Agustín Muñoz Grandes (27 January 1896 – 11 July 1970) was a Spanish general, and politician, vice-president of the Spanish Government and minister with Francisco Franco several times; also known as the commander of the Blue Division between 1941 and 1942.
Agustín Muñoz Grandes | |
|---|---|
.jpg) General Muñoz Grandes as an officer of the Wehrmacht, 1941–43 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 11 July 1962 – 22 July 1967 | |
| Prime Minister | Francisco Franco |
| Preceded by | Francisco Gómez-Jordana Sousa (1938–39) |
| Succeeded by | Luis Carrero Blanco |
| Minister of the Army | |
| In office 19 July 1951 – 25 February 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Fidel Dávila Arrondo |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Barroso Sánchez-Guerra |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 January 1896 Carabanchel Bajo, Spain |
| Died | 11 July 1970 (aged 74) Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | FET y de las JONS |
| Children | Agustín Muñoz-Grandes Galilea |
| Education | Toledo Infantry Academy |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Spain (1915–1931) Spanish Republic (1931–1936) Nationalist Spain (1936–1941, 1942–1950)[citation needed] Nazi Germany (1941–1942) |
| Branch/service | Spanish Army German Army (Wehrmacht) |
| Years of service | 1915–41, 1942–50[citation needed] (Spain) 1941–42 (Germany) |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Blue Division |
| Battles/wars | Rif War |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Military Medal |
Biography
editBorn in Carabanchel Bajo on 27 January 1896,[1] Muñoz Grandes enrolled at the Toledo Infantry Academy while in his teens. Upon graduating, he was deployed to Morocco in 1915 and in 1925 took part in the decisive Battle of Alhucemas. Muñoz Grandes fought for the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War and was promoted to General, taking command in the Army of Africa. He led the Spanish Legionnaries in the conquest of Málaga by the Nationalists in February 1937.
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In 1941, Muñoz Grandes was given command of the División Azul, Generalísimo Franco's volunteer unit created for service under the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, against the Soviet Union.[2] Muñoz Grandes was well acquainted with the Nazi German military establishment, and attended several interviews with Wilhelm Canaris and Adolf Hitler.
During his command Muñoz Grandes was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, with Oak Leaves personally added by Hitler. He was recalled to Spain in December 1942. A promotion to Lieutenant General awaited him at home, and his post on the Eastern Front was taken up by Emilio Esteban Infantes.
Muñoz Grandes was appointed Captain General of I Military District in 1945, Minister of the Army in 1951 and Chief of the Defence High Command (chief of staff of the Spanish Armed Forces) in 1958. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of Spain from 1962 to 1967. In this capacity he advised Franco to enter the Vietnam War in order to gain better relations with the United States; however, Franco was reluctant to publicly support the war or the United States, and ultimately only several teams of medical personnel were sent, covertly.[3]
Muñoz Grandes died in 1970.[4] His wife Maria died in 1989.
Awards
edit- Order of Cisneros (1956, 1970)[5]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (12 March 1942)
- Oak Leaves (12 December 1942)
- Iron Cross (1939)
References
edit- ^ Huerta Barajas, Justo Alberto (2016). Gobierno y Administración Militar en la II República española: (14 de abril de 1931/18 de julio de 1936). Madrid: Boletín Oficial del Estado. p. 393. ISBN 978-84-340-2303-1.
- ^ "General Munoz Grande Slated to Head Anti-Soviet Division". The New York Times. 6 July 1941. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ Marín, Paloma (9 April 2012). "Spain's secret support for US in Vietnam". El Pais. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Gen. Munoz Grandes, 70, Dies; Spain's Former Vice President". The New York Times. 12 July 1970. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Order of Cisneros". armedconflicts.com. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 112.
Bibliography
edit- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Kleinfeld, Gerald A. (1979). Hitler's Spanish Legion: The Blue Division in Russia. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-0865-7.
- Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
