Jersey author's new book focuses on Luftwaffe's role in Spanish Civil War

Wednesday 01 June 2022

A Jersey author has just published a book about how the German Luftwaffe used the Spanish Civil War to test its equipment, tactics and pilots.

Far less has been written about this chapter of Nazi Germany’s history than the Second World War, so Mr Ridley has dived into the detail of the 1936-1939 conflict, which involved troops and volunteers from many nations joining both sides.

‘Hitler’s Air War in Spain – The Rise of the Luftwaffe’ was first published as a hardback by Pen & Sword Books last month.

The Spanish Civil War was fought between the Second Spanish Republic and the Nationalists led by Francisco Franco.  

Germany would form and deploy the infamous Condor Legion to Spain during the period to support the Nationalists, something that Mr Ridley detailed extensively in this book, with full details on the pilots and aircraft used. 

The book includes descriptions of all the major battles, including the El Jarama, Brunete and Teruel as well as the Nationalists’ first attack on Madrid and the fall of Santander. 

Pictured: One of Pablo Picasso's most famous works, Guernica, depicts the bombing of the Basque town in April 1937.

Mr Ridley said: “When the Spanish Civil War was less than a year old, it had already seen air power employed in most of the ways that it would be used in the Second World War.

“This not only included airlifting troops, reconnaissance, interdiction, close support and strategic bombing, but also the deliberate targeting of civilians as a means of achieving military objectives.

Pictured: Jersey resident Norman Ridley.

“This book looks at all the significant aerial engagements of the war and examines them against the background of the wider global context. In this way, the Spanish Civil War’s part in the evolution of air power is confirmed, as is the way in which its lessons were learned, or ignored, in the context of the much wider conflagration that was to come.”

Mr Ridley is an Open University Honours graduate who sold his business and retired to devote himself to study. Previous titles include ‘The Role of Intelligence in the Battle of Britain’ and ‘Reading Hitler’s Mind: The Intelligence Failure that lead to the Second World War’.

Pictured top: Guernica in April 1937, after series of bombings by the Nationalists, who were supported by German Luftwaffe's 'Condor Legion'.