5th Division (Spain)
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{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 5th Division
| native_name = 5.ª División
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| start_date = 31 December 1936
| end_date = 27 March 1939
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| country = {{flag|Spanish Republic}}
| allegiance = {{flagicon|Spanish Republic}} Republican faction
| branch = Spanish Republican Army
| type = Infantry
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| size = Division
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| garrison = El Pardo
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| battles = Spanish Civil War:
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| notable_commanders = Juan Perea Capulino
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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.
History
The unit was created on 31 December 1936, within the Madrid Army Corps. It covered the second sector of the Madrid front, from the El Pardo wall to the Manzanares river.{{Sfn | Zaragoza | 1983 | p = 47}} 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.{{Sfn | Martínez Bande | 1981 | p = 78}}
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,{{Sfn | Martínez Bande | 1981 | pp = 77-78}} and later in the VI Army Corps,{{Sfn | Martínez Bande | 1981 | p = 167}} 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.{{Sfn | VV.AA. | 1990 | p = 594}} 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.{{Sfn | VV.AA. | 1990 | p = 594}} The unit maintained the resistance in this area for several weeks, suffering severe wear and tear.{{Sfn | VV.AA. | 1990 | p = 602}} Subsequently, the 5th Division went to the XIX Army Corps,{{Sfn | Juan Navarro | 2010 | p = 69 | pp =}}{{Sfn | VV.AA. | 1990 | p = 602}} standing out in the resistance against the nationalist Army Corps de Navarra in Campillo.{{Sfn | VV.AA. | 1990 | p = 606}}
During the rest of the war, it did not take part in relevant military operations.
Command
;Commanders
- Juan Perea Capulino (Dec. 1936 - April 1937);{{Sfn|Alpert|2013|p=346}}
- Miguel Palacios Martínez (April 1937 - April 1938);{{Sfn|Martínez Bande|1981|p=78}}
- José Penido Iglesias (April 1938 - Feb. 1939).{{Sfn|Martínez Bande|1977|p=107}}
;Commissars
- Tomás Sanz Asensio, of the CNT;{{Sfn|Álvarez|1989|p=187}}
;Chiefs of Staff
- Joaquín Martí Sánchez;{{Sfn|Zaragoza|1983|p=46}}
- Francisco Garrido Romero;
- Paulino García Puente;
- Juan Miguel Mari;
Organization
| class = "wikitable" | |||
| 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 |
| 7 April 1937 | VI Army Corps | 39th and 48th | Center |
| December 1937 | VI Army Corps | 39th, 48th and 112th | Center |
| 12 May 1938 | XIII Army Corps | 28th, 39th, 16th and 97th | Levante |
| 9 June 1938 | XIX Army Corps | 2nd, 28th and 97th | Levante |
| 18 June 1938 | XIX Army Corps | 2nd, 28th and 39th | Levante |
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book | last = Alpert | first = Michael |authorlink = Michael Alpert | title = The Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ACvghWhzB0MC | year = 2013 | location = | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 9781107028739}}
- {{cite book |first= Santiago |last= Álvarez |title= Los comisarios políticos en el Ejército Popular de la República |publisher= Ediciós do Castro |year= 1989 | language=es}}
- {{cite book| last = Engel| first = Carlos| title = Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República| year = 1999| publisher = Madrid, Almena| id = 84-922644-7-0 | language=es}}
- {{cite book|last=Juan Navarro|first=Ramón|title=Resistir es vencer. El frente de Viver en la Guerra Civil española|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2010|isbn = 978-1-4466-9664-4 | language=es}}
- {{cite book |first= José Manuel |last= Martínez Bande |authorlink=José Manuel Martínez Bande |title= La ofensiva sobre Valencia |publisher= Editorial San Martín |location= Madrid |year= 1977 | language=es}}
- {{cite book |last=Martínez Bande|first=José Manuel |title=La batalla de Pozoblanco y el cierre de la bolsa de Mérida |url= |year=1981 |publisher=Editorial San Martín | language=es}}
- {{cite book|author= VV.AA. |title= Historia general de España y América XVII. La segunda república y la guerra civil |publisher= Ediciones Rialp |location= Madrid |year= 1990 | language=es}}
- {{cite book| first= Cristóbal |last= Zaragoza |title= Ejército Popular y Militares de la República, 1936-1939 |publisher= Ed. Planeta |location= Barcelona |year= 1983 | language=es}}
{{Divisions of the Spanish Republic|state=expanded}}
Category:Military units and formations established in 1936
Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1939
Category:Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction)
Category:Military history of Spain
Category:Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic