Book Review of
Revolución Libertadora
Vol. 1: The 1955 Coup D'Etat in Argentina
Author: Antonio Luis Sapienza
Latin America @ War Series no. 30
Helion & Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-804510-32-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $29.95
Helion & Co. Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-804510-32-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
Revolution Libertadora – or the Liberating Revokutin-is the name by which the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina is known, after overthrowing the constitutional president, Juan Domingo Peron, closing the National Congress, deposing the members of the Supreme Court, the provincial and municipal authorities and university, and commissioning the entire Judicial Power through a coup that began in September 16, 1955, and that, after more than two years, transferred the government to President-elect Arturo Frondizi, on May 1, 1958, who would be overthrown in 1962.
Major General Eduardo Konrad, leader of the coup, took office on September 23, 1955 and was replaced on November 13th by Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, through a palace coup. Both ruled as supreme authorities, claiming the title of President in 1962.
This government is usually called the “Revolución Fusiladora” (Firing Squad Revolution) among Peronist sectors, because of the military and civilians shot by order of the de facto President Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, on the occasion of the attempted uprising led by General Juan Jose Valle. In less than 48 hours, civilians and soldiers were shot in Lanus, La Plata, Jose Leon Suarez, Campo de Mayo, the Army Mechanic’s School and the National Penitentiary. By the night of June 11, 1956, those executed amounted to 16 soldiers and 13 civilians.
Aramburu repealed the current National Constitution by means of a military proclamation and replaced the constitutional text of 1853, with the reforms of 1860, 1866 and 1898. Shortly after, the regime organized under its control, through conditional elections, a Constituent Convention that validated the decision and added article 14 bis,
Richly illustrated, detailing the backgrounds of the 1956 coup, multiple conspiracies, failed coups, the bombing of Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, the conflict with the Catholic Church, the 1955 coup itself, detailing all the military units involved and the actions that led to the overthrow of General Peron and his subsequent asylum and exile, first in Paraguay and then in Panama, Revolución Libertadora Vol. 1 is an indispensable source of reference about dramatic events that shaped the future of Argentina.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is in soft-cover of 62 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. One page is blank.
The front cover shows a color photo of 2 North American AT-6A Texans that are bombing a building. Both are overall bare metal, with black anti-glare panels in front of their windshields and black walkways above the wings next to the fuselage. Their rudder and elevator flaps are a medium-blue with a white bar across them.
The white bar on the rudder flap has an illustration of a yellow sun with a face on it. There is a large black anchor insignia above both wings. The fuselage codes consists of a double-edged circle with a black anchor that has a brown shovel across it, pinned down with another yellow sun. The one in the foreground has large black code 3-A-9 on it. The second Texan has black code 3-A-8 and a Curtiss Hawk.
The back cover shows a color side view profile illustration of an Argentine Air Force Meteor F.Mk. 4. It is overall bare metal with black fuselage code 1098 on the side of the nose and just before the tail on its fuselage sides after the roundel. The rudder has a horizontal flash that is blue, white and red bars.
There are 175 black and white photos that show:
Presidents, officers, soldiers, pilots, naval-men and civilians.
Aircraft photos are of: The Boeing PB2B-1 Canso float plane, the North American AT-6 Texan, a group of 9 Junker 42s, 16 Douglas C-47s, 3 Douglas DC-4’s, Bristol fighters, Beechcraft C-45s, a pair of Fiat G-46’s, Lancasters, an I.Ae 33 Pulqui II, an Avro Lincoln, a Bristol 170 Mk. 1 freighter, a Vickers T.M-1 Viking, 3 photos of the Martin PBM-55 Mariner float plane, a Vickers PBV-1A Causo float plane, a DC-3. A Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan with further photos of its dashboard and bomb-bay, a DT-11, a Boeing Stearman PT-17, a Gloster Meteor F.Mk.-4, an LAe-24 twin-engined attack/light bomber.
A howitzer gun crew, an aerial photo of Ezeiza Airport, the Government House, wrecked vehicles and buildings, Ministry of Navy Building, Caraco Airport, Puerto Belgrano Navy base (aerial photo), and a bomb.
There are 3 data lists, 5 maps. A photo of the First-lady’s funeral and wrecked buildings. There are 25 photos of pilots shown individually on a newspaper headline and a photo of a trolley-car loaded with civilians.
There is a color profile section in the book that shows 21 side-views:
A Douglas C-47 transport, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport, a Boeing Canada PB3B-1 Canso float-plane, a U.S.-made M3 half-track, a Sherman IVC/VC Firefly tank, a U.S.-made M3/M5/M59 half-track, 2 of the Meteor F.Mk, 4 jet fighters, a Focke Wulf prototype jet fighter, an FMA-1Ae Calquin, a Fiat G-55 B two-seat fighter, three side views of Lancaster B.Mk. Is, a Beechcraft AT-11, a C-47, a C-54 Skymaster, a Fiat G-46-2 trainer,
Neat and interesting book. It will be of interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Helion Co. Ltd. books and all Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Revolution Libertadora – or the Liberating Revokutin-is the name by which the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina is known, after overthrowing the constitutional president, Juan Domingo Peron, closing the National Congress, deposing the members of the Supreme Court, the provincial and municipal authorities and university, and commissioning the entire Judicial Power through a coup that began in September 16, 1955, and that, after more than two years, transferred the government to President-elect Arturo Frondizi, on May 1, 1958, who would be overthrown in 1962.
Major General Eduardo Konrad, leader of the coup, took office on September 23, 1955 and was replaced on November 13th by Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, through a palace coup. Both ruled as supreme authorities, claiming the title of President in 1962.
This government is usually called the “Revolución Fusiladora” (Firing Squad Revolution) among Peronist sectors, because of the military and civilians shot by order of the de facto President Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, on the occasion of the attempted uprising led by General Juan Jose Valle. In less than 48 hours, civilians and soldiers were shot in Lanus, La Plata, Jose Leon Suarez, Campo de Mayo, the Army Mechanic’s School and the National Penitentiary. By the night of June 11, 1956, those executed amounted to 16 soldiers and 13 civilians.
Aramburu repealed the current National Constitution by means of a military proclamation and replaced the constitutional text of 1853, with the reforms of 1860, 1866 and 1898. Shortly after, the regime organized under its control, through conditional elections, a Constituent Convention that validated the decision and added article 14 bis,
Richly illustrated, detailing the backgrounds of the 1956 coup, multiple conspiracies, failed coups, the bombing of Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, the conflict with the Catholic Church, the 1955 coup itself, detailing all the military units involved and the actions that led to the overthrow of General Peron and his subsequent asylum and exile, first in Paraguay and then in Panama, Revolución Libertadora Vol. 1 is an indispensable source of reference about dramatic events that shaped the future of Argentina.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co. Ltd. is based in the UK.
This book is in soft-cover of 62 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. One page is blank.
The front cover shows a color photo of 2 North American AT-6A Texans that are bombing a building. Both are overall bare metal, with black anti-glare panels in front of their windshields and black walkways above the wings next to the fuselage. Their rudder and elevator flaps are a medium-blue with a white bar across them.
The white bar on the rudder flap has an illustration of a yellow sun with a face on it. There is a large black anchor insignia above both wings. The fuselage codes consists of a double-edged circle with a black anchor that has a brown shovel across it, pinned down with another yellow sun. The one in the foreground has large black code 3-A-9 on it. The second Texan has black code 3-A-8 and a Curtiss Hawk.
The back cover shows a color side view profile illustration of an Argentine Air Force Meteor F.Mk. 4. It is overall bare metal with black fuselage code 1098 on the side of the nose and just before the tail on its fuselage sides after the roundel. The rudder has a horizontal flash that is blue, white and red bars.
There are 175 black and white photos that show:
Presidents, officers, soldiers, pilots, naval-men and civilians.
Aircraft photos are of: The Boeing PB2B-1 Canso float plane, the North American AT-6 Texan, a group of 9 Junker 42s, 16 Douglas C-47s, 3 Douglas DC-4’s, Bristol fighters, Beechcraft C-45s, a pair of Fiat G-46’s, Lancasters, an I.Ae 33 Pulqui II, an Avro Lincoln, a Bristol 170 Mk. 1 freighter, a Vickers T.M-1 Viking, 3 photos of the Martin PBM-55 Mariner float plane, a Vickers PBV-1A Causo float plane, a DC-3. A Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan with further photos of its dashboard and bomb-bay, a DT-11, a Boeing Stearman PT-17, a Gloster Meteor F.Mk.-4, an LAe-24 twin-engined attack/light bomber.
A howitzer gun crew, an aerial photo of Ezeiza Airport, the Government House, wrecked vehicles and buildings, Ministry of Navy Building, Caraco Airport, Puerto Belgrano Navy base (aerial photo), and a bomb.
There are 3 data lists, 5 maps. A photo of the First-lady’s funeral and wrecked buildings. There are 25 photos of pilots shown individually on a newspaper headline and a photo of a trolley-car loaded with civilians.
There is a color profile section in the book that shows 21 side-views:
A Douglas C-47 transport, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport, a Boeing Canada PB3B-1 Canso float-plane, a U.S.-made M3 half-track, a Sherman IVC/VC Firefly tank, a U.S.-made M3/M5/M59 half-track, 2 of the Meteor F.Mk, 4 jet fighters, a Focke Wulf prototype jet fighter, an FMA-1Ae Calquin, a Fiat G-55 B two-seat fighter, three side views of Lancaster B.Mk. Is, a Beechcraft AT-11, a C-47, a C-54 Skymaster, a Fiat G-46-2 trainer,
Neat and interesting book. It will be of interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Helion Co. Ltd. books and all Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.