In the end of June 1938, Joaquín Morato assumed command of the second Fiat group (3-G-3).
Pilots in Escuadrilla 3-E-3 (later 5-E-3) were:
Capitán Javier Murcia (CO)
Ignacio Alfaro
G. Queipo de Llano Martí
Andrés Robles
Joaquín Chapaprieta Inglada
Rubial
García de Juan

Pilots in Escuadrilla 4-E-3 (later 7-E-3) were:
Capitán Heraclio Gautier Larrainzar (CO)
Teniente Joaquín Velasco
Teniente Emelio O’Connor
Acuña
Fernando Arrechea Belzunce
Enrique Munaiz de Brea
Alférez Alonso Fariña

Pilots in the Escuadrilla 6-E-3 were:
Capitán Jose Barranco del Egido (CO)
Teniente José Larios
Muerza
José Andrés
R. Bartolomé Chávarri
Kindelán
Carracido P. Téllez Rivas

On 24 December 1938 and 20 km north of Balaguer, 18 CR.32s from comandante Joaquín García Morato’s Spanish units intercepted a formation of nine R-Z light bombers from 2^a Escuadrilla of Grupo N^o 30, escorted at a distance by 19 I-16s from the 6^a and 7^a Escuadrillas of N^o Grupo 21, near Fontllonga. Initially diving head-on at the bombers, the CR.32s then made a second attacking pass from the rear before the escort fighters could intervene. The Spaniards claimed nine R-Zs destroyed, three of which (plus a probable) were attributed to Morato, two to teniente Joaquín Velasco (7-E-3) and one each to teniente José Larios (6-E-3), José Andrés, Rubial and José Recasens.
Of the nine R-Z, three returned to their own side's airfields (two to La Garriga and one to Vic). Six were shot down, of which three were lost, while the remainder managed to land with varying damaged inside their own lines. Overall, the R-Z escuadrilla suffered three dead, eight wounded and two taken prisoner. I-16s from 6^a Capitán Amézaga took to his parachute and landed near Camarasa, where he was soon captured. Following six weeks in captivity, Amézaga was executed. Another Fiat had to land because of damage at Almenar.

Rubial ended the Spanish Civil War with 1 victory claimed while flying the Fiat CR.32.

Rubial later volunteered for combat in Russia and was part of the 1^a Escuadrilla Azul, (Escuadrilla Expedicionaria) which was formed with 17 pilots with commendante Ángel Salas as the Commander. Some of them were veterans of the Spanish Civil War and had a combined score of 79 aerial victories.

The unit crossed into France on 24 July 1941, later arriving in Germany in late part of the month.

They were assigned to training at the Jagdfliegerrschule 1 at Werneuchen near Berlin.

After completing their training on Bf 109 Es, the 1^a Escuadrilla left for Russia on 26 September.
At first the Spanish pilots were worried that they would arrive late to see any action, since they were kept informed of the progress of the German advance towards Moscow.

Azul Escuadrilla is welcomed on the East Front at Moschna airfield in September 1941.

The 1^a Escuadrilla received a total of 12 Bf 109 E-4s and –7s and they were assigned to JG 27, VIII FliegerKorps of LuftFlotte 2. They were known as the “15 Spanische Staffel”, and they started to fly their first combat operations on 2 October. Escorting German bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, they operated from 12 different airfields.
Already on the first day, 2 October, they suffered their first pilot causality, when Luis Alcocer (Bf 109 E-7 WNr. 1390) was shot down and killed in air combat with MiG-1s, I-16s and Il-4s 6 kilometres north of Moschna.

Rubial was killed on 27 October.

At the time of his death, Rubial was credited with 1 biplane victory.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1938
1	24/12/38		1	R-Z (a)	Destroyed	CR.32		near Fontllonga	5-E-3

Biplane victories: 1 destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 destroyed.
(a) Claimed in combat with R-Zs from 2^a/30, which lost 6 R-Z against Nationalist claims for 9.

Sources:
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Fiat CR.32 Aces of the Spanish Civil War - Alfredo Logoluso, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-983-6
The ‘Blue Squadrons’ – The Spanish in the Luftwaffe, 1941-1944 – Juan Arráez Cerdá and Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez 2023 Helin & Company Limited, ISBN 978-1-804512-39-5
Additional information kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso and Ondrej Repka.