Spanish Republican government, the Soviet government sold weapons and military equipment to Spain and provided military advisers (including crews) within the framework of Operation X. The first shipment of tanks to Spanish republicans was delivered on 13 October 1936, at the Spanish port city of Cartagena; fifty T-26s with spare parts, ammunition, fuel, and around 80 volunteers under the command of colonel S. Krivoshein, the commander of the 8th Separate Mechanized Brigade. The first German delivery of armoured vehicles to Franco's insurgent Nationalist forces was of Panzer I light tanks for the Condor Legion, which arrived only a week later. The Italians had begun to provide Nationalists with CV-33 tankettes even earlier, in August 1936. Republican and Nationalist tanks saw their first combat during the advance of Franco's forces towards Madrid, and during the Siege of Madrid, where the Nationalist Panzer I and CV-33 tankettes suffered heavy losses from Republican tanks armed with 45mm guns. The first Soviet T-26 tanks delivered to Cartagena were intended for Republican tank crews training in the Archena training center (90 km from Cartagena), but the situation around Madrid became complicated and fifteen tanks formed a tank company under the command of a Soviet officer, Pols Armans. Arman's company engaged in battle on 29 October 1936 near Seseña, 30 km south-west of Madrid. Twelve T-26s advanced 35 km during the ten-hour raid and inflicted significant losses to Francoists (around two squadrons of Moroccan cavalry and two infantry battalions were defeated; twelve 75 mm field guns, four CV-33 tankettes and twenty to thirty trucks with cargo were destroyed or damaged) with the loss of 3 T-26 tanks to gasoline bombs and artillery fire. The first known instance of ramming in tank warfare was made that day when the T-26 tank of platoon commander Lt. Semyon Osadchy encountered two Italian CV-33 tankettes from the Nationalist 1st Tank Company near Esquivias village and overturned one of them into a small gorge. Crewmembers of another tankette were killed by tank machine-gun fire after they abandoned their vehicle. The T-26 of Arman was burned by a gasoline bomb; although wounded, Armans continued to lead the tank company. Armans' T-26 destroyed one, and damaged two CV-33 tankettes by tank gun fire. On 31 December 1936 Arman was awarded with the Hero of the Soviet Union for that tank raid and active participation in the defense of Madrid. On 17 November 1936,