Let Us Play Can You Spot the Difference?

As I sit here while waiting for my Edifil catalogue to arrive I  have been flipping through the SG Portugal & Spain Specialized. In doing so it has really been interesting to take note, literally, of the different perf, color, and printing differences of the various 2nd Republic and Nationalist issues.

One of which is Edifil #834 Holy Year 30 Cent Jacobus of Compostela. There are two versions of the 834s. One has no dots before and after 1937 (1st image) and the second type with a dot after and before the 1937 (2nd image).

Gibbons tells me the second type is more rarer  than the first. I thought I would see if I could find the second version on a cover. Alas, I came across one that isn't in the condition I would normally pick up for the collection and I would not even take a second look at this cover. However, I noticed there was a pair of the 834s. A closer look indicated that the pair is a Type I AND a Type II! I don't really know how special this is, or if it is. Sent on about September 25, 1937 from Bedun, Huescra, Aragon to Paris. Purple stamped "VISADO POR LA CENSUR" and I can't make out the town. Franked with a pair of the 834s, I wish they were right side up-but I will take it, and I will be on the hunt for more!

Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, CTV)

I am fascinated by military history, well all history, since as long as I can possibly remember. As most readers know the military units in the war consisted of a wide array of nationalities, geographic originations, politics, and religious and non-religious participants. One group that made up the military forces of the Nationalists was the Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV for short). Which was a mix of regular Italian troops and Blackshirt fascists.

I think since this is the first post on the CTV I a little background on the Corp is warranted. After the rebellion broke out the Mussolini offered assistance as did Germany and on September 3, 1936 Italian bombers bombed Madrid to show the power of Italy and Germany. However, it wasn’t until Franco’s failed offensive against Madrid December 12th, 1936 that it was determined by Mussolini that Italian regular troops were needed for the war. On December 23rd, 1936 3,000 members of the “Italian Army Mission” arrived a Cadiz. However, come January 1937 there were about 44,000 Italian regular Army and Blackshirt Fascist paramilitary in Spain and by March 1937 there were 50,000 Italians in Spain.

Now designated Corpo Truppe Volontarie (CTV) the force was organized into four divisions; 4th "Littorio" Infantry Division (Lictor) - A fully motorized infantry division of the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito), 1st "Dio lo Vuole" Blackshirt Infantry Division ("God wants it"), 2nd "Fiamme Nere" Blackshirt Infantry Division ("Black Flames"), and the 3rd "Penne Nere" Blackshirt Infantry Division ("Black Feathers"). The Blackshirt Divisions AKA Camicie Nere (CNN) contained both regular army and Blackshirt paramilitary members.

Battles and campaigns of the SCW the CTV participated in were:

1937

The Battle Of Malaga (3 February to 8 February): Decisive Nationalist victory. Italian casualties were about 74 killed, 221 wounded, and two missing in the battle.

Fourth Madrid Offensive and Battle Guadalajara (8 March to 23 March): Decisive Republican victory. Italian forces suffered heavy losses, which resulted in the 3rd CCNN Division being disbanded and consolidated with the 2nd CCNN Division in April 1937.

April to August: According to Wiki “As the CCNN Divisions were reduced, Italians began to serve in mixed Italo-Spanish Flechas ("Arrows") units where the Italians provided the officers and technical personnel, while the Spanish served in the rank-and-file. The first were the Flechas Azules (“Blue Arrows”) Mixed Brigade and the Flechas Negras (“Black Arrows”) Mixed Brigade that served respectively in Extremadura and Viscaya from April to August 1937. Also in Viscaya were the CTV's XXIII de Marzo Group and 11 Artillery Groups.”

Battle of Santander August to September: Decisive victory for the Nationalists.

October: After the northern campaigns, the 1st CCNN Division and 2nd CCNN Division were consolidated with the Division XXIII di Marzo and renamed the XXIII de Marzo - Llamas Negras Division.

1938

Aragon Offensive and the March to the Sea March: The Flechas Negras Brigade was expanded and became part of the Flechas Division "Arrows"

November: The Flechas Division was strengthened and renamed "Flechas Negras" and the Flechas Azules Brigade was expanded into two other Flechas Divisions that took part in the Catalonia Offensive which was the final offensive of the war. Now there were the Flechas Negras Division "Black Arrows", Flechas Azules Division "Blue Arrows", and the Flechas Verdes Division "Green Arrows".

1939

February: Following the Nationalist victory the Italian volunteers withdrew from Spain.

Loses for the Italians during the war, out of a total force of 78,500, were 2,989-3,819  killed and about 12,000 wounded. The majority of these were from the Catalan and Aragonese Offensives.

Though deaths are of course hard for a nation the financial cost of the war was devastating for the Italians with 14-20 percent of their annual expenditure being used during the war. Alas, one would think this would have been a lesson but as we know it wasn’t.

Stay tuned for the second part of this post where we look at a piece of postal history and delve further into the CTV.

Ricardo Martinez Aviaciones Militar de Republica

A cover I picked up a few weeks ago was a cover from a member of the Spanish Republican Air Force. I have tried to locate more information on him but I have been unable to do so-I would assume that he wasn't an officer since I think it would have been indicated on the sender's information. The cover was sent by Ricardo Martinez on August 25th, 1936 from Madrid (Getafe) to a Maria Luz Martinez Vela in San Juan Puerto Rico. Franked with a 30c Jovellanos and a purple censurada stamp. Ricardo sent this from the Republican Air Force base at Getafe just outside of Madrid. Translated, Escradillo de Caza means Hunting Squad. Though I was unable to locate any information on Ricardo, the 2nd Escadrillo de Caza saw much action in the defense of the Madrid sector

This is a really good website http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/scw-1936.htm that has a run down of the Escradillo's actions in the Madrid sector (below).

The squadron was equipped with the French Nieuport 52 C1s.


25 July 1936-

Cabo Roberto Alonso Santamaría of Grupo de Caza No 11 forced a Breguet XIX to land at Grajera airstrip. At the time he was flying a Ni-H.52.

Urtubi Ercilla was promoted to the rank of alferez and posted to Grupo de Caza No 11.

6 August 1936-

Cabo Rafael Peña Dugo of the Grupo de Caza No 11 (Ni-H.52) attacked friendly Ni-H.52s that had taken off from Barajas. Sargento Andrés García La Calle suffered a buttock wound, but escuadrilla CO, capitán José Méndez Iriarte, crashed in enemy-held territory and was killed.

2 September, 1936-

Teniente Ramón Puparelli Francia of Grupo de Caza No 11 targeted the village of San Rafael, in Segovia, flying in a Breguet XIX.

Later teniente Puparelli accompanying capitán Manuel Cascón, in a D.372 and claimed a He 51 over the Madrid front. This earned Puparelli promotion to capitán, and he was also made CO of all Republican fighter units on the Madrid front.

13 September 1936-

A patrol of Aeronáutica Naval Vickers Vildebeests arrived at Getafe from Los Alcázares to reinforce the surviving Breguet XIXs of Grupo No 31. Heading for the Talavera de la Reína front, and escorted by two Ni-H.52s flown by teniente Félix Urtubi Ercilla (a former Nationalist pilot) of the Grupo de Caza No 11 and auxiliary naval pilot Carlos Colom Moliner, the Vildebeests were intercepted at dawn by three CR.32s led by capitán Joaquín García Morato and including Sergente GianLino Baschirotto and Sergente Vincenzo Patriarca.

The bombers managed to escape but Baschirotto quickly shot down one of the Ni-H.52s. The

27 September 1936-

During alférez Rafael Peña Dugo’s (Grupo de Caza No 11) second sortie six Republican fighters escorting a Potez 540 were attacked by five CR.32s led by capitán Ángel Salas Larrazábal, who chased the bomber. Sergente Manlio Vivarelli shot down the D.372 flown by alférez Peña, who bailed out with a leg wound. It is possible that British pilots Vincent Doherty and Eric Griffiths were also wounded during the same combat, although both managed to fly their D.372s back to Getafe airfield.
Peña was initially treated at the hospital in Toledo, before being evacuated to Madrid just prior to the provincial capital falling into enemy hands. His wound eventually became gangrenous and his leg had to be amputated.

There is a really good book on the Republican Aces-Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series by Rafael A. Permuy Lopez, whom also wrote a book about all the Republican Pilots. I wish I could see a copy to see if Ricardo was there-and what is the connection with Puerto Rico? The plane images are from his book on Republican Aces.

Film Review-There Be Dragons (2011)

There Be Dragons (2011)
Directed: Roland Joffé

Be warned to have a box of tissues ready for the end of the film. The film looks at fours stories-one of Manolo Torres (Wes Bentley) a soldier, his son Robert (Dougray Scott) a journalist, his mother Ildiko (Olga Kurylenko), who was a young Hungarian woman fighting with the International Brigades, and Josemaría Escrivá (Charlie Cox), the founder of Opus Dei who was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. There are “themes such as betrayal, forgiveness, friendship, and finding the meaning of life in everyday life”.

The plot has been described as convoluted-but I don’t agree. The plot centers on Journalist Robert who finds that his father, from who he as been estranged, has a connection to the soon to be sainted Escrivá.  His father is dying and reveals some hard secrets to his son so that he will know the truth of his mother’s death and his role.

The movie is set against the backdrop of pre-civil war Madrid in the 1930s and earlier. Manolo and Escrivá were childhood friends-Manolo the son of wealth and Escrivá’s relationship and paths to the war are traced. While Manolo’s father is dying Ildiko works for the family but she is a radical and Manolo who blames the radicals for his father’s death kicks her out of his room as he dies. Manolo meets up with some right-wingers-not sure if they were falangists-but whom ever they are kidnap and Manolo kills the man he blames for his father’s death. He then goes undercover and “becomes” a communist. He sees Ildiko at a communist rally and she doesn’t know what to make of it. He is undercover almost the entire war, fighting with Republican forces.

Manolo is in love with Ildiko but she is in love with Oriol who we see earlier given the speech at the rally where they Manolo and Ildiko run into each other, which will have tragic consequences for everyone-including Robert.

While Manolo is on his path Escrivá at first refuses to become political but in the days/weeks running up to the war he, and his followers-not sure if this is the correct description, begin to see violence directed at other clergy and churches-he decides to flee Madrid after he witnesses the murder of a priest by a radical. Eventually he makes it to Andorra, though there are a couple of near misses on the way.

Meanwhile Manolo continues to fight with Republicans and we learn how Ildiko dies in the war and we learn that Manolo crosses his friend Escrivá’s path a couple of times, though unknown to the priest.

At the end of the movie Manolo gives Robert a letter he had prepared to give to Robert upon his death, but he changes his mind and Robert reads it while sitting by Manolo’s hospital bed. For the rest you will need to watch the movie.

John Paul II canonized Josemaría Escrivá founder of Opus Dei died in 1975, in 2002.

I watched this film a few years ago and it didn’t make an impression but the second time I found the move to be amazing in providing a look at pre-war tensions in Madrid between the three groups-left, right, and those in the middle. It didn’t shy away from the violence of politics such as the murder of priests, the protests, the extrajudicial killings by those on the right-the story far from being convoluted was moving and touching. For those of us into the Civil War it showed how battles and skirmishes were fought-or at least how I THINK they were fought.  The movie wasn’t successful at the box office-or critically but I think these critics and the public didn’t appreciate the complexities of the conflict and the choices people make under such trying times. No postal history that I noticed but there was a cool poster printed by the father and his supporters. I tried to locate an image but couldn't. I am going to watch again soon.

Dearest Godson

This a Nationalist postcard (EDIFIL #81) sent from Jerez de la Frontera to Teniente Don Jose Sanchez Escobar Unidad de Esquadora  (Scout Unit) Estafata (post office) number 4. It has a blue triangle “CENSURA MILITAR”, “JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA"with the Nationalist arms in the center 

I haven't been able to read the original Estafata but what ever it was it was part of the very experienced 73 Division. I wasn't able to locate too much information on the Esquadora-except that it was a subsection of a regiment. The letter on the reverse is interesting and as one would expect very personal. I do not speak Spanish but can read a few words. So with some detective work and Google Translation I was able to get most of the letter translated. You get the gist of letter.

Don Jose Sanchez Escobar Teniente 

Unidad de Esquadora

Estafeta (Post office) No 41

Por el impururio nació dios!

Jerez 14-9-38 III Ano

Simpático ahijado que este tu vida? No quiero ni pensar que tu tardaniza en es milir sea por quales, ya vir que estacia ya bien del todo. 

Si is que por falta de triunfo mutia esta nada mas pero que yo sensa de ti. Impaciente espero tus noticias y nu alensco es que buena tales no te alvida.

Mercedes

English translation.

God was born through the impurities!

Jerez 14-9-38 year

Nice godson that this your life? I do not even want to think that your tardiness is a matter of why they are, and that it was already well at all.

If it is that for lack of mutual success is nothing more but that I feel of you. Impatient, I wait for your news and in good faith it is that such good does not save you.

Mercedes

Cover Types and Subcategories my Thoughts

I admit that I am no expert on postal history-OK, now we move on. In my research and EBay searches I have figured out there are two types postal history. For our purposes, main groups-envelopes aka “Covers” and post cards. For envelopes I have determined there are a number of purpose/functional categories. But for me it is very interesting how these sort out. I grabbed some images from the Bay to give some examples of each of the main categories-and we will examine individual covers in the collection in the future.

In general there are seven broad categories of envelopes AKA covers-professional/business, government, charities and help associations, education, religious, philatelic, and personal.

What has been really interesting in this project is how business seemed to carry on as usual during the war, especially in the Nationalist zone. The businesses are subdivided in to financial (banking, insurance, and sales), trade (export, and import), services (legal, etc.), transportation (shipping and freight, automobiles, and air), media (news, film, and radio), agriculture (such as citrus and dairy), prepared food, and alcohol and drink.

For government covers I have categorized them as falling in to the following sub categories; geographical divisions (federal, provinces, local cities, towns, and colonial); diplomatic (embassies and consulates), military (officials), and specific government agencies and departments (propaganda and information, and trade).

Charity covers include those from the International Red Cross, and Republican and Nationalist specific organizations. Education covers are those from universities and other educational organizations and institutions. Religious covers are those to and from religious institutions, schools, and charities and groups.

The category of covers that we see often is no surprise, philatelic-or those covers mailed or un-mailed that have envelopes or cancellations whose purpose is to show off the stamps featured. These covers are sometimes sent to dealers and or other collectors, if sent at all. When you see one you will know it.

Personal covers are some of the most interesting as these are personal side of participants in the war-or those on the sideline. Military covers from soldiers to loved ones. Covers include those sent from hotels-which seem to have been very common then or any other envelops not fitting in to one of the seven categories.