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Alfredo Kindelan

Alfredo Kindelán y Duany, 1st Marquess of Kindelán (13 March 1879, in Santiago de Cuba – 14 December 1962, in Madrid) was a Spanish general and politician. He belonged to the Kindelán family, a noted Spanish family of Irish origin.

Biography[]

Kindelán was a prominent figure within the Spanish Armed Forces and was founder and head of the Spanish Air Force. A staunch supporter of the monarchy, he took voluntary exile in April 1931 rather than live in a republic. Kindelán was one of the earliest collaborators of Francisco Franco, along with José Millán Astray, Luis Orgaz Yoldi and the leader's brother Nicolás.

Kindelán was central to the conspiracies amongst the nationalist generals and took command of the right wing of the Air Force upon the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. In the early stages of the war he directed his operations from his place of exile in Gibraltar before returning to Spain.

In terms of the conduct of the war he was central to the planning of Emilio Mola's assault on the north in March 1937, having been convinced by Juan Vigón of the need for a swift resolution to the war. Franco's failure to follow this course became a bone of contention in the relationship between the two.

Following the nationalist victory, Kindelán made it clear that he viewed Franco's regime as a regency and sought a restoration of the Alphonsine line as soon as possible. Prone to criticism of Franco, whom he considered an equal rather than a superior, he was sidelined in August 1939 when he was given the role of military commander of the Balearic Islands, an effective demotion.

In 1961, Kindelán was ennobled as a Marqués, although the gesture was interpreted as an ironic joke on the part of Franco, mocking the fact that, despite all his efforts, Kindelán was still not living in the monarchy that he so desired. He died the following year with Spain still under Franco.

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