5th Division (Spain)

The 5th Division was one of the divisions of the People's Army of the Republic that were organized during the Spanish Civil War on the basis of the Mixed Brigades. It was deployed on the Madrid and Levante fronts.

5th Division
5.ª División
Active	December 31, 1936–March 27, 1939
Country	Spanish Republic
Allegiance	Republican faction
Branch	Spanish Republican Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	El Pardo
Engagements	Spanish Civil War: Siege of Madrid Levante Offensive
Commanders
Notable commanders	Juan Perea Capulino

History

The unit was created on December 31, 1936, within the Madrid Army Corps. It covered the second sector of the Madrid front, from the El Pardo wall to the Manzanares river.[1] It had its headquarters in the Palace of El Pardo. The division was made up of the 5th, 38th and 39th mixed brigades, with 8,166 troops and nine pieces of artillery.[2]

The 5th Division played an important role during the Third Battle of the Corunna Road, defending the accesses to Madrid, the San Fernando Bridge and the El Pardo mountain. Later the unit became part of the II Army Corps,[3] and later in the VI Army Corps,[4] remaining at the Madrid front.

In the spring of 1938, José Miaja sent it to the Levante front to reinforce the republican forces that were resisting the nationalist offensive.[5] The 5th Division, located between the 25th and 39th, maintained its defensive positions and managed to avoid the defeat of the republican units deployed in the Maestrazgo area.[5] The unit maintained the resistance in this area for several weeks, suffering severe wear and tear.[6] Subsequently, the 5th Division went to the XIX Army Corps,[7][6] standing out in the resistance against the nationalist Army Corps de Navarra in Campillo.[8]

During the rest of the war, it did not take part in relevant military operations.

Command

Commanders

• Juan Perea Capulino;[9]
• Miguel Palacios Martínez;[2]
• José Penido Iglesias;[10]

Commissars

• Tomás Sanz Asensio, of the CNT;[11]

Chiefs of Staff

• Joaquín Martí Sánchez;[12]
• Francisco Garrido Romero;
• Paulino García Puente;
• Juan Miguel Mari;

Organization

Date	Attached Army Corps	Integrated Mixed Brigades	Battle front
December 1936	Madrid Army Corps	5th, 38th and 39th	Center
March 1937	II Army Corps	21st, 38th and 39th	Center
April 7, 1937	VI Army Corps	39th and 48th	Center
December 1937	VI Army Corps	39th, 48th and 112th	Center
May 12, 1938	XIII Army Corps	28th, 39th, 16th and 97th	Levante
June 9, 1938	XIX Army Corps	2nd, 28th and 97th	Levante
June 18, 1938	XIX Army Corps	2nd, 28th and 39th	Levante

References

1. Zaragoza 1983, p. 47.
2. Martínez Bande 1981, p. 78.
3. Martínez Bande 1981, pp. 77-78.
4. Martínez Bande 1981, p. 167.
5. VV.AA. 1990, p. 594.
6. VV.AA. 1990, p. 602.
7. Juan Navarro 2010, p. 69.
8. VV.AA. 1990, p. 606.
9. Alpert 2013, p. 346.
10. Martínez Bande 1977, p. 107.
11. Álvarez 1989, p. 187.
12. Zaragoza 1983, p. 46.

Bibliography

• Alpert, Michael (2013). The Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107028739.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Álvarez, Santiago (1989). Los comisarios políticos en el Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). Ediciós do Castro.
• Engel, Carlos (1999). Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). Madrid, Almena. 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.
• Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1977). La ofensiva sobre Valencia (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
• Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1981). La batalla de Pozoblanco y el cierre de la bolsa de Mérida (in Spanish). Editorial San Martín.
• VV.AA. (1990). Historia general de España y América XVII. La segunda república y la guerra civil (in Spanish). Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
• Zaragoza, Cristóbal (1983). Ejército Popular y Militares de la República, 1936-1939 (in Spanish). Barcelona: Ed. Planeta.