Euzko Gudarostea was the name of the army commanded by the Basque Government

Basque Government

The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...

 during the Spanish civil war

Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

. It was formed by Basque nationalists

Basque nationalism

Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...

, socialists and communists under the direction of lendakari José Antonio Aguirre and coordinating with the army of the Second Spanish Republic

Second Spanish Republic

The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....

. It fought the troops of Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

 during 1936 and 1937.
It surrendered to the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie

Corpo Truppe Volontarie

The Corps of Volunteer Troops was an Italian expeditionary force which was sent to Spain to support General Francisco Franco and the Spanish Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War...

 at Santoña

Santoña

Santoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is 45 km from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a mountainous area, with Mount Buciero at its...

 (province of Cantabria

Cantabria

Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...

), while the rest of the Republican army kept fighting until 1939. This event is referred as the Treason of Santoña

Santoña Agreement

The Santoña Agreement or Pact of Santoña was an agreement signed in the town of Guriezo, near Santoña, Cantabria, the August 24, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, between politicians close to the Basque Nationalist Party , fighting with the Republican Side, and Italian forces fighting with the...

 by some Spanish leftists.

Gudari

The Basque word for a soldier, gudari (plural gudariak), is a neologism (from guda, "war", thus meaning "warrior" literally). The Standard Basque word is the Romance-derived soldadu.
Like other Basque nationalist neologisms (ikurriña

Ikurriña

The ikurrina flag or ikurriña is a Basque symbol and the official flag of the Basque Country Autonomous Community of Spain.-Design:...

, lendakari), the meaning of gudari has been restricted to Basque concepts.
The Basque word for an army is the Romance-derived armada.

The members of the Basque militant ETA

ETA

ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...

 consider themselves gudariak continuing the struggle of the Civil War Basque soldiers.
This is contested by those war veterans that support the Basque Nationalist Party

Basque Nationalist Party

The Basque National Party is the largest and oldest Basque nationalist party. It is currently the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community also with a minor presence in Navarre and a marginal one in the French Basque Country...

, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...

 or Communist Party.

The Gudari Eguna ("warrior day") is thus celebrated separately:

• by ETA supporters on 27 September, remembering the date (1975) of the execution of Jon Paredes, a.k.a. Txiki in Barcelona, and Anjel Otaegi in Villalón, Burgos.
• by PNV supporters on 9 November since 1937.

See also

• Ertzaintza
  Ertzaintza
  The Ertzaintza , is the police force of the Basque Country, one of the autonomous communities of Spain. An Ertzaintza member is an ertzaina .- Origins :...
  
  , the wartime police under the Basque government.
• Eusko Gudariak
  Eusko Gudariak
  Eusko Gudariak was the republican anthem of the Eusko Gudarostea, the army of the Basque Autonomous Government during the Spanish Civil War...
  
  , the anthem of the Basque soldiers.
• Lepoan hartu, a song by Telesforo de Monzón about taking the corpse of a fellow soldier and going on.