“Without Africa, I can hardly explain myself”: the arrival of Lt. Francisco Franco to the Regular Indigenous Forces of Melilla
Pablo de la Fuente de Pablo
Faculty of Humanities
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
ORCID: 0000-0002-5893-2308
Published: 21/12/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31338/ahi.2024.3.6
ABSTRACT: The period when the young Francisco Franco Bahamonde served as an infantry officer in the Regular Indigenous Forces has been under-explored. Yet, in Africa, the then inconspicuous lieutenant, who was not even twenty-one upon his arrival, became a hero and ascended two ranks in recognition of his war merits. This article is the fruit of prosopographical research of unedited primary sources into the appointment of candidates to the Regular Indigenous Forces. It demonstrates beyond any reasonable doubt that the relationship with the Ayuso Casamayor brothers, fi rst José, a fellow cadet at the Infantry Academy, and later Ladislao, his fi rst captain in this military unit, played a crucial role in joining the Regular Indigenous Forces by Francisco Franco.
KEYWORDS: military prosopography, Francisco Franco Bahamonde, José Ayuso Casamayor, Ladislao Ayuso Casamayor, Regular Indigenous Forces of Melilla, Moroccan Protectorate campaigns, Infantry Academy of Toledo.
