The Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds (German : Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten) was awarded to members of the Condor Legion in recognition of repeated acts above and beyond the call of duty during the Spanish Civil War.
The Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds was instituted on 14 April 1939. [1] It was awarded in recognition of repeated acts above and beyond the call of duty. [1] It was awarded 28 times, mostly to members of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany. [2]
The Condor Legion, upon establishment, was made up of Kampfgruppe 88 (K/88), with three squadrons of Junkers Ju 52 bombers and Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88) with three squadrons of Heinkel He 51 fighters. They were supported by the reconnaissance Aufklärungsgruppe 88 (A/88), its maritime division, the Aufklärungsgruppe See 88 (AS/88), an anti-aircraft artillery group, the Flakbteilung 88 (F/88), and a signals group, the Nachrichtenabteilung 88 (LN/88). [3] Overall command was given to Hugo Sperrle, with Alexander Holle as chief of staff. Two armoured units under the command of Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma were also operational. [4]
| Name [5] | Rank [5] | Unit [5] | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm Balthasar | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 6 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Otto Bertram | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Peter Boddem | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Boddem was killed in a flying accident on 20 March 1939. [5] Credited with 10 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Kraft Eberhardt | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Eberhardt was shot down over Madrid on 13 November 1936. [5] Credited with 7 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Wilhelm Ensslen | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Paul Fehlhaber | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | LN/88 | Awarded posthumously after Fehlhaber was killed by artillery fire near Bilbao on 11 June 1937. [5] | — |
| Adolf Galland | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Staffel commander. |  |
| Harro Harder | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 11 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Martin Harlinghausen | Major (Major) | AS/88 | — | |
| Oskar Henrici | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | J/88 | Awarded posthumously after Henrici was shot down over Madrid on 13 November 1936. [5] | — |
| Hans-Detlef von Kessel | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | A/88 | Awarded posthumously after Kessel was shot down near Llanes on 4 September 1937. [5] | — |
| Günther Lützow | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 5 victories in Spain. [6] |  |
| Werner Mölders | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Succeeded Galland as Staffel commander in 1938. |  |
| Freiherr Rudolf von Moreau | Hauptmann (Captain) | K/88 | Awarded posthumously after von Moreau died whilst testing a new Junkers Ju 88 in Germany on 4 April 1939. [5] | — |
| Walter Oesau | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain. [6] Awarded the Spanish Wound Badge after being injured in action. [6] | — |
| Freiherr Wolfram von Richthofen | Generalmajor (Brigadier General) | S/88 | Chief of staff of the Condor Legion between 1936 and November 1938, when he took command. [7] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds. [8] |  |
| Heinz Runze | Leutnant (Lieutenant) | A/88 | Awarded posthumously after Runze was killed over Teruel on 1 January 1938. [5] | — |
| Wolfgang Schellmann | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 12 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Joachim Schlichting | Hauptmann (Captain) | J/88 | Credited with 5 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Reinhard Seiler | Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) | J/88 | Credited with 9 victories in Spain. [6] | — |
| Hugo Sperrle | General der Flieger (General, Luftwaffe) | S/88 | Commander of the Condor Legion from November 1936 until October 1937. [9] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds. [8] |  |
| Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma | Oberst (Colonel) | Panzerabteilung Imker (Armoured unit 'Imker') | Given command of the Condor Legion's ground units on 23 September 1936. Led armoured units at the Battle of Madrid. Also awarded the Medalla Militar with Diamonds, the Spanish Campaign medal and the Condor Legion Tank Combat Badge. [5] |  |
| Hellmuth Volkmann | General der Flieger (General, Luftwaffe) | S/88 | Commander of the Condor Legion between October 1937 and November 1938. [9] Also given the Medalla Militar with Diamonds. [8] | — |
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of strategic bombing which were used widely in the Second World War shortly afterwards. The bombing of Guernica was the most infamous operation carried out by the Condor Legion. Hugo Sperrle commanded the unit's aircraft formations and Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma commanded the ground element.
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