Miguel Buiza Fernández-Palacios (25 January 1898 – 23 June 1963) was a

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

officer best known for being the commander of the Spanish Republican Navy 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 ...

. He died in

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in 1963. Miguel Buiza is often referred to as an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, owing to his high-profile role leading the Spanish Republican Armada, but there are sources that claim that he never rose above the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(''Capitán de Navío'')

Early life

Miguel Buiza was born in a wealthy family of factory owners in Seville. In 1915, Buiza entered the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

at San Fernando. By 1932, he had reached the rank of lieutenant commander () of the Spanish Republican Navy. Four years later, when the

started, he was in command of the military

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

''Cíclope'' (RA-1) and refused to join the July 1936 pro-Fascist coup, remaining loyal to the republic. His brother Francisco, a commander of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, 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 República'' ...

, joined the rebel faction after the coup and was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

in the front near Madrid early in the Civil War.

Civil war

In early August 1936, at the beginning of the war, Miguel Buiza took part in the

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

of the

Strait 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 ...

as commander of the light cruiser ''Libertad''. Later in the same month, he saw action in the Battle of Majorca in support of the failed Republican

landing operation A landing operation is a military operation during which a landing force, usually utilizing landing craft, is transferred to land with the purpose of power projection ashore. With the proliferation of aircraft, a landing may refer to amphibiou ...

Porto Cristo Porto Cristo is a small town on the eastern coast of Mallorca. It is from the town of Manacor and is within the Manacor municipality. Geography The village is located in a major tourist area between Costa de los Pinos and Cala Murada. Its sma ...

. On 2 September, Miguel Buiza was named Captain General of the republican fleet by

Indalecio Prieto Indalecio Prieto Tuero (30 April 1883 – 11 February 1962) was a Spanish politician, a minister and one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic. Less radi ...

, the Navy and Air Minister (''Ministro de Marina y Aire''), while keeping the command of the ''Libertad''.Almirante Buiza, Forum ''"El Gran capitán"''
/ref> Buiza was only 38 years old at the time. In the dire 1936 post-coup reorganization of the

Spanish Republican Armed Forces The Spanish Republican Armed Forces () were initially formed by the following two branches of the military of the Second Spanish Republic: * Spanish Republican Army (''Ejército de la República Española'' (1931–1936) and ''Ejército Popular ...

, Prieto did away with the Navy 'ship committees' and sought to create a structure that would reimpose discipline after the bulk of the top commanders had defected to the rebels. Following the disappointing defeat of the Spanish Republican fleet on 27 September 1938 at the Battle of Cape Cherchell, when a series of tactical mistakes on the part of the Republican command resulted in the loss of two cargo ships, Miguel Buiza was relieved of his duties as commander of the Navy and replaced by Captain Luis González de Ubieta who was promoted to admiral. President

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 ...

acknowledged in his memoirs his disappointment in the indecisiveness of the commander of the Spanish Republican Navy, despite having a greater number of ships. After being demoted, Buiza was transferred from one post to another, such as Inspector of naval bases,

Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Navy and then also secondary posts such as naval personnel director, until he was reinstated to Captain General of the Republican Armada in February 1939. Shortly thereafter, on 5 March 1939,

Colonel Segismundo Casado launched an anticommunist coup and proclaimed a National Defence Council (''Consejo Nacional de Defensa'') in order to seek an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

with the

rebels A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

and end the fratricidal war, a measure that Miguel Buiza favored. On the same day, the Nationalist Air Force bombed the harbour of Cartagena, the main base of the Republican Navy, sinking the destroyer ''Sanchez Barcaiztegui''. Following the bombing and the unrest in the city, where a rebellion was under way between adversaries and supporters of the continuation of the civil war, Miguel Buiza decided to evacuate the seaworthy units of the Republican fleet. As soon as night fell, at least three cruisers, eight destroyers and two submarines left Cartagena harbor, speeding for the high seas. The fleet took an eastward course, led by Miguel Buiza aboard the cruiser ''Miguel de Cervantes'', and reached

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

n waters. Off

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, Buiza asked for permission to anchor, but the naval authorities of

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

would not allow him to lead the Spanish Republican ships into their main base. They directed him to

Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...

in the

French protectorate of Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (; '), officially the Regency of Tunis () and commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial empire era, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956. T ...

, where the fleet arrived on 7 March. Not long after anchoring, the fleet was impounded by the French authorities. Except for a few crewmen who were put on guard duty on the ships, the Spanish Republican seamen and their officers were interned in a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

at Meheri Zabbens, near Meknassy, in an abandoned

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

mine. Miguel Buiza refused any special treatment and asked to be interned together with the other sailors.

Exile

In May 1939, after the Spanish Republic had already lost the civil war, Miguel Buiza asked the French government for permission to join the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

(''Légion étrangère''), where he was admitted as foreign officer with the rank of captain. At the beginning of

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 ...

, Buiza had been promoted to commander, but in mid 1940, he resigned following the

Second Armistice at Compiègne The Armistice of 22 June 1940, sometimes referred to as the Second Armistice at Compiègne, was an agreement signed at 18:36 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, France by officials of Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic. It became effective a ...

between

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and the

Third French Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France duri ...

. Certain sources claim though that he was forced out of the French Foreign Legion by the new authorities of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

because of his

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

past. Miguel Buiza settled in

, where he worked as an accountant in a hotel. In 1947, he was recruited by Zeev Hadari, one of the representatives in France of the '' Hamossad Le'aliyah Bet'', the

Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...

branch in the British Mandate of Palestine that facilitated Jewish immigration to Palestine in violation of British restrictions. Under the name "Moshé Blum", Buiza became the commander of the merchant vessel ''Geula'', the former . On 2 October 1947, the ship was intercepted while trying to run the British

and bring Jewish refugees to Palestine. Buiza was arrested by the British authorities and interned in a concentration camp near

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

. After regaining his freedom, Miguel Buiza returned to

. In 1962, following the

Évian Accords The Évian Accords were a set of declarations between the French Government and the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic on 18 March 1962 in Évian-les-Bains which outlined the agreements for Algeria's Independence alongside coope ...

and the independence of

, he joined the exodus of the

Pieds-Noirs The (; ; : ) are an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962. Many of them departed for mainland France during and after the ...

and went to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as a refugee. Miguel Buiza died from

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 ...

while in exile in

, on 23 June 1963, barely a year after his arrival from Algeria, without having been able to return to Seville, the city of his birth. He is buried at the graveyard in

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

, in the Var department. Less than two months after Miguel Buiza's death his widow published a short

obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...

in the Spanish ABC newspaper.Moshé Blum
/ref>

Bibliography

*Graham, Helen. ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Oxford University Press. 2005. *Jackson, Gabriel. ''The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939.'' Princeton. Princeton University Press. 1967. *Preston, Paul. ''The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge.'' Harper Perennial. London. 2006. *Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2003.

References

External links

PictureComunidad El Pais - Miguel Buiza y Fernández PalaciosForo Historia Naval - La flota republicana en Túnez (1939)Ha'Mossad Le'Aliya Bet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buiza Fernandez-Palacios, Miguel 1898 births 1963 deaths 20th-century Spanish naval officers Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Spanish Republican Navy Military personnel from Seville Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in France French Army personnel of World War II Officers of the French Foreign Legion Spanish people imprisoned abroad Spanish military personnel of World War II Foreign nationals imprisoned in France Prisoners and detainees of the British military Deaths from lung cancer in France