 He saw action immediately on the break of the civil war flying with all outdated planes for the time, like the Nieuport Ni-52 Delage, the Hawker Fury, the Loire 46 and the Dewoitine 371 where, nevertheless, he scored his first three victories.He was soon promoted to Lieutenant.Near September 1936 upon the arrival of the more modern Soviet fighters Polikarpov I-15 (Chato) and Polikarpov I-16 (Mosca) he participated in the first squadrons organized by the Soviets, defending Madrid and contributing to the endurance of the city despite the terrorist air bombing attacks against civilians by German and Italian units.