page_title: Jesús Comín Sagüés
section_title: Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: Jesús Comín Sagüés / Civil War
caption_attribution_description: Español: Título original: Llegada a Irun de la Virgen de Covadonga procedente de París (2/3) Localización: Irún (Guipúzcoa)
context_page_description: Jesús Comín y Sagüés was a Spanish Carlist politician and soldier. He has been twice elected deputy to the Republican Cortes. He is also recognized for his role during early days of the Civil War, when he decisively contributed to Nationalist seizure of Zaragoza and large part of Aragón.
context_section_description: During the last 2 years of the Republic Comín focused on buildup of the local Requeté organization; in mid-1935 Zaragoza was able to field only 2 companies; a year later the organization expanded by leaps and bounds; the city could have presented one battalion and emerged as one of the most mobilized Carlist centers in Spain. Amidst standoff during the first few days of the rebellion in Zaragoza Comín travelled twice to Pamplona to secure reinforcements and came back with some 1,200 Navarrese requetés. The Carlist militiamen helped to overwhelm pockets of workers' resistance in the city, overran the surrounding province and met the Anarchist column advancing from Barcelona some 22 km East of the Aragon capital. As a result, Zaragoza, one of the national anarchist strongholds, remained firmly in Nationalists' hands.
  Following the seizure of Zaragoza Comín played a politically vital role, transforming the Aragon insurgency from defense of the Republic against anarchy, as Cabanellas would have had it, into a monarchist, ultra-conservative and fanatically Catholic crusade.  Under his command the Carlists were tearing down republican flags and replacing them with monarchist banners; he personally introduced Virgen del Pilar painting into the ayuntamiento hall, while the city elated in religious celebrations. Comín threw himself into organizing the new Requeté battalions; in late July the first  sub-units of Tercio de Nuestra Señora del Pilar were formed, later on followed by another Aragon battalion, Tercio de los Almogávares. In the autumn Comín was incorporated into command structures of the Pilar tercio, though given his lack of military training it is not clear what exactly his position was. He spent December 1936 in line on the Madrid front, though it is not known what was his unit at the time; also later on he served in the frontline troops on the on and off basis, present among soldiers entering Teruel when re-taken by the Nationalists in early 1938. He suffered combat wounds; noted for demonstrating bravery which bordered imprudence, Comín was admonished for taking unnecessary risks.
  Comín did enter the Carlist wartime executive and is neither listed as taking part in key Traditionalist meetings, intended to discuss the threat of looming amalgamation into a state party. Personally he remained on good terms with local Falange; this caused anxiety of the Falangist leader, Manuel Hedilla, who fired his Zaragoza chief due to his too friendly relations with the Requetés. Following issuing of the Unification Decree Comín seemed to have complied and in May 1937 was nominated sub-jefe regional of Falange Española Tradicionalista. It appears, however, that he strove to turn Aragon into a Carlist fiefdom very much like the neighboring Navarre, influencing local appointments and engaging in Traditionalist  and Nationalist propaganda. Circumstances of his death are not clear. According to most sources he was killed in a car accident in Zaragoza in March 1939; according to some he developed serious lung problems following a car accident suffered at the Teruel front and died due to pneumonia following 11 days in bed.
caption: Requeté, early Civil War
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