The first aircraft that arrived in Portugal brought French and Belgian airmen who escaped the invasion by the Germans. In the following years, especially Allied airplanes - mainly in transit - ended their travels in the country. The crews were interned for some time before being returned to the authorities of the respective countries. The internment periods were spent in Caldas de Rainha and in Elvas, which for many was spent as a vacation.

The last to arrive were, curiously enough, Germans fleeing the end of the war, but there were others who also finished their patrols here. Using the French airfields the Luftwaffe extended the Battle of the Atlantic to Portuguese waters and several "Condors" finished their missions in Portugal or its surroundings.

Click on the images below to find out the dates and locations where the planes landed or crashe, crew names and other data...