in late 1936, moța formed a legionary unit to fight against the republican forces in the spanish civil war. he and vasile marin (another prominent legionary) were killed on the madrid front on the same day of fighting (13 january 1937). their funerals in bucharest (13 february 1937) were an immense and orderly procession ("see funerals of ion moța and vasile marin"), attended by the ministers of nazi germany, fascist italy, and francisco franco's spain, representatives of portugal, the japan of the early shōwa period, and delegates of the polish patriotic youth.