Vicente Rodrigo Spanish and Soviet fighter pilot, captain. Country: Spain

1. Early Life and Spanish Civil War
2. World War II in the Soviet Union
3. Later Life and Legacy

Early Life and Spanish Civil War

Vicente Alarcón Martí was born in 1918 in Sagunto, Spain. At the onset of the Spanish Civil War, he joined the Republican Air Force after receiving training in Kirovabad. Fighting as a sergeant in the 3rd Squadron of the 21st Group, he engaged in the fierce battles along the Ebro River, where he was shot down on April 21, 1938, suffering severe facial burns. Promoted to lieutenant in September, he eventually left Spain for the Soviet Union in 1939 following the Republican defeat.

World War II in the Soviet Union

In July 1941, Alarcón joined a group of Spanish pilots assigned to a reconnaissance unit. However, the unit never conducted any missions and was disbanded, with its aviators transferred to the 1st Fighter Aviation Brigade based in Bykovo, Moscow.

Alarcón participated in the Battle of Moscow and later in the southern sector near Tula. In the summer of 1942, he performed two successful aerial rams. He fought in the Battle of Kursk and ended the war in Bratislava.

Later Life and Legacy

Alarcón retired from the Soviet Air Force in 1948 and returned to Spain in 1958. He passed away on October 12, 1981, in Valencia. Throughout his military service in both Spain and the Soviet Union, he is credited with downing 20 enemy aircraft, including group victories.