By 1939, when La Liga had resumed, Athletic had merged with Aviación Nacional of Zaragoza to become Athletic Aviación de Madrid. Aviación Nacional had been founded in 1939 by members of the Spanish Air Force. They had been promised a place in the Primera División for the 1939–40 season, only to be denied by the RFEF. As a compromise this club merged with Athletic, whose squad had lost eight players in the Spanish Civil War. The team were awarded a place in the 1939–40 Primera División only as a replacement for Real Oviedo whose ground had been damaged during the war. With the legendary Ricardo Zamora as manager, the club subsequently won their first La Liga in 1940 and then retained the title in 1941.