25th Division (Spain)

The 25th Division was one of the divisions of the Spanish Republican Army that were organized during the Spanish Civil War on the basis of the Mixed Brigades. It participated in the battles of Huesca, Belchite, Teruel and Levante.

25th Division
25.ª División
ActiveApril 28, 1937 - March 27, 1939
DisbandedMarch 27, 1939
Country Spanish Republic
AllegianceRepublican faction
Branch Spanish Republican Army
TypeInfantry
SizeDivision
Engagements

History

The division was created in April 1937, within the incipient Eastern Army. It was organized from the old Jubert Division,[1][2] which in turn had been the former Ortiz Column of anarchist militiamen.[3]

The new unit was made up of the 116th, 117th, 118th mixed brigades,[2] and a few weeks later was integrated into the also recently created 12th Army Corps. In June it participated in the Huesca Offensive. On the night of June 9–10, troops from the 25th Division began a diversionary action on the enemy front,[4][5] occupying various positions; The general operation, however, did not yield the desired results and would eventually fail. At the end of August some of its units took part in the Zaragoza Offensive —especially, the 116th Mixed Brigade,[n. 1] standing out significantly during the Battle of Belchite.[7] However, the commander of the division, Antonio Ortiz Ramírez, was dismissed after the battle of Belchite and replaced by Miguel García Vivancos.[8]

In December, during the Battle of Teruel, it was integrated together with the 11th Division into the 22nd Army Corps.[9] The forces of the 25th Division managed to conquer the Old Cemetery, the Hermitage of Santa Bárbara and the position of «El Mansueto» , although they came out of the fighting very broken. After the battle was over, the unit was placed in the rear as a reserve force. During the Aragon Offensive, in March 1938, the unit was forced to withdraw due to enemy pressure.[10] It ended up retreating to the south of the Ebro, after the Republican zone was cut in two. During these weeks the division was attached to various army corps.

Later it was integrated into the 17th Army Corps, together with the 40th and 65th divisions.[11] Between May and July it intervened very actively in the Levante Offensive, taking outstanding action during the republican defense of Caudiel.[11] For the remainder of the war, the unit remained at rest, not participating in any further interventions.

Leaders
Commanders
Commissars
Chief of Staff
  • Alfredo Navarro Sanganetti[19]

Battles
DateAttached Army CorpsIntegrated Mixed BrigadesBattle front
May–June 193712th116th, 117th, 118thAragón
December 193722nd116th, 117th, 118thTeruel
May 193821st116th, 117th, 118thLevante
July 193827th116th, 117th, 118thLevante
March 193913th116th, 118thLevante

See also

Notes
  1. The 116th Mixed Brigade would intervene in the operation integrated into the so-called "D" Group, commanded by Juan Modesto; The 117th Mixed Brigade, for its part, was located in front of Belchite, while the 118th Mixed Brigade would operate separately — as well as the 131st Mixed Brigade, of the 30th Division.[6]

References
  1. Engel 1999, p. 105.
  2. Zaragoza 1983, p. 53.
  3. Martínez Bande 1970, p. 198.
  4. Maldonado 2007, p. 180.
  5. Cardona 2006, p. 167.
  6. Martínez Bande 1973, p. 92.
  7. Pagès i Blanch 2007, p. 239.
  8. Alpert 2013, p. 143.
  9. Thomas 1976, p. 848.
  10. Maldonado 2007, p. 479.
  11. Juan Navarro 2010, p. 34n.
  12. Zaragoza 1983, p. 59.
  13. Alpert 2013, p. 334.
  14. Martínez Bande 1975, p. 36.
  15. Martínez Bande 1977, p. 75.
  16. Maldonado 2007, p. 471.
  17. Álvarez 1989, p. 188.
  18. Téllez 1996, p. 64.
  19. Maldonado 2007, p. 242.

Bibliography
  • Alpert, Michael (2013). The Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Cambridge University Press.
  • Álvarez, Santiago (1989). Los comisarios políticos en el Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). Ediciós do Castro.
  • Cardona, Gabriel (2006). Historia militar de una guerra civil. Estrategias y tácticas de la guerra de España (in Spanish). Flor del Viento Ediciones.
  • Engel, Carlos (1999). Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). Madrid, Almena. ISBN 84-922644-7-0.
  • Juan Navarro, Ramón (2010). Resistir es vencer. El frente de Viver en la Guerra Civil española (in Spanish). Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4466-9664-4.
  • Maldonado, José María (2007). El frente de Aragón. La Guerra Civil en Aragón (1936-1938) (in Spanish). Mira Editores.
  • Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1970). La Invasión de Aragón y el desembarco en Mallorca (in Spanish). Madrid: Ed. San Martín.
  • Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1973). La Gran ofensiva sobre Zaragoza (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
  • Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1975). La llegada al mar (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
  • Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1977). La ofensiva sobre Valencia (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
  • Pagès i Blanch, Pelai (2007). Cataluña en guerra y en revolución (1936-1939) (in Spanish). Espuela de Plata.
  • Salas Larrazábal, Ramón (2006). Historia del Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 84-9734-465-0.
  • Téllez, Antonio (1996). La Red de Evasión del Grupo Ponzán. Anarquistas en la guerra secreta contra el franquismo y el nazismo (1936-1944) (in Spanish). Barcelona: Editorial Virus.
  • Thomas, Hugh (1976). Historia de la Guerra Civil Española. Barcelona: Círculo de Lectores. ISBN 84-226-0874-X.
  • Zaragoza, Cristóbal (1983). Ejército Popular y Militares de la República, 1936-1939 (in Spanish). Barcelona: Ed. Planeta.
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