Enrique Líster Forján (21 April 1907 – 8 December 1994) was a Spanish
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
politician and
military officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
. He participated in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
as an officer in the People's Army of the Republic and rose to the rank of major general in the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
of the USSR during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Early life
Líster was born in 1907 at
Ameneiro,
A Coruña
A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
. A
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
, he spent his adolescence in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, before returning in 1925 and joining the
Communist Party of Spain
The Communist Party of Spain (; PCE) is a communist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is currently part of Sumar. Two of its politicians are Spanish government ministers: Yolanda Díaz (Minister of L ...
(PCE). His involvement with the revolutionary movement forced his exile until 1931, when the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
was proclaimed. In August 1931, he took part in the Cuban uprising against
Gerardo Machado
Gerardo Machado y Morales (28 September 1869 – 29 March 1939) was a general of the Cuban War of Independence and President of Cuba from 1925 to 1933.
Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform ...
, who had declared martial law. Between 1932 and 1935, Líster received training in the
Frunze Military Academy
The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...
, one of the most respected in the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.
Spanish Civil War
In 1936, when the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
started, he joined the
Fifth Regiment.
[Comín Colomer, Eduardo (1973); El 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares. Madrid.] The following year, as a high-ranking army officer, commanding the 11th division of the
republican army, Líster was instrumental in the
defense of Madrid and other important military actions. In October 1936 he led a
mixed brigade in the ill-fated Republican counteroffensive at
Seseña. As a
divisional commander, he helped stall the Nationalist attack along
the Jarama and played a significant role within the successful Republican counterattack at the
Battle of Guadalajara.
Líster is widely regarded as a
war hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake o ...
for the Republican cause. His reputation as a competent military commander is largely based on his role as commander of the "11th Division", which was involved in some of the most important battles in Guadalajara,
Brunete,
Belchite and
Teruel
Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
. Those brigades under his control rapidly became special battalions which took care of special operations. Some consider examples of his high-level tactical command as the seizure of Brunete that helped to capture the
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
general staff with almost no casualties for the republican army and his surprise action in Teruel that totally confused the nationalist army. Beevor, however, cites 4,300 casualties out of a strength of 13,353 at Brunete. Beevor quotes the chief Soviet advisor as reporting that Líster's division collapsed and 'lost its head and fled. We managed with great difficulty to bring it under control and prevent soldiers from fleeing their units. The toughest of repressive measures had to be applied. About 400 of those fleeing were shot on 24 July.'
Later, he led the V
Army Corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
in the
battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro (, ) 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 July and November 1938, with fighting mainly ...
and in the
Catalonia Offensive.
The "11ª División" did, however suffer a severe setback when it failed to capture
Fuentes de Ebro in the Republican offensive in
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
in August 1937. The International Tank Regiment lost the majority of its tanks. This loss led to mutual hatred between Lister and
Juan Modesto, commander of the 5th Corps (which "11th Division" formed a part of). Modesto held Lister responsible for the losses.
Lister remained defiant as late as September 1938, when defeat for the Republic looked inevitable. Lister claimed that the Nationalist forces remained entirely dissatisfied with the job Franco was doing. He stated;
"The enemy rank and file are restive and dissatisfied with the constant deceptions played upon them by Franco and with the conviction that he is incompetent both as a military and political leader."[The New York Times, September 23rd, 1938]
Exile
After the end of the Civil War, Líster
took refuge in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, later fighting in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as a
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
general. He took part in the relief of
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
in January 1944. In 1946 he became general of the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
. He also served in the
Polish People's Army
The Polish People's Army (, ; LWP) was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the Polish communist state (1945–1989 ...
.
According to
Christopher Andrew and
Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky (; 10 October 1938 – 4 March 2025) was a colonel of the KGB who became KGB resident-designate (''rezident'') and bureau chief in London.
Gordievsky was a double agent, providing information to the British Secret ...
, when in late 1959
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
's intelligence chief
Ramiro Valdés
Ramiro is a Spanish and Portuguese name from the latinisation of the Gothic given name *𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌹𐍂 (*Ranamir). Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Ramiro I of Asturias (c. 790–850), king of Asturias
* Ramiro ...
contacted the
KGB
The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, the Soviets sent over one hundred mostly Spanish-speaking advisors, including Enrique Líster, to organize the
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (), or CDR, are a network of neighborhood committees across Cuba. The organizations, described as the "eyes and ears of the Revolution," exist to help support local communities and report on "counte ...
in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
.
In 1973 he split from the PCE and founded the
Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE). A catalyst for the split was the condemnation by the PCE of the
Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968. Líster returned to Spain in 1977, after
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
's death, and rejoined the PCE during the
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...
. Following the expulsion of Santiago Carrillo from the PCE in 1986, Líster announced the reintegration and dissolution of the PCOE into the PCE. He died in 1994 in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
.
Works

Líster wrote four books, two of them —''Nuestra guerra'' (1966) and ''Memorias de un luchador'' (1977)— were about his personal experiences in the Spanish Civil War.
* ''Nuestra guerra'' (Our War) 1966
* ''Memorias de un luchador'' (Memories of a Fighter) 1977
* ''¡Basta!'' (Enough!) 1970
* ''Así destruyó Carrillo el PCE'' (Thus Carrillo destroyed the PCE) 1982
See also
*
Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias (MAOC)
References
Bibliography
*Lister's stay in Cuba is mentioned in:
*Lister's qualities as a military leader are discussed in:
External links
Así destruyó Carrillo el PCE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Enrique
1907 births
1994 deaths
People from Santiago (comarca)
Communist Party of Spain politicians
Spanish army officers
Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction)
Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in the Soviet Union
Soviet generals
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Generals of the Yugoslav People's Army
International Lenin School alumni
People granted political asylum in the Soviet Union
Spanish military personnel of World War II