SOUTH CIRCUIT Presents
THE STORY OF COMMANDER MARGARITO LANZA FLORES, WAR NAME TONDIKE, a leader of the FARMER'S GUERRILLAS EXECUTED AFTER ENDURING SECOND DEGREE BURNS OVER HIS WHOLE BODY.

The picture shows Tondike alive after having received second-degree burns throughout his body including his face.

Commander Margarito Lanza was another peasant that took up arms against Castro's regime after he perceived they were pre-potent communist. From the beginning he was upset at the lack of justice of Castro's judicial system, the vague accusations, the retroactivity of the laws applied, the lack of evidence in court procedures and the false convictions without a jury.

Tondike

Tondike was the most active guerrilla commander. He participated in ambushes, skirmishes, and frontal combats in the mountains and in the plains. He led his men to the capture of garrison La Paloma near Quemado de Guines in the Province of Las Villas.

In the last days of February 1962 Tondike was encircled by hundreds communist troops in a large cane field. Due to the fame of Tondike the Communist troops decided not to comb the cane field but instead just burn it. Tondike decided to cover the withdrawal of the main body of his troops. He and a few of his men clear the cane field around them and dug deep trenches to survive the fire. The fire was too hot and their bodies were partially burned while they shot at the enemy.

Tondike

They were captured after they ran out of ammunition. A few days after capture on March 2, 1962, still suffering from his burns he was given a summary trial and sentenced to death with the few men caught with him. Commander Margarito Lanza Flores alias Tondike, Macho Mora his second in command and the ten men caught with Tondike were shot dead the same day under the bridge Rodrigo, near Quemados de Guine.

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