Viriatos, named after the Lusitanian leader

Viriathus Viriathus (also spelled Viriatus; known as Viriato in Portuguese and Spanish; died 139 BC) was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hispania (as the Romans called it) or ...

, was the generic name given to Portuguese volunteers who fought with the Nationalists in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

.Herrera Alonso, Emilio. "VIRIATOS DO AR - Aviadores portugueses en la guerra de España" in ''Aeroplano'' nº12.
(in Spanish) In the first weeks of the war, the Portuguese Army tried to form a Viriatos Legion to aid the Nationalist insurgents in Spain. The Legion was disbanded before any recruitment drive could take place after pro-Republican incidents in Portugal had convinced the government that direct intervention on the side of the Nationalists could cause further unrest. The widespread publicity given to the Viriatos Legion made all Portuguese volunteers who later enlisted directly in the Spanish Foreign Legion, Carlist militias, the

Falange The Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista (FET y de las JONS; ), frequently shortened to just "FET", was the sole legal party of the Francoist regime in Spain. It was created by General Francisco F ...

or regular army units were known as "Viriatos". According to the historian

Antony Beevor Sir Antony James Beevor, (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works on the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War. Early life Born in Kensington, Beevor was educated at two ...

, 12,000 Portuguese participated. The historian Christopher Othen claims the number to be closer to 8,000. A Portuguese Military Observation Mission with members drawn from all three branches of the Portuguese military was present in Spain from 1937 onwards, with the dual objectives of protecting the interests of Portuguese foreign volunteers and collating information on the lessons learned during the civil war. Although the mission officially had a noncombatant role, its air force contingent took part in combat missions, the aviator José Adriano Pequito Rebelo being a notable member.

References

20th century in Portugal Foreign volunteers in the Spanish Civil War Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War Military units and formations established in 1936 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 {{Portugal-hist-stub