Biggles in Spain

Biggles in Spain
Cover Art	Cover of the 1939 1st edition. The Savoia SM.79 bombers depicted did serve during the war but they are certainly not the Capronis which played such a big part in the plot.
Author	W. E. Johns
Publisher	Oxford University Press
First Published	1939
Other Editions	11 English
Period	Interwar
Setting	Spain
See all	List of Books by W. E. Johns

Biggles in Spain by W. E. Johns was first serialized in Modern Boy magazine, issues 49 t0 59, between 21 Jan 1939 and 1 Apr 1939 under the title Wings over Spain. It was first published in book form by Oxford University Press in May 1939. There has been at least 11 subsequent editions in the English language. The events in the book take place during the Spanish Civil War in Spain.

Synopsis

Biggles is supposed to be taking a rest cure on board a ship to get rid of a bout of fever but the ship is sunk off the coast of Spain. Biggles and friends make it to dry land, only to thrust into a web of espionage and intrigue during the dark days of the Spanish Civil War.

Plot

Note: The sections below contain spoilers. In particular, the plot subpage (click here) has an extended summary of the narrative in the book

Characters

• Biggles
• Algy Lacey
• Ginger Hebblethwaite
• Dicky Frazer
• Juan Goudini
• Fred Summers
• Sergeant Pedro
• Jock McLannock
• Cy Harkwell
• Chris Fowler
• Jim Harris
• Abe Morris
• Bob Donovan
• Lopez
• Schnitz

Aircraft

• Two seat Republican aircraft - probably a Polikarpov R-5
• Single seat Republican fighter - probably a Polikarpov I-15
• Caproni bomber - the frontispiece by Howard Leigh depicts a trimotor Caproni Ca.133 but in Chapter X the text says twin-engined.
• Fiat Nationalist fighter - probably a Fiat CR.32

Ships

• S.S. Stavritos
• San Christophe

Places

Visited

• Barcelona
  • Casa Reposada
  • Hotel Valencia
  • Unnamed barracks
  • Columbus statue

• Unamed airfield

Mentioned

• Athens
• Rome

Research Notes

Aerial Victories: Ginger 2

Chronology

• The fact that the front lines were near the River Ebro would place the events around late 1938.

International titles

• Czech: Biggles ve Španělsku (Toužimský & Moravec 1939)
• Spanish (Argentina): Alas Intrépidas: En el Torbellina del Combate (Compañia Editoria del Plata 1939)
• Swedish: Biggles i Spanien (Bonniers 1942, Röda Ramen 1972, Junior Förlag 1981)
• Norwegian: Biggles i Spania (N.W. Damm & Søn 1946)
• Danish: Biggles i Spanien (Branner & Korch 1947)
• French: Mission en Catalogne (Presses de la Cité 1949)