Ricardo Serrador Santés

Ricardo Serrador Santés (Talavera de la Reina, 1877 – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 23 January 1943) was a Spanish military officer, known for his participation in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side.

Biography Military career Son and grandson of soldiers, as a young man he entered the Toledo Infantry Academy. He participated in the Rif War commanding a unit of the Regulares, forming part of the so-called Africanists.

With the rank of colonel he participates in Sanjurjada, Accepted by the amnesty granted by the radical government of Alejandro Lerroux, he rejoined the Spanish Army and was assigned to Valladolid, headquarters of the .

Serrador actively participated in the military conspiracy that led to the Spanish coup of July 1936, being one of the organizers of the Nationalist uprising in the Province of Valladolid. When they arrived at the pass they found that it had already been occupied by a group of the MAOC militiamen from Madrid, but they managed to evict them during the Battle of Guadarrama, and on 25 July it was in their hands. However, their advance towards Madrid was stalled by strong Republican resistance, While in command of the 71st Division, during the Battle of Brunete the initial Republican attack caught his unit by surprise, forcing them to give ground and suffering serious casualties.

On 8 January 1937, he was promoted to brigadier general, and on 23 February 21939, he became major general.

Captain General of the Canaries After the end of the Civil War, in August 1939 he was appointed Captain General of the Canary Islands, a position he would hold until his death on 23 January 1943. His period as military commander in the Canary Islands coincided with World War II, which gave him greater power. He was also appointed head of the Economic Command of the Canary Islands, which was created to try to avoid isolation of the archipelago during the years of the conflict. Shortly before his death he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.