Emilio Mola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | El Director (The Director) |
| Born | 9 July 1887 Placetas, Cuba, Kingdom of Spain |
| Died | 3 June 1937 (aged 49) Alcocero, Burgos, Nationalist Spain |
| Buried | 42°29′00″N 1°22′50″W / 42.48328°N 1.38050°W |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Spain (1904–1931) Spanish Republic (1931–1936) Nationalist Spain (1936–1937) |
| Service | Spanish Army |
| Years of service | 1904–1932 1933–1937 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | Military Governor of Navarre Commander of the Army of the North |
| Battles / wars | Rif War Spanish Civil War |
| Awards | |
Emilio Mola y Vidal (9 July 1887 – 3 June 1937) was a Spanish military officer who was one of the three leaders of the Nationalist coup of July 1936 that started the Spanish Civil War.
After the death of Jose Sanjurjo on 20 July 1936, Mola commanded the Nationalists in the north of Spain, while Franco operated in the south. Attempting to take Madrid with his four columns, Mola praised local Nationalist sympathizers within the city as a "fifth column", possibly the first use of that phrase. He died in an plane crash in bad weather, leaving Franco as the pre-eminent Nationalist leader for the rest of the war. It was suspected that his death was a result of sabotage. However, this has never been proven.