Euzko Gudarostea

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Gudari redirects here. It was also the pseudonym of the Basque nationalist Eli Gallastegi.

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Euzko Gudarostea (modern spelling: Eusko Gudarostea, "Basque army") was the name of the army commanded by the government of the Basque Autonomous Community during the Spanish civil war. It was formed by Basque nationalists, Socialists and Communists, under the direction of lendakari José Antonio Aguirre and coordinating with the army of the Second Spanish Republic. It fought the troops of Francisco Franco during 1936 and 1937. It surrendered to the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontieri at Santoña (Santander province), while the rest of the Republican army kept fighting until 1939. This event is referred as the Treason of Santoña by Spanish leftists.

[edit] Gudari

The Basque word for a soldier gudari (plural gudariak) is a neologism (from guda, "war", thus meaning "warrior" literally). The Standard Basque word is the Romance-derived soldadu^[1]. Like other Nationalist neologisms (ikurriña, lendakari), its meaning has been restricted to Basque concepts.

The members of the Basque clandestine armed group ETA consider themselves gudariak continuing the struggle of the Civil War Basque soldiers. This is contested by those war veterans that support PNV, PSOE or PCE.

The Gudari Eguna ("warrior day") is thus celebrated separately:

• by ETA supporters on 27 September, remembering the date (1975) of the execution of Jon Paredes, a.k.a. Txiki in Barcelona, and Anjel Otaegi in Villalón, Burgos^[2].
• by PNV supporters on 9 November since 1937^[3].

[edit] See also

• Ertzaña, the wartime police under the Basque government.
• Eusko Gudariak, the anthem of the Basque soldiers.
• Lepoan hartu, a song by Telesforo de Monzón about taking the corpse of a fellow soldier and going on.

[edit] Reference

1. ^ Hiztegia 3000.
2. ^ Gara: 27-IX-75: El día en que Franco gastó sus últimas balas.
3. ^ PNV press release: Arzalluz acudriá el domingo al Gudari Eguna en Bilbao (2003/11/09)