José Moscardó Ituarte

José Moscardó Ituarte (1878-1956), later Count of the Alcázar de Toledo, was the military Governor of Toledo Province during the Spanish Civil War. He sided with the Nationalist army fighting the Republican government and his most notable action was the defence and holding of the Alcázar of Toledo against Republican forces.

Moscardó, a colonel at the time, held out for General Francisco Franco's forces for 70 days from July 22 to September 27, 1936. Day after day, Moscardó sent out his daily radio report: Sin novedad en el Alcázar ("Nothing new at the Alcázar"). His defiance heartened Franco's supporters everywhere and maddened the Republicans, who committed vast forces in vain assaults on the Alcázar. Moscardó's son was captured by the Republicans, who attempted to use him as a bargaining chip to secure the Alcázar's surrender. Moscardó didn't yield, and his son was executed.

After Franco relieved the Alcázar, Moscardó was promoted to general. Although he saw plenty of combat, he did nothing so memorable as at the Alcázar.

José Moscardó Ituarte in The War That Came Early
José Moscardó Ituarte held the Alcázar of Toledo in 1936 until he was relieved by Marshal José Sanjurjo. This decision helped insure that Madrid would remain in Republican hands for the first years of the Spanish Civil War.