Of all branches of the Republican army, the one most thoroughly dominated by the Soviets was the Air Force. As head of aviation Hidalgo de Cisneros was supported by the Russians, who considered him a convenient front man, facilitating their grip on the People's Army. The Republican aviation, "La Gloriosa", was in fact managed by the Russian air attaché Smushkevich, who appreciated Hidalgo for dedication and loyalty, but thought him incompetent for the job. Hidalgo de Cisneros apparently accepted his role of the Soviet assistant; he was hardly informed about operations, status and location of FARE squadrons. Given his role, it is not clear what was his contribution to the rout of Italian forces at Guadalajara in March 1937, arguably the most successful operation of the Republican aviation. However, as Republican air force was entirely controlled by the Russians, some Republican ground operations suffered from lack of air support in case the Soviets decided to obstruct them, like in case of the spring 1938 offensive in Extremadura.