Joaquín García-Morato y Castaño, 1st Count of Jarama (4 May 1904 – 4 April 1939) was a fighter pilot for Nationalist Spain who had the highest number of aerial victories of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. He is credited with 40 aerial victories, four gained while flying

Heinkel He 51 The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. A seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49. Design and development In 1931, Heinkel recruited the tal ...

s and 36 with an Italian Fiat CR.32.Shores 1983, p. 49. An accomplished prewar pilot, Joaquín García-Morato served in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

(fighting Abd el-Krim insurgents during the

Rif War The Rif War (, , ) was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several ...

), excelled in

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

, and instructed instrument flying.

Spanish Civil War

He was on holiday in England when the Civil War began. Hastening home to join the Nationalist cause, he gained his first victory on 12 August 1936 in a

Nieuport-Delage 52 The Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined sesquiplane, it served with the Spanish Air Force, being operated by both sides of the Spanish Civil War.Taylor and Alexander 1969, pp. 117-118. Development ...

, shooting down one of three Vickers Vildebeest over

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de An ...

. He then flew one of the first

s received from Germany. Flying this aircraft, on 18 August, he shot down a Republican NiD 52 and a

Potez 540 The Potez 540 was a French multi-role aircraft of the 1930s. Designed and built by Potez, it served with the French Air Force as a Aerial reconnaissance, reconnaissance bomber, also serving with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish ...

. He downed another NiD 52 on 2 September. He then began flying an Italian Fiat CR.32, shooting down another NiD 52 on 11 September: it was his fifth victory.Shores 1983, p. 49. Then he formed the ''Patrulla Azul'' ("Blue Patrol") of three CR.32. The nucleus of the squadron was Morato and two other crack pilots: Narcisco Bermudez de Castro and Julio Salvador y Díaz-Benjumea. Between them, they chose the squadron badge featuring three birds: a

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

for the slim and crook-nosed Morato, a Bustard (or Canada goose) representing portly Bermudez and a Blackbird evoking lightly built Julio Salvador Diaz, the only one to survive the war and make a high-ranking officer and prominent politician in Franco's post war Spain. They also chose a typically Spanish motto: Vista, Suerte, y Al Toro (A catchphrase in

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

circles, roughly meaning: Instinct, Luck... and go for the bull). During the early autumn of 1936, he added six more aircraft of French manufacture, plus a British-built Hawker Fury, to his score. He gained his 12th victory on 5 November (a

), followed by his first downing of a Soviet-built

Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 () was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed ''Chaika'' (', "gull") because of its gulled upper wings,Gunston 1995, p. 299.Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 10. it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet ...

fighter.Shores 1983, p. 49. On 13 January 1937, he managed to shoot down two Tupolev SB-2 bombers—that outperformed the Fiat in terms of speed—attacking them from a superior height: they were his victories number 16 and 17.Shores 1983, p. 49. On 18 February, during the battle for Jarama, he was escorting three Junkers Ju 52 bombers, with his two fellow pilots of the "Blue Patrol",Jackson 1979, p. 7. when 36 I-15 biplanes intercepted them. The ''Patrulla Azul'' attacked the Republican fighters in a climbing turn, breaking the enemy's assault. Morato hit a first I-15 that dropped away, in a tight spiral, trailing smoke. Immediately afterwards, he avoided being hit by another enemy fighter that was chasing him and he hit another I-15: the pilot threw up his arms and collapsed in the cockpit. Then suddenly the Republican fighters dived away, while 21 Italian CR.32s were rushing to Morato's aid. For his part in this battle, Morato was awarded the highest Spanish military decoration - the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.Jackson 1979, p. 9. In July 1937, after a massive attack by Republican forces in the Brunete sector, on the extreme left of the Nationalist Madrid Army Corps, some of the biggest aerial battles of the war raged.Jackson 1979, p. 17. On the 14th, Morato's squadron had notable success. Accompanied by Salvador, Aristides and Guerrero, he intercepted a squadron of

Polikarpov R-Z The Polikarpov R-Z was a Soviet reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was a revised version of the Polikarpov R-5 which was built in large numbers between 1935 and 1937. It was used in combat during the Spanish Civil War as well as th ...

''Natasha'' biplanes escorted by a number of

Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 () is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it is a low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear, and the first such aircraft to attain operational status. It "in ...

s ''Rata''. The Nationalist pilots dived through the fighter escort, that scattered in all directions, and attacked the R-Zs, shooting down five. Two of them were credited to Morato.Jackson 1979, p. 18. On 24 December 1938, Morato had one of his more successful days: he was escorting, with his group, a number of Ju 52 and SM.79 bombers, when they saw a formation of eleven R-Z "Natashas", escorted by ''Ratas'', over Cap de la Serra. The Nationalist pilots dived to attack, and in a few minutes, they destroyed nine of the R-Zs. Three of the downings were credited to Morato.Jackson 1979, p. 24. Morato achieved 40 credited victories against Republican aircraft,Beevor 1983, p. 244. gained in 1,012 hours of operational flying.Shores 1983, p. 49. The only time he was shot down was on 3 October 1937, by a novice pilot he was training.

Death

Soon after the war, on 4 April 1939, he was performing low aerobatics for newsreel cameras, when his Fiat CR.32 crashed, killing him.Shores 1983, p. 49.

Citations

General and cited reference

* Beevor, Antony (1983). ''The Spanish Civil War''. New York: Peter Bedrick Books. . * Jackson, Robert (1979). ''Fighter! The Story of Air Combat 1936-1945''. London: Artur Barker Limited. . * Logoluso, Alfredo (2010). ''Fiat CR.32 Aces of the Spanish Civil War''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. . * Shores, Christopher (1983). ''Air Aces''. Greenwich, CT: Bison Books. .

External links

Joaquin García Morato
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Morato, Joaquin 1904 births 1939 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Spain People from Melilla Spanish Civil War flying aces Spanish flying aces Spanish military personnel of the Rif War Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (National faction) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1939