Four Months of Barbarity. Mallorca under Fascist Terror. 4 of 4. Manuel Pérez

  

 

CONTENTS:

1 Prologue
2 Four Months of Barbarity: Mallorca Under Fascist Terror
3 The Great Responsibility of the Rulers
4 Why Fascism Triumphed in Palma de Mallorca
5 The Murderers Take to the Streets
6 5,250 People Have Been Executed

7 The Auto-da-Fé (Death Machine)
8 With the Men Eliminated, the Women Are Persecuted
9 After the Terror: Hunger and Economic Ruin
10 Theft: A Method of Governance
11 The Accompaniment of Banknotes
12 Bayo's Expedition
13 The Italian Occupation

14 Count Rossi's Propaganda
15 Rossi Threatens France
16 Universal Conscience Is Atrophied
17 The Great Mistake of France and England
18 The Reconquest of Ibiza 19 How the Bishops Speak.
20 Fascist Barbarity and the Generosity of Our Militiamen.

21 Difference in Treatment.
22 Worse Than Hyenas.
23 The Arrest of the Ciutadella and the Bombing of Roses.
24 The Ciutadella.
25 Our Escape from Mallorca.
26 Heroic Menorca.
27 Epilogue.

21. DIFFERENCE IN TREATMENT

The Military Commander of Palma told his soldiers as he led the charge to fight alongside our forces: “When you return to the city victorious, I don’t want you to take out any wounded or prisoners: any Reds who fall into your hands, liquidate them immediately.”

This order was faithfully followed by those wretches who delayed their cruelty. Let’s see: Thirty-nine militiamen, taken prisoner days before the retreat, were shot against the wall of the Manacor cemetery. The order to fire was given by the priest of that town.

This priest was notorious in the town for his infamy, since eyewitnesses say that he was the one who directed the persecution against leftist elements, ordering the murders, which in Manacor reached the enormous number of six hundred and fifty, among them many women and elderly people.

22. WORSE THAN HYENAS

There is something repugnant that demonstrates the nameless cruelty of the fascists. A nineteen-year-old militiaman from Albacete remained in Porto Cristo; this comrade was wounded in the leg. When he saw that escape was impossible because he was wounded and far from the beach, he told a fascist soldier who approached him to take him to the nearest officer. Upon arriving where the officer, an infantry captain, was, this fellow militiaman said to him: “I am wounded; I hope that, in accordance with the laws of war, I will be treated, even if I remain a prisoner.”

The captain looked at him with an ironic smile and, shouting to one of the legionnaires from the Majorcan Tercio, said: “I give you this militiaman, he is yours.”

The legionnaire approached our comrade and fired his pistol three times into his head. Then, with barbaric stumbling, he hacked at his body with a machete and left him lifeless on the ground.

He had already left, his tragic mission accomplished, but hitting his head, he turned back and said, "I forgot something." And upon reaching his victim, he brutally forced open his mouth.

When the captain asked him why he was forcing the militiaman's mouth open, the ferocious legionnaire replied cynically, "It's because many of those damned Reds have gold teeth, and since the loot is mine, I saw if he had any so I could take them."

Another fact that demonstrates fascist barbarity is the following: The island of Cabrera has almost no inhabitants, just a few fishermen and two women, the wife and daughter of one of them. When our men occupied this small island, they treated them with respect and affection, offering them what they had. When the fascists reconquered Cabrera, they found the two women there, who made no secret of their gratitude to our men. The faction commander, outraged by these statements that demonstrated the militiamen's generosity, told the women they were going to sign a document stating that both had been brutally mistreated by the Reds, and that the young woman had also been raped by one of their own. When they refused to sign this document, because they were disgusted by the idea of ​​committing such an injustice, the faction leader ordered them to be shot. The husband and father of these unfortunate women is in Mahón and can—if necessary—confirm this monstrous act, which highlights the stark contrast between the conduct observed by the people.

The fascists also claimed that in the towns occupied by the militiamen, they had engaged in robbery and pillaging. Later, all the stolen goods were found in the homes of the legionnaires of the Majorcan Tercio.

23 THE ARREST OF THE CAPTAIN "CIUDADELLA" AND THE BOMBING OF ROSES

In the last days of my stay in Palma de Mallorca, two events occurred that demonstrate the cruelty of fascism and its blatant alliance with international reaction. These were the arrest of the Ciutadella and the bombing of the city of Roses.

I am certain that the fascists in Mallorca, supported by the Italians, were attempting a landing on the Catalan coast; the famous Count Rossi had already announced this in his speeches.

Days before the bombing, it was being said in Palma that the fascists were seeking volunteers to organize a column destined to march on Barcelona. There may have been some fantasy in this, but I believe that Catalans should be on alert, since we already know the extent of Italy's and Germany's audacity. Let's see. Two days before the bombing, two ships carrying troops left Palma, without anyone specifying their destinations. On the same day that Radio Barcelona announced the bombing of Roses, the newspapers of Palma de Mallorca declared in large headlines: "A strong column of national forces, protected by our squadron, has landed on the Catalan coast."

This shows us that a landing in Roses was indeed attempted, but it was thwarted by the speed and energy with which the organizations in that region acted.

That same morning, the cruiser Canarias unexpectedly appeared in Palma de Mallorca, and shortly afterward, the merchant ships that had departed days earlier carrying the rebel column also returned. Incidentally, this pirate ship arrived with some considerable damage, which, they claimed, had been inflicted by loyalist aircraft. The Canarias remained in Palma for barely an hour, then sailed off to an unknown destination.

How much of this was true? It's difficult to make a definitive statement, but it's prudent to be cautious to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

24 THE “CIUDADELA”

Was it the “Canarias” that spurred the steamship “Ciudadela”? In Palma, it was claimed that it was an Italian light cruiser assisted by aircraft.

The fascist press published the news as follows: “A flagship of the Nationalist squadron has stopped the steamship “Ciudadela,” which sailed from Mahón bound for Valencia, carrying eight windowsills, twenty thousand pesetas in cash, and a large quantity of provisions, mostly eggs. The crew, arrested by our authorities, will be tried by military tribunals.”

Indeed, a few days later we learned, with sorrow, that all had been shot as traitors to the cause of Spain, except for two women and a young child, who were imprisoned.

If it was the “Canarias” that spurred the Ciudadela, who informed them of its departure from Menorca? This confirms what I stated in previous chapters, namely: that Italian ships watched the coast, giving the necessary information to pirate ships, since these never dared to approach Mahón, whose surveillance and defense are formidable.

 

25 OUR ESCAPE FROM MALLORCA

The martyrdom we had to endure during our stay in Mallorca is not something that would interest you at this moment. The Spanish people have suffered greatly because we recount our sacrifices. I will only briefly describe our escape from the fascist hell to illustrate the contrast between the Mallorcan hell and the heroic island of Menorca, whose inhabitants, with extraordinary courage, managed to defeat in a few hours the rebel hordes that tried to impose their tyranny there.

Eleven comrades aboard a small, five-meter fishing boat left Mallorca on the morning of November 18th. We remained in the bay throughout the day, and at six in the evening, taking advantage of the darkness, we managed to slip between the forts and begin our escape. At four in the morning, we reached the island of Cabrera, now in the hands of the rebels. As it was dangerous to continue the journey, since we would inevitably find ourselves off Manacor and be discovered by the planes, we decided to disembark on one of the deserted islands to wait for nightfall and continue our voyage. At six in the morning, we had to hide quickly upon hearing the noise of the planes patrolling the coast, as being discovered would inevitably lead to our arrest and execution.

That night, we resumed our journey towards the coast of Menorca. At ten o'clock at night, we were surprised by a terrible storm, so powerful that it was almost impossible to control our small boat, which drifted aimlessly throughout the night.

The wind was unfavorable, and at six in the morning, we realized with dismay that instead of being on the coast of Menorca, the storm had driven us back to Mallorca, and we were five miles from Felanitx.

There was no turning back; the fight we were engaged in could lead us to freedom or death, and hastily turning away from the coast, we set course for Mahón.

Perhaps due to the bad weather, the fascist planes didn't take off that day, a circumstance that contributed to our rescue.

Constantly besieged by the storm, we continued our journey full of hope, trusting in our luck and prepared to die in the open ocean rather than fall into the enemy's clutches. Finally, at four in the morning of the 21st, seventy-two hours after leaving Mallorca, we entered the bay of Ciutadella, and a sigh of relief escaped our chests.

Mahón was for us freedom, a full life. At five in the morning, we disembarked, receiving the warm embraces of our brothers. They were moments of emotion, moments we will never forget. In those moments, surrounded by loved ones who, like us, fight for freedom, let us forget the ordeal of these four months of pain and tragedy.

After drying our clothes and providing us with food to nourish our bodies, weakened by a terrible journey, the authorities of Ciutadella arranged for us to be taken to Mahón, where the proletariat received us with great affection and sympathy.

26 HEROIC MENORCA

I stayed in Mahón for a month. I cannot find words to express my gratitude to this heroic people, whose conduct is a sublime example for freedom fighters.

Subjected to a terrible blockade, often lacking the bare necessities, the people of Menorca, far from being discouraged, fought each day with even greater enthusiasm to defeat the cursed hordes of fascism. The men in our rear guard could learn a great deal from the workers of Mahón. There, everyone has imposed upon themselves a supreme duty: to work tirelessly for the war and the revolution. Spontaneously, all able-bodied men, from eighteen to fifty years old, have mobilized, going to the barracks on Saturdays and Sundays to learn military training. Everyone already knows how to handle a rifle. Everyone is both soldier and proletarian. On Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday, those who are not required to attend training take up the tools of labor and offer their services free of charge to the island's fortification works.

Mahón is impregnable. International fascism will never set foot on that heroic rock. Its formidable fortifications will prevent it. The fortress of La Mola, the masterful 38, 31, and 24 caliber cannons, its natural resources will prevent it. It will prevent it, with the heroism of a people who want to live freely and humanely.

One day I said at a rally held in that city: "The island of Menorca, in the heart of the Mediterranean, is the vigilant sentinel of freedom. Let us say with pride, and as the supreme tribute to the valiant people of Mahón, that among the thirteen islands that make up the Canary and Balearic archipelagos, Menorca is the only one that, in a sublime feat, managed to defeat the barbaric hordes of fascism."The men in our rear guard could learn a great deal from the workers of Mahón. There, everyone has imposed upon themselves a supreme duty: to work tirelessly for the war and the revolution. Spontaneously, all able-bodied men, from eighteen to fifty years old, have mobilized, going to the barracks on Saturdays and Sundays to learn military training. They all already know how to handle a rifle. They are all soldiers and proletarians at the same time. On Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday, those who are not required to attend training take up the tools of their trade and offer their services free of charge to the island's fortification works.

Mahón is impregnable. International fascism will never set foot on that heroic stronghold. Its formidable fortifications will prevent it. The fortress of La Mola, the masterful 38, 31, and 24 caliber cannons, its natural resources will prevent it. It will prevent it, with the heroism of a people who want To live freely and humanely.

One day I said at a rally held in that city: "The island of Menorca, in the heart of the Mediterranean, is the vigilant sentinel of freedom. Let us say with pride, and as the supreme tribute to the valiant people of Mahón, that among the thirteen islands that make up the Canary and Balearic archipelagos, Menorca is the only one that, in a sublime feat, managed to defeat the barbaric hordes of fascism, raising its flag atop the mountain. May the proletariat of Spain never forget those beloved brothers.

27 EPILOGUE

Workers of Spain: With simple words, but full of sincerity, I have explained to you the nameless crimes that international fascism has committed against our sister and fertile island of Mallorca. This eloquently demonstrates what that evil regime is and what Spain would be like if these wretches were to prevail by imposing their methods of barbarism and tyranny upon us." To live under a fascist regime would be to regress to the ignominious times of the Holy Inquisition. Fascism is terror, hunger, tyranny, the suppression of all freedoms. Fascism attacks culture, civilization, and all human rights. Fascism is, in short, the executioner's cursed axe. Slow and cruel death in concentration camps. It must be defeated at all costs. Let us have the courage to forget all discord. Let us suppress all passions in our souls. Let us face our challenges, and as brothers under exploitation and tyranny, let us fight as one to defeat the enemy and raise, upon the ruins of this poor Spain, where they have sown pain and death, the magnificent edifice of the Social Revolution.

Our hatred is directed toward the coveted. Toward those who, forgetting the historical moment we are living through, try to break the sacred union of the proletariat to defend their own interests and ambitions.

Valencia, January 1937.

Manuel Pérez