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44-737: The First Mixed Brigade was established from the Fifth Regiment on 10 October 1936 in Alcalá de Henares as a result of the reorganization of the Spanish Republican Armed forces. It was put under the command of Communist commander Enrique Lister . The first combat action of the First Mixed Brigade was the Battle of Seseña . It would suffer many losses in the Battle of Brunete , including its Cuban brigade commander Alberto Sánchez , as well as

88-712: A great number of officers and Chief of Staff Major Emilio Conejo . Later the First Mixed Brigade would see action in the Aragon Offensive , the Battle of the Ebro and the Catalonia Offensive . During the Siege of Madrid it was posted in Vallecas , where, with great losses, it helped repulse the attacks of the Army of Africa against the capital. Following this combat it was transferred to

132-580: A great number of soldiers were killed and the unit had to be reconstituted in the rearguard. In March 1937 the brigade took part with success in the Battle of Guadalajara and in April it was sent again to attack the Cerro de los Ángeles, ending again in failure. In May it took part in a small offensive operation south of Toledo . On 5 July the First Mixed Brigade infiltrated the rebel lines near Brunete . Two days later it occupied Villanueva de la Cañada and continued

176-568: A policy of shooting commanders of retreating troops. This created discussion among the Communists since Lister was a Communist and the commanders being shot were also Communists. Even as Rojo ordered the Republican concentration at Caspe , the Italians were approaching Alcañiz , and the Republican rout became absolute. Even where a Republican unit would fight effectively, it had to fall back because of

220-553: A strategic mistake, but his intelligence reports suggested that to extend the conflict further into Catalonia might draw French intervention. He directed that the attack continue towards the sea. By April 15 the Nationalists had reached the Mediterranean sea at Vinaròs and by April 19, the Nationalists held 40 miles (64 km) of the Mediterranean coastline. This series of victories that started with Teruel inspired great confidence in

264-678: The Levante . The Battle of Teruel exhausted the material resources of the Republican Army , and wore out the veteran Republican troops. A slowdown of supplies from the Soviet Union exacerbated the difficulties of the Republican government, whose armament industry in Catalonia was already beleaguered. At the same time, however, Francisco Franco had concentrated the bulk of the Nationalist forces in

308-549: The Spanish Republican Armed Forces by granting unlimited leave to all military personnel and arming the trade unions. The measure was taken in order to ward off further rebellions of officers by depriving them of troops at their command. In the face of the void thus created, the Communist Party of Spain led the implementation of a policy that sought to replace the spontaneous and disorganized bands fighting for

352-574: The Black Arrows ( Flechas Negras Division ) broke through. Everywhere the Republican forces were falling back. Many, soldiers and officers, just ran, and the retreat became a rout. In addition, the spreading anti-Communist sentiment in the Republican Army deepened the demoralization. The Communist commanders were accusing each other of various acts of wrongdoing or failure to act. André Marty and Enrique Líster attacked each other. Lister started

396-523: The First Mixed Brigade was sent to the Battle of Teruel where it repeated the same maneuver as in Brunete, infiltrating enemy lines following the 9th and 100th mixed brigades with the mission to take Concud and cut the Francoist rearguard. But the brigade lost its way and instead of circling the village, it ended up attacking it frontally, being immediately repulsed and suffering heavy casualties. Even so, by

440-580: The Guadalajara offensive. Another error made by the Republican military leadership was assuming that the Nationalists were as tired and worn out as the Republicans. The Nationalist attack began on March 7, 1938, preceded by a heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. At 6:30 a.m., three Nationalist armies attacked the Republican line stretched between the Ebro River and Vivel del Río . The northern part of

484-591: The MAOC. However, it soon attracted members from other ideologies owing to its efficiency and capacity for organization in a critical time for the Republic, as compared to the chaotic militia groups that operated at the onset of the war. In the Fifth Regiment soldiers were not allowed to discuss the orders given by their superiors, a common practice in most of the spontaneous militia units that sprung up when weapons were issued to

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528-508: The Nationalists that the war was almost won. In the meantime, the French had reopened the border, and military aid that had been purchased and was piling up in France because of the embargo, streamed into Spain and to the Republican forces. This slowed the Nationalists as the Republican defense stiffened. The disaster was contained for the time being, and although the Nationalists pursued other attacks in

572-498: The Republicans, forcing them to abandon position after position and attacked the retreating columns. Both Germans and Soviets learned valuable lessons in this conflict about the use of aircraft in support of infantry. On the ground, Lleida and Gandesa fell on April. One hundred and forty American and British soldiers from the XV International Brigade became prisoners of the Nationalists. Also on this day, Aranda's troops saw

616-552: The Spanish Republic with loyal, disciplined and militarized units. Finally, the Communist-led Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias (MAOC) formed five battalions that took an active part in the Siege of Cuartel de la Montaña on 20 July 1936. One of these battalions became the "Fifth Regiment" ( 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares ), a military unit intended as a model for other military units to follow in

660-605: The advance. But towards the end of the month it had to retreat, along with the remainders of the 11th Division. After a short period of rest the brigade was transferred to Aragón together with the remainder of the V Army Corps . On 24 August it took part in the Zaragoza Offensive attacking the Fuentes de Ebro sector in successive assaults without being able to make significant progress. The "José Díaz Battalion" commander and his commissar died during these combats. In December

704-535: The advantage of controlling the efficiently-run industries in the Basque Country . The attacking army was commanded by Fidel Dávila Arrondo , with Juan Vigón Suerodíaz as his second in command. José Solchaga , José Moscardó , Antonio Aranda , and Juan Yagüe would command army corps alongside the Italian General Mario Berti . A reserve commanded by García Escámez and García Valiño constituted

748-462: The afternoon it was able to occupy the place. After conquering Teruel , the First Mixed Brigade was sent to a rearguard position together with the remainder of the 11th Division in order to recover following the heavy losses that had been inflicted on these units. In the spring of 1938 the First Mixed Brigade took part in the Aragón Campaign , but with limited success. Even though it tried to stop

792-563: The attack failed. On 3 February it attacked the rebel positions in Villaverde Bajo , but it went back to the capital in order to take part in the Battle of Jarama . On 8 February it was near Vaciamadrid where on 19 February it began an assault at El Pingarrón hill; there it occupied the enemy trenches on four occasions, being finally repulsed in all attacks. During the Jarama combats many officers —including all battalion commanders— as well as

836-417: The attack started again, this time in the area east of Zaragoza and Huesca . This part of the front that the Republic had held since August 1936, was lost in one day. The villages in eastern Aragon that had experienced social revolution, either by their own actions or from the anarchist columns from Catalonia, were all taken by the Nationalists, with many of the inhabitants becoming refugees. In this part of

880-539: The attack was carried out by Yagüe's elite Army of Africa , supported by the Condor Legion and forty-seven artillery batteries. The Nationalists broke the front in several places on the first day of the battle. Yagüe advanced down the right bank of the Ebro, slashing through all defences. Solchaga won back Belchite on March 10, and the XV International Brigade , with its US, Canadian and British complement,

924-581: The banks of the Ter River . Nevertheless, on 9 February in the evening it crossed the French border at Portbou and became disbanded. Fifth Regiment The Fifth Regiment ( Spanish : Quinto Regimiento , the full name Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares) was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War . Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment

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968-719: The city streets and in the front lines. Quite a number of notable people were either members of the Fifth regiment or became associated with it. Among these the following deserve mention: Poets and writers such as Rafael Alberti , César Arconada , Pedro Garfias , Miguel Hernández , José Herrera Petere , María Teresa León and Juan Rejano , teachers such as Josep Renau , Wenceslao Roces and Alberto Sánchez , and artists such as Alberto Sánchez Pérez , as well as engineers and architects, such as Luis Lacasa Navarro and Manuel Sánchez Arcas , and physicians such as Juan Planelles Ripoll . The Fifth Regiment became an almost mythical unit that

1012-529: The collapse of neighboring units. The Italian and German airplanes controlled the skies; their bombers attacked the fleeing Republican units with aerial protection from modern fighters. Karol Świerczewski , known as General Walter, commander of the International Brigades, barely escaped capture at the fall of Alcañiz. Finally, after two days of heavy fighting, Caspe fell on March 17 to Varela's attacking army. The International Brigade performed valiantly in

1056-646: The command of the brigade had been reorganized and the unit had been re-equipped. On 25 July the unit crossed the Ebro , taking part in the battle that would last the following four months. After conquering Móra d'Ebre , it arrived to the Pàndols Range defensive line and later it reached the Barranco de Santa Magdalena. But by 15 August it lost that outpost retreating again to the Pàndols Range, where it held its position until

1100-402: The defense, but was driven off. After eight days, the Nationalists were 70 miles (113 km) east of the positions they had held when the battle started. This first part of the offensive punched a huge hole in the front, created a salient from Belchite to Caspe to Alcañiz and back to Montalbán . The Nationalist Army now paused before the Ebro and Guadalupe Rivers to reorganize. But on March 22,

1144-467: The different units of the Republican Army and this famous regiment became extinct. Besides Enrique Líster, other important leaders of the Spanish Republican Army such as Juan Guilloto León "Modesto", Valentín González "El Campesino" and Etelvino Vega Martínez , were formed in the ranks of the Fifth Regiment. The Fifth Regiment was more than a military unit, for its activities reached into

1188-498: The east and was preparing to drive through Aragon and into Catalonia and the Levante . The Nationalists were able to concentrate 100,000 men between Zaragoza and Teruel with the best troops in the lead. Even though the Nationalist army was numerically inferior to the Republican forces, the Nationalists were better equipped and had almost 950 airplanes, 200 tanks and thousands of trucks. In addition to his foreign aid from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy , Franco by this stage had

1232-505: The end of the battle. At the beginning of November it was still in the southern bank of the Ebro, having suffered great losses in manpower and equipment. The commandment of the unit was changed again, being entrusted to major José Montalvo. When the Francoist offensive against Catalonia began on 23 December 1938, the 1st Mixed Brigade was in the Garrigues area waiting to be reorganized, but it

1276-490: The enemy advance in the sector between Calanda and the Valdealgorfa road junction, the collapse of the whole front forced it to retreat. By April, although the 1st Mixed Brigade was stuck in Catalonia together with other republican forces, it had managed not to become cut off from its division after the hasty retreat. In May it was sent as strategic reserve for the failed Balaguer Offensive , seeing no combat action. By then

1320-422: The frontline defenders had no combat experience. The Republic could not replace its lost equipment as Soviet aid was starting to dry up. Essentially, the Republican army was surprised by the Nationalist attack. The Nationalists had redeployed their forces much faster than the Republican general staff thought possible. Although warned by spies, the Republican generals were convinced that the Nationalists would resume

1364-511: The initial chaotic period of the civil war. Its first commander was Enrique Castro Delgado . Later the Fifth Regiment would take an active part in the battles of Somosierra and Guadarrama , as well as in the Battle of Talavera and the Siege of the Alcázar , ending up becoming one of the crucial military units engaged in the Defence of Madrid . Most of the initial Fifth Regiment members belonged to

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1408-549: The left bank of the Manzanares River . At that time its size grew to eight battalions , being then split when the 1.ª Brigada Bis was established. The 1.ª Brigada Bis would later be renamed as the 9th Mixed Brigade . On 19 February the First Mixed Brigade was sent to attack the Cerro de los Ángeles where the rebels had established its positions and were firing upon the surrounding area, but although it managed to gain some terrain

1452-486: The main force. José Enrique Varela with the army of Castile was to stand by, on the wings of the attack, at Teruel. The Condor Legion was also on standby. Colonel Ritter Von Thoma , its commander, convinced Franco to concentrate his tanks rather than spread them out. Because of the material losses at the Battle of Teruel, half the Republican troops lacked even rifles, and since the best troops had been withdrawn to refit,

1496-728: The most famous units of the whole conflict. The Fifth Regiment used the desecrated building of the Church of San Francisco de Sales in Madrid as its headquarters. The mouthpiece of this military unit was the Milicia Popular newspaper and its anthem the El quinto regimiento song. Shortly after the Spanish coup of the 17 July 1936 , the Republican Government took the radical decision of dissolving

1540-551: The north, Republican forces pinned Solchaga down in the Pyrenees , but in the south, the Nationalists drove across the Maestrazgo. Almost everywhere, the Republicans started to fall apart. The various factions started to accuse each other of treachery. The Communists starved anarchist troops of needed munitions. André Marty , the overall commander of the International Brigades, travelled around looking for traitors, but he could not prevent

1584-551: The offensive, Barbastro , Bujaraloz and Sariñena succumbed to the Nationalists. On March 25, Yagüe took Fraga and entered Catalonia. He attacked the next town, Lleida , but El Campesino held him off for a week, giving the Republicans a chance to withdraw with valuable equipment. The retreat of the Republican forces was covered by Colonel Durán 's Mountain Group in the Maestrazgo , the rugged mountainous area of southern Aragon. In

1628-466: The sea for the first time. In the north, the Nationalist advance continued and by April 8, Barcelona's hydro-electric plants in the Pyrenees fell to the surging Nationalists. Barcelona's industries suffered a severe decline, and the old steam plants were restarted. The Nationalists could easily have taken Catalonia and Barcelona, but Franco made a decision to advance to the coast. This decision turned out to be

1672-435: The social and cultural fields. Its members contributed to the development of education, imparting basic skills and knowledge to the poor and the less favoured members of Spanish society, vowing to eradicate illiteracy and social ills. Quinto Regimiento propaganda posters and murals became ubiquitous and well known in Madrid at the time, as well as its mobile libraries and its "Theatre Guerrillas" ("guerrillas teatrales) , both in

1716-549: The trade unions. This fact alone made the Fifth Regiment much more effective against the first attacks of the rebel forces. On 22 January 1937 the Fifth Regiment was integrated into the Popular Army of the Republic, the reorganized Spanish Republican Army, for which it had provided a basic pattern. Most of its members ended up in the First Mixed Brigade and in the 11th Division led by Enrique Líster while others joined

1760-432: The virtual destruction of the International Brigades. Republican troops suffered arbitrary executions with officers sometimes being shot in front of their men. In general, the campaign seemed lost, and nobody knew where the rout would end. The campaign was decided by air power. The plains of Aragon provided easy landing fields allowing rapid air support from close behind the front. Nationalist aircraft continually drove back

1804-585: Was active in the first critical phase of the war and became one of the most renowned units loyal to the Republic. The number of soldiers in the Fifth Regiment quickly rose from about 6,000 in August to over 20,000 in November 1936. This loyalist elite corps lasted only until the Spanish Republican Army was reorganized in the second year of the civil war, but in barely half a year it had managed to become one of

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1848-529: Was sent to the Battle of the Segre front in order to plug a breach in the republican lines. For a while it managed to stop the offensive of the Fascist Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie near Les Borges Blanques , but by the beginning of January 1939 it had to retreat towards the north. By 3 February it reached Girona , and on 5 February it still held fast against the Francoist pressure by

1892-467: Was the last unit out of the destroyed town. The commander of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion , part of the XV International Brigade, Robert Merriman , was killed during the retreat. A Soviet secret policeman had specially designed the fortifications at Belchite, but they fell easily to the advancing Nationalists. The Italians attacked at Rudilla , met some initial resistance and then, led by

1936-560: Was the subject of poems and songs during the Spanish Civil War; one of these was ¡Soy del Quinto Regimiento! by Rafael Alberti : Aragon Offensive The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War , which began after the Battle of Teruel . The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon , and conquered parts of Catalonia and

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