José García Vayas

[2] In April 1936 he was given the command of the Second Battalion of the Santander Infantry Regiment, stationed in Santoña.

[1] García Vayas refused to join the military rebellion in July 1936, and helped the socialist leader Juan Ruiz Olazarán to prevent the supporters of General Francisco Franco taking control in Santander.

The campaign was ruthless, using massive artillery strikes and bombing of cities such as Guernica to crush resistance.

[11] On 27 May 1937 Llano de la Encomienda was officially replaced by General Mariano Gámir Ulíbarri.

[4] Nationalist, German and Italian planes delivered heavy bombing behind the front lines in August 1937.

[13] After the fall of the north García Vayas was named commander of the Demarcación de Toledo, and then put in charge of the centers of recruitment, training and mobilization (CRIM).

Insurgent advances in the north March–October 1937, taking first the Basque Country, then Santander and finally Asturias