Ignacio Pío Juan Hidalgo de Cisneros y López-Montenegro (11 July 1896 – 9 February 1966) was a Spanish military aviator. He is known as commander of the Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. He is also noted as one of the few aristocrats to join the Spanish Communist Party and author of war memoirs, published in the 1960s.

Carlist

Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros was descendant to an aristocratic family, many times noted in the history of Spain. The Hidalgos, originating from Léon, and the Cisneros, originating from Palencia,Francesca Colomer Pellicer, Los Hidalgo de Cisneros: un ejemplo de radicación en una sociedad gracias al matrimonio, [in:] James Casey (ed.), Familia, parentesco y linaje, 1997, , 9788476848630, p. 343 intermarried a number of times across the centuries. Ignacio's great-great-grandfather, Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros y Seija (1730–1794), as a younger son did not inherit the family wealth; he left his native Gipuzkoa and rising to teniente general settled in Cartagena.see Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros y Seija, Virrey del Río de la Plata enty at Geni genealogical service available here, also Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros entry at Euskomedia service available here, Colomer Pellicer 1997, pp. 343-354 His son and great-grandfather of Ignacio, Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros y de la Torre (1756–1829), became the next to last Viceroy of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.see Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros y de la Torre entry at Geni genealogical service, available here; for details see Demetrio Ramos, Paralelismo entre Melendez Bruna e Hidalgo de Cisneros, dos marinos gobernantes en America, en la epoca amancipadora, [in:] Federico Suarez, Estudios de historia moderna y contemporanea, 1991, , 9788432127489, pp 407-416, also Biografía de don Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros at todoababor service, available here His son and Ignacio's grandfather, Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros y Gaztambide (1803–1864), became also a military who sided with the legitimists during the First Carlist War;José Antonio Gallgo, El levantamiento carlista de Castilla La Vieja, Madrid 2002, , p. 289 he returned from Murcia to the North, settling in Álava.see Francisco Hidalgo de Cisneros y Gaztambide entry at Geni genealogical service, available here His son and Ignacio's father, Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros y Unceta (1852–1903),see Ignacio María Cecilio Clemente Hidalgo de Cisneros y Unceta entry at Geni genealogical service, available here abandoned school to join the Carlists during the Third Carlist War and became head of the personal guard of the claimant.Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros, Dobry wiatr alisio, Warszawa 1961, p. 13 He accompanied Carlos VII into exile and returned to Álava following the amnesty.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 14 He married Pilar Manso de Zúñiga y Echeverría; the couple had 4 children. Following early death of his wife, in 1881 he married María López de Montenegro y González de Castejón,see María López de Montenegro y González de Castejón entry at Geni genealogical service, available here a widow who had earlied married the brother of his first wife and already had two children.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 15 The couple had only one son, Ignacio.

As a child Ignacio was brought up in a religious and traditionalist ambience, with the family house in Vitoria often visited by Carlist combatants.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, pp. 11-16 He was indeed captivated by Carlism:

During my childhood there must have been frequent references made at home to the Carlists, as my earliest memories are all about the events in which they played a key role. [...] I remember talks about a new Carlist uprising forthcoming.indeed around 1899-1901 rumors about another Carlist war were widespread, with some government circles and press titles getting hysterical, see Agustín Fernández Escudero, El marqués de Cerralbo (1845–1922): biografía politica [PhD thesis], Madrid 2012, p. 387. The unrest boiled down to few isolated 1900 incidents in Catalonia, known as La Octubrada, compare here At that time I imagined that they were hiding all around Vitoria, waiting for a sign to jump out of their hideouts and capture the city.Vitoria was indeed captured by the Carlists, though as late as July 1936; for detailed socio-cultural analysis of those who “jumped out of their hideouts and captured the city” see Javier Ugarte Tellería, La nueva Covadonga insurgente: orígenes sociales y culturales de la sublevación de 1936 en Navarra y el País Vasco, Madrid 1998, , 9788470305313, the chapter dealing with Alavese Carlism, La ciudad acoge a la aldea pp. 165-228, especially the sections Verano del 36: la frialidad de Vitoria and Vitoria: capital de segundo orden, pp. 188-226 Each time I was looking at the nearby mountains from the window of my house – located at the intersection of Estacion and Florida streets – I imagined they were full of Carlists. At night I was dreaming about the Carlists. The image of my father is always related to the Carlists – I hardly remember him the way I used to see him every day. Usually when I think of my father, I see a young man in a cavalry outfit, with a carefully grown beard and a gutsily worn Carlist beret. This image is undoubtedly derived from his war photographs that we had at home.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 11

Orphaned by his father at the age of 7, Ignacio was first educated in schools ran by the Servants of Mary order in Vitoria.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 15 At that time, having witnessed attempts by local aviation pioneers on the hills surrounding Vitoria, he was fascinated by planes and by flying.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 31 In 1910 he joined the cadet college in Vitoria, determined to become an officer and to serve as a military pilot.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 34 Unaccustomed to discipline and enjoying life rather than pursuing his curriculum, as emergency measure the young Ignacio was transferred to Toledo, to the school managed by the Carlist friend of his late father, Cesáreo Sanz Escartín;Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 36 unsuccessful also there, at unspecified date he finally completed the Madrid Academia de Révora.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 38

Monarchist

Having completed his initial military education, in 1912 Hidalgo de Cisneros entered Academia de Intendencia in Ávila;see Hidalgo de Cisneros y López de Montenegro, Ignacio entry at Spanish Ministry of Defense service, available here , also Carlos Lázaro Avila, Ignacio Hidalgo de Cisneros, General de Brigada, [in:] Javier García Fernandez (ed.), 25 militares de la República, Madrid 2011, , pp. 509-510 the school was supposed to be just a stepping stone towards his aviation career.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 42 For the time being his military intendant training got him transferred to Andalusia, where at various locationsSeville, Utrera, Cordoba, Cadiz he was serving in supply branch of the army, leading an enjoyable life of a young military bon vivant. Once his service duration enabled him to volunteer to Morocco, he immediately did so,Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 70; freshly promoted officers had to serve some time on the peninsula before they could apply for service elsewhere serving in intendency and logistics some time between 1917 and 1919.Lázaro Avila 2011, pp. 510-512, Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 70 Once the Spanish army commenced formal aviation training he was transferred to the Cuatro Vientos air base,Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 79 where in 1919-1920 Hidalgo de Cisneros completed flying courses and joined the nascent Aviación Militar Española. Shortly afterwards he was again commissioned to Morocco; stationed in Melilla he flew his first combat missions.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 96 Rapidly gaining experience in reconnaissance, bombing, assault and transport sorties,using also chemical warfare against the natives, Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, pp. 98-9, Lázaro Avila 2011, pp. 513-517 in the early 1920s, still a teniente, he already started to act as a flying instructor.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 102 At an unspecified date he was promoted to captainin 1926 he was still reported as capitán, see La Epoca 11.08.26, available here and just a year later to major, taking part in all key operations of the campaign. Following termination of the Rif War in 1925 Hidalgo de Cisneros was nominated deputy commander of the Alcala de Henares aviation school.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 147

In 1927Who is who in Latin America, Stanford 1946, , p. 57, available here Hidalgo de Cisneros was nominated "Commander of Air Forces in the Spanish Sahara",Lázaro Avila 2011, pp. 518-520. Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 158; in 1928 he assumed squadron leader role, see Aérea 55 (February 1928), p. 31, available here all his assets having been 10 aircraft.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 168 He was stationed first at Cabo Juby and later in Villa Cisneros; his task was about keeping the local native tribes in check by demonstrating Spanish military prowess, supervising postal operations, performing cartographic reconnaissance flights and ensuring safety of regular French trans-Atlantic services, which used the Spanish Sahara airfields as re-fuelling and supply outposts.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, pp. 158-170 He was also inevitably entangled in dealings with the natives, performing informal quasi-political functions.and allegedly excelling in forging friendly relations, Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, pp. 171-175 Having completed advanced courses he gained new skills.Aerea Feb 1928, available here In 1929 he was transferred to the Mar Chica seaplane airbase near Melilla.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 183

Hardly concerned with politics and having long abandoned not only his juvenile Carlism but also his faith, as a young officer Hidalgo de Cisneros considered himself a patriotic Spaniardethnically he considered himself a Basque, Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 105 serving the cause of the king and the country; during service in Andalusia he was enraged by British presence in Gibraltar, claiming he would die of hunger rather than allow the English to stay on the Spanish soil.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 55 During the First World War he sympathised with Central Powers rather than with Entente,motives are not stated, Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 65; possibly it was the result of his anti-British stance, which was also shared by many others, see here following the Annual disaster he was anxious to defend the glory of Spain and administer exemplary punishment to rebellious Berber tribes.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, pp. 88-9 He greeted the coup of Primo de Rivera with indifference, entirely unperturbed by end of liberal democracy and by coming of the dictatorship.Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 106 Later on he started to lean towards some cynicism, possibly grown during the years spent on mortally dangerous warfare missions. Having met Primo de Rivera personally Hidalgo de Cisneros started to respect though not necessarily admire the dictator,Hidalgo de Cisneros 1961, p. 139 crediting him for military competence and personal format, but gradually getting unsure about his political vision.

Republican