Juan Modesto
Encyclopedia
Juan Modesto Guilloto León (El Puerto de Santa María
, Cádiz, 1906 – Prague
, Czechoslovakia
, 1969) was a Republican
army officer during the Spanish Civil War
.
, becoming a sergeant major of the Legion
.
He was affiliated with the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1930, and he was placed in charge of the Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas (MAOC) of Madrid
in 1933, which constituted a paramilitary force for the Party. He organized the Sindicato de Oficios Varios y el Socorro Rojo (dealt with relations with the Socorro Rojo Internacional).
and Illescas (September 1936) and in the defense of Madrid, as well as in the Battle of Jarama
(February 1937).
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the popular army and commander of 5th Army Corps, participating in the battles of Belchite
, Brunete
(July) and Teruel
(January 1937 and December 1938). In 1938, he was promoted to colonel and became head of the Army of the Ebro
.
After the fall of Catalonia
to the Nationalist army, Negrín named him general and head of the Central Army on March 2, 1939.
's coup, on March 6 he left Spain in an airplane. Then he went to the Soviet Union
, whose government recognized his military rank.
During World War II
, he served with the Red Army
and the Bulgarian Communist
forces. Defeated in the struggle with José Díaz for control of the PCE, he went to Prague
.
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), published in Paris in 1969.
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. , the city has a population of c...
, Cádiz, 1906 – Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, 1969) was a Republican
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....
army officer 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...
.
Early life
He originally worked at a sawmill before joining the Spanish Army. He served in MoroccoSpanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, becoming a sergeant major of the Legion
Spanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...
.
He was affiliated with the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1930, and he was placed in charge of the Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas (MAOC) of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1933, which constituted a paramilitary force for the Party. He organized the Sindicato de Oficios Varios y el Socorro Rojo (dealt with relations with the Socorro Rojo Internacional).
Spanish Civil War
When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, he participated in the assault of Cuartel de la Montaña, and fought in the Madrilenian Mountain Range. He was one of the heads of 5th Regiment (commanding it from October 1936). He fought in Talavera de la ReinaBattle of Talavera de la Reina (1936)
The Battle of Talavera de la Reina was fought on September 3, 1936 in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans, attempting to bar the road to Madrid at Talavera de la Reina, were defeated by the professional army of the Nationalists, with heavy casualties on both sides.In the first days of September,...
and Illescas (September 1936) and in the defense of Madrid, as well as in the Battle of Jarama
Battle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
(February 1937).
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the popular army and commander of 5th Army Corps, participating in the battles of Belchite
Battle of Belchite (1937)
Battle of Belchite was a group of military operations that took place in the Spanish Civil War between 24 August and 7 September 1937 nearby the town of Belchite, in Aragon.-Prelude:...
, Brunete
Battle of Brunete
The Battle of Brunete , fought 15 miles west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War...
(July) and Teruel
Battle of Teruel
The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War in December 1937 – February 1938. The combatants fought the battle during the worst Spanish winter in twenty years. It was one of the bloodier actions of the war. The city changed hands several times,...
(January 1937 and December 1938). In 1938, he was promoted to colonel and became head of the Army of the Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
.
After the fall of Catalonia
Catalonia Offensive
The Catalonia Offensive was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on December 23, 1938, and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with its capital city from October 1937, Barcelona. Barcelona was captured on January 26, 1939. The Republican government...
to the Nationalist army, Negrín named him general and head of the Central Army on March 2, 1939.
Exile
After the CasadoSegismundo Casado
Segismundo Casado López was a Spanish Army officer in the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
's coup, on March 6 he left Spain in an airplane. Then he went to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, whose government recognized his military rank.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served with the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and the Bulgarian Communist
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
forces. Defeated in the struggle with José Díaz for control of the PCE, he went to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
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), published in Paris in 1969.