Felix Otxoantesana knocked at the door of Mariñela's house at midnight to move to the Ondarroa Batzoki in search of gas oil to Baiona, where they told him what the real mission of the expedition was: That same night, they had to move the "Basque Diners" across the border to enter a secure bank and finance weapons. It was September 4, 1936, the following day the fascists welcomed Irun.
As soon as the military hit in July, Republicans realized that they were going to have trouble getting guns. The French left-wing government denied aid to Spain in the framework of the ban on the sale of arms agreed by the European states. Thus, the leaders of the PNV began to seek a solution and, thanks to the culinary work of Eliodoro de la Torre, Antón Irala and Telesforo Monzón, launched an operation to acquire weapons abroad through gold bars, stocks and other values at the headquarters of the Banco de España in Bilbao.
Irun’s defeat accelerated everything, as in a few days all Gipuzkoa was left in the hands of the fascists. Mistrust of the espionage plot in Bilbao, they decided to transfer gold from Ondarroa. To do so, they were used in secret and at the last minute, with the intention of having a reliable crew. So they went to Mariñela and Abraham Bedialauneta, among others. The Association of History Lovers of Ondarroa has released its testimonies in its yearbook: “We bring the money from the Basque Government: five gold boxes,” Bedialauneta said.
Five gold boxes – six according to others – in two motorized boats (Itxaropena, Laubrother, Hermanos Bedialauneta, San José, and Sagrada), if captured “without carrying them all at once”. At the pier of the carabiners they loaded the gold, but one of the boats sank and four finally came to Baiona, carrying two boxes in one of them. There were Monzón and De la Torre, with the batzoki as the base of operations.
There were no serious problems at one end – Getaria’s fascist Kosta followed them in vain – but apparently, Monzón became dizzy: “Start vomiting and jump to Pasaia.” It was said that the head of Bergara had crossed the border by land, closing the bridges of the Bidasoa. However, in the end they managed to enter the treasury at the Bank Credit Lyonnais, because the Franco agents, who were already abounding in the north, said it was “stolen money”. In fact, the Basque Statute was not yet approved, it was a decision taken by the PNV.
In the 1980s, Antón Irala wrote a letter in which Monzón bought 5,000 Mauser rifles and six million cartridges in Czechoslovakia, brought from the port of Hamburg to the Basque Country under the direction of the navy Abertzale Lezo Urreiztieta, shortly after the Basque Government formed: “They came on time and were decisive in stopping the Francoist offensive at Elgeta.”
But not to get rid of Ondarroa Mola's troops. Did the boats and sailors of Ondarroa who carried gold to their people return on time? They left the cargo in the Baiona area and returned at full speed, not without danger. The Lauanaia fled to prevent Admiral Cervera, a giant military battleship, from being captured, and Brother Bedialauneta was shot by fascist planes. They came to safety, but it was still in the hands of Republicans in Ondarroa. They all deserve, as Irala says, “a special memory and a pension”.
Urriaren 1ean Ondarroan ospatuko dugun Argia Egunean aukera izango dugu bertatik bertara ezagutzeko txalupetan garraiaturiko urrearen historiaren eta 1936ko gerrako beste pasarte batzuen eszenatokiak.
Ondarroako Historia Zaleak elkartearen partaidetzarekin Saturraranera joan-etorria egingo dugu eta bidean hainbat geldialdi izango ditugu. Besteak beste, frankistek kartzela bihurtutako leku berean arnastu eta ezagutuko dugu emakume presoek bizi izandakoa. Gurutzatuko dugu Molaren tropak sartu zirenean zutik geratutako zubi bakarretakoa, eta ikusiko dugu zer ibilbide egin zuten senideak “etsaiaren zelaigunean” zituztelako 1937ko otsailean Ondarroatik eta beste hainbat herritatik egotzitako emakume eta haur errepublikarrek.
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