Vicente Rojo Lluch

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Vicente Rojo Lluch bigraphy, stories - Generals

Vicente Rojo Lluch : biography

October 8, 1894 – June 15, 1966

Vicente Rojo Lluch (8 October 1894 – June 15, 1966) was Chief of the General Staff of the Spanish Armed Forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Early life

He was the posthumous son of a military man who fought against the Carlists and in the campaigns of Cuba , from where he returned ill.

In 1911 Rojo entered the Infantry Academy at the Alcazar of Toledo, receiving his commission in 1914 with the rank of second lieutenant, fourth in a class of 390 cadets. After having been assigned to Barcelona he went on to the Group of Regulars from Ceuta (the Regulares were Moroccan colonial troops with Spanish officers). He was later posted back to Barcelona and to La Seu d’Urgell.

In 1922, having risen to the rank of captain, he returned to the Infantry Academy in Toledo, where he occupied diverse educational and administrative positions.Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.179 He was one of the editors of the curricula on the subjects of "Tactics", "Weaponry" and "Firepower" for the new section of the Military Academy of Zaragoza. In this period at the Academy he collaborated on the foundation and direction of the Military Bibliographical Collection, along with captain Emilio Alamán.

In August 1932, he left the Academy to enter the Superior War School with the objective to make the course of the General Staff. During his time at the academy, a peculiar event took place in which he proposed to the cadets a tactical assumption that consisted of passing through the river Ebro to establish a route in the Reus-Granadella, an operation very similar to one a few years later, during the civil war, he would later put into practice in the famous Battle of the Ebro in the area between Mequinenza and Amposta. He was promoted to major on February 25, 1936.

Spanish Civil War

When the Civil War started (July 1936), Rojo – a devout Catholic,Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War. Oxford University Press. 2005. p.91 and linked to the conservative Unión Militar EspañolaJackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton. Princeton University Press. 1967. p.223 – stayed loyal to the Republican GovernmentThomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2001. p.307 and was one of the military professionals who participated in the reorganization of the Spanish Republican Army.

In October 1936 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was designated head of the General Staff of the Forces of Defense commanded by General Jose Miaja,Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.178 head of the Junta de Defensa de Madrid created to defend the capital at all costs after the transfer of the Republican government from Madrid to Valencia. In this capacity he prepared an effective defense plan for the city that prevented its fall.Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton. Princeton University Press. 1967. pp.323-327 Afterwards, his fame as an organizer increased. As head of the Central Army HQ, he demonstrated outstanding performance in the planning of the main operations developed by the mentioned Army, in the battles of Jarama, Guadalajara,Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2001. p.580 BruneteThomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2001. pp.689-690 and Belchite.Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. pp.296-297

On March 24, 1937 he was promoted to colonel,Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.198 and after the formation of the Negrín government in May, was made Head of the General Command Staff of the Armed Forces and head of the General Staff of the Ground forces. From this new position he was in charge of directing the expansion of the People’s Army, and created the denominated Mobile Army, that served as the offensive advance force of the Republican Army.