Beja: First of January, pass today 54 years on the assault on the barracks.
it was there 54 year old, at night 31 December 1961 to 1 January 1962, who gave the assault on the barracks of Beja, Infantry Regiment (RI) 3. A "putsch do RI 3", was another attempt to overthrow of the Salazar Government. Soares said 1987, the “25 April could have arrived 15 years before”.
The readings of events are still very divergent, in particular if seen in the light of the policy. Citizens, linked or not to blow, “read” the facts differently, whichever are left or right.
Many, perhaps the most, argues that the assault on Infantry Regiment 3, in Beja, the turning 1961 to 1962, It has to be read in the context of historical events that mark these years: Cunhal the leakage of Peniche in the previous year, the "Santa Maria" of Henrique Galvão, the attempted palace coup Botelho Moniz, the plane's deviation from TAP by Palma Inácio, Crisis Academic, End of Portugal in Goa and, mainly, the beginning of the colonial war "for Angola quickly and in force".
The revolt was commanded by Captain Varela Gomes. Another of the organizers was the civil Manuel Sierra, Major participating Francisco Vasconcelos Pestana, son of the former Minister of the First Republic, Pestana Junior, Captain Pedroso Marques and Brissos lieutenant Carvalho, as well as the civil Fernando Piteira Santos.
After a shootout with Major Calapez, 2Âş commander of the barracks, Varela Gomes is badly injured. Despite Calapez injuries slaughter some of the rioters, can abscond and notify the authorities, During the events, He was killed Lieutenant Colonel Jaime Filipe da Fonseca, then-Secretary of State Army.
Humberto Delgado, It has always been identified as the man who was behind the coup, but never have appeared. O General “Without fear”, as it was known, entered clandestinely in Portugal, He slept in a hostel in Lisbon and later moved to Beja in the company of other supporters of the revolt. When checking the failure Delgado back into exile.
Regarded as the main responsible for the failure of the coup, face your intervention, Major Calapez would be knighted. In 1987, during the Open Presidency 'Alentejo Green', Mário Soares, on arrival in Beja, would say: "If it were not such a major Calapez, the 25 April would have been 15 years before ". irritably, or Colonel, in reserve, He took the medal which had been awarded by the Government's proposal and returned it to the then Prime Minister, Cavaco Silva, explaining in a letter, that could do without it, for I had many other
On your site, or doctor Francisco George, in April 2011, during the passage of the assault of the Cinquantenaire, He wrote about the case and the memories that kept the same, by virtue of his father being a doctor of the Civil Hospitals of Lisbon.
The current Director General of Health wrote: “A dawn 1 January 1962 It is unforgettable for me. My father received a call from the Minister of Health and Welfare, to ask him to organize emergency medical assistance teams to immediately follow to Beja in fast ambulances. It was known, only, that there had been a revolt in the barracks, with intense gunfire and there were dead and wounded to succor. Ignorant to their true magnitude. It was known, equally, the old Hospital of Beja Mercy had no way to respond to the situation”.
Francisco George, states that only realized the full sequence of what happened in that first January 1962, many years later, when there exercised health delegate functions, in 1976: “The Revolt of Beja had been planned by Humberto Delgado. Intended from here get the uprising of other regiments and units of the armed forces and bring down Salazar. The assault did not go well. The failure, very likely, have had as main reason the lack of communications, although Delgado have accompanied the assault from Vila de Frades, village 25 miles of Beja, home of Jose Luis Conceição Silva, prominent activist of the Opposition and resident in Quinta do Almargem in Vila de Frades, It has organized the reception to the General that was housed in the center of the village in their Sprigs”.
“An unforgettable night, harder, very hard to remember” …… the testimony of those who lived the events inside, made in 50 Assault years the Barracks Beja, that we remember today.
Oped half century, It continues today to be a tough night and that many do not want to remember not to have, for many reasons, among them politicians, his name attached to it.
Benedito (fictitious name) It was prime cable quartermaster in Infantry Regiment 3 (RI3), the Public Order Company, and had entered the service 23 hours 31 of December.
In the barracks would be half the garrison, next to 300 men, most of the barracks, when you hear the machine-gun fire. "Had I just gone to bed when I heard the shots. The night was time. Despite the rain and cold have heard the shots ", remembering 50 years later, a night that Benedict never forget.
"I ran the duty officer's office to receive orders and I stumbled over a dozen civilians", noting that the two civilians died aftermath. "One was in charge of the building and the other was picked up by the infirmary", Explain.
The first cable points out that only after dawn saw the two men. "Both of them were taken, do not know where ", and the Beja Hospital, the preferred location, because no one knew who took them.
The day before the coup, "An official (captain Pestana) sent play to public order (Graduation) and told the military ", remember the first cable.
Benedito and other military barracks were closed in, prevention, a dozen days there and heard that the coup failed because "bad weather, prevented the Algarve reinforcements had arrived ", cause pointed out by rebels as the failure of the revolt.
Closed in the barracks, We were hearing reports of the comrades of the various stations. "They took the batteries of the devices and cut transmissions. The operator made a call "pirate" Lieutenant Vieira da Silva (day official) e este avisou a GNR ", which have been, second story, decisive to surprise the group of insurrectionists.
Another important episode may have been the fact that during the coup, Captain Pestana had ordered the sergeant of the guard (Day sergeant) the "raise the sentinels of the posts", Explain.
Fifty years later, the first cable also recalls have been heard "a self" by a brigadier and a half dozen officials to "whether there were accomplices in the barracks", remembering that being the fences of barbed wire barracks "in and out for many sites", whereby the door drive arms have been franked from the interior.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
Photo: NEWSPAPER ARMY
