The 16th Division was one of the

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la República'' ...

that were organized during 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 ...

on the basis of the Mixed Brigades. It had an outstanding participation 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 ...

History

The division was created on March 13, 1937, formed by the 23rd, 66th and 77th mixed brigades; its first commander was Ernesto Güemes Ramos. Initially assigned to the IV Army Corps, in May 1937 it became part of the III Army Corps, on the

Madrid front The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Oct ...

. For several months the division was stationed there, limiting itself to garrison work and not intervening in relevant military operations. In the spring of 1938, when the

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 con ...

took place, the division was sent to try to reinforce the republican defenses. Meanwhile its 24th Mixed Brigade took part in the

Battle of Lleida This is a list of battles and sieges of Lleida (). *Battle of Ilerda (49 BC), part of Caesar's civil war *, part of the Frankish conquest of the Marca Hispanica *, part of the Frankish conquest of the Marca Hispanica *Siege of Lleida (942), part of ...

, in support of the 46th Division. Months later, the 23rd Mixed Brigade participated in the Balaguer Offensive.

Battle of the Ebro

Subsequently, the division was assigned to the XII Army Corps, in the

. The anarchist Manuel Mora Torres assumed command of the unit. On

July 28 Events Pre-1600 *1364 – Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina. *1540 – Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. *1571 – La Laguna encomienda, known t ...

, the 16th Division crossed the river, heading towards

Gandesa Gandesa () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. History In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that ...

in support of the republican units that were already deployed there. The division was later located in the central sector of the Republican zone, under the command of

Pedro Mateo Merino Pedro Mateo Merino (1912–2000) was a Spanish Republican Army colonel in the Spanish Civil War. He fought at the Battle of the Ebro where as a Militia Major he led the 35th Division, replacing General Karol Świerczewski (General Walter).Ca ...

. Along with the 35th Division and members of the 46th Division - reinforced with armored forces - it participated in the Republican assaults against Gandesa, which resulted in failure. At the beginning of August it was assigned to the XV Army Corps of

Manuel Tagüeña Manuel Tagüeña Lacorte (1913–1971) was a Spanish military officer of the Spanish Republican Army. Biography Before the Spanish Civil War, he was a member of the socialist youth and studied mathematics and physics at Madrid University. In Ju ...

. On

August 22 Events Pre-1600 * 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. * 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. * 1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scot ...

, a

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

attack against the 16th Division's positions caused their disbandment, including the commander of the unit, who was promptly fired. A day before, the largest of the Mora militias signed an order that read: "Whoever leaves their post, they will suffer and the just punishment to which they are creditors will be applied, in whose application this Command will be inflexible."

Front of the Segre

Later the division returned to the rear. In November, it participated in the failed Serós offensive together with troops from the 34th Division. At the beginning of 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 division had a poor performance, giving up its positions in the

Battle of the Segre The Battle of the Segre is the collective name of a series of battles that took place along the Segre River between 4 April 1938 and 3 January 1939 during the Spanish Civil War, after the Nationalist Faction had broken the lines of the Spanish ...

. According to

Jorge Martínez Reverte Jorge Martínez Reverte (28 September 1948 – 24 March 2021) was a Spanish writer, journalist, and historian, specializing in the Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Repub ...

, at that time the unit was very demoralized. During the rest of the battle for Catalonia, the 16th Division played an irrelevant role.

Command

;Commanders * Ernesto Güemes Ramos; * Domingo Benages Sacristán; * Manuel Fresno Urzáiz; * Manuel Mora Torres; *

Sebastián Zamora Medina Sebastian (; ) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill h ...

; ;Commissars * Ernesto Antuña García, of the

PSOE The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

; ;Chiefs of Staff *Manuel Pérez Cabello;

Order of battle

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Divisions of the Spanish Republic, state=expanded Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Divisions of Spain Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Military history of Spain Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic 1937 establishments in Spain 1939 disestablishments in Spain