90 years since the Spanish uprising: the mystery of Sanjurjo's plane crash
Ninety years after the National Uprising in Spain, the mysterious plane crash that killed General Sanjurjo and the conspiracy theories surrounding his death remain unresolved.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
90 years since the Spanish uprising: the mystery of Sanjurjo's plane crash
What really peine on 20 July 1936, when General Sanjurjo, leader of the uprising, died in a light aircraft crash that many consider suspicious? Ninety years after the start of the Spanish Civil War, the conspiracy theories surrounding that event still divide historians.
The crash that changed the course of the war
General José Sanjurjo, who was to lead the uprising from exile in Portugal, died on 20 July when the light aircraft he was travelling in from Estoril crashed. The sole survivor was the pilot, José Antonio Ansaldo Bejarano, a monarchist with well-known British sympathies. The event paved the way for Francisco Franco, who had joined the coup at the last minute, to take command.
The official version points to pilot error caused by excess luggage. However, the writer Mauricio Carlavilla, in his work "Anti-España 1959", argues that there was a hidden hand: the British intelligence service, which would have facilitated Sanjurjo's death in order to install Franco, who was more aligned with British interests. Carlavilla mentions the presence of several British agents at the airfield the day before the crash, although conclusive proof was never presented.
Echoes of the controversy today
The debate over the nature of the uprising — whether it was a necessity to halt communism or an unjustified military coup — resurfaces every 18 July. While some remember the "crusade" that prevented a Soviet republic, others point out that the absence of an undisputed leader like Sanjurjo led to a dictatorship lasting four decades. The socialists' refusal to accept the 18 July allowance, which they consider "Francoist", adds a current political echo to the anniversary.
Ninety years on, Sanjurjo's crash remains a blind spot in history that fuels both revisionists and defenders of the official account. Irony of fate: the pilot who flew that day survived to tell his version, which not everyone believes.
What really peine on 20 July 1936, when General Sanjurjo, leader of the uprising, died in a light aircraft crash that many consider suspicious? Ninety years after the start of the Spanish Civil War, the conspiracy theories surrounding that event still divide historians.
The crash that changed the course of the war
General José Sanjurjo, who was to lead the uprising from exile in Portugal, died on 20 July when the light aircraft he was travelling in from Estoril crashed. The sole survivor was the pilot, José Antonio Ansaldo Bejarano, a monarchist with well-known British sympathies. The event paved the way for Francisco Franco, who had joined the coup at the last minute, to take command.
The official version points to pilot error caused by excess luggage. However, the writer Mauricio Carlavilla, in his work "Anti-España 1959", argues that there was a hidden hand: the British intelligence service, which would have facilitated Sanjurjo's death in order to install Franco, who was more aligned with British interests. Carlavilla mentions the presence of several British agents at the airfield the day before the crash, although conclusive proof was never presented.
Echoes of the controversy today
The debate over the nature of the uprising — whether it was a necessity to halt communism or an unjustified military coup — resurfaces every 18 July. While some remember the "crusade" that prevented a Soviet republic, others point out that the absence of an undisputed leader like Sanjurjo led to a dictatorship lasting four decades. The socialists' refusal to accept the 18 July allowance, which they consider "Francoist", adds a current political echo to the anniversary.
Ninety years on, Sanjurjo's crash remains a blind spot in history that fuels both revisionists and defenders of the official account. Irony of fate: the pilot who flew that day survived to tell his version, which not everyone believes.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (56 replies).
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