end of June 2015 the Search Party "Archangel Michael" (Moscow region) in the area Bukan' Zhizdra district of Kaluga region dig up the remains of the aircraft La-5.
It is established that La-5 No.37210119 after the fight at 15:50 (Moscow time) on 9 March 1943 from the area "Bukan'-Yasenki-Cherniy Potok" MIA pilot 523 IAP senior Sergeant Krivoshchekov Ivan Petrovich.
It later emerged that the pilot parachuted out of the burning plane - was severely wounded in the shoulder left arm, received the burns of the face and hands (more did not participate in hostilities). Awarded the Order "Patriotic War of the 1st degree." 523 IAP claimed one shot down a Ju-87.
Under the description of the battle and area only one claim LW:
09.03.43 Oblt. Rafael Calleja Gonzales 15. (Span)/JG 51 LaGG-5 £ 44 244: at 5.000 m. 13.50

regards,
Kirill

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Kirill..very thanks..! very thankful. I knew nothing about the name of the pilot shot down by Lt. Rafael Calleja. No information about the names of pilots shot down by the 15.Span.
Photo: Oblt.. Rafael Calleja

I'm always interested in everything related to 15.Span.
regards

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Antonio, good day.
As I told you before, our group (Search party "Nadezhda", Moscow region) worked on the crash site of Bf-109E Werk. No 3771 of Captain Aristides García López-Rangel in area Istra, v. Duhanino-Aduyevo-Sysoyevo (MIA - 27 November 1941). The remains were not found, but we found part of the jumpsuit, ring and buckles of the parachute.
Thank you so much for your help in finding relatives of Captain López-Rangel. At the end of may 2016 on the crash site Bf-109 of Captain López-Rangel came family of the nephew and niece of the pilot (all the men in the family - the pilots). This is a very nice and sincere people - our new friends.
We worked together again on the wreck of a Bf-109E. We gave them the report-an investigation into the crash, including who was hit (more than 30 pages).
That day scored the 2nd battery of air defense battalion of the 1st guards tank brigade of major-General Mikhail Efimovich Katukov (37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 (61-K) and anti-aircraft machine gun DShK):
Senior L-t Ivan Afanasenko (air defense battalion commander);
L-t Joseph Shwedyk (battery commander);
Corporal Mikhail Pimkin (commander of the gun 37 mm);
Corporal Nikolai Rybakov and Soldiers Vladimir Igumnov (gunners);
Soldier Berdy-zhan Karabalin (loader);
Sergeant Vasily Ermoshkin (DShK gunner).
They claimed three planes in one battle (2 Bf-109 and 1 bomber):
- Bf-109E-7 15./JG 27 Werk. No 3185 of Major José Muñoz Jiménez-Millas - MIA (according to Russian memoirs of the plane fell near the battery 37-mm cannons, the pilot was parachuted at a low altitude and died)
- Bf-109E-7 15./JG 27 Werk. No 3771 of Captain Aristides García López-Rangel - MIA (found the crash site)
- The third claim down is not confirmed by the materials GKL

Best regards,
Kirill

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Hi Kirche

I was talking to the family and they are very happy to have visited. Great job.
Regars

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

The url given by coto129 (Antonio) in post 3

http://www.escuadrillasazules.es/

does not seem to be valid now. Can anyone tell me if the website was relocated, and if so, where is it now?
Thanks
Peter

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Peter.....Use only the Internet Explorer browser.
Regards


Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

By the way, does anyone know where the Seschstchinskaja aerodrome was? It should be located in the sector, from Briansk-Kirow-Spass.Demensk. Everything is north of Kursk.
Thanks

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Sorry Antonio, if I click on the link, or copy and paste the link into either Internet Explorer or Google Chrome all I get is an online clothing store.
Peter

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

I do well...
http://www.escuadrillas-azules.es/

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Thanks for the quick responses Antonio. Much better with the - in the middle!
Interesting that when I did a google search before to try to find the site, this one did not come up in the results.
Cheers
Peter

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

I hope you enjoy the information on the web.
Regards

Antonio

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

I can't read Spanish, but I can make out what some of the docs are, and the photos and videos are great!
Peter

Re: Spanish Aces on Eastern Front
 

Thanks..!
Antonio