1 April: By the end of the Spanish Civil War, Atlético Madrid found itself in a difficult situation because they were lacking a suitable playing field since the Metropolitano had been completely destroyed by the war, lacking players because its squad had been decimated (including the club's star, Monchín Triana, who was shot down), and it accumulated an economic deficit that envisaged a dark future in its sporting and financial horizon.[5] However, the club managed to save itself from an almost certain disappearance by merging with Club Aviación Nacional, a club that had been founded by three aviation officers.[5]
4 October: After reaching a pre-agreement in September 1939, the representatives of both sides signed the absorption agreements on 4 October, and appointed the first Board of Directors with Commander Francisco Vives as president of the now Athletic-Aviation Club.[5][6]Ricardo Zamora was appointed coach of Athletic Aviación, later to become Atlético Aviación.[5]
19 November: Despite this rocky start, however, the team soon found its rhythm and style under the leadership of Zamora, and went on to win each of the remaining six Mancomunado matches, scoring a total of 24 goals for an average of four goals per game while only conceding three, keeping a clean-sheet against both Ferroviaria and Madrid, beating the later on the last matchday on 19 November as they finished level on points, but hedge out Madrid on goal difference, thus winning their first-ever title.[1][2]
26 November: At that time, Real Oviedo also had its field destroyed by the war, so it was decided to give up its place to another team, and that final spot was contested by Atlético and CA Osasuna, in a match held in Valencia on 26 November, which Atlético Aviación won with a score of 3–1, with two goals from Enrique and one from Juan Vázquez, thus achieving promotion to La Liga.[5][8]
3 December: Atlético Aviación defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–1 in their opening fixture of the 1939–40 La Liga, courtesy of a hat-trick from Enrique, which marked their first-ever win over the Basques in eleven meetings.[1][9]
31 March 1940: The club then reached new heights, surprising everyone by winning their first La Liga title in 1940, just one point ahead of the second-placed Sevilla FC.[3][5] The league's deciding match was, therefore, the return fixture between these two sides on 31 March, in which Atlético Aviación, who had lost in Seville 1–4, achieved their revenge with a 4–2 victory, courtesy of Paco Campos, Enrique, and Ramón Gabilondo (2).[1][10]
28 April: The club officially confirmed the 1940 La Liga title with a 2–0 victory over Valencia CF, with goals from Campos and Elícegui.[1][5]
28 May: In the 1940 Copa del Generalísimo, Atlético Aviación received a bye to the round of 16 in which they were set to face Real Zaragoza. As both legs ended in a draw, a tiebreaker was played on 28 May at a neutral ground, the Camp de Les Corts in Barcelona, which ended in a 2–4 loss.[11]
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
