The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-10-11
FRANCOIS AIR
Ace CLAIMING
"a VICTORIES
His Patrol Said to Shoot
Down 40 Enemy
War Planes
BY EDWARD C. DE PURY
United Press Staff Correspondent

SARAGOSSA, Spain. Oct. II.
(UP)-Major Joaqin Garcia Mo-
ratio. 81, and from Malaga, is Ma
ticnalist Spain's No. l flier and
leader of the ''Blue Patrol" As
he now is flying on a distant
front. Major Morato agreed to
give his interview to the United
Press by telephone just before
taking his patrol over the enemy
lines for an afternoon reconais-
Sance. -,
Major Morato strongly insisted
all the pilots in his patrol are
Spanish and that "our exploits
prove unquestionably that in the
air Spanish airmen are as good as
those Of any nation" When the
civil war broke out, Major Morato
was in London to inspect planes
for the Spanish Air Force. He
Immediately put himself at Cen
eralissimo Francisco Frances or
ders and gradually began to form
his patrol.
During the two years my pa
troll has been in existence we have
shot down 140 enemy planes" ne
said.
CLAIMS "a VICTORIES
Major Morato, who has shot
down more enemy planes than any
other Spanish pilot, admitted:
Sup to today, since the begin
ming of the war, l have shot down
"a enemy planes. Each time
shoot down a plane l put a notch
in my leather belt, just as the
Indians used to do, for the enemy
planes are my scalps- L can claim
to have shot down enemy planes
of every type in the $50 air en-
counters / have had so far. These
victims of mine include Nieuports,
built in Spain before the war,
Loire and Bevoitine planes built
in France, the famous Red
"ehato" plane, which are Curtiss-
type pursuit planes built in Rus.
STA, planes known as "ratas
(rats) on the Nationalist side and
as "moscas' (flies) on the Red
side which are Boeing-type planes
built in Russia.
GAS regards bombers, / have
shot down French Potez bi-motors
and Russian made Martin bomb
ers and 'Katiuskas" engined with
Hispano motors also made in
Russia, and American Wright
Cyclones, also single-motor bomb
ers, built in Russia, commonly
called Epapagayos' (butterfles). 1
have shot down Viekers bombers
which belonged to the Spanish
air-force before the war.
PRAISES CURTISS PLANES
"With regard to enemy planes,
7 consider the Curtiss pursuit
planes are the most difficult to
shoot down, due to their superior
armament and fighting maneuver-
ability, while of the enemy bomb
ers, the Katiuskas are the best.
Our own pursuit planes generally
have greater speed and are more
solidly constructed, consequently
Iney are RclCI dILy OSICSt dUle W
stand up to the strains and stresses
of air encounters.
81 called my air circus the
Blue Patrol because blue is both
the color of the sky and of the
Falangists. Each plane is painted
with an emblem containing a cir
Gle with three birds, a falcon, a
buzzard and a condor, which are
the great flight birds and our
motto is Vista, suerte y al Toro,'
which means Good sight, good
luck and on to the BULL the latter
being a bull fight expression.
"My formation averages ID pi-
lots, all of them picked for their
daring and fearlessness, and de-
spite their youth, all flying veter-
ans. Whenever there is a vacancy
in the Blue Patrol, there is no
lack of candidates.
OTHER ACES IN SQUADRON
"Of these pilots, Captain Julio
Salvador has shot down "a planes,
Commander Angel Salas Is, Cap
tain Manuel Yesquez IA, Captain
se.I