Juan Guilloto León
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Juan Guilloto León, usually referred to as Modesto or Juan Modesto (24 September 1906 – 16 April 1969), was a Republican army officer during 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 ...
.


Biography


Early life

Born at
El Puerto de Santa María El Puerto de Santa María (), locally known as El Puerto and historically in English as Port Saint Mary, is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. , the c ...
in
Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
, Juan Guilloto worked at a sawmill before joining the Spanish Army. He served in
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
, becoming a corporal of the
Regulares The ("Indigenous Regular Forces"), known simply as the (Regulars), are infantry units of the Spanish Army, largely recruited in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Historically, the force, which has also included mounted divisions, has consisted ...
colonial troops based in
Larache Larache () is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many civilisations and cultures have ...
. Juan Guilloto was affiliated with 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) from 1930, and in 1933 he was placed in charge of the '' Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas'' (''MAOC'') 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 ...
, which constituted a paramilitary force for the Party. He organized the ''Sindicato de Oficios Varios y el Socorro Rojo'', which coordinated relations with the
Socorro Rojo Internacional International Red Aid (also commonly known by its Russian acronym MOPR) was an international social service , social-service organization. MOPR was founded in 1922 by the Communist International to function as an "international political Red Cros ...
.


Spanish Civil War

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, Juan Guilloto participated in the assault of Cuartel de la Montaña, and the
Battle of Guadarrama The Battle of Guadarrama (), also known as the Battle of Somosierra (''Batalla de Somosierra''), was a battle that occurred in the Sierra de Guadarrama during the Spanish Civil War from 22 July to 15 September 1936. The Nationalists sent by Em ...
fought in the
Guadarrama Mountain Range The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is in Spain, between the systems Sierra de ...
. He was one of the leaders of
Fifth Regiment The Fifth Regiment (, the full name ''Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares)'' was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment was active in the first critical p ...
, becoming its commander from October 1936 onwards. He fought in
Talavera de la Reina Talavera de la Reina () is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,303 makes it the second most populated municipalit ...
, Santa Olalla and Illescas (September 1936), the defense of Madrid and the
Second battle of the Corunna Road The Second Battle of the Corunna Road () was a battle of the Spanish Civil War that took place from 13 December 1936 to 15 January 1937, northwest of Madrid. In December 1936, the Nationalists launched an offensive in order to cut the Corunna R ...
, as well as in the
Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Second Spanish Republic, Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spa ...
(February 1937). Juan Guilloto was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the
Popular Army The Iraqi Popular Army, also known as the People's Army or People's Militia (), was a paramilitary and gendarmerie organization composed of civilian volunteers to protect the Ba'athist regime against internal opposition and serve as a counterb ...
and commander of 5th Army Corps, participating in the battles of
Belchite Belchite is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite ''comarca'' (administrative region) and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the high ...
,
Brunete Brunete () is a town located on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, with a population of 10,730 people. History There was no military garrison in Brunete and there was no rebel attempt to seize the city during the coup of July 1936. Brunete remai ...
(July) 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 ...
(December 1937 and January 1938). On 26 August 1938, he was promoted to colonel and became head of the Army of the Ebro. After the fall of
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
to the rebel army, Negrín named Modesto general and head of the Central Army on March 2, 1939.


The Battles around Madrid

At the end of August, he moved to the
province of Toledo Toledo () is a Province (Spain), province of central Spain, in the western part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid Province, Madrid, Cuenca Province (Spai ...
, where he led a battalion, trying to contain the Franco advance towards
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 ...
. It was distinguished especially in the fights with the troops of the Army of Africa along the
Tagus river The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...
during their advance towards Madrid, highlighting his interventions in Talavera, Santa Olalla, Toledo or Illescas. During the fighting in the Talavera-Santa Olalla area, he revealed himself as an authentic military chief by coordinating the actions of the militias and regular units ( Guardias de asalto) under his command. In November he stood out again during the
siege of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Second Spanish Republic, Republican-controlled Spain, Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, ...
and in January 1939 during the fight for Barcelona.


Exile

After
Casado's coup Spanish coup of March 1939, in historiography often referred to as Casado's coup (), was a coup d'état organized in the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republican zone against the government of Juan Negrín. It was carried out by the mil ...
's, on 6 March Modesto left Spain in an airplane. Then he went to 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 ...
, whose government recognized his military rank. 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 ...
, he served with 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 ...
and the Bulgarian Communist forces. Defeated in the struggle with José Díaz for control of the PCE, he went to
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. Modesto wrote a book about his experience during the war in the 5th Regiment, titled ''Soy del Quinto Regimento'' (English: ''I am of the
Fifth Regiment The Fifth Regiment (, the full name ''Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares)'' was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment was active in the first critical p ...
''), published in Paris in 1969.TRACES OF MAGMA
, by Rolf Knight, Page 129 He died in Prague in 1969.


See also

*
Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias ({{langx, es, Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas, MAOC) were a militia group founded in the Second Spanish Republic in 1934. Their purpose was to protect leaders of the Communist Party of Spai ...
(MAOC) *
Eastern Region Army Group The Eastern Region Army Group, (GERO), was a military formation of the Spanish Republican Army during the last phase of the Spanish Civil War. It was established in June 1938 as a response to the splitting in two of the territory under the sover ...
(GERO)


Published works

*


References


Bibliography

*Beevor, Antony. ''The battle for Spain. The Spanish civil war, 1936-1939.'' Penguin Books. 2006. London. . *Jackson, Gabriel. ''The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939.'' Princeton University Press. 1967. Princeton. *Preston, Paul.'' The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge.'' Harper Perennial. 2006. London. *Thomas, Hugh. ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. 2001. London. {{DEFAULTSORT:Modesto, Juan 1906 births 1969 deaths People from El Puerto de Santa María Communist Party of Spain politicians Spanish generals Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Spanish military personnel of World War II Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel of World War II Immigrants to Czechoslovakia People granted political asylum in the Soviet Union