Other Forces

Spanish Civil War - Gruppe Drohne.

Unknown author.

PzKpfw 1-A of the Legion Condor, Spanish Civil War. Apart from its very prominent aerial element, the German Legion Condor had a ground element. The overall designation of this force was Gruppe Imker ("Beekeper") with the armoured sub-unit designated "Gruppe Drohne" ("Drones"). Gruppe Drohne was raised from volunteers from I and II Battalions, Panzer Regiment 6, 3 Panzer Division, most of which volunteered for the job. Their main activity was in training Spanish Nationalist crew in the various aspects of tank warfare. However, their commander, Colonel (later General) von Thoma, did his best to rotate German crew into action. The utility of Gruppe Drohne's panzers was limited, partly by the preoccupation of the Spanish Nationalist generals with an (appropriate) grinding-down policy in relation to their enemies, and partly from the fact that the PzKpfw I tanks supplied to Franco by the Germans were pathetically inferior to the cannon-armed tanks (such as the BT-5) supplied to the Republicans by the Soviet Union. As a result, Gruppe Drohne often found itself training Franco's tankers on the use of captured Soviet tanks. Overall, while the perception that the Germans gained valuable experience in aerial warfare in Spain may have some justification, it seems unlikely that Gruppe Drohne and its students supplied more than marginal experience of benefit to the future Blitzkrieg. In this photo, two soldiers wear the formal Gruppe Drohne headgear - a black Spanish beret, bearing a German Cavalry Death's head and a Swastika as a badge. Best regards, JR.