The 181st Mixed Brigade (), was a mixed brigade 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'' ...

in 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 ...

.Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República'', 1999 Data are lacking regarding the names of the commanders of this unit, but the names of some soldiers are known.

History

Northern Army unit

A 181st Mixed Brigade had been planned by the Spanish Republican Army Chief of Staff formed by battalions belonging to the '' Infantería de Marina'' Corps. It would have been placed under the 56th Division of the IX Army Corps of the Northern Army ''(Ejército del Norte)'', but the Republic was defeated by the

rebel faction A rebel faction usually refers to a rebellious group. Rebel faction may also refer to: Politics * Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War * Rebel Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution Fiction * Rebel Alliance, a fictional organ ...

in the

War in the North The War in the North () was a theatre of the Spanish Civil War that occurred in northern Spain from 31 March to 21 October 1937. The Nationalists launched a number of offensives into parts of the Basque Country, Santander (Cantabria), and ...

and the projected unit could not be established.

Latter unit

On 30 April 1938 a new unit named '181st Mixed Brigade' was established in

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. It was placed under the 54th Division of the IX Army Corps of the

Andalusian Army The Andalusian Army () was a unit of the Spanish Republican Army that operated during the Spanish Civil War. Under its jurisdiction were the republican forces deployed in Eastern Andalusia. History The Andalusian Army was created on October 19, ...

''(Ejército de Andalucía)'' and had four

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s, the 721, 722, 723 and 724. On 12 June 1938, in the face of the dire situation at the Levantine Front owing to the

Levante Offensive The Levante Offensive, launched near the end of March 1938, was an attempt by Nationalist forces under Francisco Franco to capture the Republican held city of Valencia during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists occupied the province of Castel ...

the whole 54th Division was made part of the XIII Army Corps of the

Levantine Army The Levantine Army was a unit of the Spanish Republican Army that operated during the Spanish Civil War. Under its jurisdiction were the Republican forces originally deployed on the Teruel front and, later, on the Levante front. It played an import ...

''(Ejército de Levante)'' and moved towards Castellón. The 181st Mixed Brigade arrived to the front line on 21 July —although other sources claim that it took part in the 20 July combats,Ramón Juan Navarro.''Resistir es vencer: el frente de Viver en la Guerra Civil Española,'' p. 81 and after a few days the Levante Offensive drew to a close. This unit then withdrew to the

XYZ Line The XYZ Line (), also known as the Matallana Line, was a system of fortifications built in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War to defend Valencia, the capital of the Second Spanish Republic. The XYZ Line was a simple system of trenches and bunkers ...

seeking the protection it afforded and stayed in that inactive front stretch until the end of the war.

References

External links

Archivo General Militar de ÁvilaCopia digital - Biblioteca Virtual de Defensa181 Brigada Mixta; Cátedra Pedro Ibarra, Universidad Miguel Hernández
{{Mixed brigades of Spain Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Mixed Brigades (Spain)

History

Northern Army unit

Latter unit

See also

References

External links