The Legion in action

Much has been written about the Spanish Army Mission in BiH, known as Operation Alfa-Bravo, over the years. Opinions vary on the work of Spanish soldiers in a fratricidal war that pitted three peoples who had long been united and united in a single country. This union was made possible by their leader, President ‘Tito’. However, after his death, ethnic divisions flared up, tensions escalated unstoppably and finally exploded in the disintegration of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, following a series of conflicts on its territory. Among them, and this is the one that affects us, the Bosnian war that took place in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, caused by a complex combination of political and religious factors between the Bosnian Croats of Catholic religion, the Bosnians of Muslim majority and the Bosnian Serbs of Christian Orthodox religion. 

Although I do not consider myself a historian, a writer or a journalist, as a military man who lived through the experience, I feel a compelling need to share my perspective on the vicissitudes faced by the Knights Legionaries. My account is based on the events and facts lived intensely and on the information acquired first hand during my command as Colonel Commander of the Tactical Grouping ‘Canarias’ in BiH, from the spring to the autumn of 1993. Those emotionally charged and challenging moments have left an indelible mark on my memory. Those memories of comradeship, sacrifice and courage give me the necessary courage and willingness to undertake this work. I hope that my account will contribute as a grain of sand to the History of the Legion, that it will serve as a tribute to those fallen comrades who honourably fulfilled the mission in such difficult circumstances and that, furthermore, it will help preserve the memory of those days that marked my life, and that of many others. 

In more than forty years of active service, a serviceman may share his professional career with a wide variety of chiefs, officers and NCOs, each bringing their own experience and perspective. It may be that many colleagues, through many years in the military and in passing through different units, have had the privilege and satisfaction of counting among their ranks a good number of future general officers who represent military leadership today. However, the case in question is unique in that it is a small, large unit in which 32 of its members, including its commanding colonel, have attained the prestigious rank of general, coming from all the branches of the Armed Forces and Corps. This achievement reflects the training received in this unit and the commitment and dedication of its members, who have contributed to the professional development and success of their colleagues.

Even without data, it will be difficult to find another unit like the Agrupación Táctica Canarias (AGT), deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina from April to October 1993, that possesses this extraordinary particularity. The record is brilliant and for this AGT chief, all its members deserved to achieve this job, given their professional competence and outstanding military virtues, because during the six months of our mission of humanitarian aid and interposition between contending forces, any chief or officer entrusted with a mission fulfilled it and executed it with the utmost speed and efficiency and with the utmost commitment and effort in the exact fulfilment of duty, regardless of the fatigue or danger it might entail. 

The solid training that all soldiers obtain through long preparation served in that wartime conflict for all the members of the Group to grow in military wisdom, enrich their experiences, acquire skills and progress in military aptitudes and abilities in the application of the theories learned. This learning contributed to a proper preparation and a high capacity to effectively fulfil the roles that would be entrusted to them in the future when they reach the highest ranks of the Army, being not only a soldier, but also a wise and understanding leader. This has been realised through the fulfilment of other missions in today's conflicts around the world in which our troops are involved. This facilitates their adaptation to the evolution of society and the external environment, thus achieving international prestige for our Armed Forces. 

Reflecting on the lessons of this Mission, we must also highlight the recognition of the 1,200 members of the Group - many of whom would become the future leaders of our large units - for the invaluable contribution of their two female colleagues in fulfilling the tasks assigned to them during the war. For the first time in the history of the Spanish Army, two female Legion Officers joined the unit: Medical Lieutenant Pilar Hernández Frutos and Ensign ATS Alicia Moreno Moreno. Their inclusion not only marked a significant milestone, but also demonstrated that courage and competence know no gender. Both carried out their health mission with a degree of professionalism that generated the full satisfaction of their commanders, integrating themselves as Officers in the operational teams of the AGT, in their Health armoured vehicles, with the highest level of dedication and efficiency, setting an inspiring precedent for future generations of women in our Armies and the Guardia Civil.

When I speak or write about ‘La Canarias’, I always have an emotional memory and a tribute to our dead, who did not see the mission come to an end, as they first gave their lives for peace in that country where we had come to their aid. It is a feeling of honour for the whole Association to have served alongside those 10 fallen, who fulfilled their missions in the war with courage, abnegation and the utmost sacrifice, achieving the highest dignity in the Army, that of heroes. The tribute to these heroes is a duty of gratitude and a stimulus for the continuity of their work. How sad and painful these losses were for all of us, the first casualty of which was led by our beloved Legion Lieutenant Arturo Muñoz Castellanos.

I will refer only to the deeds and dedication of the life for peace of Lieutenant Muñoz Castellanos, as he was the first to fall and the oldest of the 9 legionaries who followed him, sacrificing their lives during the mission. 

‘A Catholic Priest liberated and a Legion's dead’, that would be the title of this episode and in this way the History of the AGT Canarias is written. All Legionnaires are proud to be faithful to the spirit of our Creed: To die in combat is the greatest honour. Such was the honour with which Lieutenant Muñoz Castellanos distinguished himself on 11 May 1993. Many stories have been told of that action, referring to the fact that he was escorting food, medicines, blood and plasma for the Muslim Hospital in Mostar, which is partly true, but it was not the main reason for the mission. 

In the briefing (the commander's meeting with his entire command staff -PLMM-) in the early morning of that day, the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Intelligence Section reported that a Catholic priest was in hiding in the Muslim area of Mostar, on the east side of the Neretva River, and was having great difficulty staying alive. The danger came from Muslim extremists patrolling near the house where he was hiding.  

My decision was to appoint the Commander-in-Chief of the 5th Civil Affairs Section, with an Escort Section, to go to Muslim Mostar and rescue the priest, masking this primary mission with a secondary mission to deliver blood to the Hospital. With the information received from the Intelligence Section and the skill of the patrol leader, they reach the priest's place of refuge through the shattered Muslim quarter. As there were no roads on the way there and back, they patrolled the city on foot to reach the BMRs (medium wheeled armoured vehicles), which were parked far from the hiding place. The commander-in-chief of the 5th section, at the head of the patrol with the priest camouflaged as a legionnaire and, closing the escort, the lieutenant-in-chief of the section. The entire unit rounded a corner, except for the lieutenant, and it was at that moment that a 120 mm mortar shell, launched from the Bosnian Croat positions in West Mostar-Catholic Mostar, fell and exploded near him, wounding the lieutenant all over his body, with only his flak jacket and helmet being spared from shrapnel. 

He was quickly evacuated to the Dracevo Advanced Surgical Hospital, Base of the Tactical Group (GT) Colón - VIII Bandera, where he was operated on for more than six hours and all the shrapnel was removed, except for two in the back of the neck under the left ear, so that this could be done more safely at the Gómez Ulla Military Hospital in Madrid. The sad news was communicated to the FAR (Rapid Action Force) and a Medical Aircraft was requested. The farewell was the next day at our Delayed Logistics Base in Divulje, Split Airport, the lieutenant was conscious and in high spirits talking to me. I accompanied him and his stretcher from the helicopter that had transported him to the entrance ramp of the plane. The next piece of news was given to me by the JEME, Lieutenant General Porgueres, by telephone and he told me that Lieutenant Muñoz Castellanos had died. My reply, which came from my heart, was: ‘My general, this legionary colonel with two c...... is crying’. It was a day of mourning for the entire Group. 

A little over 31 years have passed since those days, but in the mind of the author of these paragraphs my memories are still vivid when I hear in the military ceremonies I attend, ‘Guiones y banderines rindan honor a nuestros muertos’. They, our 10 fallen comrades who I highlight below, continue to receive our most moving tribute as they are the ones who bestow, increase and perpetuate the glory of the Legion. For this reason and in recognition of their heroic acts in service to the Fatherland, they were all promoted to the higher ranks.

Captain Arturo Muñoz Castellanos 

1st Sergeant Ángel Francisco Tornel Yáñez 

Captain Francisco Jesús Aguilar Fernández 

1st Sergeant José Antonio Delgado Fernández 

Corporal CLP Samuel Aguilar Jiménez 

Corporal CLP Agustín Maté Costa 

Corporal CLP Isaac Piñeiro Varela 

Corporal CL Francisco José Jiménez Jurado 

Corporal CL José Manuel Gámez Chinea 

Corporal CL José León Gómez

Mostar wanted to pay tribute and express its deep respect for the Spanish troops who contributed to the achievement of peace. To this end, a tombstone has been erected on which the names of all the fallen are inscribed, thus remembering their valuable dedication and the sacrifice of their lives in the service of peace. This moving tribute is located in the city's iconic Plaza de España.

I was appointed Chief of the AGT Canarias when I was in Puerto Rosario (Fuerteventura) in command of the Tercio D. Juan de Austria 3º de la Legión and I had the privilege of having a great Plana Mayor de Mando (PLMM), with the Chief and Section Chiefs of Staff and some magnificent auxiliaries who supported them efficiently. The skill and alacrity of execution of the PLMM Sections facilitated the command of the AGT. Today, the then AG 5 continues to play its role, being the architect of the documented data provided for the writing of these lines. 

You know what the legionnaires say: ‘We solve difficult cases immediately, with miracles we take a little longer’, this happened every day in those arduous and complicated 6 months in BiH during the fulfilment of our mission and which are recorded in the Operations Diary of the Grouping, of the VIII Band, of the Logistic Support Unit and in the Golden Book of the AGT, deposited in the Army Museum in Toledo, and of which the page with the dedication of H.M. King Juan Carlos I is shown. 

I have referred to the Legionnaires, as the AGT was made up, for the most part, of those from the Legion and the Parachute Legionary Knights of the Parachute Brigade. The Unit's Guidion was that of the 3rd Tercio, the operational Guidion was that of the VIII Band and the logistical Guidion was that of the VII Band. All the members wore the legionary shirt and, whether we were legionaries or not, the spirit instilled in us by our founder, Lieutenant Colonel José Millán-Astray y Terreros, was present in the men and the two women who made up the Group. 

On our return to Malaga, we honoured our dead by singing ‘El novio de la muerte’, and paraded before HM King Juan Carlos I, at 160 steps per minute, to the strains of the Legion Hymn with the Band of War and Music of the Legion Command marching alongside us. 

The glorious history of the Legion is vast and rich in heroic events and in this context, AGT Malaga and AGT Canarias have left an indelible mark by writing an outstanding page in 1993. The courage and dedication of its Legionary Knights have contributed to forging the Legion's legacy, as every action and every effort of these Groups has been fundamental in enriching its collective history, becoming an example of honour and sacrifice.

In those years, the government of President Felipe González, with Minister García Vargas at the head of the Ministry of Defence, had been considering disbanding the Legion for some time, and even decrees were drawn up to address the issue. The year that the Legionary Units remained in Bosnia-Herzegovina demonstrated to Spanish society and to the public authorities that the Legion, thanks to its dedication and enthusiasm in carrying out the operations and missions entrusted to it, continued to be an elite within our Army, which altered the course of its possible disbandment. That set of memorable events in which the Agrupación Táctica Canarias suffered 68 casualties, of which 10 killed and 58 wounded, has not been forgotten, as these events have contributed to the preservation of the Legion, so that, even today, the King Alfonso XIII Brigade of the Legion stands as the model ‘Brigade 2035’, to which the other Infantry Brigades of the Spanish Army will look to in the future. From disbandment to being a model.

For all of ‘La Canarias’, it was a great honour to receive congratulations for its deeds and actions, which became part of the daily Order of the Unit, to the satisfaction and pride of all its components, especially for the Prince of Asturias Award and the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands. But the greatest honour was the reception, once the mission was accomplished, in the Port of Malaga by our Santísimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte, by HM King Juan Carlos I and by the Spanish people, represented by the thousands of Malagueñas and Malagueños who thronged the Port.

What an honour and pride it is for this writer, as head of the Association, to highlight the list of AGT chiefs and officers who have attained the rank of General Officer, for their military virtues, their professional competence and their dedication to the career of arms, thus being an example to all their colleagues and an exponent before society of the prestige of the Armed Forces in whose bosom they serve their country.

Of the 32 commanders and officers who have been promoted to general, there are 6 lieutenant generals, 7 major generals and 19 brigadier generals. Most of them are still active, although there are also some retired or in the reserves. I consider it relevant to provide the details of the job held, the name, mission and assignment they had in the TGA, as well as their current status, assignment and whether they are active or activated. It is with deep sadness that I also mention the three general officers who are absent from our ranks today.  

As I write their names in this article, written with affection and emotion, I am reminded of numerous actions in which they were the main protagonists and whose execution, due to their excellent work, was a reward for their commanders. I am grateful to all of them, for with their dedication, loyalty and effort, they were the artisans of my promotion to General.

These lines have been written from the memories of a veteran legionnaire and the data provided by official publications, with the desire to preserve and transmit the history of the unit, perpetuate its memory and reinforce the military virtues of its components.

Ángel Morales Díaz-Otero Infantry Brigadier General DEM (R)