15th of September Legion
Encyclopedia
The Fifteenth of September Legion () was founded by former junior officers of the defeated Nicaragua
n National Guard
to overthrow the Sandinista National Liberation Front
government.
Based in Guatemala City
, it received some support from Guatemala's National Liberation Movement
. Eduardo Román, manager of boxer Alexis Argüello
, also convinced Argüello to fund a radio station, Radio 15th of September. The Legion also staged kidnappings and bank robberies, called "special operations", in Guatemala and El Salvador
. Local leftist guerrillas were already financing themselves through these acts, and the Legion rightly figured that leftists would be blamed. Argentina
also began providing assistance.
In August 1981, at the behest of the Argentine junta and the Reagan administration, it merged with the Nicaraguan Democratic Union
(UDN) to form the Nicaraguan Democratic Force
(FDN). The FDN would grow into the dominant Contra
army.
Legion head Enrique Bermúdez
became the military commander of the FDN. At the time of the merger, the Legion's strength has been estimated at sixty men. The Legion also brought to the new FDN their shortwave radio station, Radio Fifteen.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n National Guard
National Guard (Nicaragua)
In Nicaragua, the National Guard was a militia and a gendarmerie created during the occupation of that country by the United States from 1909 to 1933. It became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption under the regime of the Somoza family.-Creation:...
to overthrow the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
government.
Based in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, it received some support from Guatemala's National Liberation Movement
National Liberation Movement (Guatemala)
The National Liberation Movement was a Guatemala military-backed party formed in 1960 by Mario Sandoval Alarcón as a breakaway from the National Democratic Movement....
. Eduardo Román, manager of boxer Alexis Argüello
Alexis Argüello
Alexis Argüello , also known by the stage name El Flaco Explosivo , was a Nicaraguan professional boxer and politician...
, also convinced Argüello to fund a radio station, Radio 15th of September. The Legion also staged kidnappings and bank robberies, called "special operations", in Guatemala and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. Local leftist guerrillas were already financing themselves through these acts, and the Legion rightly figured that leftists would be blamed. Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
also began providing assistance.
In August 1981, at the behest of the Argentine junta and the Reagan administration, it merged with the Nicaraguan Democratic Union
Nicaraguan Democratic Union
The Nicaraguan Democratic Union was founded in late 1980 by José Francisco Cardenal, an early leader of the anti-Sandinista rebel movement that became known as the Nicaraguan Contras. The UDN was based in Miami, Florida, among its growing community of exiles from Nicaragua's middle class...
(UDN) to form the Nicaraguan Democratic Force
Nicaraguan Democratic Force
The Nicaraguan Democratic Force was one of the earliest Contra groups, formed on August 11, 1981 in Guatemala City. It was formed to oppose Nicaragua's revolutionary Sandinista government following the 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle...
(FDN). The FDN would grow into the dominant Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
army.
Legion head Enrique Bermúdez
Enrique Bermúdez
Enrique Bermúdez Varela was a Nicaraguan who founded and commanded the Nicaraguan Contras. In this capacity, he became a central global figure in one of the most prominent conflicts of the Cold War....
became the military commander of the FDN. At the time of the merger, the Legion's strength has been estimated at sixty men. The Legion also brought to the new FDN their shortwave radio station, Radio Fifteen.