Juna Lario joined the Republican air force in Spain, and in May 1937 was despatched to the Soviet Union for training at Kirovabad.

He was promoted to Sergeant on 20 November 1937.

On return to his native land, he was posted to the 4th Escuadrilla de Caza on 12 January 1938, flying I-15s.

A few days later, he was posted to the 2nd Escuadrilla de Caza, where he piloted Polikarpov I-15 no. CA-029.

At 10:20, on 21 February, García Pardo and Javier Allende of 2-G-3 took off on a routine reconnaissance flight over the Teruel front. There they discovered 20 I-15s and a similar number of I-16s in combat with a few Bf109Bs. When Pardo and Allende went to the assistance of the Messerschmitts, the German pilots failed to recognise them as allies and opened fire on them. They beat a hasty retreat, calling into battle another formation of Fiat CR.32s before continuing with their reconnaissance.
The new formation compromised 24 CR.32s of the XXIII Gruppo ”Asso di Bastoni”. The pilots included the Spanish Capitán Carlos Haya González who, after attending his mother’s funeral, arrived by car in Bilbao just as the group was about to take off. Despite Commander Zotti’s opposition, he insisted on taking his place in the formation.
At 11:04 over Puebla de Valverde, they encountered about 40 enemy fighters already in combat with 17 Bf109s. The leading pilots of the ”Asso di Bastoni” attacked two formations of I-15s, which were flying at about 3,500 meters, whilst the remained repelled a rather timid attack by a squadron of I-16s, which were flying above the CR.32s at 4,500 meters. In attempting to destroy a I-15 that was attacking another aircraft of his squadron, Haya approached too close and collided with the I-15, falling to his death. According the Republic bulletin, it was Lieutenant Manuel Orozoco Rovira, of the 4th Escuadrilla de Caza, who collieded with Haya. According to other sources it was Lieutenant Francisco Viñals of the 2nd Escuadrilla de Caza, who managed to return despite dthe almost total destruction of the rudder. Lario witnessed this combat.
General Rojo advised Prieto, the Minister of Defence, that the Air Force had carried out three operations during the day, and that during the last of these they had been involved in a large-scale combat with the Nationalist Air Force. He later advised Prieto that according to information from Jerica (the Air Force’s command centre) five German aircraft – later stated to be five Bf109s – seven Fiats and one twin-engined aircraft had been destroyed. This message included the information that the ace pilot, Carlos Haya, who was reputed to have carried out the night attack on the War Ministry in Madrid, had been killed in this engagement. Their own losses were quoted as two I-16, which failed to return to base and two others, which were damaged and whose pilots were injured.

On 30 March, he was promoted to Lieutenant.

In May, he was posted to Group 28, equipped with the Grumman G-23 “Delfin”. He remained at this unit until the end of the war.

During the Spanish Civil War he claimed seven victories.

After the fall of the government to Franco’s forces, he fled to France where he remained in several concentration camps until the end of May 1939.

He then emigrated to the Soviet Union, arriving in Leningrad on 7 June 1939.

In 1941, he served with a unit at Bikovo airfield, taking part in the defence of Moscow.

In June 1942, he was posted to Groznyi, and there he served with the 108 IAP.

He was later posted to the 127 IAP, and in December 1942 took part in the fighting at Stalingrad.

During 1943, he saw action over Kursk and Kharkov, and then over Kiev during the latter part of the year.

In 1945, he was with the 348 IAP, leading an eskadrilya of Spitfire Mk.IXs over Poland and Germany. During the fighting for Berlin, he operated for a time from Tempelhoff airfield.

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, he had flown 886 sorties and taken part in 97 engagements, which had allowed him to add 27 and 8 shared more claims to his Spanish Civil War total.
During the war he was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class) and the Order of the Red Star (twice).

Lario ended the war with 7 biplane victories and a total of 34. All of the biplane victories were claimed during the Spanish Civil War.

He continued to serve in the VVS until 1948.

In January 1957 he returned to Spain.
He has written a book about his experiences: ”Habla un aviador del la República” .

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1938
1	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
2	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
3	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
4	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
5	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
6	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza
7	??/??/38	1		Destroyed	Polikarpov I-15			2nd Escuadrilla de Caza

Biplane victories: 7 destroyed.
TOTAL: 34 and 8 shared destroyed.

Sources:
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Stalin's Falcons - Tomas Polak and Christhoper Shores, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-01-2
Wings Over Spain - Emiliani Ghergo, 1997 Giorgio Apostolo Editore, Milano
Additional information kindly provided by Victor Luis Alvarez, Fernando Ribes and Javi Roman Marin.