Experience was showing that every Republican launch of leaflet-carner rockets resulted in the desertion of some nationalist soldiers to the Republican lines; this being the case, Franco's General Staff quickly decided to counterattack such propaganda by using the same methods. Evidence of this appeared on November 9th, 1937, in a classified document, which stated:

Nowadays, the National Padio Company, 5th Section (Comparlia Radio Nacional A.A. 5a Seccion) of this (Propaganda) Department, with the help of Salamanca (Franco's General Headquarters), receives and distributes quite a lot of equipment and leaflet-carrier rockets. [2]

These two official references from the days of the Spanish Civil War have motivated us to take a look at the characteristics of those curious artifacts that crossed the Spanish skies for more than two years.

Details

The following text, published by the 5th Regiment of Popular Militia (Milicias Populares), gives us an idea of where such a propaganda device came from and how it needed to be altered:

These rockets have been used on holidays and night festivals to send up parachutes, etc.; today they spread leaflets and thus aid in the fight along with our other ammunition. The modifications that have been made are to the size of the rocket and the launching procedure. The rockets' volume allows them to be launched long distances and carry quite a relatively large number of leaflets. [3]

It's quite clear that the rockets weren't "land-air missiles", as we might denominate them today, but humble pyrotechnical devices common to traditional Spanish holidays. Even so, they were well suited to the purpose of spreading propaganda.

The (Propaganda) work being performed by the 1st, Company of Radio & Propaganda is [....done] using message-carriers and rockets transporting up to 800 leaflets in each one for more than one kilometer...[4]

According to our documentation, the section of the rocket holding the leaflets had a diameter of 10 centimeters (4 inches), and a length of about 40 cm (16 inches), enabling it to carry up to 800 silk-paper leaflets, of 9.5 x 14.5 centimetres (3.75x5.75 inches), while weighing only 200 grams (7 ounces). Each rocket weighed about 2 kg. (4 pounds 8 ounces), and could reach from 500 to 700 meters in altitude, although they normally used their propulsion energy to fly further instead of higher. While maintaining a similar weight, the rockets also launched dozens of reduced newspapers, loaves of bread, packs of cigarettes, or even samples of their soldiers' daily meals. [5]

As the summer of 1936 created a confusing geographical partition into two "Spains", the Nationalists (Franco's rebels) found the armament industry balancing in their favor. At their disposal were almost all the currently existing Maestranzas de Artilleria (armory and artillery factories). The Republicans, on the other hand, had to requisition all kinds of manufacturers and factories to help produce guns, munitions and... message-carrier rockets.

The Popular Army (Republican) was supplied by the private pyrotechnical factories located in the eastern zones of Spain (mainly in Godella-Valencia and Reus-Tarragona), while Franco's rebel troops were heavily supplied by the munitions factories from the rest of Spain (Seville, Toledo, Zaragoza and Valladolid).

The illustrations displayed on these pages, found in several civil and military archives, show us how the types of message-carrier rockets varied in design, although their performance was fairly similar.

Large Rocket Illustration (90K)

The Maestranza de Artilleria of Valladolid explained the characteristics, composition and working mechanism in the following way:

The shape of the message-carrier rockets in shown in the fig. (1), consisting of a body (2), head (3), cone or hood (4), and tail. the body, head and hood are made of cardboard. The wooden tail is made with a stick, two meters long, tied to the body with a lacing cord.

The body's interior is filled with a substance composed by saltpeter, sulfur, fine powder, and carbon; where the body and head meet there is a clay disk, pierced in the center. The bore has a double wick accesible at the rear of the body, although it remains hidden by a cardboard cover which is glued to the body until the rocket is used; when the cover is removed, the wick must be taken out to initiate the combustion that will produce the rocket's propulsion.

The messages are placed in the head, separated from the black powder by the clay disk; once the wick is lit, the substance filling the body ingnites producing the gases which thrust the rocket into the air; when the propulsion is used up, the last bit of fire enters through the pierced hole of the c/ay disk into the compartment where the ordinary black powder remains, causing an explosion that destroys the rocket, thus releasing the contained messages. [6]

A new evidence that before the Spanish Civil War message-carrier rockets were completely unheard of, even beyond the Spanish borders, was published in the newspaper "Le volontaire de la liberte" (The Freedom Volunteer) [7] written in French lenguage for and by the French volunteers of the International Brigades. [8] That article, called "The new artillery", exalted the soldiers, use of, and faith in, the army's latest weapon: propaganda.

Mais il y a egalement d'autres moyens qu'ont utilises les combattants de leur propre initiative: le simples porte-voix, les fusees lance-tractes et les amplificateur electriques... (But there also exist other ways [of propaganda warfare] which are used by the combatants themselves and by their own initiative: loudspeakers, message-carrier rockets and electrical amplifiers...)

No Originals Left

Although it has been all but impossible to find even a single, original example of message-carrier rockets from either side, we do know how the ones made by the Republicans looked by studying the posters and billboards printed by the Comisanado de Propaganda (Propaganda Commissioner) [9] and by examining some of the newspapers pnnted for the trenches. [10]

On the other hand, General Franco's Press and Propaganda Delegation of the State, was so indolent to divulge any information that the only known facts about the Nationalist message-carrier rockets come from the military booklets specially issued to the new officers being prepared to be sent immediately to the front.

Notes

[1] "La Trinchera". Bulletin of the 40a Brigada Mixta (7a Division). Year ll. Nø 26. Madrid, 20th June 1937. p.2.
[2] S.H.M. (Historical Militar Service). C.G.G. (Generalisimo's General Headquarters). Armario (Cabinet) 19 Legajo (Dossier) 6 Carpeta (Folder) 10.
[3] "Agitacion entre el enemigo" (Agitation to ward the enemy). Documentos historicos (Historical Documents.). Ediciones 5° Regimiento (5th Regiment printing works). Madrid, page 22.
[4] S.H.M. Red Documents (D.R.) A47 L855 C3 D1.
[5] The whole information commented along this article, shall be found with a deeper and more extense detail in the published book of this author: "Los cohetes lanzamensajes en la Guerra Civil Espanola. Guerra de Propaganda en los frentes. 1936-1939),
[6] Parque de Artilleria (Artillery Park) of Valladolid. "Municiones, Explosivos y Artificios, redactado pare la labor de enseffanza de los curves de artificieros preferentes" (Handbook on ammunitions, Explosives and artefacts, written for training purposes in the courses for officers). Papelea (Chapter) 35. pages 116/7.
[7] S.H.M. D.R. A47 L92 C12 D6.
[8] International Brigades were made up of foreign volunteers that went to Spain to join the Republican cause.
[9] Archivo Historico Nacional (Salamanca) (National Historical Archive). Seccion Guerra Civil (Sect on for Civil War). Hemeroteca. (Newspaper and magazine library). REV. 73/6.
[10] Revista (Magazine) "Estampa". N. 486, 15th May 1937.