The 153rd Mixed Brigade was a unit of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

that took part in the

. Formed around the old

Land and Freedom Column Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface ...

, the unit took part in the battles of

Belchite Belchite is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite ''comarca'' (administrative region) and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the high ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

and Segre.

History

The unit was created in June 1937, in the

Aragon front 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 c ...

, from the militarization of the

. It was also joined by elements of various origins, such as the "Battalion of Death" or former

POUM The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (, POUM; , POUM) was a Spanish communist party formed during the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic and mainly active around the Spanish Civil War. It was formed by the fusion of the Trotskyism, Tro ...

ists of the 29th Division. Antonio Seba Amorós (the real last name was Morro) was appointed to the head of the unit, while the anarchist Francisco Señer Martín was appointed political commissioner. During the first months it went through a training period. Later, the 153rd Mixed Brigade was integrated into the 24th Division of the 12th Army Corps. The unit took part in the Battle of Belchite. Stationed in the rear, in

Caspe Caspe is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, part of the autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain, seat of the comarca of Bajo Aragón-Caspe. As of 2018 it had a population of 9,525 inhabitants (INE 2018) and its municipality, of 5 ...

, the 153rd MB was called to intervene in the new Zaragoza Offensive. After having some difficulties, on 28 August it managed to penetrate Belchite by the

Mediana Mediana is an important archeological site from the late Ancient Rome, Roman period, located in the eastern suburb of the Serbian city of Niš. It represents a luxurious residence with a highly organised economy. Excavations have revealed a Roman ...

road. As of 5 September, the unit, together with the

32nd Mixed Brigade 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, was in charge of the siege of Belchite. The last resistance photos continued until the next day, when they gave up. For the next several months it remained inactive. At the beginning of March 1938, the unit was deployed in the sector of Fuendetodos- Azuara- Herrera, with a force of 2,970 people. The 153rd Mixed Brigade was located in the axis of the enemy attack, having to resist the bulk of the enemy offensive. As a result, the brigade was destroyed and had to withdraw; the command of the unit, Seba, was filed and dismissed. The remains of the brigade were totally dispersed to the North of the Ebro, being briefly integrated into the Autonomous Group of the Ebro. On 19 April, the 153rd MB was deployed in Valdomá, becoming part of the 30th Division of the 11th Army Corps. Command of the unit passed to Antonio Núñez Balsera, with Emilio Callizo Val as Chief of Staff. On 13 August, it participated in the offensive on the

Vilanova de la Barca Vilanova de la Barca () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Segrià in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated at the confluence of the Segre and Corb rivers. The Urgell canal provides irrigation water for growing cereals and forage plants. The m ...

bridgehead, relieving the

3rd Mixed Brigade The 3rd Mixed Brigade (), was one of the earliest mixed brigades of the Spanish Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. It was formed in the fall of 1936 with battalions of the ''Carabineros'' corps and saw major action right away in the Def ...

; four days later the 153rd MB crossed the

Segre River The Segre ( ; ) is a river tributary to the Ebro (''Ebre'' in Catalan) with a basin comprising territories across three states: France, Andorra, and Spain. The river Segre, known to Romans and Greeks as Sicoris, and to the Arabs of Al-Andalus ...

, after suffering heavy losses. One of the battalions of the unit took part in the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro (, ) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly ...

. During the

Catalonia Offensive The Catalonia Offensive (, ) was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on 23 December 1938 and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with Barcelona (the Republic's capital city from October 1937). Ba ...

, the unit intervened in some actions, although it played a minor role.

Command

; Commanders * Antonio Seba Amorós; * Antonio Núñez Balsera ; Commissars * Francisco Sener Martín

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Mixed brigades of Spain, state=expanded Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Mixed Brigades (Spain) Militarized anarchist formations

History

Command

See also

References

Bibliography