Desertion of commander of Republican 24th Division over French border, 1938?

[Sid Guttridge]

I am trying to establish whether it is true that the commander of the Republican 24th Infantry Division and some of his staff deserted over the French border (via Andorra?) in 1938.

Can anyone confirm this?

Was 24th Division anywhere near the French border at the time?

Who was he?

Did he go via Andorra?

Anything may be of interest.

Many thanks in advance for any help,

Sid.

[Ironmachine]

It is true with some nuances.
That commander would have been the Anarchist Antonio Ortiz Ramírez. He had been the commander of the 24th Division for a few months when he deserted to France on 5 July 1938, but AFAIK he had just been removed from that position. As there were rumoust that he was going to be murdered, he may have considered his dismissal as a signal that his life was in danger and thus his decision to go to France. He was joined in his "desertion" by eleven comrades; I don't know if they were all members of his staff, but one of them was Joaquín Ascaso, who was also in the division (though I don't know his position).
The comand post of the division was at Artesa de Segre, about 100 kilometers from Andorra but I don't know the route that Ortiz followed and whether he went via Andorra or not.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Ironmachine,

Many thanks. That was more than I expected to get.

The book I read this in was about Andorra, and it seemed to me that there was no point in mentioning the event unless he had passed through there. Anyway, that question will have to remain open.

Thanks again,

Sid.

[Ironmachine]

It's quite possible, Andorra was a well know route to pass into France during the SCW.
There is a biography of Ortiz Ramírez, Ortiz: general sin Dios ni amo by J. M. Márquez and J. J. Gallardo published in 1999; maybe the answer can be found there.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Ironmachine,

Thanks for the lead.

You have now presented me with a problem - is pursuit of this one obscure fact worth the expenditure of nearly £20?

Hmmmm.....

Sid.

[Ironmachine]

There is also a documentary made in 1996 with the same title. It is available in YouTube, and it is in English. It includes interviews with Ortiz and other relevant protagonist of this story. Unfortunately, about this affair it simply states that they passed over to France, but does not mention whether they went through Andorra or not. However, the documentary confirms that he had been dismissed from his command of the 24th Division when all that happened.
Regarding the book, it's up to you to decide if it is worth the cost, but as I have not read it I can not guarantee that the answer is there: maybe, maybe not.
Regards.

[GregSingh]

On page 246 of the mentioned book:

Al amanecer del dia 5 atravesaron la frontera con Francia por el puerto de Boet, próximo a Andorra.

Ilustrativas y duras palabras de Antonio Ortiz recordaban aquel momento:
"Aquel 5 de julio de 1938 en el puerto de Boet lloré como nadie llorará, amargo, amargo y, después todo lo demás."

So according to the above it was a mountain pass to France, near Andorra.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi GregSingh,

Looking at the map. Port de Boet is about two kilometers north-east of the nearest point in Andorra.

Thanks,

Sid.

[Sid Guttridge]

Thanks very much to Ironmachine and GregSingh.

This brief thread is an excellent example of the possibilities of sites like AHF.

In asking the original, obscure, question, I was not even in expectation of a reply, and yet the expertise of others has quickly answered it about as completely as seems possible......

......and saved me £20!

Thanks again,

Sid.

[rcocean]

It is true with some nuances.
That commander would have been the Anarchist Antonio Ortiz Ramírez. He had been the commander of the 24th Division for a few months when he deserted to France on 5 July 1938, but AFAIK he had just been removed from that position. As there were rumoust that he was going to be murdered, he may have considered his dismissal as a signal that his life was in danger and thus his decision to go to France. He was joined in his "desertion" by eleven comrades; I don't know if they were all members of his staff, but one of them was Joaquín Ascaso, who was also in the division (though I don't know his position).
The comand post of the division was at Artesa de Segre, about 100 kilometers from Andorra but I don't know the route that Ortiz followed and whether he went via Andorra or not.

Were any POUM or "trotstyike" Generals killed during the war? And I wouldn't use the word "desertion", although its probably technically correct. "Technically" Orwell was a "deserter" when he fled Spain to avoid being Murdered.

[Ironmachine]

Were any POUM or "trotstyike" Generals killed during the war? And I wouldn't use the word "desertion", although its probably technically correct. "Technically" Orwell was a "deserter" when he fled Spain to avoid being Murdered.

For what's worth, Ortiz Ramírez was neither POUM nor Trotskyist, but anarchist. And I don't think he was a general; certainly he wasn't one while he was the commander of the 24th Division, he was just a "mayor de milicias" (there were still two more ranks, "teniente coronel" and "coronel", before becoming a general).
And yes, while technically Ortiz deserted, it seems that he doesn't really qualify as a deserter when one considers the circumstances surrounding his flight. That's why I placed the scare quotes aroung the word desertion.

[rcocean]

thanks for the info, Iron machine!