Born into a military family, he entered the Toledo Infantry Academy in 1909. He received the rank of lieutenant in 1925 and participated in the Rif War as an officer in the Group "Ceuta" Nº 3 of the Regulares. At the time of the Spanish coup of July 1936, he held the rank of captain of the same regiment of the Regulares in Ceuta. He joined the Nationalist faction in the Spanish Civil War and at the head of a unit of the Regulares crossed the Strait of Gibraltar aboard the destroyer "", disembarking in Cádiz and securing control of the city. Promoted to commander, he moved to Jerez de la Frontera, where he headed several columns composed of right-wingers and landowners with whom he participated in various military operations in the provinces of Cádiz and Seville, capturing Arcos de la Frontera and Olvera. Later his unit also participated in the advance towards Madrid, crossing Extremadura and the Tagus River valley. During the heavy fighting with the Spanish Republican Army for control of the capital, he fought in the Casa de Campo, Carabanchel, Ciempozuelos and the Battle of Jarama. In this battle he distinguished himself by his heroic action in the defense of Pingarrón; Gómez-Zamalloa was seriously wounded by enemy fire, with 19 war wounds and was mutilated in 87% of his body. For his conduct at Jarama, he was decorated with the Military Medal and with the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand in 1940; he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel the same year. From July 1941 he fought on the Eastern Front of World War II, in the ranks of the Blue Division (, ), or the 250th Infantry Division of the German Wehrmacht; he was assigned to the Pimentel Regiment. In 1942 he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. In May of the same year he was repatriated to Spain. On his return he was promoted to colonel and commanded the infantry battalion of the Ministry of the Army, the 1st Infantry Regiment of Madrid and the .