Airmen Without Portfolio: U.S. Mercenaries in Civil War Spain

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Praeger, 1997 - Biography & Autobiography - 150 pages


Published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War, this work chronicles the lives and military careers of 12 American mercenary pilots who flew for the Spanish Republican government against the combined air forces of Nationalist Spain, Italy, and Germany. Drawing upon the memoirs of these aviators and appropriate secondary scholarship, the author examines each U.S. flyer's political and personal motivation for opposing Fascism as the world prepared for World War II. His findings are as surprising as they are varied. This book also offers an insightful glimpse into the day-to-day lives of these airmen at the squadron level during their eight month tour in Spain. It describes their interaction with their Spanish and Russian comrades, the types of aircraft they flew, the skill and resourcefulness of the enemy pilots they dogfought, the international repercussions of their presence abroad, and the hostile treatment they would incur from their own government.

The preface affords a brief discussion of the role of U.S. aerial mercenaries from the early 20th century to the Spanish Civil War. Aside from its primary purpose as a study of the motivation and commitment of the U.S. aviators in the Spanish Civil War, the work chronicles the events leading to the outbreak of hostilities in Spain and the arrival of the foreign volunteers; the combat roles of Frank Tinker and his American comrades from January-July, 1937; Tinker's return to the United States in August, 1937 and a concise discussion of the remainder of the conflict; Tinker's suicide in Little Rock, Arkansas in June, 1939; and a final review of the postwar careers of his squadronmates.

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Contents

Armies of Babel
9
Polikarpovs Over Spain
23
La Patrulla Americana
33
Copyright

7 other sections not shown

Common terms and phrases

Acosta aerial Air Force aircraft airfield airmen Allison American Army arrived attack August aviators base battle Baumler became bombers bombing Brigade cause Chato City Civil close combat commander comrades Dahl death Department Despite destroyed dive early enemy escort fascist February feet Fiat field fighter final fire five flew flight flyers flying formation four France front gave German ground guns head Heinkel Hemingway huge International Italian Italy July kill Koch LaCalle LaCalle's landed later Leider lines lost Loyalist machine Madrid March mechanics mercenary miles military mission months Morato Mosca Nationalist never November offered officers Once orders passed patrol pilots plane pursuits Rebel Records remained reported Republic Republican returned Russian Salas seemed sent September served shot side Soviet Spain Spanish squadron strafing Teruel Tinker took troops turn United Valencia victory volunteers Whitey wing York

References to this book

About the author (1997)

JOHN CARVER EDWARDS is a Special Projects Archivist at the University of Georgia. He has authored dozens of historical articles and two books, Patriots in Pinstripe: Men of the National Security League (1981) and Berlin Calling: American Broadcasters in Service to the Third Reich (Praeger, 1991).

Bibliographic information

TitleAirmen Without Portfolio: U.S. Mercenaries in Civil War Spain
Schieffelin Collection
AuthorJohn Carver Edwards
Editionillustrated
PublisherPraeger, 1997
Original fromthe University of Michigan
DigitizedJul 9, 2008
ISBN027595742X, 9780275957421
Length150 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Biography & Autobiography / Aviation & Nautical
Biography & Autobiography / General
History / Europe / Spain
History / Military / Aviation & Space
History / Military / General
Social Science / General
  
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