Editing Quique Miguel Ponce

{{Infobox military person
| name          = Quique Miguel Ponce
| image         = Ponce.png
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1945|2|8|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = Quilmes, Argentina
| death_date    = 24 November 2024 (aged 79)
| death_place   = [[Ravi-Ta]], [[Tanoa]]
| allegiance    = [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
| branch        = [[Allgemeine SS]]
| serviceyears  = 1966–2024
| rank          = [[SS-Oberstgruppenführer]]
| commands      = [[SS-Großabschnitt Afrika]] (2020–2024)
| battles       = [[Purge of Chubut|1997 Purge of Chubut]]
| known_for     = Development of the [[Ponce Blitz]]
}}

'''Quique Miguel Ponce''' (8 February 1945 – 24 November 2024) was an Argentine general in the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] who served as an [[Oberstgruppenführer]] in the [[Allgemeine SS]]. He became known for developing a military doctrine referred to as the [[Ponce Blitz]] and for his involvement in the [[Purge of Chubut|1997 Purge of Chubut]].  

From 2020 until his death in 2024, Ponce served as commander of the [[SS-Großabschnitt Afrika]], headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia.

== Early life ==
Quique Miguel Ponce was born on 8 February 1945 in [[Quilmes]], [[Argentina]]. He grew up in a middle-class family in the [[Buenos Aires Province]].

During his teenage years he developed a reputation for delinquent behavior. In 1960, at the age of fifteen, Ponce and several friends were caught stealing from a local gas station. The incident became one of the earliest recorded events in his life and was later referenced in biographical accounts describing his rebellious youth.

Despite these early issues, Ponce became increasingly interested in military structures and authoritarian political movements during the early 1960s.

== Career ==
Ponce joined the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] on 8 February 1966 at the age of 21. He entered through the [[Allgemeine SS]] and initially served in lower administrative and security roles.

During the 1970s and 1980s he gained recognition within the organization for his discipline and ability to coordinate rapid deployments of personnel. His reputation for strict command and operational planning led to his gradual promotion through the SS command hierarchy.

In 1991 Ponce was promoted to the rank of '''[[Obergruppenführer]]'''. Ten years later, in 2001, he was promoted to '''[[Oberstgruppenführer]]''', one of the highest ranks within the [[Allgemeine SS]].

=== Ponce Blitz ===
Ponce developed a tactical doctrine known internally as the '''[[Ponce Blitz]]'''. The strategy emphasized rapid concentration of forces, coordinated multi-directional assaults, and the use of surprise to destabilize opposing formations before they could reorganize defensive positions.

The doctrine was incorporated into several training programs used by units of the [[Allgemeine SS]] and was later referenced in operational planning documents.

=== Purge of Chubut ===
In 1997 Ponce participated in the operation known as the [[Purge of Chubut]]. The campaign involved coordinated security operations across several locations in the Chubut region of Argentina.

Internal records of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] described Ponce as one of the senior planners responsible for organizing logistical coordination between multiple SS units involved in the operation.

=== SS-Großabschnitt Afrika ===
In 2020 Ponce was appointed commander of the '''[[SS-Großabschnitt Afrika]]''', the regional administrative command responsible for overseeing operations of the [[Allgemeine SS]] in parts of Africa.

The headquarters of the command was located in Monrovia, Liberia. In this position, Ponce supervised regional administration, logistical coordination, and security operations linked to the activities of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] on the African continent.

He remained in this role until 2024.

== Death ==
Quique Miguel Ponce died on 24 November 2024 in [[Ravi-Ta]], [[Tanoa]] during the final collapse of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] leadership structure.

== See also ==
* [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
* [[Allgemeine SS]]
* [[Ponce Blitz]]
* [[Purge of Chubut]]
* [[SS-Großabschnitt Afrika]]

[[Category:Tanoa Einsatzgruppen personnel]]
[[Category:Allgemeine SS]]
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Vriend Era]]

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