Rafael García Valiño (24 October 189829 June 1972) was a Spanish army officer who fought in the Spanish Civil War for the

Nationalist faction The Nationalist faction ( es, Bando nacional) or Rebel faction ( es, Bando sublevado) was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of right-leaning political groups that supported the Spanish Coup ...

Early life

He was born in

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

, and enrolled in the Infantry Academy at age fifteen. In 1916, he earned his commission as a lieutenant, volunteering to fight in the Spanish Army of Africa. In Morocco, he was wounded several times and was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

due to his field performance. In 1935, he studied in the Superior Military School.

Spanish Civil War

The outbreak of the Civil War surprised him, as he was spending the summer on the Basque coast. He crossed Republican lines to reach Pamplona to join up with the Nationalist Army of the North, led by Emilio Mola. He commanded several Carlist units, and with the First Navarrese Brigade participated in the campaign of the North. After he was promoted to colonel, he commanded the First Division of Navarre, with which he fought in Teruel and in the campaign of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

, along with those of Aranda, to the Mediterranean, thus cutting the Republican zone in two. He also commanded an army corps in the XYZ battle, in the

Battle of Ebro The Battle of the Ebro ( es, Batalla del Ebro, ca, Batalla de l'Ebre) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between Ju ...

and participated in the offensive of Catalonia. He led the Maestrazgo Army in the final offensive of the Spanish Civil War.

Francoist Spain

After the Civil War, he was named commander-in-chief of

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

. In 1942, he became Chief of Staff of the Army. In 1944, he participated in the fighting against the Valle de Aran's invasion by the Spanish Maquis. In 1947, he was promoted to lieutenant general and in charge of the captainship of the VII Military district. From 1951 to 1956, he was High Commissioner of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco."Telegramas entre S.A.I. El Jalifa y El Nuevo Alto Comisario". (4 April 1951). ABC, p. 14 In 1957, he was named director of the Superior School of the Army and, later, commander in chief of the First Military district, a position that he occupied until 1964. In 1965, he established Air Spain together with the

Banco del Noroeste Banco may refer to: Places * Banc (Barcelona Metro), also called Banco, a closed metro stop on the Barcelona metro * Banco, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco National Park, a nationa ...

and his relatives

José Maria Rivero de Aguilar José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

and Colonel Carbó.El Britannia en Air Spain

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Valino, Rafael 1898 births 1972 deaths People from Toledo, Spain Spanish generals Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (National faction) Francoist Spain