URL : https://www.valka.cz/Urtubi-Ercilla-Alejandro-Felix-t145921#469104
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Alejandro Felix Urtubi Comfortable was born in 1904 in Ellorio (near Bilbao in the north of Spain). His parents and grandparents were pharmacists (grandfather in addition also the mayor of the nearby Aretxabaleta), but if the family was expecting that the young Felix will be in the craft continue, they were wrong. Felix actually did a spell of flying and so he volunteered to join the air force.
From the beginning he showed courage and determination, for example, during the army aviation of the competition had to make an emergency landing due to the injured party cooler. Without a second thought removed the radiator, took it on his shoulder and walked seven miles to the nearest town, where it welded. Then he returned along the same path to the plane, mounted it and continued the race.
The year 1933 experienced another emergency landing, after which he remained his aircraft near Chantada hang on the tree.
18. July 1936, the date of the nationalist coup against the republic, caught up with Felix, then in the rank for sublt (Sargento) at the base in Morocco, where pučisté immediately they succeeded, for Felix as a republican was a big disaster.
Fortunately, a few days later got the task of clearing aircraft CASA - Breguet 19 of Tetuanu the coup airport to Seville. Pučistický the commander of the airport in Tetuanu wasn't sure Felixovým political bent, and therefore, with Felix on the seat of the observer to fly the nationalist officer to keep an eye on him. Felix, but I managed to sneak on board the aeroplane gun, and when flew over the straits of Gibraltar, his observer, lieutenant Juan Castro Garru, shot and headed over the republican territory. About four hours later landed at the airport in Getafe and joined the government forces. He was assigned to the fighters and began to fly on the machines Hawker Spanish Fury.
Coincidently, his Fury was the first machine of this type lost in combat. Not quite sure when actually this event took place, there is data 18. 8., 19. 8., 30. 8. etc.
Source diverges also in the exact description of the event, however, most likely will be this version: The other day Felix during a patrol flight, crashed near Badajoz on the Junkers Ju 52/3m flying from the airport of Tablada. Felix on it immediately attack, the next moment, however, himself had to face the the Fiat CR.32, which třímotoráku provide escort. Under the management of fiat sat the Italian pilot master sergeant (Sergente) Guido's But, future ace with 13 kills to his credit and the third most successful Italian fighter in Spain.
Both airmen together fought a balanced fight, during which they did not have time to track the device. Both are "managed" completely exhaust the supply of fuel. Felix stopped the engine earlier; he headed to the ground and sat the machine in Alburquerque, on the territory controlled by the nationalists. In a number of strands further states that Felix immediately after landing his machine lit (, and it is entirely possible that they tried and he said this later in the report, ), but in fact, the Fury fell to the nationalists into the hands intact and was included in the state of the nationalist air force. Felix himself from the landing place he fled, he managed to get his peasant clothes, and in this disguise, head for the halter of the donkey (!) after a week of the march managed to jump the queue and get back to her.
But after Felix's withdrawal from the fight completely lost orientation and out of fuel crash-landed in neighboring Portugal, while in a seated insulted the chassis. Fortunately for him, the Portuguese government sided with the nationalists - the machine was quickly corrected and the Problem flew back to Tablady.
Maybe even for this heroic act was Felix promoted to lieutenant (Teniente). However, he was not destined to survive the war.
13. September 1936 was Felix posted as escort Breguetů 19. This time he flew on the machine Nieuport-Delage 52 in a pair with my colleague Carlos Colom Molinerem. Near Talavera confront a pair of republican aircraft with three fiat cars CR.32. For their management sat J. García-Morato (future the most successful fighter of the war with 40 kills) GianLino Baschirroto (6 kills) and Vincenzo Joseph Patriarca (2 kills). Republican fighters managed to take them from Breguetů, which thus saved it, but both republicans were in the subsequent sharp struggle killed, and one of them collided with Patriarcovým fiat. Patriarca himself was saved on a parachute, landed on republican territory and before he shot it saved only the american passport he had on him (was half American).
As regards the course of the fights again, there are multiple versions of events. What is certain is that shoot down the second Nieuport claim Baschirroto (it was his first confirmed victory) and it is not entirely clear who actually collided with Patriarcou. As a rule, however, states that it was just Comfortable, with some sources claiming it was a deliberate taran after the disposal of ammunition.
This version is apparently spread immediately after Ercillově death, because of her mentions in the period press. Eg. in La Libertad there was a piece called "the Famous death of the knight of the air", in La Voz "a Wonderful gesture of a republican flier", El Sol "he Died like a hero. Lieutenant Urtubi, the famous character of aviation", etc.
Lieutenant Urtubi Comfortable was posthumously promoted to captain. Grieving for his wife Maria Cruz Robla Roman and three-year-old daughter Matilda.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Urtubi-Ercilla-Alejandro-Felix-t145921#469147
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