Why a Booktrail?
1937 onwards: An amazing story of war
Soldiers of Salamis
Why a Booktrail?
1937 onwards: An amazing story of war
What you need to know before your trail
In the final moments of the Spanish Civil War, the remnants of the Republican army retreat north to exile and fifty prominent Nationalist prisoners are taken out to be shot.
One of these prisoners is the journalist, fascist and founder of the Spanish Falange – Rafael Sanchez Mazas who manages to escape the gun fire by running into the forest
He hides for what seems like ages….until he is discovered….what happens next will shock you
Travel Guide
The Pyrenees and a great story of war
An amazing story of war
When Rafael Sanchez Mazas’ hiding place is discovered by a militiaman, the unknown soldier simply looks him in the eye, turns and walks away…
Sanchez Mazas becomes a national hero and ultimately a minster in Franco’s first government. The soldier disappears into history. This is Javier Cercas account of what happened and what might have happened to the soldier who chose not to shoot that day.
This is the story of a man, of a hidden corner of war, of a history that was allowed to unfurl that day in the forest and a history of human forgiveness and endurance.
“Toward the end of ’37 he escaped from the Embassy and left Madrid hidden in a truck, perhaps with the aim of getting to France. However they arrested him in Barcelona and , when Franco’s troops were about to reach the city, took him to Collell, up near the border”
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Soldiers of Salamis
Author/Guide: Javier Cercas Destination: Spain, Girona, Madrid Departure Time: Late 1930s
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