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20 BENITO TAULER CID
Lo que se requería eran unidades de maniobra técnicamente bien preparadas,
materialmente dotadas y eficientemente organizadas, instruidas y
adiestradas. Es decir, no bastaba con hombres voluntarios, era imprescindible
que fueran mandados por otros voluntarios y que todos tuvieran un
mismo espíritu que les cohesionara y llevara con una voluntad de vencer a
la victoria.
PALABRAS CLAVE: España, Desastre del 98, ejército, África del
Norte, organización, personal, reclutamiento 1909, servicio militar universal,
cuotas, Protectorado, voluntarios, indígenas, peninsulares, “Terceros
Batallones”, europeos profesionalidad, eficacia, moral La Legión.
ABSTRACT
From the start of operations, in North Africa and after “crossing the
Valley of Death” with the “Disaster of 98”, the State, the Society and the
Army had deficiencies that made military operations, despite the knowledge
and courage wasted, not achieving the proper results, a situation that
emerged distinctly during the Crisis of 1909.
It was necessary to provide the Society and its Army with adequate
tools. Elements were needed capable of remaining in the Army, knowing
Spain´s environment, not only territorial, but cultural. For this, nothing was
better than having the indigenous themselves in military units.
But they alone were not a sufficiently balanced element, a second
component was needed that should be “Peninsular”. However, the sociological
conditions of the moment, with units recruited on the basis of an
“unequal” compulsory military service, were not the adequate ones.
What were required were technically well-prepared, materially endowed,
and efficiently organized, instructed and trained maneuver units. In
other words, volunteers were not enough, it was essential that they should
be commanded by other volunteers, and that all of them possess the same
spirit that would draw them together and would lead them with a will to win
victory.
KEY WORDS: Spain, Disaster of 98, Army. North Africa, Organization.
Personnel, Recruitment, 1909, General Compulsory Military Service,
Quotas, Protectorate, Volunteers, Natives, Peninsular, “Third Battalions”,
Europeans, Professionalism, Efficiency, Moral, “The Legion”.
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Revista de Historia Militar, I extraordinario de 2020, pp. 20-46. ISSN: 0482-5748