Juan Hernández Saravia (24 July 1880 – 3 May 1962) was a high-ranking

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

military officer of the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

government forces during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

Biography

Hernández Saravia was born into a bourgeois family, and continued a family tradition by enrolling at the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

school in 1897. He opposed the dictatorship of

Primo de Rivera Primo de Rivera is a Spanish family prominent in politics of the 19th and 20th centuries: *Fernando Primo de Rivera (1831–1921), Spanish politician and soldier *Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870–1930), nephew of Fernando, military officer and dictat ...

. He was the chief of Azaña's military staff and worked as general co-ordinator to the minister of war. In August 1936 he was appointed minister of war, but was dismissed following the fall of Talavera in September. In 1937 he was appointed the commander of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

of Levante and he was Republican commander at the

Battle of Teruel The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War between December 1937 and February 1938, during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years.Hugh Purcell, p. 95. The battle was one of the bloodiest actions of ...

. In December 1937 he was promoted to general. After

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

became an isolated enclave following the

rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

Aragon Offensive The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon, and conqu ...

in the spring of 1938, Hernández Saravia commanded the Eastern Region Army Group ''(Grupo de Ejércitos de la Región Oriental)'' and led the Republican Army during the overwhelming Francoist Catalonia campaign. Following the Fall of Barcelona on 27 January, Juan Hernández Saravia was relieved of his duties as leader of the Eastern Region Army Group, allegedly for his "defeatism" ''(derrotismo)'', but the real motives went far deeper. General Hernández Saravia had fallen from grace because his views had often conflicted with those of the Chief of the General Staff of the Central Region, Vicente Rojo, and the President of the Council of Ministers,

Juan Negrín Juan Negrín López (; 3 February 1892 – 12 November 1956) was a Spanish politician and physician. He was a leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español, PSOE) and served as finance minister and ...

.Hugh Thomas (1976) p. 947 Hernández Saravia had tried to replace

Juan Modesto Juan Guilloto León, usually referred to as Modesto or Juan Modesto (24 September 1906 – 16 April 1969), was a Second Spanish Republic, Republican army officer during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Early life Born at El Puerto de Santa ...

, the head of the Ebro Army, whom he saw as self-important and not up to the markManuela Aroca Mohedano, ''General Juan Hernández Saravia: el ayudante militar de Azaña''. and hand over the command to

Juan Perea ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, the more competent commander of the Eastern Army, but Modesto was protected by the highest leaders of the doomed Spanish Republic. After the fall of the government, he lived in exile in

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and later in Mexico, until his death.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez Saravia, Juan 1880 births 1962 deaths People from the Province of Salamanca Spanish generals Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista members Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Government ministers during the Second Spanish Republic

Biography

See also

Notes