The volunteers then returned tò the northern front where advance on Santander had begun.
The Condor Legion and the Spanish Navarrese corps formed the nucleus Of attacking troops, the Germans being assigned the task of pursuing Republican forces retreating in the direction of Gijon. With an antiaircraft battery of the Condor Legion at their head, the Nationalist troops entered that town on October 31, 1937.
Towards the close of 1937, the commander of the Legion, Flight-General Sperrle, was recalled to Germany, being succeeded by Flight General Volkmann. The Legion was seht to the Teruel front, which was seriously threatened at that time. In the ensuing heavy fighting the Legion was mainly instrumental in repelling the advance of the Republicans by means of its anti-aircraft batteries and played a decisive part in the capture of Teruel by the Nationalists in February, 1938.
The Legion subsequently participated in the advance of the Nationalists to the Mediterranean and in December, 1938, in the course of a severe battle on the Ebro, succeeded in bringing the Republican advance to a halt whereby the best divisions of the Republican militia suffered a great loss.
After Flight-General Volkmann, had also been appointed to a post in Germany at the end of December, 1938, Flight-General von Richthofen as sumed command of the Condor Legion:
After taking active part in pursuit of Republican troops in Catalonia early in 1939, the Legion was recalled io the Madrid front where it was held in readiness for storming the capital which, however, did not take place owing to the capitulation of the Republicans.—Trans-Ocean.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.