Vicente Rojo Lluch
In 1911 Rojo entered the Infantry Academy at the Alcazar of Toledo, receiving his commission in 1914 with the rank of second lieutenant, fourth in a class of 390 cadets.In 1922, having risen to the rank of captain, he returned to the Infantry Academy in Toledo, where he occupied diverse educational and administrative positions.In October 1936 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was designated head of the General Staff of the Forces of Defense commanded by General Jose Miaja,[6] head of the Junta de Defensa de Madrid created to defend the capital at all costs after the transfer of the Republican government from Madrid to Valencia.[13] He was awarded the highest Republican decoration, the "Placa Laureada de Madrid" on 11 January 1938 for his planning of the last mentioned operation.Although he was not bothered in the beginning by the Francoist authorities,[citation needed] on 16 July 1957 the Special Court for the Repression of Masonry and Communism informed him that he would be prosecuted for the crime of military rebellion, in his position as ex-commander of the Army.Franco held Rojo in such high esteem that he granted him the pension due a Lt. General of the Spanish army upon his return to Spain.[citation needed] He wrote several books detailing his military experiences in the civil war, which were published in the following order: ¡Alerta a los pueblos!