After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War joined the confederal militias. He commanded a battalion of the CNT that acted in the mountainous area of Cantabria. Later was named commander of the 12th Santanderina Brigade, with which he took part in the War in the North. His unit was destroyed during the Battle of Santander and after the fall of the North he returned to the Republican zone, from where he continued the fight. In April 1938 he was given command of the 180th Mixed Brigade, with which he played a prominent role in the Levante campaign. On August 11, 1938, he was appointed commander of the 54th Division.