Many do not know the Requetés and today we are going to talk about them, they were Carlist soldiers who actively participated in the First Carlist War.
Later these soldiers were called «the Navarrese forces » and were part of General Franco's army during our unfortunate confrontation between brothers, the Spanish Civil War.
In Navarra, as in many other places on the peninsula, since time immeasurable it has been customary to give nicknames to almost everything that is known.
The Requetés were not going to be different, back in 1833 at the beginning of the First Carlist War, the Navarrese gave the four existing battalions a nickname:
· Salty
· Brunette
I requested
Peppermint
The most curious nickname how readers can observe is that of «requeté » and it is that after the first battles their clothes were very deteriorated and they say that the other battalions when they received them sang to them as a mockery:
· Cover up soldier, cover up because your ass can be seen.
A nice song by a friendly army and that this battalion knew how to take with a lot of humor, so much so that they changed the lyrics to make the song their own.
· Cover up soldier, cover up, we can see your requeté.
Already in the year 1936 this organization, which was still paramilitary, already had approximately 30,000 men, all of them were "los requetés".
During the course of the Spanish Civil War, it is estimated that around 60,000 requetés participated and that around 6,000 lost their lives.
Their fame preceded them in battles and without a doubt they were part of a story, a cruel story of war between brothers , but for those who understand history, they will undoubtedly appreciate the worth of these men who really became legend.
These are bad times to talk about this part of our history, sometimes because it embarrasses us, sometimes because it is not politically correct, sometimes because we do not want to open old wounds, but without a doubt, no one can erase the history and worth of any Spaniard when an army belonged.
Collaboration of Senovilla
