- José Enrique Varela
José Enrique Varela Iglesias (born in San Fernando, Cadiz,
Spain ,April 17 ,1891 - died inTangier ,Spanish Morocco ,March 24 ,1951 ) was a Spanish military commander and an important figure in theSpanish Civil War .Varela started his military career as an
enlisted man and fought in the colonial wars in theRif for three years starting in 1909. He rose to the rank ofsergeant and then enrolled in infantry school in Spain and graduated as alieutenant .Returning to Morocco, he distinguished himself in action and King
Alfonso XIII awarded him the Honored Cross of San Fernando, Spain's highest military award, on two separate occasions. He rose to the rank ofcaptain by merit and participated in several campaigns in the Morocco war, the principal one being the joint Franco-Spanishamphibious landing at Alhucemas in 1925. This landing altered the course of the Morocco War and hastened its end. Shortly thereafter he was promoted tolieutenant colonel and tocolonel at the end of the war.http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Enrique_Varela]With the coming of the Republic, he participated in the abortive
José Sanjurjo uprising in 1932 for which he was imprisoned. He was released and joined theCarlists and organized themilitia or theparamilitary units of the Carlists, theRequetés , into the formidable military organization that it became in theSpanish Civil War . Disguised as a priest, Uncle Pepe, he traveled along the Pyrenean villages organizing the people and readying them for war. [Hugh Thomas , "The Spanish Civil War", (2001), p. 122] He actively participated in the planning for the rising that started the Spanish Civil War. In April, 1936, the government found out about his plotting and imprisoned him. [Hugh Thomas, (2001), p. 165.]He was jail in Cadiz during when the rising started, but was released on July 18, and helped secure Cadiz for the insurrection. [Hugh Thomas, (2001), p. 212] He participated in many of the campaigns of the War including, Seville, Cordova, Malaga, Extremadura, Tagus Valley, Alcázar, Madrid, Jarama, Brunete, Teruel and the Ebro. At the end of the war he was a
major general and becameminister of war in the post-war Franco Government.In 1942 tension rose between the Carlists and the
Falange . After the Falange attacked the Carlists during a religious ceremony at theBasilica of Begoña inBilbao , killing several people, he resigned his office. In 1946, Franco appointed himhigh commissioner inTetuan , Morocco where he remained until his death.Franco granted Varela amarquisate after he died. [Hugh Thomas, (2001), p. 921.]Notes
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