Joaquin Feijoo Fernandez was in the Soviet Union in 1939 year, like many of his countrymen who did not support the regime of General Franco.
They repeatedly offered its assistance to the Soviet Union, to ask for the front, and even wrote a letter to Stalin. But only in 1942 they were sent to the Caucasus and to the Crimea to help the local partisans, – told “RG” the founder of the NGO “Crimean center of history and culture” Konstantin Popov. – There were about two thousand, several groups. At the head of the second was Feijoo Joaquin Fernandez, whom the partisans known under the name “Fedorov”. During the invasion on 6 March 1943 for unknown reason, he jumped the first and ahead of time. There is a version that the Spanish misunderstood the team, taking a “get ready” for the order to jump.
After landing on the top of the spire for the Chatyrdag he got to the village of Tavel (now of krasnolese), where he applied to the local resident. She took him in, but reported to local butchers. The traitors surrounded the house. The major didn’t give up and the last bullet left to themselves.
– Feijoo secretly buried in rural Park, continues Popov. – In 1969-m to year the remains of a Spanish warrior was moved to the local cemetery and buried with military honors.
this tragic story my companion for many years studying the history of the region and together with like-minded tending the monuments to Crimean partisans who found out a year ago.
We love to walk in the guerrilla areas, – said Konstantin. – It is interesting to go there, where the unfolding of the fateful events of the Crimea. Last year during one of those trips my friend casually told him about the Spaniard. Details he did not know. And some time later through historian Alexander Kolpakidi I was contacted by the granddaughter of major Feijoo Marianne, living in Moscow. She requested a burial in the proper form.
As it turned out, relatives of the Spanish volunteers repeatedly addressed with similar requests even to the Ukrainian authorities. But they remained unanswered.
– meanwhile, the burial is really in need of improvement, – said Popov. – Grave is protected by the state and is registered in the Committee for the protection of cultural heritage. For disposal as the strength and capabilities of caring local residents who remember the Spaniard: fence painted, whitewashed. But the grave 50 years, from the time cracked the formwork, the plate started to wobble. People want to fix, but the recovery procedure of military graves and monuments of a very long and complex: renovation of the memorial can be equated to vandalism.
Enthusiasts have developed the project of reconstruction of the burial, which agreed with the relatives. Agreed and with the administration of the rural settlement, and the Crimean Moskomnaslediya. It was planned to complete all works to the Victory Day. But intervened coronavirus.
– May 9 had to come relatives of major. In the village was waiting for them. The villagers accept a Spaniard as their own, so as forces and take care of his grave. But now everything is in limbo – throws up his hands of the priests.
Granddaughter of “major Fedorov” Marianne Feijoo confirmed “RG” that her family really was going to visit the Peninsula and the grave of his ancestor.
– We wanted to bring my aunt and father, the children of major Feijoo. But because of the well-known events in may is definitely not work – stated Marianna. – My grandfather had five children. Two died during the war. Three – my dad, aunt and uncle now live in Barcelona. They are already over 80, and this, as you know, the risk. If all ends well, you might be able to visit in the fall. They have such a age when time is especially expensive.
the epidemic is cancelled and the international festival “Great Russian word”, which the priests had to make a report on the Spaniards, fought together with the Crimean partisans against fascism. But enthusiasts continue to gather information. Support and assistance when applying to the state archives said the Senator of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation from Sevastopol, Vice-Admiral Valery Kulikov.
– We want to restore historical justice and pay homage to the Spanish wars-internationalists, ‘ he says. – They really made a great contribution to the liberation of the Crimea. Before the Spaniards Crimean guerrillas because of the lack of organization, the unharmonized actions, and not just because of the inexperience suffered heavy losses. The Spanish instructors, who already had experience of diversionary war, gave it to the Crimeans. They prepared our children for the attacks, was taught to lay mines under the rails. But their role, and about themselves, almost no one knows. In addition to the graves of major Feijoo, there is still the burial place of the Spanish “Chubinskoe” group in the village Shubino of Nizhnegorsky district. And, perhaps, everything. What happened to the Spaniards from the first group is unknown. The remains of the volunteers from the “Spanish glades” (the area of the river Burulcha), who took the fight together with the partisans, was also not found. We want to know their names and to clarify their fate.
Joaquin Feijoo Fernandez, the son of major Fedorov:
– When General Franco revolted in Spain, the civil war began, my father sided with the Republicans. He was not a professional soldier – worked in the coal mine, the mounting master, but fully shared Communist ideas, was a member of the Communist party and during the war he became commander of the 24th brigade of the national police. After the defeat of the Republicans, those who are not resigned, went into exile in Mexico, France, and America. Our family moved to France where, like many, came to the refugee camp. In 1939, my father, along with other Republicans, he emigrated to the Soviet Union, and later through the internationalat Red Cross we were able to reunite. He entered the Higher military Academy. Frunze. When the war started, the University was evacuated to Tashkent. We spent a month riding in the car-freight car. To graduate from the Academy the father did not have time. But when you receive has got the rank of major of the Soviet army and asked to volunteer for the front.
I was three years old, and I remember only a few bright moments. For example, when accompanied dad, under the table, ran rabbits. Bought them to cook a farewell dinner. First, in 1942, his father was in the Caucasus, in Tbilisi. Is it the medal “For defense of Caucasus”, which was established in may 1944 year. She’s the only one – apparently my mom decided to comfort after the war. She kept the medal with his father’s wartime letters. And I do remember the postmark on the letter “Tbilisi, “Dinamo”stadium.
And then, in 1943, they were transferred to the Crimea, where the father died at the age of 37. The grave found in the woods at the end of 1960-ies of the pioneers of the “Red Ranger”. Our family contacted the Deputy chief of the partisan movement in the Crimea, Colonel George Seversky. Mom and sister went to the Crimea, to identify the remains. When my father escaped from a Spanish prison, it was shot and wounded in the leg. And learned shot at the dice.
help “RG”
In the first two the Spanish group of instructors for the local guerrillas, deployed to Crimea, consisted of 10 people. At least another seven in the so-called Chubinsky. The participants, saboteurs, spies, guerrilla struggle and the fighting in the occupied territories did not participate and was destroyed immediately after landing on March 14, 1943 near the village of Shubino-Bagoga in South-Eastern Crimea.
