Franco- Winning The War

Franco was an excellent field commander and strategic leader. This is demonstrated in his incredibly fast rise in ranking so early in his life. Early on, he soon gained a reputation as a good officer, and became the youngest Brigadier-General in Europe. "He was also proposed unsuccessfully for Spain's highest honor for gallantry, the coveted Cruz Laureada de San Fernando," (Holguin 5) but refused it, trading it instead for an increase in ranking. In October 1923, Franco married Carmen Polo, a member of a wealthy merchant family. Franco's growing reputation in the armed forces was recognized when the King Alfonso XIII sent a representative to the wedding. Franco gained a reputation as a

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brilliant strategist and administrator, as shown just before the Civil War when he "crushed the miner's revolt in Asturias in 1934." (Orwell 6) As comander in chief during the Civil War, Franco personally guided military operations. He commanded every move and ordered every tactic before it occurred. "Franco was known as a careful and systematic leader. He made no rash moves and suffered only a few temporary defeats as his forces advanced slowly but steadily" (Trueman 4) In the few battles where the Nationalist Army was defeated by the Republicans, the Nationalist counter-offensive continuously returned and often pushed the Nationalists further on than their original position before their loss. Although the Nationalist and the Republican armies in Spain were generally equal in size at the beginning of the Civil War, Franco was still able to use his military knowledge and leadership to bring his cause to a complete and entire victory on April 1, 1939.