1955 Revolution: The Last Arrangements

The Last Preparations


With the peace of mind that the day before Susana and Andrés Lonardi had left for Córdoba in the company of Ricardo Quesada, the general and his wife got up early and after cleaning, prepared the two suitcases that they planned to take on the trip.

General Eduardo Lonardi

At mid-morning they had breakfast and around noon the Lonardis went for a walk around the area, ending the tour at the comfortable Ballardino restaurant on Charcas Street where they had lunch.
Meanwhile, within the apartment, Luis Ernesto proceeded with utmost caution as he gently lowered the luggage, securing it within the trunk of his father's car, which was conveniently parked in the building's garage. Following the prearranged schedule, he set out at 3:00 p.m. to his sister Marta's residence in the Belgrano neighborhood, from where he intended to depart in his own vehicle to collect his parents from Libertad and Guido. However, fate intervened, and a few blocks into his journey, he suffered a tire puncture, rendering his car immobile.

Marta promptly rushed back to her home to report the unexpected issue and subsequently hailed a taxi, while her brother hastily made his way to the location where the car had been left to replace the damaged tire.

Eventually, Marta retrieved her parents from the designated meeting point and returned after 4:00 p.m. There was no time for prolonged farewells; Luis Ernesto, together with his parents, boarded his sister's vehicle, embarking on a rapid journey towards Plaza Once, accompanied by Deheza. During the trip, Lonardi seized the opportunity to recount his recent activities and offer a comprehensive overview of the prevailing situation. He had recently concluded a final meeting with Colonel Señorans at Dr. Cornejo Saravia's dental clinic. His subordinate had once again requested an extension of the deadline to commence operations, emphasizing the critical need for coordinated actions along the coastlines, for which time was running short. In response to inquiries from his son and son-in-law regarding his decision, the general stated that he had unequivocally denied the request, citing that orders had already been issued. Additionally, he mentioned Señorans' proposal for him to accompany them to Córdoba, where he intended to personally inform General Aramburu about the unfolding revolution. Señorans sought authorization for this mission, and he expressed his willingness to follow through, provided Lonardi approved. The leader of the uprising concurred, concluding by saying:

-Colonel Señorans, if he achieves that, he will deserve the good of the Fatherland.

As Lonardi elucidated, that conversation had left him profoundly content, as he was well aware that his conversational partner was a proficient, dynamic, and resolute senior officer.

Their arrival at Plaza Once bus terminal transpired at 4:30 p.m., where they promptly initiated the process of inspecting their luggage. It was at this juncture that General Lonardi realized he had only $14 to his name. In response, his son-in-law graciously offered to provide him with additional funds.

"Thank you very much, José Alberto," expressed the general appreciatively, "These $14 should suffice for my journey. If the revolution should falter, I shall have no need for money, and should it prevail, I shan't require it for my return."

At 4:50 p.m., with a mere ten minutes remaining before departure, Major Guevara arrived, alleviating the unease sparked by his earlier absence. In his company, he bore both favorable and unfavorable tidings, prompting his superior to request the unfavorable news first.

1. The Military College did not agree to the uprising and the involvement of the 1st Infantry Regiment was doubtful. For this reason, General Uranga requested permission to go to the Río Santiago Naval Base to support the Naval Military Academy with the elements he could gather.
2. Lieutenant Colonel Arribau was heading to Curuzú Cuatiá to run operations.
3. General Lagos prepared to march to Cuyo for the same purpose and left that same night.
4. General Bengoa insisted that his escape would nullify the surprise factor and for that reason, he proposed staying in the capitol city to collaborate with the movement and provide all his support from there.
   

Lonardi remained resolute in his insistence that General Uranga should push forward towards Rosario, but in the event that this was not possible, he granted him full autonomy to act according to his own judgment.

As the bus departure announcement resounded through the station's speakers, the Lonardi family prepared to bid their farewells. The venerable general embraced his son-in-law warmly, and after a similar embrace with his subordinate, he addressed her:

"I'm relying on you, Guevara, and I'll be waiting for you in Córdoba."

Luis Ernesto and his mother followed suit, and soon afterward, they boarded the bus, with the lady taking the lead. However, before they parted ways, there was one last exchange of words.

"Guevara," the general called from the bus's step, "we'll need a password."
"I've already thought of one, general. How about 'God is Just'?"
"It strikes me as the most suitable," Lonardi concurred, lightly patting the older man's shoulder. He then climbed the three steps and proceeded down the aisle towards the rear seats.

Lonardi and his wife stood further back, as the senior officer wished to avoid inconveniencing fellow passengers with his tobacco smoke. Meanwhile, their son settled into a front seat. With everyone aboard and tickets in hand, the bus closed its doors and commenced its journey towards the province of Córdoba.

September, the 14th, 5 p.m. Bus from Buenos Aires to Córdoba

While the bus moved slowly through the crowded streets of Buenos Aires, Lieutenant Colonel Sánchez Lahoz headed to Corrientes to revolt its garrisons and in Curuzú Cuatiá, Major Montiel Forzano, took the final decisions along with several officers, assisted by Colonel Arias Duval and Lieutenant Colonel Arribau. They had to wait for the arrival of General Armaburu and Colonel Señorans to lead their forces.
With the same purpose, General Lagos traveled to Cuyo despite the fact that there was no news of what was happening there because Eduardo Lonardi (h) had not yet returned.
Only one thing worried the leader of the uprising, the lack of support from the Military College in Buenos Aires and consequently, the non-participation of the 1st Infantry Regiment that was supposed to annul Rosario's forces. There were vague references to the rest of the military units and everything indicated that the situation was extremely precarious. Still, he was determined to keep going until he won or died.
Immediately after the bus left the station, Colonel Señorans contacted General Aramburu to meet him at a certain point in the city in order to “communicate something to him.” They met at 10:00 p.m., at the Petit Café on Av. Santa Fe and Callao, and sat at a table far from the windows to talk more calmly.
Once face to face, after ordering a couple of coffees, Señorans looked at his superior and informed her that the revolution was underway and that at that moment General Lonardi was traveling to Córdoba to begin the actions.

-My general, I come in compliance with an order from General Lonardi to convey to you that the date of the revolution has been set for midnight on September 16.

-But how?!! – Aramburu exclaimed, surprised and disgusted at the same time.

Next, Señorans explained the movements that had been carried out so far, as well as the decisions and results and then detailed the operations plan that his superior listened to unchanged. When he told him that Lonardi was counting on him to direct operations on the Litoral, he responded curtly.

-I'll be there.

Happy to have the participation of his boss, Señorans informed him that the next day a liaison was going to provide them with tickets to Puerto Constanza, Entre Ríos and then they said goodbye, each one taking different directions.
At that precise moment, Lonardi and Doña Mercedes were traveling along Route 9 in the direction of Córdoba, the former immersed in deep thoughts although engaging in occasional dialogue with her wife, so as not to worry her with her silence. In the front seat, his son Luis Ernesto was trying to sleep, taking advantage of the darkness and the monotonous noise of the engine.
According to Mrs. Mercedes Villada Achaval, her husband seemed calm and optimistic despite the seriousness of his face and the long silences in which he fell.
They were traveling in the middle of the countryside, beyond Rosario, when suddenly, the bus slowed down and stopped on the side of the road.
The passenger had to descend in the cold winter night and there, under the starry sky, the Lonardis began to worry about the delay and the possibility that their luggage would be searched and the combat uniforms of the general and his son would be found inside.

-Do you think you are going to succeed? – His wife asked him.
-Don't worry... I have a lot of faith in victory.

An hour later a second bus arrived in front of the shoulder. The passengers boarded the new bus and after a few minutes, they resumed their journey, but not before exchanging a few brief words. Lonardi told his son that he was worried that the suitcases would continue to Córdoba in the broken down vehicle but they trusted everything in providence.
The general and his wife sat again in the back seats while Luis Ernesto did so further ahead, along with a beautiful and friendly young woman who began to talk to him.
The girl belonged to the UES (Secondary Student Union, a youngster Peronist organization) and she was delighted because she was traveling to the Mediterranean city to attend a great party that the entity organized on September 15 to celebrate the arrival of spring.

-"There will be a great ball," she said enthusiastically, "and possibly General Perón himself will come."
-"But that's great," Luis Ernesto responded while he thought, "You can't imagine the dance they're going to have!"

The bus arrived in Córdoba around 10:00 a.m. and half an hour later, once the luggage that arrived a little later had been removed, Mrs. Mercedes went to her brother's home while Lonardi and her son went to that of Dr. Calixto de la Torre, brother-in-law of Villada Achaval, where Colonel Ossorio Arana was waiting for them.
At that time, the supervision tour that the Minister of the Army, General Franklin Lucero, was carrying out through the units of the province was ending and that was the first thing that Lonardi was informed of. However, nothing seemed to show that the government had detected anything and that increased the confidence of the leaders of the uprising.
That same night, the officers' meeting that Ossorio Arana had organized took place at De la Torre's house. On that occasion, Brigadier Landaburu and Damián were present.
Fernández Astrada, who were in charge of the revolutionary civilian commands of the region.
Lonardi insisted that these civilians had to take action after 01:00 on the 16th and Fernández Astrada reported that General Videla Balaguer was hiding in his apartment on Olmos Avenue, in the center of the city, and that at his request, Lonardi had to go there to have an interview with him. The San Juan general was unable to leave that refuge because the security forces were following him very closely, for that reason, Lonardi accepted, immediately leaving for there.

Major Juan Francisco Guevara

In the talk they both had, various topics were addressed, all of them in detail, the main one being the order that the newcomer had given, in the sense that Videla Balaguer would take charge of the civil commands to take over the main points of the city and the steps that had to be followed once the actions had begun.
At 10:00 p.m. the general was back at Calixto de la Torre's to start a new conference. On this new opportunity, Major Melitón Quijano and Captain Ramón E. Molina from the Artillery school were present; First Lieutenant Julio Fernández Torres from the Parachute School, Major Oscar Tanco from the Aeronautical Non-Commissioned Officers School, Captains Mario Efraín Arruabarrena and Juan José Claisse from the Liceo Militar and Captain Eduardo Maguerit, the only officer from the Infantry School who he had given in to the riot. Each of them presented Lonardi with a status report on the military units to which they belonged and immediately afterwards, they proceeded to adjust the action plan, which consisted of:

1. The Artillery School, the Airborne Troops School, the Aviation School, the Aeronautical Non-Commissioned Officer Candidate School and the General Paz High School would take part in the uprising.
2. The paratroopers would take over the Airborne Troops School and once it was taken over, they would post pickets on the access routes to the provincial capital to stop anyone who tried to pass.
3. The Military Aviation and Aeronautical Non-Commissioned Officers schools would revolt.
4. Captain Molina should take over the Artillery School and grant access to General Lonardi and his companions to immediately arrest the director of the establishment. Once that objective was achieved, the troops would be ready and the pieces and artillery would be turned towards the Infantry School.
5. The Aspirant School would take over the I.A.M.E.
6. Captain Maguerti and Second Lieutenant Gómez Pueyrredón, from the Infantry School, would proceed to open its doors to the paratroopers and leave officers from the Military School at the School of Airborne Troops to be in charge of its custody.

Those present expressed their agreement and only Captain Molina made an observation, requesting that the arrest of the director of the Artillery School be carried out together with General Lonardi, a request that the head of the revolution accepted without hesitation.
As at that time of year a good part of the Artillery officers were on maneuvers in Pampa de Olaén, 110 kilometers from Córdoba, Lonardi approved postponing the uprising for just one hour, and insisted on trying to convince Colonel Brizuela, chief of the Infantry School, so that they would join the uprising and thus avoid useless bloodshed1. Immediately afterwards, he harangued those present and concluded by saying in a firm voice:

-Gentlemen, we must proceed, to ensure initial success, with maximum brutality!

Lonardi hugged each and every one of those present and that was a moment of great significance that was forever engraved in everyone's spirit.
The meeting ended at 01:00 on September 15, just 24 hours after the revolutionary outbreak that was going to change the course of Argentine history.
While these events were taking place in Córdoba, in the rest of the country, the main rebel units were preparing for the fight.
In Corrientes, Colonel Héctor Solanas Pacheco, unaware of General Bengoa's reticent attitude, awaited his arrival in a ranch located between Mercedes and Curuzú Cuatiá. By then, Major Pablo Molinari, head of the Gualeguay Military District, had established the first contacts aimed at providing support to Armaburu and Señorans during their transfer through the province of Entre Ríos, and other officers were waiting expectantly for the order to begin actions.
In Buenos Aires, meanwhile, Captain Palma had informed the naval commands, through his liaisons, and several sailors left towards the south divided into two groups, the first, under the command of Captain Rial, was heading to the Comandante Base. Spore to put himself in front and the other, headed by the ship captain Mario Robbio, went to Puerto Belgrano, ready to revolt the Sea Fleet.
Rial would be in charge of the Naval Aviation and for that reason, as the sun set, he gathered at his house in the town of Olivos the group of officers who would constitute his command, to adjust the last details of the operations plan. For this reason, his wife Susana Núñez Monasterio had told the maid to take it easy that day and keep the curtains and blinds of the house closed, so that nothing would leak through them.
The sailors were working on a map of routes and highways from the Argentine Automobile Club when the bell suddenly rang. Seized with great nervousness, they looked at each other in silence and sat up in alarm, ready to flee through the back of the house, when the owner of the house appeared to tell them that it was a straggling officer who had just arrived2.
In Puerto Belgrano, meanwhile, the battleships “Moreno” and “Rivadavia”, the cruisers “Almirante Brown” and “25 de Mayo”, the destroyers “Mendoza” and “Tucumán”, two BDI landing craft, three torpedo boats, auxiliary vessels without artillery, tugboats and flatboats. The cruiser “9 de Julio”, twin of the “17 de Octubre”, was undergoing repairs along with three destroyers, for that reason, its commander, captain Rafael Francos, was moving busily to speed up the work in order to have to the vessel ready to enter operations. As for the battleships, they were immobilized in port but it was planned to use their powerful artillery pieces to defend the base.
Regarding the non-commissioned officer personnel, mostly supporters of the government, it was decided to send them to Bahía Blanca with different commissions, in order to keep them away when the fighting broke out.
At the nearby Comandante Espora Base, meanwhile, all personnel were ready to go into action, hence the hasty return of frigate captain Edgardo S. Andrew, at that time subject to the authority of the military courts, to take charge. of its functions.

Cap. Jorge E- Perren

Naval Aviation was organized under the command of Lieutenant Commander Beaubeau de Secondignè, of the Aviation School, with Captain Hugo Simón Radl in charge of air transport, Lieutenant Commander Justiniano Martínez Achaval, the patrol boats; Captain Eduardo Estivariz the observation squadrons; Lieutenant Pedro Calvo Paz the defense (he would rely on the Marine Corps for this) and Captain Meteorologist Guillermo Mackinlay, the prisoners, all of them under the direction of Captain Jorge E. Perren, second commander of the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base.
At 09:00 a meeting took place on the road leading to Comandante Espora between captains Perren and Andrews. The naval officers moved at low speed along the route to Bahía Blanca, in the first's car, while they verbally addressed everything related to the weapons and ammunition of the planes, the occupation of the city by the Marines, the assignment of tasks for each officer, the surveillance of the nearby 5th Infantry Regiment, the taking of prisoners, the blowing up of roads, bridges and railways, the cutting of communications cables, the distribution of pamphlets, the alerts, the radiation of messages and other major issues.
Another meeting of the same characteristics took place between Andrew and a group of officers at 10:00 p.m. while in Buenos Aires the civil commands were actively working on assigning tasks and roles.
Florencio Arnaudo, together with Carlos Burundarena and Raúl Puigbó, drew up the plans for the so-called Black Rose Operation aimed at occupying and neutralizing the radio stations while other groups were dedicated to collecting and hiding weapons and documentation, one of them the marriage of Alberto V. Pechemiel and Angelita Menéndez (niece of the old rebel general), members of the civil command of the parish of the Holy Spirit, led by Captain Alberto Fernández, who turned their apartment on Coronel Díaz and Av. Libertador into a true arsenal.
Meanwhile, in front of Puerto Madryn, the bulk of the Sea Fleet was anchored with the cruiser “17 de Octubre” at the helm whose commander, ship captain Agustín P. Lariño, had announced that he was willing to fold. The rest of the units, almost all belonging to the group of destroyers commanded by Captain Raimundo Palau, remained waiting alongside smaller vessels. On the other hand, on the ground, Grumman aircraft from the Observation Squadron were waiting parked next to the runway of the Naval Air Station, under the command of Lieutenant Juan María Vassallo.

Thursday, September 15, passed with absolute normality in Río Santiago, despite the fact that the officers were aware that the revolution was going to break out that same night.
Before noon, frigate captains Jorge Palma and Carlos Sánchez Sañudo appeared at the base, who should have accompanied General Bengoa to Paraná. Captain Carlos A. Bourel, director of the Naval High School, Lieutenant Commander (RE) Andrés Troppea, General Uranga and several Army officers, among whom were Lieutenant Colonel Heriberto Kurt Benner of the Higher War School.
That day, Admiral Isaac Francisco Rojas, director of the Río Santiago Naval School, summoned the base commander, Captain Luis M. García, to his office to inform him of what was happening and inform him that at 0 hours that same day, the revolution broke out. Shortly after, he did the same with his staff, made up of Captain Abel R. Fernández, deputy director of the Naval Academy, and frigate captains Juan Carlos Bassi, head of the cadet corps, and Miguel Rondina, head of studies.

Admiral Isaac Francisco Rojas

The action plan consisted of cutting river communications from the La Plata roadstead to establish a blockade of Buenos Aires, depriving the government of its fuel supply.
The unit's firepower was supported almost exclusively by the Naval Training Force that constituted the Ríos Squadron, commanded by Captain Fernando Muro de Nadal. It was made up of the destroyers ARA “Cervantes” (D-1) and ARA “La Rioja” (D-4), the patrol boats ARA “King” (P-21) and ARA “Murature” (P-20), the BDI landing, trackers and tugboats with all their equipment, as well as the troops assigned to the defense of the base, the study centers and the shipyards, namely, officers and non-commissioned officers of the Application School, senior cadets of the Naval School and sailors armed with machine guns, pistols and rifles.
On Martín García Island, the head of the Seamanship School, frigate captain Juan Carlos González Llanos, waited expectantly, since he had known about the plot since July, when Captain Rial himself informed him. According to the operations plan, he had to transfer the troops and weapons in his charge to the Naval Academy, in Río Santiago3 and once there, put them at the disposal of Admiral Rojas to incorporate them into the fight. In that sense, on Thursday, September 15, his assistant secretary arrived on the island and confirmed that the uprising began at midnight that same night and that in view of this, he had to embark the three companies that made up the School and the Infantry Company No. 2 stationed there.

On Thursday morning, September 15, General Lonardi went to the convent of the Capuchin friars4 to hear the holy mass and take communion. That day he turned 59 years old and many things were going through his head.
Once the ceremony was over, he returned to his brother-in-law's house and once there, he met the young Eduardo Molina, husband of his niece, Ana María Villada Achaval and a revolutionary civil command who, upon seeing him enter, told him that in case he If the coup failed, he had a private plane ready to evacuate him from the city.
The general listened with a serious expression and when Molina finished speaking, he thanked him for his intention and told him that the aircraft was not necessary because the revolution was going to triumph.
The rest of the day he spent calmly, in the company of his wife and some relatives with whom he had lunch and chatted for a few moments after coffee.
The afternoon was the crucial moment. The time had come and he had to say goodbye. He did it with the height typical of a man of his category, in line with the moment in which he lived. After hugging his wife and each of those present, the general put on his jacket and his cap and immediately left followed by Colonel Ossorio Arana and his son.
They boarded the Villada Achaval car and left for the country house that Dr. Lisardo Novillo Saravia had in Argüello, a suburban neighborhood on the outskirts, northwest of Córdoba, with Luis Ernesto Lonardi at the wheel and his father next to him. Villada Achaval followed them in another vehicle carrying Dr. Lisardo Novillo Saravia (h) and engineer Calixto de la Torre, with whom he had to wait for the arrival of Brigadier Landaburu and write the revolutionary proclamation together with his brother-in-law.
As the hours passed, Captains Ramón E. Molina and Daniel Alberto Correa were ready at the Artillery School along with Lieutenant Augusto Alemanzor, assistant to the head of the Troop Group. On the other hand, at the neighboring Airborne Troops School, Lieutenants Julio Fernández Torres, César Anadón, Eduardo Müller, Bernardo Chávez, Abel Romero, Second Lieutenant Armando Cabrera Carranza and other officers were waiting, ready to begin actions.
When the clocks throughout the country showed 9:00 p.m., General Lonardi, Colonel Ossorio Arana and Brigadier Landaburu, left the Novillo Saravia farm wearing their combat uniforms, and headed to the weekend house that Calixto de la Torre had in the La Carolina neighborhood, somewhat further to the northwest, where they had to meet with other rebel officers to continue towards La Calera, a point where another group of soldiers and civilians were waiting for them to continue from there to the Artillery School5.

Colonel Arturo Ossorio Arana

At that same time, in Buenos Aires, the civil commandos led by Raul Puigbó and Florencio Arnaudo, received a suicidal order: they had to neutralize the state radio stations and then return to the Federal Capital with all their weapons, to guard the Naval Hospital facilities.
The members of the revolutionary high command arrived at the Calixto de la Torre farm one after another, firstly Captains Daniel Alberto Correa and Néstor Ulloa, followed by First Lieutenant Horacio Varela Ortiz, Lieutenants Jorge Ibarzábal and Héctor Nin and Captains Juan José Buasso and Carlos Oruezabala, the latter with orders to receive instructions to leave immediately afterwards to provide support to Major Quijano.
Captain Buasso was the bearer of disturbing news since, during the journey, he had seen movements of strange elements along the way, which were possibly intelligence services loyal to the government. As Lusi Ernesto Lonardi tells it in God is Just, seeing that this was generating some concern among those present, his father said in a firm tone of voice:

-Gentlemen, in every war operation, events do not develop as one wishes. I want to tell you that we must multiply in order to put ourselves in a relationship of one to ten and proceed with brutality. Captain Buasso, go to fulfill his mission.

-At your command, my general! – was the response.

After midnight (00:30), Arturo Ossorio Arana (h) appeared at the De la Torre farm along with two of his friends, Marcelo Gabastou and Iván Villamil, who had come to join the commandos.
It was then that General Lonardi decided to set off, but before doing so, he gathered the group of officers and civilians present around him and reiterated his previous premise to them:

-Gentlemen, we are going to carry out a company of great responsibility. The only instruction I give them is to proceed with the maximum possible brutality.

On the night of September 15, at the Artillery School, located a few kilometers from the city of Córdoba, Captain Ramón Eduardo Molina, following the plan drawn up by the revolutionary high command, took charge of the guard after notifying that night he would serve as a service officer. Once in office, he made it known, through Lieutenant Carlos Alfredo Carpani, that the guard posts were in the hands of the rebels and that was the signal that the group led by General Lonardi was waiting for to march.
Next to that military unit were the facilities of the Troop School
Airborne and in front of both, route in between, their Infantry pair, a powerful combat unit under the command of Colonel Guillermo Brizuela, with more than 2,000 troops under his command. The 13th Infantry Regiment had been merged into the latter when its transfer to Córdoba was ordered and in both, school and regiment, the Justicialist doctrine had taken hold strongly, so the rebel commanders sensed that it was not going to be captured. easy.
Very close by, at the Military Aviation School, captains Jorge Guillamondegui and Hilario Maldonado, the leaders of the rebel group, were awaiting the start of the fight, concerned about a meeting of officers that was taking place at that time. However, at that point, no matter what happened, nothing could prevent the launch of operations.

Following the instructions given, at 11:30 p.m. on September 15, the Artillery, Airborne Troops, and Military Aviation schools began war preparations. In the most absolute silence, provided with their war equipment and wearing combat uniform, their troops proceeded to take positions, turning the artillery pieces and heavy weapons towards the Infantry School and placing several machine gun nests at the pre-established points, after reducing all those sections that had offered some type of resistance. Half an hour later, a DC-3 plane with five rebel Aeronautics officers on board left the Aeroparque in the city of Buenos Aires, with the mission of collaborating in the control of the Espora Base.
Lonardi and his companions arrived at the Artillery School without incident, entering through the back aboard several cars. He was received by Assistant Sergeant Claudio García and Captain Ramón Eduardo Molina, with whom he headed towards the officers' casino after parking the vehicles near the access.
Lonardi was informed of the latest events, the main ones being the arrest of all the non-commissioned officers and the enlistment of the corps of candidates, a hundred soldiers who had to replace the detained troops. Immediately afterwards, he entered the officers' casino followed by Captain Molina, Colonel Ossorio Arana, officers Ezequiel Pereyra and David Uriburu, Marcelo Gabastou, Iván Villamil, Luis Ernesto Lonardi and Arturo Ossorio Arana (h) and with them he went up, gun in hand. hand, to the rooms of Colonel Juan Bautista Turconi, director of the School, located on the first floor.
Once there, Captain Molina opened the door and entered the room.

-"My colonel, I bring you an urgent message," he said and immediately afterwards, he gave way to General Lonardi.
-Surrender, colonel! – It was the order that the leader of the riot gave him while he pointed his 45 pistol at him.

Far from being intimidated, Turconi pounced on the newcomer and began to struggle in order to disarm him. Lonardi fired and the bullet grazed his right ear, forcing him to abandon his attitude. The unit commander was subdued and taken to the infirmary to be treated while the rebel general took control of the School. At that point it was evident that he was determined to act according to the instructions that he himself had given before leaving: “proceed with maximum brutality” and based on this, he ordered Captain Molina to prepare the combat unit:

-Show me the School in the parade ground, ready to go into action.
-At your command, my general!

Minutes later, more than 3,000 troops were waiting outside. The first person to speak to them was Captain Molina, to explain in a firm tone of voice that due to the corruption and arrogance of a government that had been dominating vast sectors of society for some time, the School had revolted. Lonardi spoke next, giving a fiery harangue in which he informed the troops that they were about to enter combat and that all possible firmness and determination was needed. Once it was over, he gave the order to occupy positions and after giving a series of directives to his closest assistants, he headed to his combat position.
The School had 60 heavy-caliber cannons that, in the absence of troops, constituted its main defense system and had soldiers from an Infantry company, a sufficient number to establish a relatively important perimeter, although not enough.
Twelve howitzers, under the command of Major Melitón Quijano, were placed outside the limits of the establishment, pointing towards the right side of the Infantry School, which would have the support of captains José Antonio Buasso, Eduardo Fossatti and Carlos Oruezabala, who acting jointly with other officers would try to cover them from both sides.
Shortly after the School was taken, the first death of that second phase of the revolution occurred.
For several hours, General Alberto Morello had been trying to contact Colonel Brizuela to warn him that something out of the ordinary was happening in the military units of the province and when he could not locate him, he dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Félix Frías to the place. the effects of being personally imposed on the situation. Frías boarded a jeep and, accompanied by a driver, headed towards the Infantry School but, in the middle of the route, he ran into a patrol of paratroopers who told him to “stop.” Far from obeying it, he ignored the order and continued moving in the direction of the picket.

-Please don't move, my lieutenant colonel! - shouted the officer in charge when he saw that Frías continued advancing - Stop!!

The outcome was tremendous. As the loyal officer continued to approach the position, the paratroopers opened fire and shot him down just as he drew his weapon. He was left lying on the asphalt, lifeless, in the middle of a pool of blood.
At that precise moment the Infantry School turned on its lights so that the troops could dress and arm themselves, showing that the surprise factor that the revolutionary forces had had had been lost.
In a last attempt to avoid useless bloodshed, Lonardi telephoned the Infantry School to speak with his boss, but Brizuela hung up without engaging in dialogue. And when after a second call he refused to say a word, it became clear that combat was inevitable.
Everything was ready at the Artillery School, with all its pieces pointing at its Infantry pair and its men ready to go into action.
At the Airborne Troops School, meanwhile, Captain Arruabarrena was waiting with all of his deployed personnel. By then, Lonardi had tried, once again, to establish dialogue with Colonel Brizuela and faced with a new refusal, he had no choice but to begin hostilities. With sorrow and pain, although with absolute determination, he headed towards his command post, on top of the water tank of the military unit, accompanied by his old and loyal friend, Colonel Ossorio Arana, and at 1:00 a.m. on September 16 , ordered the attack.

At midnight on September 15, frigate captain Carlos Sánchez Sañudo appeared at the private home of Admiral Rojas, at the Punta Indio Naval Air Base, to announce that the time established by the revolutionary command had arrived.

-Mr. Admiral: it is twelve o'clock.

Rojas, who at that moment was reading a book sitting in one of the armchairs in the living room, sat up and from his telephone called a meeting in his office with all the members of his general staff made up of his commander, Captain Jorge Palma, the Sánchez Sañudo himself as head of Communications, frigate captain Silvio René Casinelli in charge of Operations, his assistant, lieutenant captain Andrés Troppea and the head of the Ríos Squadron, ship captain Fernando Muro de Nadal.
During the conclave, Muro de Nadal questioned the success of the operation due to the lack of committed Army officers and was there, explaining his point of view, when a lieutenant entered the room to announce that General Juan José Uranga He had just arrived, accompanied by two of his nephews, also officers, who were bringing him by car from Rosario. It was the signal that Rojas had been waiting for, which is why, without wasting time, he ordered the enlistment of the destroyers “La Rioja” and “Cervantes”, so that in the first hours of the day they would gain open waters and establish the blockade of the Río de la Silver. At the same time, directives were given to Lieutenant Commander Mariano Queirel to set sail for Martín García Island aboard a torpedo boat, so that the Seamanship School could dispatch all its troops from there in order to reinforce Río Santiago. Immediately afterwards, the base was ordered to ready.
It began at 03:00 in the morning of the 16th when the naval officers, blowing their whistles, turned on the lights in the rooms and ordered the 1st and 2nd year cadets who were sleeping at that time, to get dressed and get dressed. Prepare your bags for boarding. They were struck by the fact that many of those giving the orders were 4th year cadets dressed in combat clothing and that the base was completely illuminated.
When the sailors went out into the hallways, they noticed that there were Army officers who were also wearing combat uniforms and then they understood that something serious was happening.
The troops were led to the study yard and, once there, they were made to form a square. Only then did the cadets realize that the highest authority of the base, Admiral Isaac Francisco Rojas, was there along with other officers, one of whom, frigate captain Bassi (chief of the Corps), gave a step forward to speak.
Through his superior, the cadets heard, astonished, that the Navy had rebelled against the government and was preparing to enter combat to overthrow it. Immediately afterwards, the head of the 4th year cadets announced loudly that anyone who did not agree with what was going to happen should step forward and then waited. The slogan was not to involve those who did not agree with the revolution, making it especially clear that no type of retaliation was going to be taken. As Isidoro Ruiz Moreno says, to his satisfaction and that of his superiors, no one moved.

At that same moment the high school cadets, among whom were the children of Rojas and Rial, were awakened by their boss, Lieutenant Jorge Isaac Anaya6, in charge of informing them of the novelty, before ordering their enlistment to carry out auxiliary and maintenance tasks. guard.
Marines on one side and cadets on the other took up combat positions and several more formed a line to board the naval units to which they had been assigned.

On the destroyers “Cervantes” and “La Rioja”, their commanders, frigate captains Pedro J. Gnavi and Rafael A. Palomeque, supervised the readiness while constantly giving directives. They were to set sail once the preparations had been completed, after receiving the operations plan from Captain Sánchez Sañudo.
The cadets lined up next to the “Hall of Battles”, a large hall decorated with magnificent paintings that represented the main naval battles of our nineteenth-century wars, and from there they marched in columns to embark, greeted by the director of the Naval Academy and the members of their Mayor state.
Once at the docks of the canal that separated the School from the Shipyards, the sailors began to board, the older and better trained ones occupying their positions next to the artillery and communications pieces and the younger ones, the surveillance ones, on the command booth.

In the nearby city of La Plata, Lieutenant Juan Manuel Jiménez Baliani was sleeping next to his wife when a prolonged and insistent ringing woke him up in the middle of the night. Extremely worried, he stayed still in bed because in those days, stories of arrests in the wee hours of the morning were commonplace. He remained motionless for about half a minute, hoping in the depths of his being that it had been a dream, when a second touch startled him. Even in the dark, he could see that his alarm clock showed 04:00 in the morning and that worried him even more.
His wife was awake when she got up. She told her to stay calm and that she was going to see what it was about her, and while she put on her slippers, she went to the front door, without turning on any lights.
Keeping the door closed he asked who he was and on the other side, a weak voice answered:

-Lieutenant Pérez, from the Officer Application School, sir.

Only then did Jiménez Baliani open and look out. He could see that, indeed, it was a Navy officer wearing his uniform, but he did not know him.

"Show me his identification," he said to the newcomer.

The officer obeyed by extending his credentials and after taking a careful look at the document, Jiménez Baliani asked, in a tone that showed annoyance and lack of courtesy.

-What's happening? What does he want?

-I have been given the order to inform him that he must report immediately to his destination. The situation makes this urgent. The readiness of all units has been arranged.

-Very good. "Thank you," he replied. "I'll introduce myself right away."

-I hope so, sir. I have a jeep parked at the door, to take it to the base.

Since Jiménez did not know the officer in front of him, he was suspicious and responded that it was not necessary for him to wait for him because he was going to go in his own car.

-It's going to be late! – insisted the young lieutenant.
-Retreat! -the officer ordered- I will report to my destination immediately. Go fulfill other duties you have.
-Well sir. Good evening - faith the answer, and immediately afterwards, the subaltern boarded his jeep and left.

Jiménez Baliani closed the door and when he saw his wife standing in the hallway, he told her to change her clothes because she had to take him immediately to Río Santiago. They dressed hurriedly and in the middle of the night, they went outside and got into the car that was parked at the door, the woman at the wheel and the officer next to her.
They took the deserted suburban streets and headed towards Ensenada, they entered the open field, previously crossing an emergency neighborhood halfway, where the woman accelerated their march when they thought they saw movements.
They thus arrived at the doors of the Shipyard, where they found the iron gates closed and the guard posted telling them to stop their march while dazzling them by illuminating them with extremely powerful spotlights. Without moving from the vehicle, they saw a Marine Corps officer approaching them, illuminating them with a flashlight. When he arrived at the window, the sailor recognized Lieutenant Jiménez and saluted him:

-Good morning. Where is it going?
-To the shortstop “La Rioja”, where I am stationed.
"Well," was the response, "get out of the car and go to the dock on foot." You better hurry up.

It was dawn when Jiménez Baliani said goodbye to his wife and got out of the car. The young woman remained inside the vehicle, with her hands on the wheel and the engine running, watching as her husband crossed the gate and walked away from her. Only then did she dare to speak to ask the officer on duty if she could stay parked there until she clarified since she was afraid to return alone.

-Sir, could I stay on the side, near the fence, until dawn and there is enough light to return without problems?
"Ma'am," the sailor responded politely, "do you know how to drive well?"
-Yes – she responded.
-Then don't wait a minute. In half an hour the situation will be set up here.” Leave as soon as possible and good luck.
-Thank you – the lady responded. And putting it in first gear, she walked away from the place, filled with deep concern.

Jiménez's wife was returning to her home while her husband hurried along the internal roads of the shipyard in the direction of the docks. It was reckless for him to have had himself taken to the base because the places he had to pass through to and from were unsafe and because a full-scale confrontation was imminent.

Once at the dock, she saw the personnel forming two lines, ready to board and Lieutenant Commander Carlos F. Peralta, her second commander, supervising the alignment with two officers.

From a list, previously prepared, they named the surnames of those who would make up the crew that would go sailing. When someone was named, he responded: Present! and she headed on board.
I introduced myself to the Second Commander who in brief words imposed my obligations on me: prepare the weapons for combat. He had two assistants: the permanent one, who was then Lieutenant Juan R. Ayala Torales, and a temporary one, Lieutenant Federico Ríos, a student at the Officer Application School, who had been designated for this opportunity.

Jiménez Baliani was informed of what was happening and that way he knew that once the personnel had embarked, the ships would set out to sea on a war mission.

Meanwhile, the base was hastily organizing its defensive device under the orders of Captain Carlos Bourel, who for this purpose had Marine Corps troops and Army officers. Sniper posts were located at different points of the facilities and the artillery pieces of the patrol boats “King” and “Murature” were ready, the first of which was undergoing repairs. Once the revolution began, the rebel high command awaited the reaction of the 7th Infantry Regiment and the Command of the II Division based in La Plata under the orders of General Heraclio Ferrazzano, so their movements, at that hour of the morning , they were feverish.

Notes

1. That day, the Scientific and Technical Research Institute of the Armed Forces had organized a shooting demonstration to which military attachés and war correspondents from different countries were specially invited. All the officers of the Artillery School had to attend, almost all of them committed to the uprising.
2. As Isidoro Ruiz Moreno relates, in those days, Captain Rial's home and movements were monitored by security personnel who traveled aboard a car with license plate No. 340 of the province of Buenos Aires.
3. The movement of the troops had to take place in BDI No. 6 and No. 11
4. It was located at the intersection of Buenos Aires and Obispo Oro.
5. The owner of the house, his wife Irene Gravier and his seven children were preparing to spend the weekend at the aforementioned residence. Luis Ernesto Lonardi remembers in Dios es Justo one of them, Irene de la Torre, a charming 15-year-old girl, who prepared and served them food and drinks with great presence of mind, enthusiastic about lending her collaboration.
6. In 1982 he would be the harshest exponent of the Military Junta that unleashed the South Atlantic War.
   

1955 Guerra Civil. La Revolucion Libertadora y la caída de Perón

1955 Revolution: Plot in motion

The plot is in motion



Dr. Clemente Villada Achával played a crucial role as the intermediary between General Lonardi and a group of conspirators in the province of Córdoba. Underpinning this clandestine collaboration was a secret meeting held at the historic Colegio de La Salle in Buenos Aires. In attendance were key figures including the leader of the coup, General Lonardi, Colonels Arturo Ossorio Arana and Eduardo Señorans, Captain Edgardo García Puló, and Major Juan Francisco Guevara. The meeting was shrouded in secrecy and protected by heavily armed civilian guards.

Villada Achával disclosed that officers from the Artillery School in Córdoba were eager to partake in a potential coup, awaiting the signal to act. This gathering served to clarify doubts and expedite preparations, as State intelligence services had begun to detect suspicious movements, posing a significant risk.

These concerns were validated when General Lonardi faced sanctions and twenty days of house arrest on August 16. Additionally, the CGT called for a strike on August 31, urging the public to assemble in Plaza de Mayo to hear Juan Domingo Perón, whose vehement rhetoric amplified tensions among the military leadership and the public.

On September 4, Lieutenant Colonel Octavio Cornejo Saravia conveyed a crucial message to the Lonardi family, indicating that the planned uprising for September 16 had been postponed by General Aramburu. Lonardi, visibly agitated, insisted that the operation could not be delayed any further. He expressed urgency due to the government's alleged preparations, including arming workers' militias and retiring many involved officers. The situation demanded swift action to avoid potential repercussions.

-General –said Cornejo a bit embarrassed- I am only passing on some information that Colonel Zerda has just given me[1].

In view of such news, Lonardi believed it necessary to confirm the information and for this, he entrusted his son Luis Ernesto to arrange a meeting with Colonel Arturo Ossorio Arana, destined to discuss the issue in depth. This was done and that same afternoon, the general went to the residence of his friend, in order to update him on the latest events.

-General –said the owner of the house after hearing his words- take things in your hands because otherwise, this won't work.

-Ossorio –answered his interlocutor- I have already decided and be sure that I will spare no effort to carry out the movement [2].

On September 8 at 9:00 p.m. a new meeting was held in which Colonel Eduardo Señorans, chief of operations of the Army General Staff, was present. The same, organized by Alfredo Rodríguez García, a relative of Major Juan Francisco Guevara, was carried out in the car of Dr. Eugenio Burnichon and four fundamental points were agreed upon that should be taken into account when organizing the plot.

1. Because of General Videla Balaguer's impulsive and rash actions in Río Cuarto, the authorities in Córdoba remained vigilant and had implemented stringent security measures.
2. The coastal contacts were deemed both unreliable and inadequate, as only the IV Cavalry Division was available, and it would only pledge its support 72 hours after the uprising commenced.
3. No units in Greater Buenos Aires had shown any signs of allegiance or support for the cause.
4. General Aramburu was continuously monitored, and his aide, Major San Martín, had been apprehended.

During the conversations, Colonel Señorans said that the best thing to do was to wait and not rush because the conditions were not right to start a revolution. Lonardi expressed his total disagreement with this position because the discharge of the troops was imminent and also because, as he had raised it with Ossorio Arana in the previous meeting, the government was organizing popular militias that were going to endanger national security. In his opinion, continuing to wait would only lead to the total disaster of the operation because the latest arrests of officers seemed to show that the authorities knew something.
In this way, the command of the revolution passed from the indecisive General Aramburu to his peer who, in order to know the prevailing situation in the military units of the interior, dispatched his sons Luis Ernesto and Eduardo, in the direction of Córdoba and Cuyo, respectively.
The Lonardi brothers left Buenos Aires on Friday the 9th at night and arrived in the Mediterranean province at 08:30 the following day. Once there, they went to the house of their uncle, Dr. Clemente Villada Achaval, where they were informed of the latest news. Villada had organized a meeting for 4:00 p.m., at his private home, to which he had invited Captains Daniel Correa and Sergio Quiroga, Brigadier Jorge Landaburu, his brother-in-law, engineer Calixto de la Torre, and Dr. Lisardo Novillo Saravia. (h).
It was held at the agreed time and during the course of the talks, the situation of the revolutionary forces in the province, the contribution of civilians and the government's reaction were thoroughly analyzed.
To the satisfaction of the Lonardi brothers, the results of that meeting were better than they had expected since, according to what was said, the younger officers were ready to fold, except for the powerful Infantry School, which seemed to remain loyal. To this must be added the participation of the revolutionary civilian commandos that Commander Landaburu and Captain Basilio Arenas Nievas organized in those days, together with Mr. Damián Fernández Astrada and Edmundo Molina, who would constitute an essential element of support when the wars began. operations.
Captain Correa placed special emphasis on the urgent need to start the actions before September 16 because on that day the Artillery School finished its annual activities and had to deliver the weapons for maintenance tasks. All those present supported the motion, for which Luis Ernesto Lonardi stated that it would be among the first points that he would raise with his father when it came to imposing the news.
That night, at 9:00 p.m., Luis Ernesto boarded an Aerolíneas Argentinas plane and began his return to Buenos Aires while his brother continued his journey to Mendoza, in order to update Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Elizondo, officer of the Cuyo Mountain Association.

Luis Ernesto arrived shortly before 12:00 p.m. and as soon as he got off the plane, he went to his father's apartment, on Juncal street, to inform him of the latest news. The general, wearing a robe over his pajamas, listened carefully to his son and when he finished, he told her that he needed a few hours to meditate and that the next day he would have an answer.

On the morning of Sunday, September 11, the general sent for his son and once face to face, he told her that he was determined to lead the revolution and that it would begin in Córdoba, early on the 16th. ; therefore, it was necessary to take the necessary steps to start the operation.
Lonardi asked his son to establish urgent contact with Major Guevara because he was thinking of using his services as a liaison between the Army and the Navy. Wasting no time, Luis Ernesto went to the home of Captain (RE) Ezequiel Federico Pereyra Zorraquín, who was in charge of organizing the revolutionary civilian commandos of the Federal Capital for the defense of the always threatened Barrio Norte and Recoleta, and asked him about Guevara's whereabouts. The owner of the house told him that the aforementioned official had left his home because the government intelligence services were constantly watching him and that, for this reason, he did not know where he was hiding.

At that same moment, Lieutenant Colonel Eleodoro Sánchez Lahoz arrived, bringing with him news from Corrientes where, apparently, the commanders of the VII Division had declared themselves in favor of the plot. In view of this, Luis Ernesto Lonardi, believing an urgent meeting between the newcomer and his father was necessary, began to pull the strings so that the pamper would take place that same afternoon.

Around noon, Lieutenant Colonel Pedro A. Pujol and First Lieutenant Florencio A. Pareja Ortiz established contact with Luis Ernesto Lonardi to inform him that there were fifty officers at the Superior War College and the Superior Technical School willing to fold and that Captain Oscar F. Silva, belonging to that last unit, had organized a sabotage operation against the tanks at Campo de Mayo.

Two hours later, the son of General Lonardi received a communication from Captain Pereyra Zorraquín, who put him in contact with Alfredo Rodríguez García, who at that time was in a country house in the town of Pilar in the company of Captain Edgardo García Puló. They agreed to meet in Buenos Aires at 5:00 p.m. and that's how it happened. Luis Ernesto showed up punctually at the agreed place and they picked him up there (in Pereyra Zorraquín's car) to go to the home of Mr. Román María Bourdieu, located in the town of Olivos, where they had been staying for several days. Major Guevara and his family.
At a time when the vehicle was parked in front of the aforementioned house, Major Guevara arrived who, seeing them, hurried them to enter the residence because he did not want to be exposed for too long on the street. The owner of the house received them and once they were seated in the living room, Luis Ernesto referred to what he had discussed with his father and the answer he had given him. It was what those present expected to hear and for that reason, an undisguised but discreet jubilation was perceived among them. Immediately afterwards, he explained that the postponement requested by General Aramburu was inadmissible and that he himself had left no other path than the one adopted, that is, that General Lonardi assume command of the uprising, since if he did not do so, the plot would be left to nothing. your luck. In addition, it was known that the Navy was drawing up plans to carry out a new bombardment of the Government House, on September 17, in case the Army did not make a statement[3].

While these bustles were going on, the Navy was making its own moves.
On the night of September 2 to 3, a secret meeting was held at the home of Dr. Héctor Bergalli, attended by the ship captains Arturo H. Rial and Ricardo Palma, the frigate captain Aldo Molinari and on behalf of the Army, General Juan José Uranga with Colonel Eduardo Señorans. During the same, the latter asked for the floor to request to postpone the actions pending more opportune moments but the owner of the house was strictly opposed.

-To make the revolution, it is enough for a regiment to rise up, because the radicals of the province of Buenos Aires will form a wave that will cover the country.

To those words Señorans responded that he preferred to trust the Army and the Armed Forces rather than the radicals and the silence of the rest of those present seemed to agree with him. Wanting to know the position of the Navy, General Uranga asked Captain Arturo Rial about it and he, fully confident, replied:

-General, you can be absolutely sure of that.

"Then, gentlemen," said General Uranga, "the revolution is made."

To which Colonel Señorans added:
 

I hope to be with you that night.

The meeting continued at Captain Rial's house, where General Uranga was strict when referring to the political purposes of the uprising and the need to have the support of the Navy. He went on at length about it and immediately afterwards, he gave his word of honor regarding the revolt of the Military College.
On Monday morning, the 5th, revolutionary civilian commandos that were operating in Bahía Blanca under the command of Captain Edgardo García Puló, were informed by Navy officials that the outbreak was going to take place early on September 8. However, on the evening of the 7th, Captain Molinari informed García Puló that he had been suspended.
The head of the commandos expressed his concern about that decision because the arrest of engineer Jorge P. Estarico, liaison between the Navy and the civilian commandos, was an indication that something strange was happening, but Molinari explained to him that the Navy could do nothing without Army support.
A new meeting at Captain Rial's failed when it was learned that Major Dámaso Pérez, head of the cadet corps of the Military College, denied his support for the coup.
On the morning of Friday the 9th, a naval officer arrived at Comandante Espora to inform García Puló that it was imperative to establish contact with the rebel command of the Navy since the drastic decision had been made that if the uprising did not take place before the 17th September, the base on its own, would attack Government House. When García Puló asked why such a firm determination was due, the newcomer replied that by that date, the Ministry of the Navy had agreed to an inspection of the unit and that if it were carried out, the conspiracy would be exposed and numerous arrests would be made.
That day, in the afternoon, a new meeting took place between the base delegate and Captain Molinari in which the latter requested 24 more hours to give an answer. The following day, at night (it was Saturday), Molinari met again with García Puló and Guevara so that the Navy would join the uprising as long as at least one Army regiment did so. Guevara listened attentively and asked for 48 hours to respond and it was at that meeting that the name of General Bengoa, detained at the Directorate of Mechanical Traction, was once again considered, so that he personally led the coastal forces.
Once contact was established with Bengoa, he sent word that although he accepted the command of those troops, it should be taken into account that his escape from the military unit in which he was confined was going to put the government on alert.
Colonel Señorans did not believe that choice was prudent and so he informed Major Guevara, asking him to find another officer immediately. The idea of appointing Colonel Eduardo Arias Duval then arose, since he was more than sure that once notified, he would enthusiastically accept the responsibility.
On the afternoon of September 11, Major Guevara met again with Luis Ernesto Lonardi to agree on a new meeting with the command of the uprising. This was done and in addition to General Lonardi, Lieutenant Colonel Sánchez Lahoz attended to listen very carefully to the action plan drawn up by his superior.
It consisted of five points that established:

1. Simultaneous uprising of the garrisons of Córdoba, Cuyo, the Litoral and Neuquén.
2. Uprising the naval bases of Río Santiago, Puerto Belgrano, Punta Indio and Comandante Espora together with the Sea Fleet and the Ríos Squad.
3. Uprising of the air garrisons of Paraná, Córdoba, Mendoza and Mercedes, province of San Luis.
4. March on Santa Fe in support of the crossing of the Paraná River by the Litoral forces, with the protection of the Escuadra de Ríos.
5. Ships from the Flota de Mar (Sea Fleet) would establish the blockade of the port of Buenos Aires and in case the government persisted in the defense, they would bombard the riverside area, mainly the Government House, the Ministry of War, the Central Post Office and other positions.

After the presentation, Sánchez Lahoz gave his word of honor that he would do everything possible to revolt the Corrientes garrison the same morning of the 16th and Guevara promised to organize new meetings with Captain Palma, Colonel Arias Duval and General Uranga at effects of transmitting the plan to the officers involved.
The meeting ended at 10:30 p.m. and immediately afterwards, Luis Ernesto Lonardi met with Captain Juan José Pierrestegui to entrust him with a conversation behind closed doors between General Lonardi and Colonel Víctor Arribau. It was held in the Belgrano neighborhood, on Monday the 12th at 10:00 a.m. and in it the second man expressed his support. For this reason, the leader of the uprising ordered him to go to Curuzú Cuatiá to help Colonel Juan José Montiel Forzano to revolt the armored regiments of that unit and he left immediately.
Then Lonardi decided to say goodbye to his family, starting with his grandchildren, the children of Dr. José Alberto Deheza and his daughter Marta, while his son-in-law[5], left quickly for the study of Dr. Teófilo Lacroze to ask him to send him to the colonel Ossorio Arana the following message: “The revolution is underway. He must get his things ready to go to Córdoba that very night” and he informed him that in the last hours of the afternoon, the general himself would give him the tickets with the latest instructions.
At 3:00 p.m. that same day, the meeting between General Lonardi, Colonel Arias Duval, and Major Guevara took place in Alfredo Rodríguez García's car. Once everyone was on board, the first one went straight to the point: Arias Duval had to go to the Litoral to start the uprising as soon as it broke out in Córdoba. The colonel listened to the call with a serious expression and when his superior had finished speaking, he asked her for 24 more hours to carry out the orders since, according to his point of view, on Saturday the 17th it would be easier to surprise the units. Lonardi flatly refused because, as he had stated on other occasions, the situation in Córdoba was extremely dangerous.
After the meeting, Guevara announced that that same morning, Colonel Señorans had told him at the Ministry of the Army that he was willing to place himself without hesitation under the orders of General Lonardi. On the other hand, the meeting with captain Palma agreed for 5:00 p.m. could not be carried out and he had been postponed until 11:00 p.m. that same day. At 6:00 p.m., the notary public Juan Carlos Soldano Deheza gave General Lonardi the two bus tickets that he was to bring to Colonel Ossorio Arana and half an hour later, the leader of the uprising contacted Captain Pereyra to order him and Captain Daniel Uriburu, moved to Córdoba in order to meet with him (Lonardi) at the house of Dr. Berrotarán. The meeting with General Uranga, scheduled for 7:00 p.m., did not materialize either, so it had to be postponed until 1:00 a.m. the following day.
At 9:00 p.m., Major Guevara and Luis Ernesto Lonardi accompanied the general to Dr. Lacroze's house where they were to meet with Colonel Ossorio Arana. Once there, Lonardi explained the situation chart to him and immediately afterwards explained the operations plan, which he followed with extreme attention. When he finished speaking, they hugged and immediately left the place quickly with his companions.
At 10:30 p.m., Colonel Ossorio Arana and his wife boarded the bus that would take them to Córdoba in Plaza Once. Upon arriving at his destination, the officer had to contact Dr. Villada Achaval so that he could take him immediately to the home of Dr. Calixto de la Torre where a new meeting had been planned that same morning. In the interim, he was to inform the chiefs and officers of the garrisons of the facts and organize a meeting at night with the heads of each unit.
From the Once bus terminal, Lonardi, his son, and Guevara (who had accompanied Ossorio Arana and his wife there), set out to meet Captain Palma.
Luis Ernesto was behind the wheel, with his father next to him and Guevara behind him. At the corner of Guido and Ayacucho streets, a man wearing a hat and coat was waiting for them, standing with his hands in his pockets. It was Colonel Arias Duval who, as soon as the vehicle stopped, quickly boarded it, shaking hands with those present once the son of the leader of the coup had resumed his march. Not far from there, Captain Palma, also dressed in a gray overcoat, was waiting for them. When he saw that the vehicle was approaching, he slowly approached the curb of the sidewalk and when it stopped him, he opened the rear door and entered it.
Once inside the car, the sailor was introduced to General Lonardi, to whom he shook hands while telling him that he was there representing Captain Arturo Rial.
The leader of the uprising went straight to the point explaining the reasons why he had taken command of the revolution and why it should take place on September 16. Next, he brought him up to date on the plan of operations and told him about the role that the Navy should play alongside the Army.
Palma listened attentively and when his interlocutor finished speaking, he said that it was imperative to take Martín García Island because air-naval attacks could be launched from it to neutralize the Morón Air Base. Immediately afterward, he referred to the role of the revolutionary civil commandos, who were thought to be assigned to take over the radio stations, and then he asked Lonardi what his opinion was.
The general gave his approval but clarified that civilians should not intervene until after 01:00 on September 16, since it was imperative to prevent information leaking that would destroy the surprise factor. Palma agreed and then the following dialogue was established between the two:

Capt. Palma: I understand that the movement is headed by General Aramburu and that he has decided to postpone it until a better opportunity. Who is the leader of the revolution?
Gen. Lonardi: I am the leader of the revolution.
Capt Palma: Understood, sir.
Gen. Lonardi: General Aramburu appreciated that the elements he had were not enough to launch a movement with chances of success. I understand that the conspiracy has reached a stage in which it tends towards its own disintegration due to the arrests that have occurred and any postponement will mean its complete annulment. In addition, the government is organizing armed groups whose mission is to oppose any subversive movement. We have entered into an honorary commitment with the young officers of the three armed forces that we must comply with, since they have assumed attitudes that any investigation will reveal and the sanctions will be severe. I have verified the number of units willing to participate in the movement and I consider them sufficient for there to be a chance of success. I think that the regime's own collaborators will welcome the elimination of Perón, which means that if the revolution succeeds in a single garrison in the interior for more than 48 hours, added to the blockade of the port of Buenos Aires, we cannot fail, always that we act with the firmest decision to win.
Captain, I want to know if I have the unconditional support of the force that you represent!
Capt. Palma: The Navy is willing to support you with all determination as long as you assure us that the Army will initiate hostilities.
Gen. Lonardi: You have already heard our action plan that will not be postponed in any case: on September 16 the revolution will be launched. Take my word for it. So it will be done.
Capt. Palma: On behalf of the Navy, I assure you of your participation and I wish you success in the operation.

After the conversation, the sailor and Colonel Arias Duval got out and the vehicle continued its journey to where General Uranga was waiting. The handshake that Lonardi and Palma gave each other before saying goodbye was the seal of the alliance between the Army and the Navy, an inescapable commitment that from that moment on, no one could break.
The car, always guided by Luis Ernesto Lonardi, arrived at the home of Captain Garda where the occupants of it quickly descended.
The owner of the house ushered them in and led them to the living room, where General Uranga was sitting waiting. The meeting began at 1:00 am sharp when Lonardi began to explain the revolutionary plan and the situation that Córdoba was going through at that time. As soon as he finished, he ordered him along with him to lead the Military College and the 1st Infantry Regiment to march on Rosario and annul the 11th Infantry Regiment and take the Arsenal. Once these objectives were achieved, he should continue towards Santa Fe with the mission of reducing his military forces and establishing the bridgehead that would allow the troops from the Litoral to cross the Paraná River.
Uranga expressed his reservations regarding the Military College since at that point it was known that his commitment was null but that even so, he would advance on Rosario with the elements that he could gather. Taking this detail into account, Major Guevara was entrusted with establishing contact with his peer, Dámaso Pérez or Captain Genta, an officer from the Military College, to try to convince them to join the uprising and locate First Lieutenant Gastón Driollet so that he could go to to the home of Captain Garda to receive the instructions that General Uranga had to send urgently to the 1st Infantry Regiment.
The meeting at the Garda home ended at 03:00, when those present stood up and General Uranga enthusiastically declared:

-Look, General, even if it's alone, I'm going to go out and shoot at Government House.

Back in his apartment, General Lonardi learned from Major Guevara that General Lagos had been conducting some polls among officers and high-ranking military commanders, and for that reason, he ordered him to contact him as soon as possible at his home in San Isidro to tell him that he had to urgently move to Mendoza to take charge of the forces in that region. In addition, he ordered him to send an urgent message to General Bengoa indicating that the presence of a general was more than necessary there, especially that of Bengoa, because not long ago he had commanded the III Army Division stationed there.
In these conditions they separated and took different directions. They were to meet at 4:30 p.m. that same day, at the Plaza Once bus terminal, before Lonardi left for Córdoba6.
A fact that no one had taken into account facilitated the last movements of the leader of the uprising in Buenos Aires: his birthday and that of his daughter Susana, on September 15, the date that the young woman planned to take advantage of to announce her engagement to Ricardo Quesada. By then, the invitations had already been distributed and for a week the family had been preparing a reception. Unexpectedly, the general asked his daughter and his future son-in-law to change the date to September 17 and shortly after advised them to purchase tickets to travel to Córdoba before the 14th.
Thus came the day of departure. That morning, Lonardi and his wife began packing, knowing that the building where they lived was heavily guarded.

To all this, in the bases of the south, the conspiracy reached borders of proportions when starting a covert operation, destined to alleviate the lack of weapons.
As has already been said, after what happened on June 16, the government had decided to remove the armed bombs from the naval planes and send them under strong custody to the Zárate Naval Arsenal. Consequently, the Navy was practically out of action and unable to start operations, and this greatly compromised the success of the uprising. In a word, there were plenty of planes but no bombs.
What there was, and many, were empty casings and a good supply of trotyl, stored in the magazines of the naval bases, a fact that led a group of officers to evaluate the possibility of using this material to replace weapons. confiscated.
After a series of meetings, the construction of homemade projectiles was resolved using the trotyl loaves and available casings, hence, always with the utmost caution and in absolute silence, the first steps were taken to start the operation. . The idea was to have everything ready for September 15 and when hostilities broke out, to have equipped planes.
To achieve the task, it was necessary to melt the loaves in steam pots, at a temperature of 80º C and compress their content inside the casings, so it was necessary to find trained personnel and a suitable place to carry out the task. Someone suggested the kitchens of the Workers' Dining Room at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, which had a capacity of one thousand people, and an officer recalled that the person in charge of them was an Italian who had some experience in handling explosives.
A Frigate Captain was commissioned to establish contact with him and almost at the same time, the aforementioned facilities began to be conditioned so that everything would be ready when the appropriate personnel arrived on the scene.
The officer in question went to a house in the Arroyo Parejas neighborhood, located within the perimeter of the base, where that individual had lived since 1952, the year he arrived in the country. The man ushered him into a small room that he used as a living room and once inside, always adopting the appropriate precautions, the newcomer asked him if he was up to doing the job. After a brief analysis of the situation, the Italian replied that he was, and thus, without wasting time, he was led to the Dining Room building, in whose kitchen he immediately got to work.
The subject worked diligently, practically without rest, under the close supervision of superior personnel who prevented access to anyone who did not have proper authorization. In this way, giving power to the pots, he melted the first loaves of trotyl, whose mixture of nitric acid based on hydrocarbons was placed well pressed inside one of the casings and with it an initial test was carried out, the results of which were satisfactory. .
The Italian worked for six days, assisted by very few personnel since the mass production of that material was considered a risky task. During all this time, he was prevented from leaving the Great Hall except on one occasion, when it was necessary to accompany him to his home to pick up a medication he was taking and that is how, by the end of the week, he had hundreds of bombs ready.
After an arduous task, the work was finished and in this way, it was possible to equip the naval planes with the appropriate weapons that would allow them to operate once the hostilities had begun.

Notes

1. Luis Ernesto Lonardi, Dios es Justo, Francisco A. Colombo Editor, Buenos Aires, 1958.
2. Ídem.
3. The planes would depart from Comandante Espora.
4. Luis Ernesto Lonardi, op. cit. Luis Alberto Deheza, son-in-law of General Lonardi, was Minister of Defense during the last days of María Estela Martínez de Perón (1976)..
5. Luis Ernesto Lonardi, op. cit.
6. That same morning, after resting for a few hours, Lonardi spoke with Dr. Rogelio Driollet, as had been agreed..

1955 Guerra Civil. La Revolucion Libertadora y la caída de Perón

1955 Revolution: The Conspiracy Resumes

The conspiracy resumes

The days that followed the uprising were full of tension and expectation. The balance of the damage and the count of deaths and injuries had the population plunged into deep consternation as the national and foreign press echoed the terrible events, clearly reflecting (especially the foreign one) the events that occurred.
The armed confrontations and the bombardment of the city produced a balance of 380 fatalities that rose to almost 400 in later days and almost a thousand wounded. Nine grenadiers fell during the defense of Government House[1]. Thirty-two others suffered injuries of varying degrees, as well as two officers from the “Buenos Aires” Motorized Regiment and seven from the 3rd Infantry Regiment, which also had a general and a soldier killed, the former when he was trying to reunite with his unit.
The government ordered a series of raids and raids, which resulted in numerous arrests, both of the military and of civilians and religious, who were taken to the Villa Devoto prison to await a sentence.
While the population tried to recover from the terrible events that had taken place in the Federal Capital, pilgrimages were organized to the burned temples and the CGT ordered a general strike for the 17th, as a sign of mourning and in support of the government.



Destruction in the church of Nuestra Señora de Lourdes in Bahía Blanca
(Pictures: Miguel Ángel Cavallo: Puerto Belgrano. Hora Cero. La Marina se subleva)

That day, before a crowd that filled Plaza de Mayo, Perón addressed the citizens to once again ask for calm and deplore the excesses that occurred during the fight. In the afternoon, at 5:00 p.m., he met in full with his cabinet in order to propose his definitive departure, a decision that those present categorically rejected, especially Governor Aloé and the CGT representatives, arguing, among other things, that this would be give in to the insurrection.
What did occur was a change of officials (almost all questioned by the opposition), necessary to appease the spirits, the first of them, the Minister of the Interior, Ángel Borlenghi, removed from his duties on the advice of the main government advisers.
As was to be expected, the high commands of the Navy, important heads of the Air Force and numerous Army officers were removed. The Punta Indio Naval Air Base was canceled and the 4th Marine Infantry Battalion together with the 2nd Air Naval Force were dissolved.
By decision of the high command, the planes from the Comandante Espora Naval Air Base were disarmed, their ammunition deposited in Puerto Belgrano and their fuzes sent to the Zárate Arsenal.
The VII Fighter Air Brigade based in Morón was suspended and reorganized as the Military Aeronautical Detachment[2], appointing Commodore Ricardo Alberto Accinelli as its first commander. As the CONINTES plan was still in force, the personnel of the new entity remained quartered by thirds while its headquarters adopted, as a first measure, to repatriate the air material that the rebel pilots had taken to Uruguay [3].
Of the thirty-nine planes used by the rebels during the actions, twenty-three landed at the Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo; six did so at the Colonia aerodrome, seven at the Boiso Lanza military base, one was shot down by the Air Force, another crashed in Tristán Suárez, a third fell due to lack of fuel in the Río de la Plata between Carmelo and Colonia and a fourth landed in the middle of the countryside, near the civilian airfield of Melilla, north of Montevideo, without being able to deploy its landing gear due to sabotage.
On June 17, the government proceeded to erase the traces of the battle, detonating the bombs that remained unexploded, which filled the unsuspecting passers-by who were circulating nearby with fear.
The plotted leaders were put on trial before specially constituted military courts and the most severe penalties were expected for them. During one of the interrogations, an event occurred that once again shocked public opinion.


Perón, on the right, observes the damage to the Government House

Officers Julio César Cáceres and Dardo Eugenio Ferreyra were testifying before Commodore Luis Lapuente, head of the Information and Aeronautical Safety Service, when in a moment of carelessness, the latter, shouting "Long live the Homeland!", threw himself to the void from the third floor where he was appearing, without achieving his goal of taking his own life because he fell on a plastic roof on the ground floor that cushioned the blow. He was hospitalized in serious condition at the Aeronautical Hospital where they continued to interrogate him without considering his condition.
Argentine aircraft began to be returned by decision of the Uruguayan government as of June 21, but not their pilots, who remained in the neighboring country magnificently cared for by the authorities and the people of the East. And it is that Uruguay felt on itself all the pressure that the Justicialista regime had been applying since 1946, as a result of the protection that Montevideo offered its opponents when they sought refuge in its territory. This hostility manifested itself in the closure of border crossings, the sale of meat and cereals at lower prices in international markets and the latent threat of an attack, especially the bombing of Radio Colonia due to its strong anti-Peronist campaign.
The first two aircraft returned by Uruguay were the Gloster Meteor I-031 and I-098 piloted by Commander Eduardo Catalá and First Lieutenant Antonio Corradini respectively, the first with a rivet that covered the impact of an anti-aircraft projectile. Three days later, on June 24, 1955, I-094 arrived under the command of Captain Daniel Aubone and I-058 under First Lieutenant José Lembi, and in later days, I-029 and I-064 arrived. the first aboard a Bristol 170 Freigther. The total number of naval aircraft was reintegrated in a staggered manner[4].
On July 21, the brand new Aeronautical Department of Morón began to report directly to the Commander in Chief of the Air Force, organizing at the same time the incorporation of new officers from different units[5]. A week later, the government decided to reactivate the VI Air Brigade based in Tandil, appointing Brigadier Juan C. Ríos and head of Group 2 of Interceptor Fighter[6].


Vandals have razed the Cathedral of Bahía Blanca
(Pictures: Miguel Ángel Cavallo: Puerto Belgrano. Hora Cero. La Marina se subleva)


Serious Damage to the Inmaculado Corazón de María (Bahía Blanca)
(Pictures: Miguel Ángel Cavallo: Puerto Belgrano. Hora Cero. La Marina se subleva)


Fire and destruction in the newsroom of "Democracia", an opposition newspaper from Bahía Blanca
(Pictures: Miguel Ángel Cavallo: Puerto Belgrano. Hora Cero. La Marina se subleva)


Luis E. Vera, director of "Democracia" (wearing a raincoat) observes the damage in the newsroom
(Pictures: Miguel Ángel Cavallo: Puerto Belgrano. Hora Cero. La Marina se subleva)

But despite the defeat, the arrests and raids, and ignoring the threats, pressures and raids, the Navy officers led by Navy Captain Arturo H. Rial and Lieutenant Commander Carlos Pujol at the head, they launched the second phase of the movement through an informal talk that they held at the offices of the Directorate of Naval Schools located at Florida 610, corner of Paraná. In later days, they were joined by other officers and noncommissioned officers of the weapon, highlighting among them Lieutenant Horacio Mayorga and Captains Jorge Gallastegui, Juan Carlos Duperré, Carlos Sánchez Sañudo and Jorge Palma, who began to organize clandestine meetings, tending to shape the motion.
A whole network of espionage and counterespionage was launched with the firm purpose of reactivating the revolution. It was extended to the main naval bases in the country, especially those of Puerto Belgrano and Comandante Espora, where they began to work very cautiously to obtain the commitment of the Sea Fleet, the Marine Infantry forces and the Naval Aviation. dependent on the Naval Maritime Area. Captain Jorge E. Perren was appointed to lead the uprising in that sector, although the true leader of this second phase would be Rear Admiral Isaac Francisco Rojas, who had just arrived from Brazil in those days, where he had performed duties at the Argentine embassy. , to take charge of the direction of the Naval-Military School based at the Río Santiago Naval Base. And it was he who was addressed by the conspirators to expressly request that he take command of the Navy during the actions that were to take place in the month of September.
On June 23, Perón spoke again on the national network to refer to the events of the 16th, minimizing the acts of vandalism against temples and institutions that had taken place shortly after the end of the hostilities. Four days later, some of the Catholic militants who had been arrested during the defense of the Cathedral began to be released and on the 28th of the same month, the main temple of the city of Buenos Aires resumed its religious services, in what was a massive ceremony. .
That same day, in San Miguel Arcángel, Monsignor Miguel Ángel de Andrea entered the temple on his knees while being applauded by the audience. During the services, he promised to wear black clothes instead of purple, as a sign of mourning for the dead, the wounded and the permanent grievances that the Argentine Catholic Church was suffering.
In the month of July, on the occasion of the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Perón sent his respects to Pope Pius XII who, in response, told him that he hoped with all his heart that the Lord would guide his steps so that the Argentine people could freely profess their faith.
Where the discontent slowly began to be perceived was in the ranks of the Army, a force that during the day of June 16 had maintained its absolute fidelity to the person of the first president. The latest events had called many of its officers to reflection and thus, in the days that followed the bombardment, a silent plot in favor of the revolution was launched, agreeing to carry out the first surveys with elements of the Navy. The persecution of the Church and the burning of the national flag had badly predisposed large sectors of the military, encouraged by nationalist civilians opposed to the government who worked hard to establish contact between elements of the three weapons.


General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu

Senior Army officers, including General Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, Colonels Eduardo Señorans and Arturo Ossorio Arana, Captain Ramón Eduardo Molina and Major Juan Francisco Guevara, began efforts to establish contact with the Air Force because it was known that Despite being a force extremely addicted to the person of the president, there were numerous officers who were willing to join the movement, such as Commodore Julio César Krausse and Captains Luis A. Bianchi and Orlando Capellini.
In the month of July several demonstrations against Perón took place, in one of which the radical youth militant Alfredo Prat was killed as a victim of police repression. Days later, the Democratic Party issued a statement harshly criticizing the government, denouncing the climate of fear in which the citizenry lived, placing special emphasis on the need for a total amnesty.
On the 15th of that month there were a series of resignations in the government as a result of certain statements by the president regarding the course his revolution was taking. Among them, the one of the Vice President of the Nation, Rear Admiral Alberto Teissaire, replaced by the Buenos Aires national deputy Dr. Alejandro H. Leloir and that of several ministers and secretaries, stood out especially.
On the 21st, the conservative leader Dr. Pablo González Bergez was arrested. Shortly after, the lifeless body of Dr. Juan Ingalinella, a communist militant who disappeared on June 17, tortured and murdered by the Rosario police, was thrown into the Paraná River. A massive student demonstration took place in Córdoba and numerous protests in favor of freedom and justice were held in Buenos Aires, harshly repressed by the forces of order.
Faced with such a climate, the government agreed, for the first time in many years, to grant opposition parties radio slots to express their points of view. The first to speak was Dr. Arturo Frondizi, head of the Radical Civic Union, who on July 27 gave an energetic speech on Radio Belgrano that ended with cheers and greetings from a multitude of followers who were waiting for him in the streets.
The conspiracy, meanwhile, continued, with the frigate captains Aldo Molinari and Jorge Palma acting as liaisons with elements of the Army. Rojas, for his part, had his own "undercover agents" in the persons of frigate lieutenants Oscar Ataide, his personal secretary, and Jorge Isaac Anaya, through whom he learned of the development of events and conveyed his points of view. of the.
It happened that around those days an event took place in Puerto Belgrano that served to give impetus to the conspiracy and speed up its preparations.
By decision of the government, all the munitions that had been withdrawn from the rebel units after June 16, were sent to that destination together with the naval planes recovered from Uruguay, thus reinforcing, and unexpectedly, the potential of unit fire. The sudden decision led the rebel commanders to adopt hasty measures, one of which was the accelerated construction of special fuzes to replace those that had been withdrawn and sent to the Zárate arsenal and the putting into operation of the naval planes.
Meanwhile, Army cadres continued to work actively on the complex mission of attracting followers, although with great difficulty given the extreme surveillance to which the weapon was being subjected.
In the province of San Luis, headquarters of the II Army Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Eppens moved tirelessly, assisted by a significant number of officers. The unit was commanded by General Julio Alberto Lagos, a well-known nationalist stance and affiliated with the Peronist movement from the outset, so each move had to be made with great caution. For their part, in the Cuyo Mountain Group based in the city of Mendoza, several of its leaders tried to neutralize the marked pro-government position of the commander, General Héctor Raviolo Audisio, and his deputy, Colonel Ricardo Botto. The group was divided into four powerful detachments, Botto being head of No. 3 based in Callingasta, province of San Juan.
The conspirators were joined by Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Elizondo, head of the 2nd Antiaircraft Artillery Group; Major Armando Aguirre, head of the “General Espejo” Military High School; the senior military instruction judge Enzo Garutti, all of them bound for Mendoza; Lieutenant Colonel Mario A. Fonseca, head of the San Juan Mountain Detachment 3 and General Eugenio Arandía, chief of the Cuyo Army General Staff, based in San Luis. On that side, it only remained to probe the position of General Lagos and then decide what to do about it.
While General Aramburu made feverish efforts to incorporate people, two other figures of importance within the ranks of Army officers, General Juan José Uranga and Colonel Héctor Solanas Pacheco.

In Córdoba, for his part, Colonel Arturo Ossorio Arana was actively conspiring while the revolutionary civilian commandos worked actively, serving as liaisons between the different military groups. His main operations centers in the city of Buenos Aires were the home of Dr. Eduardo Fauzón Sarmiento and the notary office of his brother Jorge, located on the 4th floor of Cerrito 512.
An unexpected event that somewhat puzzled the conspirators was the surprise addition to their ranks of General Dalmiro Videla Balaguer, whom everyone thought was a fervent supporter of Perón. That caused suspicions and some concern since there was more than one conspirator who supposed the high official, a spy at the service of the government.


General Eduardo Lonardi

What had happened to cause such a sudden decision? Something simple. The fidelity of the San Juan general towards the figure of the first president had begun to crack due to the persecution unleashed against the Catholic Church. Videla Balaguer was a deeply devoted man and from the moment the mob razed the main temples of the capital, a kind of internal struggle took place in him that led him to the difficult situation of having to make a choice.
It was during his visit to the ruins of the church of San Ignacio, in the company of his wife, that seeing so much desolation he decided to join the revolution.
He did so, after contemplating that terrible spectacle and praying before the ruined image of Santa Teresa, shortly before his return to Córdoba.
Another who decided to turn to the movement, motivated by similar causes, was General Julio Alberto Lagos who, after a second meeting with Aramburu in Buenos Aires, pledged his word and after a few days of reflection, confirmed his support. . He did so during a meeting with Colonel Señorans, shortly before the high command decided to replace him with General José María Sosa Molina, brother of the Minister of Defense and a man of Perón's absolute confidence.
The one who remained confined in his home, without being involved in the preparations, was Major General Eduardo Lonardi, arrested and retired after the frustrated uprising of 1951.
Neither Señorans nor Aramburu had a good relationship with him and if he was taken into account at some point it was at the insistence of his friend, Colonel Arturo Ossorio Arana and Dr. Fauzón Sarmiento, who had a hard time agreeing to an interview between they. Aramburu was the one who objected the most, arguing that the aforementioned was a retired officer, lacking authority.

-Here we need a general with command over the troops. There are thousands of retired anti-Peronist officials – he said at a meeting.

The meeting with Aramburu and Lonardi took place at the Military Hospital, where both went to visit General Roberto Nazar, who was hospitalized there. On the occasion, Lonardi stated that he was willing to subordinate himself, but Aramburu replied curtly that he was not leading any plot.

In July, the Sea Fleet was maneuvering off the San Matías Gulf when it detected the presence of foreign ships in jurisdictional waters. Almost at the same time, naval planes intercepted radio messages in English, which were recorded and immediately sent to the high command of the Navy in Puerto Belgrano.
To the astonishment of the officers, they were ignored, which is why the disturbing version began to circulate that British or American ships were monitoring the movements of the Navy at the request of the government, a version that caused indignation and uncertainty at all levels of government. the institution. That fear seemed to be confirmed when Admiral Guillermo Brown ordered the dispersal of the Naval Aviation and the closure of the Comandante Espora Base, in order to neutralize the force, openly showing that the Navy was disturbing the government authorities and continued in the look at the Peronist leadership. Faced with those extreme measures, Lieutenant Commander Eduardo A. Estivariz requested his retirement.
On August 18, 1955, the public learned of the ruling of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that judged the soldiers who rose up on June 16. Rear Admiral Samuel Toranzo Calderón was sentenced to capital punishment with degradation, in accordance with the provisions of article No. 63, paragraph 1 of the Code of Military Justice, news that shocked the public.
In view of this, General Juan Heriberto Molinuevo dispatched the court secretary, Colonel Juan C. Villafañe to inform Perón of the news, but when the president heard the ruling, he was final in his decision.

-Son, I don't shoot anyone. Let Molinuevo find a way to avoid it..

Suddenly, the man who instigated the masses to “give firewood”, to “hang with barbed wire” and to “kill their enemies”, showed a prudent and humanitarian facet. A lot of people, within the Armed Forces, were really taken aback.
Almost all those involved were sentenced to indefinite prison terms and sent to the Santa Rosa prison, La Pampa province, where they would remain locked up for the next two months.

With the conspiracy underway, the Army and Navy conspirators held frequent meetings at the home of Dr. Fauzón Sarmiento, in the heart of the Belgrano neighborhood, guarded by a group of retired officers under the command of Colonel Ladislao Fernández Castellanos. Colonels Francisco Zerda, Arturo Ossorio Arana and Eduardo Señorans, Major Juan Francisco Guevara, Captain Tomás Sánchez de Bustamante, Navy Captain Arturo Rial and Frigate Captain Jorge J. Palma attended them.
General Aramburu was to attend the first of these conclaves, but a last-minute call from Father Septimio Walsh warned him that he was being watched twenty-four hours a day and, therefore, it was not prudent for him to move.
The plotters became aware of what was happening and drew up a plan. It was decided that the army staff should wait for the pronouncement of the Army, which was still looking for a firm hand to take command, and then Ossorio Arana stated that if he had to take charge of Córdoba, he wanted to tell General Lonardi, since he was the chief with higher hierarchy within the weapon. His request was listened to carefully and no one objected.
Days later, General Lucero removed Aramburu, passing him from his position at the head of the Health Directorate to that of head of the National Defense School.
Aside from the seditious activities, from the residence of Dr. Fauzón Sarmiento and other private homes, the civilian commandos began their preparations to collaborate with the rebel forces, either as support troops, as liaisons or contributing their assistance in any activity that was entrusted to them.
A group of them, led by the engineer Roque Carranza and made up of retired officers such as Captain Walter Viader and Vice Commodore Jorge Rojas Silveyra, dedicated themselves to making homemade bombs with gelinite. Other meetings were held at the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Huerto, run by Father Walsh, where thousands of pamphlets were printed, engineers Florencio Arnaudo, Carlos Burundarena and Manuel Gómez Carrillo working actively on it together with retired officer Edgardo García Puló, Raúl Puigbó, who was permanently wanted by the police at that time, and Adolfo Sánchez Zinny. In the command led by Captain Aldo Luis Molinari, Héctor Eduardo Bergalli, Roberto Etchepareborda and other radical militants acted, groups that were entrusted with the mission of taking over and disabling the radios.
In the civil command of the parish of Santo Cristo (Espíritu Santo), Captain Carlos Fernández was in charge of a large group of militants among whom were Alberto Pechemiel, Martín Cires Irigoyen and the lawyer Ismael Carlos Gutiérrez Pechemiel, the three of whom are relatives General Benjamin Menendez. Alberto Pechemiel was the husband of Ángela Menéndez, the niece of the famous soldier, and together with her, he acted as a liaison during the frustrated uprising of 1951, suffering both prison, home invasions and physical attacks.
While the intertwined network of espionage took place, acts of violence continued to worsen the climate throughout the nation.
On August 12, a Catholic demonstration that was headed for the Santo Domingo church was attacked by members of the Nationalist Liberation Alliance at a time when it reached the corner of Florida and Av. Corrientes, resulting in many of its members being detained. Two days later, the police raided several homes to arrest the members of an opposition group organized at the UBA Law School and several armed youths were detained aboard a jeep when it was driving through the heart of the Recoleta neighborhood, the same Religion teacher Sara Mackintosh, laid off since May[7].
On August 17, a crowded demonstration took place in Plaza San Martín, on the occasion of a new anniversary of the death of the Liberator, an act in which insults of all kinds were launched against Perón and his government. Once again the Nationalist Liberation Alliance attacked the demonstrators, wounding a young man named Menéndez Behety with a knife.
The air was getting rarer in the main epicenters of the country and everything seemed to presage new outbreaks of violence.

Notes

1. Among those nine grenadiers were the conscripts Pedro H. Baigorria and Héctor Leónidas Paz, whose bodies were deposited in the Ramos Mejía Hospital.
2. Resolution 519/55 dated June 20, 1955 and published in the Boletín Aeronáutico Nº 922.
3. A. Marino, J. Mosquera, G. Gebel, V. Cettolo, H. Claria, G. Posaba, Gloster Meteor FMk IV en la Fuerza Aérea Argentina, Avialatina.
4. Idem.
5. Published in the Boletín Aeronáutico Nº 1002.
6. On July 28, 1955.
7. Opposition pamphlets were found at his home

1955 Guerra Civil. La Revolucion Libertadora y la caída de Perón