Soldier. A millworker from Alcoy, Spain, he served with the Columna Alcoya on the Cordoba Front early in the Spanish Civil War. On September 5, 1936, Borrell's company advanced on the village of Cerro Muriano, accompanied by photographer Robert Capa. Capa had positioned himself in a gully to photograph the soldiers when they were struck by Fascist machine-gun fire. Borrell, who was in the vanguard, was killed immediately; Capa's camera caught him at the instant of death, just before he hit the ground. The photograph, first published in the French journal Vu and later in Life magazine, became world famous. Now commonly called "Falling Soldier", it remains one of the best-known of wartime images. Controversial claims that Capa staged the scene have since been refuted. According to witnesses at the time, Borrell's body was left on the hillside where he fell and never given a proper burial. In 1996, Borrell's younger brother identified him beyond question as the "Falling Soldier" of Capa's photograph.
Soldier. A millworker from Alcoy, Spain, he served with the Columna Alcoya on the Cordoba Front early in the Spanish Civil War. On September 5, 1936, Borrell's company advanced on the village of Cerro Muriano, accompanied by photographer Robert Capa. Capa had positioned himself in a gully to photograph the soldiers when they were struck by Fascist machine-gun fire. Borrell, who was in the vanguard, was killed immediately; Capa's camera caught him at the instant of death, just before he hit the ground. The photograph, first published in the French journal Vu and later in Life magazine, became world famous. Now commonly called "Falling Soldier", it remains one of the best-known of wartime images. Controversial claims that Capa staged the scene have since been refuted. According to witnesses at the time, Borrell's body was left on the hillside where he fell and never given a proper burial. In 1996, Borrell's younger brother identified him beyond question as the "Falling Soldier" of Capa's photograph.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
Advertisement
See more Borrell Garcia memorials in:
Advertisement
