The Nationalists requested and received transport aircraft from Germany and Italy in order to transport their troops, establishing the first airlift of troops in history. Germany sent 20 Ju 52s and, between 29 July and 5 August, the Nationalists carried 1,500 men of the Spanish Army of Africa across the Strait by air, and another 15,000 between 5 and 15 August. Historian Hugh Thomas estimates 12,000 men were flown between August and September. Hitler stated: "Franco ought to erect a monument to the glory of the Junkers-52". This success was a major psychological blow, but the Republican Navy still controlled the Straits and the Republican battleship threatened the transport aircraft with her heavy anti-aircraft fire.
Convoy
On 5 August, Franco decided to break the Republican naval blockade, with a convoy of merchant ships, carrying 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers, equipment and heavy weapons. The convoy departed from Ceuta and was made up of four transports escorted by the gunboat Dato, the coastguard ship Uad Kert and the old T-1 class torpedo boatT-19. The convoy was covered by five Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 bombers, three F.VIIs, one DC-2, two NiD.52 fighters, two Do Js, and a squadron of Breguet 19s. Three Republican destroyers were keeping a close watch on Spanish Morocco ports, but in the morning of 5 August the Nationalist aircraft launched air attacks against the Republican vessels in the Strait and the Republican destroyer was forced to leave Gibraltar by the British authorities. Because of this, only Alcalá Galiano engaged the Nationalist ships. The convoy, bound for Algeciras, reached its destination on the evening after a brief exchange of fire. While mooring in Algeciras, the gunboat Dato straddled the British destroyer after misidentifying her as Republican. While steaming back to Málaga, Alcalá Galiano was attacked and hit by Nationalist aircraft. Francoist sources claim that she suffered 18 seamen killed and 28 wounded.
Aftermath
From 6 August, transport ships crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, with the cover of Italian bombers. On 7 August, the battleship Jaime I and the cruiser Libertad shelled Algeciras and severely damaged Dato and Uad Kert. However, in the first week of August, a German Junkers Ju 52 struck the Republican Jaime I and Italian bombers started to harass the Republican fleet so that they could no longer prevent the passage of transport ships. Furthermore, the Republican warships were inefficiently handled by their crews and two German cruisers, and patrolled the Strait. In addition, the British authorities in Gibraltar and Tangier were hostile to the Republic. The British oil companies in Gibraltar refused to sell fuel to the Republican navy. The Tangier International Commission denied the use of the harbor to the Republican Navy, because this was contrary to the city's neutrality, but nevertheless authorized the passage of food, goods and gasoline for the German transport planes to Spanish Morocco. By the end of September, the Republic had lost control of the waters between Morocco and the mainland after the battle of Cape Espartel.
