Juan Antonio Ansaldo
Encyclopedia
Juan Antonio Ansaldo y Vejerano (1910–1958) was a Spanish
aviator and monarchist
activist and conspirator. A great admirer of Charles Maurras
and Action Française
, he flirted with various shades of far right
politics before and during the Spanish Civil War
.
's Acción Española
, Ansaldo was a devoted follower of the monarchist general José Sanjurjo
. By 1932 Ansaldo's holiday home in Biarritz
was playing host to various leading monarchists, and this group grew close to the Unión Militar Española
, which was planning to overthrow the republican government.
In 1934 Ansaldo was at the centre of a coup plot when it was arranged for him to fly Sanjurjo back from exile in Portugal
. The plan was for Sanjurjo to link up with Juan Yagüe
and to lead a coup. However whilst the plotters waited at Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
's house word came through from Francisco Franco
that the time was not right and so Ansaldo's mission was abandoned. He was again called into action in July 1936 when it appeared that Franco was wavering in his command and General Emilio Mola
ordered Ansaldo to pick up Sanjurjo from Portugal and fly him to Morocco
to relieve Franco of his command. The plan was again abandoned however when Franco returned to action a few days later.
and as such maintained close links with such groups. He helped to fund both the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and the Movimiento Sindicalista Española in the early 1930s, personally favouring the latter movement, which owed more to Blackshirts
of Italian fascism
in its character.. With both these groups floundering he turned his attentions instead to the Falange
and formally joined the group in early 1934. He became jefe de commandos and took charge of the so-called Falange de la Sangre murder squads which launched attacks on republican supporters. In this capacity Ansaldo became noted for his extreme violence, not only preventing any socialist activity in Madrid
on May Day
1934 but also for his practice of immediately killing any of his own men suspected of betraying the Falange.
. Flying only a small biplane
, the flight hit difficulty from the off as Sanjurjo, who was a very heavy man to begin with, insisted on carrying a large amount of luggage with him. Unsuited to being so heavily weighed down the plane crashed just after take-off, killing Sanjurjo. Ansaldo, however, survived the crash, despite suffering extensive injuries. The incident was to Franco's advantage as one of his two main rivals to power, the other being Mola, was eliminated.
and had risen to the rank of colonel by 1940. By this time Ansaldo had become firmly estranged from Franco and was involved in a futile conspiracy with Eugenio Vegas Latapie
to restore the monarchy. He was exiled from Spain in 1945 after Franco launched a purge of leading monarchists. His disillusionment with the Franco regime was reflected in his 1951 memoir ¿Para que... (For What?) in which he criticised El Caudillo for betraying the war against the republicans by not restoring the kingdom.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
aviator and monarchist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
activist and conspirator. A great admirer of Charles Maurras
Charles Maurras
Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras was a French author, poet, and critic. He was a leader and principal thinker of Action Française, a political movement that was monarchist, anti-parliamentarist, and counter-revolutionary. Maurras' ideas greatly influenced National Catholicism and "nationalisme...
and Action Française
Action Française
The Action Française , founded in 1898, is a French Monarchist counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois and whose principal ideologist was Charles Maurras...
, he flirted with various shades of far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
politics before and 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...
.
Monarchism
A member of Ramiro de MaeztuRamiro de Maeztu
Ramiro de Maeztu y Whitney was a Spanish political theorist, journalist, literary critic, occasional diplomat and member of the Generation of '98....
's Acción Española
Acción Española
Acción Española or AE was a Spanish far right Alfonsist monarchist organisation active before and during the Spanish Civil War, and a political magazine of the same name, published by the former...
, Ansaldo was a devoted follower of the monarchist general José Sanjurjo
José Sanjurjo
General José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif was a General in the Spanish Army who was one of the chief conspirators in the military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
. By 1932 Ansaldo's holiday home in Biarritz
Biarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
was playing host to various leading monarchists, and this group grew close to the Unión Militar Española
Unión Militar Española
Unión Militar Española was a secret society of Spanish Army officers involved in a conspiracy to bring about the restoration of the monarchy during the 1930s...
, which was planning to overthrow the republican government.
In 1934 Ansaldo was at the centre of a coup plot when it was arranged for him to fly Sanjurjo back from exile in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The plan was for Sanjurjo to link up with Juan Yagüe
Juan Yagüe
Juan Yagüe y Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe was a Spanish army officer during the Spanish Civil War, one of the most important in the National side.-Early life:...
and to lead a coup. However whilst the plotters waited at Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
Pedro Sainz Carlos Rodríguez was a Spanish writer, philologist, publisher and politician, an adviser to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and one of the main architects of the reign of Juan Carlos I of Spain and the Spanish transition to democracy...
's house word came through from 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...
that the time was not right and so Ansaldo's mission was abandoned. He was again called into action in July 1936 when it appeared that Franco was wavering in his command and General Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola y Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish Nationalist commander during the Spanish Civil War. He is best-known for having coined the term "fifth column".-Early life:...
ordered Ansaldo to pick up Sanjurjo from Portugal and fly him to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to relieve Franco of his command. The plan was again abandoned however when Franco returned to action a few days later.
Fascism
Although a monarchist, Ansaldo was drawn to the violent action and adventurism of fascismFascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and as such maintained close links with such groups. He helped to fund both the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and the Movimiento Sindicalista Española in the early 1930s, personally favouring the latter movement, which owed more to Blackshirts
Blackshirts
The Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II...
of Italian fascism
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
in its character.. With both these groups floundering he turned his attentions instead to the Falange
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
and formally joined the group in early 1934. He became jefe de commandos and took charge of the so-called Falange de la Sangre murder squads which launched attacks on republican supporters. In this capacity Ansaldo became noted for his extreme violence, not only preventing any socialist activity in 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...
on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
1934 but also for his practice of immediately killing any of his own men suspected of betraying the Falange.
Sanjurjo crash
In late July 1936 Ansaldo was finally called upon to transport his mentor for real from his exile in EstorilEstoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
. Flying only a small biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
, the flight hit difficulty from the off as Sanjurjo, who was a very heavy man to begin with, insisted on carrying a large amount of luggage with him. Unsuited to being so heavily weighed down the plane crashed just after take-off, killing Sanjurjo. Ansaldo, however, survived the crash, despite suffering extensive injuries. The incident was to Franco's advantage as one of his two main rivals to power, the other being Mola, was eliminated.
Later years
Following the Civil War Ansaldo continued his career in the Spanish Air ForceSpanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
and had risen to the rank of colonel by 1940. By this time Ansaldo had become firmly estranged from Franco and was involved in a futile conspiracy with Eugenio Vegas Latapie
Eugenio Vegas Latapie
Eugenio Vegas Latapie was a Spanish monarchist writer, activist and conspirator who was noted for the extremism of his monarchist beliefs...
to restore the monarchy. He was exiled from Spain in 1945 after Franco launched a purge of leading monarchists. His disillusionment with the Franco regime was reflected in his 1951 memoir ¿Para que... (For What?) in which he criticised El Caudillo for betraying the war against the republicans by not restoring the kingdom.