Emilio Esteban Infantes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emilio Esteban-Infantes
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General Esteban Infantes as an officer of the Wehrmacht, 1943
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| Birth name | Emilio Esteban-Infantes Martín |
| Born | 18 May 1892 Toledo, Spain |
| Died | 6 September 1962 (aged 70) Gijón, Spain |
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| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Blue Division |
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Emilio Esteban-Infantes Martín (born May 18, 1892 – died September 6, 1962) was a Spanish military officer. He played an important role in the Spanish Civil War. Later, he commanded the famous Blue Division during World War II. This division was a group of Spanish volunteers who fought alongside the German army, known as the Wehrmacht. He received a very high award called the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross from Nazi Germany.
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Early Military Career
Emilio Esteban-Infantes was born in Toledo, Spain on May 18, 1892. When he was 15 years old, in 1907, he joined the Toledo Infantry Academy. Interestingly, Francisco Franco, who would later become Spain's leader, was one of his classmates there.
After graduating in 1910, Esteban-Infantes became a lieutenant. He was sent to Morocco to join the Spanish African Army. At just 20 years old, in 1912, he was promoted to captain. This happened because of his brave actions during the Rif War, a long conflict that lasted from 1909 to 1927. By 1928, he had become a lieutenant colonel. After the war in Morocco ended, he became a professor at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. His former classmate, General Francisco Franco, was the new director of the academy.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
On July 17, 1936, a military uprising against the Spanish government began. Esteban-Infantes was in Madrid at the time. He quickly had to escape to Burgos to join the Nationalist forces led by Franco. Because of this, the Republican government sentenced him to death in his absence.
During the Spanish Civil War, he held several important military jobs. He was the chief of staff for the Castillian Army Corps during the Brunete offensive in July 1937. He also played a part in the Battle of Teruel, which took place between December 1937 and February 1938. Later, he became a colonel in charge of the 5th Division of Navarre. He received the Military Medal for his help in the Nationalist forces' victory. In May 1940, a year after the civil war ended, he was promoted to brigadier-general. He then commanded the Army General Staff of Morocco.
Serving in World War II
In June 1941, Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, an attack on the Soviet Union. Spain's leader, Franco, allowed Spanish volunteers to form a division to fight alongside the German army. This unit became known as the 250th Infantry Division, or the "Blue Division."
General Agustín Muñoz Grandes first led the Blue Division. It was sent to fight near Leningrad in the Soviet Union. However, Franco felt that Muñoz Grandes was becoming too supportive of Germany. So, Franco decided to replace him.
Esteban-Infantes was a close friend of the Minister of War, General José Enrique Varela. He had been asking for a chance to fight with the Blue Division. Franco knew Esteban-Infantes well from their time at military academies. He saw Esteban-Infantes as a more balanced choice than Muñoz Grandes. So, Esteban-Infantes was sent to Germany. There, he joined the Wehrmacht as a Generalmajor (a type of general). He took a military oath directly to Hitler.
Commanding the Blue Division
In December 1942, Esteban-Infantes officially took command of the Blue Division. It was a tough job because Muñoz Grandes was very popular with the soldiers. At first, German generals thought Esteban-Infantes was too "anglophile," meaning he liked the British too much. But he soon earned their respect. He showed great skill as a military planner, especially in counter-attacks on the Eastern Front in 1943.
In February 1943, Esteban-Infantes faced a huge challenge. The Soviet 55th Army tried to break the siege of Leningrad. They attacked the Spanish positions at the Battle of Krasny Bor. The Soviet force was seven times larger and had tanks. Despite heavy losses, the Spanish soldiers held their ground. They stopped the attack, and the siege of Leningrad continued for another year.
This victory made Esteban-Infantes famous among his soldiers and the German generals. The commander of the 18th Army, Generaloberst Georg Lindemann, personally congratulated him. Esteban-Infantes was promoted to Generalleutnant and received the German Gold Cross. On October 3, 1943, he also received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, a very high honor.
After this, Franco decided to pull the Blue Division out of the war. He replaced it with a smaller unit called the Blue Legion. Esteban-Infantes helped set up this new unit before handing command over to Oberst Antonio García Navarro. He returned to Spain in December 1943. There, he was promoted to lieutenant general and given command of Military Region IX.
After the War
After World War II, Esteban-Infantes held several important positions. He became the president of the Supreme Council of Military Justice. He also commanded the VII Military Region and was the head of Franco's military household. His final role was Chief of the Central General Staff.
In 1958, he published his memories in a book called "Blue Division: Spanish Volunteers in the Eastern Front." In the book, he expressed how proud he was to have fought in the Russian campaign. He believed it helped make up for Spain's less successful military campaigns in the 1800s. His personal motto was: "Fighting is our glory! Our thought: Spain."
Emilio Esteban-Infantes Martín passed away at his home in Gijón on September 6, 1962. He was 70 years old and had been ill for a long time.
See also
In Spanish: Emilio Esteban-Infantes y Martín para niños
