When the first batch of 50 T-26 was loaded off the Russian freighter »Komsomol« at the Spanish port of Cartagena on Oct 12, 1936, the Franco Rebellion of July 1936 had already evolved into a bloody civil war threatening the capital Madrid.
The Russian government, anxious about loosing the country to the fashists, decided to support the Republicans in the same way the Italians and Germans supported the Nationalists.
Hence, no less than 281 T-26 light tanks and a further 50 BT-5 fast tanks reached the Spanish shores until March of 1938.
The T-26 instantly played a dominent role whenever appearing on the battlefield.
Sufficiently armoured against its machine gun equipped German and Italian counterparts and well armed with the 45mm gun, the T-26 was only threatended by artillery and land mines.
However, its potential couldn't be exploited as the coordination of infantry and armour formations was virtually non-existent, resulting in tank attacks lacking infantry support and vice versa.
The T-26 remained in action until the end of war participating in almost all major battles.
The 50 BT-5 arrived on Aug 10, 1937 and were mainly deployed on the Spanish »Eastern Front« during the battles of Zaragoza and Ebro. As with the T-26, captured samples were instantly used by the Nationalist tank brigades.