Antonio Cordón García (1895 in

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– 1969). was a Spanish soldier, born in Sevilla, who commanded during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

Early life

As a career soldier as an artilleryman in the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

, he passed into the reserves in 1932, but reenlisted into active duty upon the beginning of the Spanish Civil War to join the Republican cause. He was a key entity in the conversion of the Popular Front's militias into a disciplined standing army, the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Repú ...

, able to fight

Franco's Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

Nationalist Front.

Spanish Civil War

His career was brilliant and was parallel to his promotions in the

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, being promoted to undersecretary of Defense and achieving a close relationship with

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Juan Negrín Juan Negrín López (; 3 February 1892 – 12 November 1956) was a Spanish politician and physician. He was a leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE) and served as finance minister and ...

until he was finally promoted to the position of general, in March 1939. He participated in many of the battles in the major theaters of wars, including the Siege of the Santa María de la Cabeza Sanctuary, in

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with a ...

, and the Battle of Belchite, in 1938. On 1937 he was the chief of staff of the Army of the East. Antonio Cordón also actively contacted with the Soviet Union over the provision of war materials, including T-26 light tanks and

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s. Finalizing the war, Antonio Cordón immigrated to the Soviet Union and formed part of the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

of the Communist Party, working closely with

Dolores Ibárruri Isidora Dolores Ibárruri Gómez (; 9 December 189512 November 1989), also known as (English: "the Passionflower"), was a Spanish Republican politician of the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and a communist known for her slogan ''¡No Pasará ...

and Santiago Carrillo, who he coincided in Paris with for a short while. He also had close relations with figures such as

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numerou ...

and Teresa León. After

Casado's coup The National Defence Council ( es, Consejo Nacional de Defensa) was the governing body in Republican Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The council seized power with Colonel Segismundo Casado’s coup on 5 March 1939 when ...

, on 6 March 1939 he fled Spain from the

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aerodrome with Negrín and Ibárruri.Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.'' Penguin Books. London. 2006. p. 393

Exile

Despite having a wife and seven children in Spain, he never married again but had another child. In the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, he wrote his memoirs ''Trayectoria''. He died in

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in 1968. After the death of the dictator

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

in 1975 and the change of the political situation in Spain, his remains were transferred to Spain.

Notes

References

*Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939.'' Penguin Books. 2006. London. . *Thomas, Hugh. ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. 2001. London. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cordon Garcia, Antonio 1895 births 1969 deaths Politicians from Seville Military personnel from Seville Communist Party of Spain politicians Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista members Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in the Soviet Union People granted political asylum in the Soviet Union