 In spite of its superior speed, this design failed to impress and was even refused when exported to Lithuania in 1935.An important competitor of the Dewoitine D.37 family was the Polish PZL P.24, a similar type but with better speed and armament.In 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, 12 or 14 D.371s were sold, unofficially, to the Spanish Republic as part of a squadron of volunteers organized secretly by André Malraux, named "España".