Juan Modesto

Juan Guilloto León known as Juan Modesto (born September 24, 1906 in Cádiz , † April 16, 1969 in Prague ) was a Spanish general of the Republic and led the Spanish Civil War a . a. the famous Fifth Regiment .

Life

Modesto served in the Spanish Army in North Africa. In 1930 he joined the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). As a result, he received military training in the Soviet Union . After his return to Spain, he led the anti-fascist workers and peasants militias (MAOC - Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas ) together with Enrique Líster and Juan Fernández .

In the civil war

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, Guilloto was already in Madrid under his pseudonym Juan Modesto , where he had already prepared for the expected nationalist coup . He first fought under Enrique Castro Delgado in the Fifth Regiment (5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares) at Cuartel de la Montaña, Somosierra and in the Sierra de Guadarrama . At the end of August he tried in the province of Toledo to stop the advance of Franco's troops on Madrid and distinguished himself in the battle of Talavera de la Reina . His skillful coordination between the militias and regular units at Santa Olalla and Illescas should be emphasized . In November 1936 he was a key figure in the defense of Madrid . Initially battalion leader in the Fifth Regiment, he took over the leadership of this unit himself in October 1936 and proved himself in January 1937 in the battle of the Carretera de la Coruña .

In February 1937 he received command of the 4th Division from General Miaja and commanded the Battle of the Jarama . He was promoted to colonel and was given command of the newly formed V Army Corps on March 22, 1937, which was formed from the 11th and 46th Divisions under officers Lister and El Campesino . In the Battle of Brunete (July 1937), during which the 35th Division under General Walter was also assigned to his front , the attempt by the Republicans to get the road towards Extremadura under control failed . In August 1937 the V Army Corps was transferred to Aragon . Modesto's forces were supposed to counter offensive towards Zaragoza , but were stopped and repulsed at the Battle of Belchite . In February 1938 the republican troops were defeated in the decisive battle of Teruel , the nationalists now took a break in front of the front sections on the Ebro and Guadalupe in order to strengthen themselves for the final offensives.

Modesto was appointed commander of the army division on the Ebro in May 1938. His army group, which came from the V., XII. and XV. Army corps formed under officers Lister, Vega and Tagüeña was badly defeated in the Battle of the Ebro (July – November 1938). From February 1939, the remnants of the Ebro Army fled to northern Catalonia to escape across the border into France. After the loss of Catalonia to the nationalists, Modesto was appointed commander of the Central Army by Prime Minister Juan Negrín on March 2, 1939.

After Colonel Casado's coup d'état (March 5), Modesto fled Madrid by plane in order to escape to the Soviet Union. Together with other Spanish commanders such as Líster, González and Tagüeña, he taught at the military academy “M. W. Frunze “ . He later emigrated to Prague.

Works

• Soy del Quinto Regimiento: Notas de la Guerra Espanola , 1978.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Francisco J. Romero Salvadó: Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War , p. 161. ( limited preview (English) on Google Book Search ).