Portuguese Legion: Portugal’s Fascist Militia and Its Medals

Paulo Jorge Estrela

With the May 28, 1926 military putsch, the very troubled First Republic created by the October 5, 1910 Republican Revolution finally fell. The newly established dictatorial type republican period known as Estado Novo (New State) began and would last until April 25, 1974 when the democratic Revolution called the "Carnation Revolution" came to power.

Professor Dr. Ant6nio de Oliveira Salazar, was Portugal’s main politician on the national and international scene. Professor Salazar served first as Minister of Finances and later as Head of Government, besides assuming other important ministries. The Law Constitution of 1933 officially established the entire dictatorial system. During this dictatorial period (1926-1974) there were three Republic Presidents: Marshal Oscar Carmona (1926-

1951); Air Force General, later Air Marshal, Craveiro Lopes (1951-1958) and Admiral Am~rico Thomaz (1958 - 1974). However, the real power was always with Salazar and his cabinet.

The Portuguese dictatorial regime generally followed the Italian fascist model. As happened with other totalitarian European regimes like Germany and Italy, there were common characteristics: the pseudo-democratic regime of one party UN - Uni~o Nacional (National Union); the creation of paramilitary forces like the armed militia LP - Legi6o Portuguesa (Portuguese Legion), the MP - Mocidade Portuguesa (Portuguese Youth) formed of children and teenagers (and another parallel armed militia, called Milicia da MP); the creation of a very strong and repressive political police: PVDE - Polfcia de Vigil~ncia e Defesa de Estado (State Surveillance and Defence Police), later called PIDE - Polfcia Internacional de Defesa de Estado (State Defence International Police); and the establishment of a great propaganda system. However, in formal terms it is believed that the Portuguese dictatorial regime cannot be classified as a true Fascist one.

Portugal remained neutral during World War II, however, in international terms, it always had a very ambiguous attitude. It had a great identification with the regimes of Hitler and Mussolini (commercial exchanges and logistic support), however, the old alliance with the United Kingdom weighed on Portuguese diplomacy. The security and maintenance of Portugal’s Colonial Empire: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Cape Verde Island, St.

Tom( and Principe Islands, Macao (China), Portuguese India (Goa, Dam~o and Diu) and East Timor compelled Portugal to pursue diplomatic flexibility. Several episodes occurred during the Second World War where ambiguous Portuguese cabinets had to be involved and acted. First, the polemic supply of Wolframite to German war industry. Second, the reception of thousand of refugees (including many Jews) and having equally functioned as an exchange platform for prisoners of war (International Red Cross mandate). Third, the authorization to lend Lajes and St. Maria Air Bases in the Azores Islands to the United States for its bombers and anti-submarine warfare aircraft that pursued German submarines. Lastly, the Japanese "accidental" bombing followed by an in- fact occupation of Portuguese territory of Macao (in China, near Hong Kong) and the Dutch and Australian occupation of the Portuguese territory of East Timor, which in turn was followed by a "legal" (and infamous) Japanese invasion.

The Portuguese war effort was rather large considering the country’s size and financial condition, especially when we evaluate troop mobilization. The Portuguese Army and Navy mobilized and shipped thousands of servicemen as reinforcements for local garrisons, especially for the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde Islands as well as for Angola and Mozambique, where local troops were mobilized as well. The Portuguese Merchant Navy has to be mentioned due to their difficult wartime mission. The Merchant Navy maintained Portugal’s commercial activity and the Portuguese Navy rescued many victims of sunken ships, specifically allied and neutral merchant seamen torpedoed by German submarines.

Legi6o Portuguesa

Created in 1936,the Legi~to Portugesa (Portuguese

Legion) was, according to its statutes, a patriotic

formation of volunteers destined to organize the moral

resistance of the nation and to cooperate in its defense

against the enemies of the Fatherland and the social order.

Initially, it was composed of volunteer supporters of the

pro-Franco Nationalist rebellion in Spain with whom it

shared a common purpose: the defense of the regime

against the "great communist threat." Volunteers were

accepted from eighteen year olds to former servicemen

(reservists and retired included). Theoretically,

Portuguese Legion registration was voluntary (as an

active member or just as auxiliary supporter, including

ladies); however, it would be a pre-condition for the

majority of public jobs and for many other particular

enterprises, too.

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It must be remembered that during the Spanish Civil War,

many Portuguese citizens had offered themselves as

volunteers (including Army and Portuguese Legion

officers and non-commissioned officers) joining and

fighting side-by-side with the Nationalist forces of

Francisco Franco. Beyond those who joined several units

of the famous Tercio de Extranjeros (Spanish Foreign

Legion), Portuguese volunteers were never detached and

formed their own Portuguese military unit, as was done

by Italy and Germany. Salazar and Franco agreed on that

strategic decision and the Portuguese contingent was

divided between several Nationalist units (including

Falange and Requetds). If, theoretically, Portuguese

servicemen were considered Military Observers (and all

were administratively placed in a Army branch called

MMPOE - Miss6o Militar Portuguesa de Observag6o

em Espanha (Portuguese Military Observation Mission

in Spain), the truth is that they were mainly combatant

troops. Many of them were to be killed or injured and

mentioned-in-dispatches and others had been decorated

by bravery either by Spanish and Portuguese military

authorities. Portuguese MMPOE members who fought

in Spain were known as Viriatos, a term with origins in

the name of a prestigious Chief of Lusitanos, a primitive

people who inhabited the most mountainous areas of

Portugal called Viriato who rebelled successfully against

the powerful Roman Empire. Portuguese troops who had

fought in the Civil War of Spain were presented a badge

to be worn on the chest (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The badge awarded to Portuguese veterans

of the Spanish Civil War.

To be fair, we must indicate that a great, but still indeterminate, number of Portuguese volunteers also j oined Republican Army International Brigades. We still don’t know many things about those volunteers on the other side of the trenches as they fought on the losing side of the war and were later hunted in Portugal and Spain. Several of the volunteers went to France and later, after the German invasion, joined the French Resistance. In addition, on September 8, 1936, two Portuguese warships (Destroyer Dao and Sloop Bartolomeu Dias) tried to leave Lisbon to join the Spanish Republican Navy but the Army Coastal Artillery stopped them. This Portuguese duality is well demonstrative of the great social divisions that existed in Portugal regarding the Spanish Civil War.

The Portuguese Legion was a militia organization

identical to such other European militias as the famous

Italian Black Shirts or the German SA, however it always

had a different character. The Portuguese Legion (Legi6o

Portuguesa) appeared as an institution created by Salazar

and his National Union party, and so always worked as

an instrument of the State. In contrast with what happened

in Germany and Italy, the Portuguese Legion was not

the armed force that its leaders used to take power, but

Salazar’s own creation after being in full control and as

a tool to guarantee the continuity of the regime. As such,

the Portuguese Legion never had the power, autonomy

and the radicalism (however there were some attempts)

of the European militias. Salazar, during a revision of

Portuguese Legion statutes, left no doubt about its

subordination, The Portuguese Legion always acted in

obedience to the government and generally, under the

orders of the civil or military authority.

Portuguese Legion Organization

With headquarters in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, the

Portuguese Legion was organized, in terms of general

(Direction and Operations) structure as:

- Org6os Dirigentes/Directing Branch:

- Junta Central da Legi6o Portuguesa/Central Office

- Comando-Geral da Legi6o Portuguesa/General

Command

- Comandos Distritais/District Commands

- Servigos e Corpos Especiais/Special Corps and

Services

Junta Central da Legi6o Portuguesa (Portuguese Legion Central Office)

Junta Central da Legi6o Portuguesa or JC was the

Legion’s superior directing agency and supervised all

Portuguese Legion activity. Composed of five

government-nominated elements, with one of them in

the role of Junta Central da Legi6o Portuguesa President.

For coordination of functions, the Legi6o Portuguesa

General-Commander was also member of the Junta

Central. The remaining four positions were held by two

Army and/or Navy senior officers. It should be mentioned

that some members of this Junta Central da Legi6o

Portuguesa were important individuals from social and

political positions and, as an example, were at times

simultaneously Junta Central members and in positions

like PSP (Public Security Police) General-Commander,

Mocidade Portuguesa High-Commissioner, a member

of the house of representatives (Assembleia Nacional)

and a high National Union party member. The Junta

Central da Legi6o Portuguesa established the Portuguese

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Legion, approved the internal regulations and budgets, exerted the highest authority concerning discipline, and controlled the awarding of several decorations.

During the difficult Second World War period, Junta Central da Legi6o Portuguesa Presidents were civilians:

1936 - Professor Dr. Jo~o Pinto da Costa Leite (Lumbralles) 1944 - Professor Dr. Andrd Francisco Navarro

Comando-Geral da Legi~o Portuguesa (Portuguese Legion General-Command)

Portuguese Legion General-Command - This command was composed of the Portuguese Legion General- Commander (who was simultaneously a member of the Junta Central da Legi~o Portuguesa) and a number of deputies. One of the deputies served in the position of Chief of General Staff. The General-Commander was a

Comandos Distritais / District Commands

The Portuguese Legion’s operational and territorial structure followed Portugal’s administrative civilian structure that divided country in 18 Districts (excluding those in Azores and Madeira Islands). The District Commanders were nominated by the Junta Central da Legi~o Portuguesa and had to be an Army or Naval Officer. As Commanding Officer, he was responsible for operations and drill instruction within his District and considered the nomination of all its battalion commanders. In Districts where there existed just one Portuguese Legion battalion, the District Commander performed the functions of battalion commander, enforced and controlled the awarding of the lowest degree of one of the Portuguese Legion decorations (as had Naval Brigade and Automobile Brigade Commanders).

Operational structure of the Portuguese Legion:

5 Legionaries - 1 Quina Team

2-3 Quinas - 1 Secg6o Section

2-3 Secg6o - 1 Langa Platoon

4-5 Lanqa - 1 Terfo Company

3 Tergo - 1 Batalh6o Battalion

Note: There were several independent Terfo, including cavalry.

Servifos e Corpos Especiais (Special Corps and Services)

The Portuguese Legion’s operational structure

also provided for some additional special units

and services. Extra District units were:

- Naval Brigade (during most of its existence it was commanded by Navy Officer Henrique dos Santos Tenreiro), whose Lisbon Battalion reached a strength of 1430 Legionaries;

Figure 2: Portuguese Legion Weapons Licence Card issued to

Lanqa Commander Josd Trindade.

- Automobile Battalion, later Automobile Brigade (Lisbon);

senior Army Officer who was responsible for all operational and training activities, the issuance of weapon’s cards (Figure 2), organizational discipline, and the award of decorations.

1936- Jofio Nepomuceno Namorado de Aguiar

1937- Casimiro Vftor de Sousa Teles

1944- Francisco Higino Craveiro Lopes (President of

the Portuguese Republic in 1951) (Figure 3).

- CTT (Brigada dos CTT- Correios, TeIdgrafos e

Telefones or Post Offices, Telegraphs and

Telephones) Brigade. Short-lived (1938-39) and

later reorganized as a special service, called CTT

Legionary Technical Service;

- Information Service, which quickly obtained a considerable amount of efficiency with a national net and worked closely with the secret police (PVDE);

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