Spanish "Chapaev": legend and reality

The life story of an adventurer, ascended by propaganda into the heroes of the Civil War and the fallen because of his immoral character

Ivan Tolstoy: One of the nominees of the Civil War in Spain was Valentin Gonzalez, nicknamed "Campesino" - a peasant. The personality at one time is very popular and heroized. And not only in their homeland, but also in the Soviet Union. Soviet newspapers wrote about Gonzalez, calling it "Spanish Chapaev", verses were composed. However, the disappointment in the Spaniard, which seemed to not correspond to the myth created around him, did not force himself to wait and his name disappeared from Soviet publications forever. Says our Madrid author Viktor Cheretsky.

Victor Cheretsky: The figure of Valentina Gonzalez appeared in the political arena of Spain in the summer of the 36th year, after the military, led by General Francisco Franco, rebelled against the government of the Left Popular Front. The rebellion occurred against the background of anarchy, pogroms and political killings in the country. And he was raised, as the military claimed to replace the Bolshevik revolution, to put an end to chaos and preserve the unity of the state. Gonzalez was headed by one of the detachments of the Madrid "Michelianos", the militias of the Popular Front, during the suppression of the small centers of rebellion in the capital. The main forces of the rebels were concentrated in remote regions of the country. So it was not difficult to clear Madrid from them: for each rebel there was a dozen, or even more Michelianos.

Nevertheless, the propaganda of the Popular Front was not embarrassed in the glorification of this victory. So the myth of Campesino as a hero-child began to be born. By the way, the creation of myths Popular Front, like much more, borrowed from Stalinist Russia. It is no secret that they were needed to raise the fighting spirit of the same "Michelianos".

Spanish military historian Hoacin River.

The peasant Gonzalez has never been

Khoakin Rivera: Valentin Gonzalez was born in the village of Malkosinado in the province of Badahos. His father worked at the mine and wanted his son to continue the tradition - he forced him to work there from an early age. Gonzalez has never been a peasant. During the war years, he received the title of Lieutenant Colonel of the militia and even began to command the division-the 46th division of the Popular Front, although he barely knew how to read and write. You can see this by getting acquainted with the letters written by him. He wrote only in capital letters with a huge number of errors and without punctuation marks. So the story of Campesino is a kind of example of how in the turbulent revolutionary times at the very top-without any merits-faces that appeared literally from nowhere. In 30 years, he was a smell with the president of the country, with the chairman of the Council of Ministers, with the Higher Army leadership of the Popular Front.

Campesino (in the front row on the left) among the highest military leadership of the Army of the Popular Front.

Victor Cheretsky: In order to supplement the image of the “Hero '', capable of leading masses to victory, the propagandists of the Popular Front, some of which in the 1920s trained along the Comintern line in Soviet Russia, spread the legend of the allegedly revolutionary youth of Campesino in the ranks of the anarchists. At the same time, some real facts from his life were mixed with fiction. Gonzalez was even rejuvenated for 5 years, calling the year of his birth of 1909 instead of 1904. The historian of River believes that the image of the young leader to the propagandists seemed more attractive.

Khoakin Rivera: already at the age of 15, during the protests made by anarchists, Valentin Gonzalez allegedly laid out the explosives at the Civil Guard barracks (gendarmerie) and killed four guards. By this time, he seemed to actively participate in the revolutionary movement of the Libertarians. However, confirmation of this, with permission to say, “feat” as a murder of several gendarmes at once, I could not find in the press of that time or in any archival documents. After that, according to the propagandists, Gonzalez, an irreconcilable fighter for the bright future of the working people, was forced to hide. He lived in the mountains, attacked landowners and capitalists. In the end, he was seized and imprisoned.

Campesino sat only for petty theft

Well, when the hero reached a draft age of -19 years, he entered the Spanish legion to gain military experience for further struggle. Campesino was really accepted to the Legion, since no murders were listed after him, and he sat only for petty theft. In the army, Gonzalez received the nickname "Cain" because he was a bad soldier. In addition, he stole products from the quartermaster service. Soon, the future commander deserted, since army discipline was a burden to him. He was caught and put in a military prison, where he became close to the communist soldier who also had a sentence. And the communist inspired Kampesino his ideas. However, there was nothing special about this: at that time many anarchists became communists. In addition, Kampesino was illiterate, and it was not difficult to convince him to convince him of the rightness of his views more. So, according to Valentin Gonzalez himself, he became a communist.

Victor Cheretsky: At first, Kampesino did not particularly stand out-because of a non-casual appearance and complete inability to state his thoughts. The war has changed the situation. The small and low -power, before the war, the Communist Party, thanks to the help of Stalin, began to quickly gain strength and break through to power in the Popular Front. And here every party activist, even with minimal military experience, was worth its weight in gold.

The subtext of the Campesino cult was also an ostentatious distrust of officers of the old formation in the USSR

Khoakin Rivera: Campesino before the war knew only as a sorlopan and a scandalist, whom no one seriously perceived. Communist propaganda made it not just a hero. On the example of Gonzalez, she tried to prove that the commander from the people, who has a natural military talent, is not at all to study, to master military science, strategy and tactics. The subtext of the Campesino cult was also an ostentatious distrust of officers of the old formation in the USSR, as a rule, of non -field origin.

Meanwhile, in the summer of the 36th year, the government of the Popular Front distributes weapons to the population. Left parties and trade unions create militia detachments. Rural residents of the Madrid province are recorded in Gonzalez’s detachment. Here is propaganda, in the calculation to attract as many villagers as possible, for the first time calls him Campesino, they say, he is also a peasant - his own in a blackboard for recruits. Gonzalez initially commands a detachment that was difficult to call a military formation. There, no one had any skills to fight or discipline. Everyone acted as he wanted, and any order was taken out for a general vote. Then Kampesino was instructed to command the infantry brigade, and later the division.

The villagers are targeted.

Victor Cheretsky: The 37th year became star in Campesino's career. According to eyewitnesses, he reveled in his glory and, of course, did not even suspect that this glory would very soon turn against himself and he would almost become a goat for the lost war.

Khoakin River: the image of Campesino is sung by the press: both Spanish and international. His soldier is perpetuated by the famous Franco-American photojournalist Robert Kapa. Photos of Kampesino and his troops are published at the front, on the march, on vacation and so on. That is, in parallel the myth was created about the military units with which he commanded. The commissar of these parts was invariably the poet-communist Miguel Ernandez, who exalted Campesino in his poems. One of the photographs, for example, captured Kampesino at the troops in the city of Alkala de Enares next to President Manuel Asanya, with the chief of the General Staff, the commanding of the front and so on, that is, with the highest civilian and military leadership of Spain.

Campesino division in Alkala de Enares.

Victor Cheretsky: Soviet propagandists also did not stand aside. The desire of the Spanish revolutionaries to introduce the Stalinist model of society impressed in Moscow. Well, Kampesino became one of the symbols of the Popular Front. Soviet correspondents in warring Spain enthusiastically wrote about him: Mikhail Koltsov and Ovady Savich. He was compared with Chapaev, called `` The legendary commander, a folk hero, a man of crazy courage '' and so on. And Ilya Ehrenburg even devoted poetry to him:

You will see a victory

Glue lightly

And you will come to Toledo

On a simple truck.

There will be gentle aspen,

How to scream on the wire:

Campesino bearded

I came to us again!

Rusty rifles

The old people are digging up

And funny rogues

Those will raise their fists.

You will see Niva again

Where the ears were pushed away,

You will recognize those olives

Where the comrade was dying

You will be drunk from the water

And Castilian water,

Why is it close to us

He will never tell.

Victor Cheretsky: What Campesino was called Chapaev-both in his homeland and in the USSR-was not something strange. Firstly, the Vasilyev brothers film was no less popular in Spain than in Soviet Russia. Emotional Michelianos, who watched the film many times, in the scene of the death of Chapaev even tried to “save” the hero, shooting in whites on the screen. Well, secondly, some leaders of the Popular Front themselves constantly drawn parallels among themselves and Soviet figures. So, the Prime Minister Francisco Largo Caballero loved when he was called '' Spanish Lenin ''.

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It seems that Kampesino liked comparisons with Chapaev. Commanding the infantry, and not by cavalry, he, like Chapaev, but, however, not real, but performed by Boris Babochkin, he certainly pranced before his army on a white 'dashing horse' '' '. What a hero without a horse! And here, of course, the influence of Soviet mythology was affected, given that the true Chapaev, according to historians, was mainly used by the wounds received in the First World War. Well, of course, the statement attributed to the illiterate campaesino attributed to Chapaeva: ““ I didn’t go through the academies. I did not finish them '' '. Meanwhile, in the 38th year, according to the historian of Rivera, the Kampesino star began to gradually fade.

Campesino.

Khoakin River: Even when Kampesino was at the top of glory, voices were heard, trying to stop the heroization of this man, who allegedly did not know defeat, fear, was not afraid of death and did not bow to bullets on the front line. Three sins were blamed for him. It was said about his rudeness with his subordinates. His boast was condemned - constant attempts to prove that only his actions can ensure the success of any enterprise. It is said that when foreign journalists or representatives of the authorities visited Kampesino, he ordered to open a fingertips nearby, even if the enemy was ten kilometers - to show the guests that he was always on the forefront.

And, of course, Kampesino was blamed for his inability to command in a modern war, when it is necessary to apply knowledge. After all, he did not even know how to read the card, could not show on it where the units entrusted to him are. The brigade commander, and then the division, who did not have elementary knowledge! So behind the myth of the legendary commander, only the poor fellow, helpless in the war with the participation of regular armies, was hidden.

Once, 250 fighters of the Campesino division demanded to send them to another part due to wild methods used by them

Once, 250 fighters of the Campesino division demanded to send them to another part because of the wild methods used by them in the training of recruits. But many voluntarily went to his division under the influence of propaganda, which made the idol from Valentin Gonzalez.

Victor Cheretsky: However, Kampesino not only did not hide his command methods, but even boasted of them. Here is an excerpt from a television interview with him in the early 80s, in which Gonzalez, out of habit of boasting, did not fail to say that he was not commanded at all a division, but by a whole army collected from the inhabitants of Madrid.

Campesino: We had tanks, we had armored vehicles, we had English machine guns on the tripod. We had all this. Our duty was to prevent the advance of the enemy, and for this we had everything necessary. All the people who gathered in the center of Madrid-on Puerta del Sol Square and on Grand Via Avenue-all joined the Kampesino army. Well, the one who did not want to go forward-I took a stick that I always carried with me-and beat in the back place: pam-pam-pam.

Victor Cheretsky: Meanwhile, the situation on the fronts took shape in favor of the Francists. In February of the 38th, the army of the Popular Front suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of Teruel. The fault for the defeat fell on Kampesino. He was accused, in particular, of cowardice, that in the midst of battles he pretended to be sick and fled from the front.

Khoakin Rivera: The 38th year was a fatal in the military career of Valentin Gonzalez. Teruel, the only regional capital that the troops of the Popular Front managed to capture, was the zone of responsibility of the Campesino division. And in order to hold him, neither boasting nor window dressing was no longer suitable. Allegedly, the commander did not know the defeat could not avoid the environment and defeat in parts of his division. Himself barely managed to escape. In subsequent battles of the 38-year, the myth of him was completely dispelled.

Victor Cheretsky: After the final defeat of the Popular Front in the 39th year, Campesino is forced to emigrate. Following the leaders of the Communist Party and the military devoted to her, he falls into the USSR. Here the new stage of his life begins.

Hoacin Rivera: He manages to move from Spain to France. And from there, along with other communists, Kampesino goes on a ship to the Soviet Union - to Leningrad. The military - former commanders - were divided into two groups in the USSR. Professionals were determined to study at the Academy of the General Staff named after Voroshilov. Well, those who had no military education and joined the army from the militia, got to the Frunze Academy. In the latter, 28 people were enrolled. They were given Soviet titles corresponding to their rank and positions in the army of the Popular Front. So Kampesino became a commander, that is, Major General, given that in Spain he commanded a division, although he was only a lieutenant colonel. However, the academy immediately revealed the extremely low level of its education. Campesino turned out to be worse than all other Spanish listeners. And in the end he was expelled from the academy.

Spaniards-listeners of the Frunze Academy.

Victor Cheretsky: The sad experience of Kampesino stay at the Academy, of course, again forces Chapaev and his similar story. One of the reasons for the deduction of Kampesino was, of course, illiteracy. In fact, he should not be sent to study not at the Academy, but to an elementary school. In addition, he did not want to study at all. Thirdly, the special complaints of the authorities caused his non-discipline and the hooligan behavior. He managed to arrange fights even at the dining room of the Academy. At this time, Kampesino’s relationship with the Spanish immigrant diaspora also worsened. The comrades in the academy, who, like him, commanders of the Popular Front, call him '' Dunger '' '' '' 'The Social Anarchist' '.' The leadership of the Spanish Communist Party, which took up the analysis of the causes of defeat in the war, claims that it was lost precisely because of such "mediocrity '' '' In response, he throws a party card on the table and calls the party leader - Dolores Ibarruri - '' prostitute ''.

By the way, the Spanish sources usually describe this period of the life of our hero briefly, relying on the memories of Kampesino himself, published back in the 50s. Looking ahead, I will say that the memories are absolutely false. For example, they refer to the arrest of Kampesino after his exclusion from the Academy, about his seven -year wanderings in Soviet prisons and camps, about torture and the bullying that he allegedly underwent there, about numerous shoots. In his memoirs, the Spaniard claimed that he had visited '' all the worst death camps, including in a terrible Siberian camp called ... Butyrka ''. Why, to designate his imaginary stay in Siberia, he used the name of the famous Moscow prison, history is silent. Khoakin River, although Kampesino is skeptical of the memoirs, for lack of other sources, also quotes them.

Khoakin Rivera: Since the expulsion from the Academy, the life of Campesino is changing. He is arrested. He runs to Azerbaijan. The Second World War has already begun. Then he runs to the east, where he is poor. He is arrested again, twice placed in a concentration camp. The existence is difficult. Finally, he manages to flee from Russia across the Iranian border to France. Meanwhile, Kampesino also had problems with justice in France, as wherever he lived.

After the Academy of Campesino, no one planted anywhere, and he did not run to Azerbaijan

Victor Cheretsky: In fact, everything was different. After the Campesino Academy, no one put anywhere, and he did not run to Azerbaijan. The Spaniard remained with his rank and his general salary. He was idle, lived in Moscow with his wife in a luxurious apartment at that time. True, after the outbreak of war, for some time he went after his wife to evacuate to Central Asia, where he really experienced domestic difficulties. But then he returned to the capital. Все это мне известно, поскольку еще в начале 80-х я смог побеседовать с достойным полного доверия человеком, хорошо знавшим Кампесино. Более того, его мы вполне могли бы назвать ''Петькой испанского Чапаева''.

Сальвадор Кампильо, так звали моего собеседника, был одно время помощником Кампесино. Но в отличие от последнего, после начала Второй мировой войны он отправился воевать. Получил звание лейтенанта, был заброшен в тыл врага для организации диверсий и воевал так, что уже в 42-м году был награжден несколькими орденами, в том числе орденом Красного Знамени, который, как известно, давали лишь за немалые заслуги. В 44-м году до этого находившийся не у дел Кампесино, а также Петька-Кампильо и еще один офицер-испанец – Хуан Лоренте – были направлены советским командованием в качестве инструкторов в Иран, в остававшиеся там в ожидании отправки на Запад подразделения польской армии генерала Владислава Андерса.

Кампильо Сальвадор

В Иране в то время находились и советские части. Недовольные назначением, все трое дезертировали, чтобы вернуться во франкистскую Испанию и заняться партизанской борьбой. Затея не удалась, троицу задержали и отдали под советский трибунал. Все они угодили, правда, не на 7 лет, а на 3,5 года в ГУЛАГ – на шахту в Воркуту. Сальвадор Кампильо признался мне, что приговор по тем временам, когда за дезертирство, без особого разбирательства, ставили к стенке, был неимоверно мягким. Выйдя на свободу в 48-м году, Кампесино, хотя и уверял в мемуарах, что сбежал опять через Иран, уже никуда самостоятельно не бегал – уехал, естественно, с позволения советских властей, во Францию. На своем пребывании в СССР в уже упомянутом интервью начала 80-х он остановился коротко, не забыв напомнить, что там с ним обошлись очень плохо и что с коммунистическими идеями он, Кампесино, в конце концов порвал.

Коммунизм для меня – это ничто, пустое место

Кампесино: В России я женился. Женщины мне нравятся, но не до такой степени, чтобы терять голову. Я не знал до недавнего времени, что моя дочь жива. Ей было 2,5 года, когда меня отправили в тюрьму в Москве. Я видел ее фотографию. Я рад карьере, которую сделала моя дочь. Я видел ее 3–4 раза. В России никого хорошо не принимают. Коммунизм для меня – это ничто, пустое место.

Виктор Черецкий: Особым влечением к женскому полу Кампесино, хотя и отрицал это в интервью, тоже напоминал Чапаева. Василий Иванович, как известно, ухлестывал даже за женой своего комиссара. Впрочем, на матримониальных делах Кампесино следует остановиться отдельно. Вступая в законный брак в Москве с советской гражданкой намного моложе себя, Валентин Гонсалес заявил, что его испанская семья – жена и трое детей – были расстреляны военными-франкистами. И это при том, что все они были живы и здоровы.

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В 44-м году в Москве в семье двоеженца родилась девочка, которую назвали Виктория. За все последующие годы Кампесино не удосужился даже написать ей, зато в 1976 году опубликовал в испанской прессе интервью, в котором заявил, что является родным любящим отцом ... космонавта Валентины Терешковой. Повторял Кампесино это неоднократно до самой смерти, даже порой пускал слезу умиления, утверждая, что девочка была названа Валентиной в его честь. Так что в интервью испанскому телевидению, отрывок из которого мы привели, речь шла именно о Терешковой.

Для чего Кампесино потребовалась очередная наивная выдумка? Думается, лишь для привлечения внимания к своей особе. Ну а оставшаяся в Москве дочь Виктория в интервью газете "Известия" в 2004 году рассказывала о нежных чувствах, которые испытывает всю жизнь к героическому папаше, и сокрушалась, что знала о нем лишь из старых газетных публикаций. Поведение Кампесино – и в ходе гражданской войны, и в Советском Союзе, и в личной жизни – историк Хоакин Ривера объясняет особенностями его личности.

Для него не существовали ни законы, ни правила морали

Хоакин Ривера: Это была слепая сила человеческой природы. Для него не существовали ни законы, ни правила морали. Он был неуправляемым и непредсказуемым – руководствовался лишь своими инстинктами. Бунтарь-одиночка, нигилист, он был против всего и против всех.

Виктор Черецкий: Свой характер Кампесино проявил и в иммиграции во Франции, где как уже упомянул Ривера, тоже имел проблемы с юстицией. Они возникли из-за того, что в 61-м году испанец собрал отряд из трех десятков единомышленников, с которыми решил совершить революцию в Испании. Группа пересекла франко-испанскую границу и первым делом ограбила местного крестьянина. При появлении Гражданской гвардии ''революционеры'' рассеялись и вернулись назад, где и были арестованы французами. За это деяние Кампесино сослали на 3 года под полицейский надзор на остров Иль-де-Бреа. Ну а после ссылки он жил в Меце, где нищенствовал.

Так продолжалось до 78-го года, когда испанская супруга Хуана забрала его из жалости – после 40 лет разлуки – к себе в Испанию. Претензий к Кампесино никто не предъявлял. Франко уже не было, и страна переходила к демократической форме правления. Под конец жизни Валентин Гонсалес, как утверждают испанские источники, совсем потерял рассудок, никого не узнавал, но продолжал рассказывать о себе небылицы и распевал песню, некогда сложенную о нем пропагандистами Народного фронта. В 1983 году он скончался.