Juan Yagüe
| Juan Yagüe | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
19 November 1891 San Leonardo de Yagüe, Kingdom of Spain |
| Died | 9 October 1952 (aged 60) Burgos, Francoist Spain |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Spain (1907–1931) Spanish Republic (1931–1936) Francoist Spain (1936–1952)
|
| Service/branch |
Spanish Army Spanish Legion |
| Years of service | 1907–1952 |
| Rank | Captain General |
| Commands held | Military Commander of Melilla Captain General of the VI Military Region |
| Battles/wars |
Rif War Spanish Civil War |
| Awards | Military Medal |
Juan Yagüe y Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe (19 November 1891 – 29 October 1952) was a Spanish army officer during the Spanish Civil War, one of the most important in the National side. He became known as the “Butcher of Badajoz” because he ordered thousands killed, including wounded men in the hospital.
The son of a doctor, he enrolled at a young age in the Infantry Academy of Toledo, where Francisco Franco was a fellow cadet. The two men received their commissions concurrently and served together in Africa, where Yagüe was wounded on several occasions and received several decorations.
Yagüe was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1932. He, along with Franco and General López Ochoa, helped suppress a workers uprising in Asturias using Moroccan Regulars and Legionnaires in 1934. He was a strong early supporter of the Falange Española and a close personal friend of José Antonio Primo de Rivera.
When Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was replaced as President of the Republic by the left-wing Manuel Azaña on 10 May 1936, a group of Spanish Army officers, including Yagüe, Emilio Mola, Franco, Gonzalo Queipo de Llano and José Sanjurjo, started plotting to overthrow the democratically elected Popular Front government. This led to a military uprising which precipitated the Spanish Civil War on 17 July 1936.
Yagüe's forces revolted in Ceuta before crossing the Straits of Gibraltar to link up with Nationalist forces in Seville, led by Queipo de Llano. Yagüe advanced northward, first seizing Mérida before attacking Badajoz with 3,000 troops on 14 August 1936. Bitter street fighting took place when the Nationalists advanced into the city. Yagüe's forces eventually gained control of Badajoz, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
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