Juan Yagüe y Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe (9 November 1891 – 21 October 1952) was a Spanish
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 ...
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 ...
, one of the most important in the
Nationalist side. He became known as the "Butcher of Badajoz" (''Carnicero de Badajoz'') because he ordered thousands killed, including wounded
Republican soldiers in the hospital.
Early life
The son of a doctor, he was born in the village of San Leonardo in
Soria
Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populatio ...
. The village was eventually renamed
San Leonardo de Yagüe by Franco in his honor. He enrolled at a young age in the
Toledo Infantry Academy, where
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 ...
was a fellow cadet. The two men received their commissions concurrently and served together in Africa, where Yagüe was wounded on several occasions and received several decorations.
Yagüe was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1932. He, along with Franco and General
Eduardo López Ochoa, helped suppress a workers uprising in
Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
using Moroccan
Regulars and
Legionnaires in 1934. He was a strong early supporter of the
Falange Española
Falange Española (FE; English: Spanish Phalanx) was a Spanish fascist political organization active from 1933 to 1934.
History
The Falange Española was created on 29 October 1933 as the successor of the Movimiento Español Sindicalista (M ...
and a close personal friend of
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquess of Estella GE (24 April 1903 – 20 November 1936), often referred to simply as José Antonio, was a Spanish fascist politician who founded the Falan ...
.
Spanish Civil War
When
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres (6 July 1877 – 18 February 1949) was a Spanish lawyer and politician who served, briefly, as the first prime minister of the Second Spanish Republic, and then—from 1931 to 1936—as its president.
Early life ...
was replaced as President of the Republic by the
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
Manuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the la ...
on 10 May 1936, a group of Spanish Army officers, including Yagüe,
Emilio Mola, Franco,
Gonzalo Queipo de Llano
Gonzalo Queipo de Llano y Sierra (5 February 1875 – 9 March 1951) was a Spanish Army general. He distinguished himself quickly in his career, fighting in Cuba and Morocco, later becoming outspoken about military and political figures which led ...
and
José Sanjurjo
José Sanjurjo y Sacanell (; 28 March 1872 – 20 July 1936) was a Spanish military officer who was one of the military leaders who plotted the July 1936 ''coup d'état'' that started the Spanish Civil War.
He was endowed the nobiliary title ...
,
started plotting to overthrow the democratically elected Popular Front government. This led to a
military uprising which precipitated 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 ...
on 17 July 1936.
Yagüe's forces revolted in
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
before crossing the
Straits of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa.
The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...
to link up with Nationalist forces in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
, led by Queipo de Llano. Yagüe advanced northward, first
seizing Mérida before
attacking Badajoz with 3,000 troops on 14 August 1936. Bitter street fighting took place when the Nationalists advanced into the city. Yagüe's forces eventually gained control of Badajoz, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Under Yagüe's direction, hundreds of prisoners, military and civilians, were killed or executed in Badajoz during the
Badajoz massacre.
[Robert Payne (1962) "The Civil War in Spain, 1936-1939". New York, Putnam.]
Before leaving the city, Yagüe was asked by the American journalist
John T. Whitaker about his reason for killing 10% of the city's population and he answered:
Yagüe was then promoted to colonel and afterwards advanced on
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 ...
,
capturing Trujillo, Navalmoral de la Mata and
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 ...
, but was unable to take the capital. He took part in the
Aragon Offensive and seized control of
Belchite,
Caspe and
Lérida
Lleida (, ; ; ''#Name, see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià, Segrià county, the Ponent, Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Cent ...
. He also played a leading role in the Nationalist victory at the
Ebro
The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...
. In May 1938, Yagüe was removed from his command and imprisoned for injudicious remarks he made in a speech at
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...
, critical of Franco. He was back at the front within weeks. It was reportedly said that he was the only commander of Spanish forces that the
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion () was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were ...
respected. Yagüe never showed panic even when the enemy was close by, and was able to adjust battle plans quickly to suit changing circumstances.
Post-war
After the collapse of 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. ...
in 1939, Yagüe was promoted to major-general and appointed as Minister of the Air Force by General Franco. He was made a lieutenant general in 1942 and was posthumously promoted to commander-in-chief. He died of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
in 1952.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yague, Juan
1891 births
1952 deaths
People from the Province of Soria
Spanish anti-communists
Spanish generals
Spanish military personnel of the Rif War
Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (National faction)
Spanish military personnel of World War II
People from Francoist Spain
Deaths from lung cancer in Spain
Ministers of defence of Spain
Government ministers during the Francoist dictatorship
Marquesses of Spain
Perpetrators of political repression in Francoist Spain