Emilio Mola
Spanish military commander / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mola and the second or maternal family name is Vidal.
Emilio Mola y Vidal (9 July 1887 – 3 June 1937) was one of the three leaders of the Nationalist coup of July 1936 that started the Spanish Civil War.
Quick Facts Nickname(s), Born ...
Emilio Mola | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | El Director (The Director) |
Born | (1887-07-09)9 July 1887 Placetas, Cuba, Kingdom of Spain |
Died | 3 June 1937(1937-06-03) (aged 49) Alcocero, Burgos, Nationalist Spain |
Buried | 42.48328°N 1.38050°W / 42.48328; -1.38050 |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Spain (1904–1931) Spanish Republic (1931–1936) Nationalist Spain (1936–1937) |
Service/ | Spanish Army |
Years of service | 1904–1932 1933–1937 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Commands held | Military Governor of Navarre Commander of the Army of the North |
Battles/wars | Rif War Spanish Civil War |
Awards |
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After the death of Sanjurjo on 20 July 1936, Mola commanded the Nationalists in the north of Spain, while Franco operated in the south. Attempting to take Madrid with his four columns, Mola praised local Nationalist sympathizers within the city as a "fifth column", possibly the first use of that phrase. He died in an air crash in bad weather, leaving Franco as the pre-eminent Nationalist leader for the rest of the war. Sabotage, though suspected, has never been proven.