41st Division (Spain)
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The 41st Division was one of the divisions of the
People's Army of the Republic The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the 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'') after it was reorganized, follo ...
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 took part in the battles of
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
,
Alfambra Alfambra is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 676 inhabitants. This locality is famous for the Battle of Alfambra fought in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War Historical Orig ...
and Levante.


History

The unit was formed in April 1937, on the Teruel front. It was made up of the 57th, 58th and 83rd mixed brigades. The division was initially assigned to the "Teruel Operations Army". It was subsequently attached to the XIII Army Corps. The 41st Division, attached to the
XIX Army Corps The XIX Army Corps (German language, German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an Panzer corps, armored corps of the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergrupp ...
, was present during the
Battle of Teruel The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War between December 1937 and February 1938, during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years.Hugh Purcell, p. 95. The battle was one of the bloodiest actions of ...
. In the face of the
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 ...
offensive on the Levante front, the division was added to the so-called "Army Corps of the Coast", defending the coastal sector; later, it was attached to the XXII Army Corps. In June the 41st Division was located at the height of
Castellón de la Plana Castellón de la Plana (in ), or simply Castellón (), is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. Th ...
, which was lost on June 14. Later, the unit went to act as a reserve in the region of
Sagunto Sagunto () is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located approximately north of the city of Valencia, close to the Costa ...
- Almenara, undergoing a reorganization process. Some time later it was sent as reinforcement to the Extremadura front, to fight in the Battle of Merida pocket. During the fighting that followed, the unit was severely broken, having to undergo a profound reorganization. The unit was assigned to the VII Army Corps.


Command

;Commanders * Manuel Eixea Vilar; * Luis Menéndez Maseras; * Antonio Cortina Pascual; *
Damián Fernández Calderón Damián is a Czech, Slovak and Spanish male given name, which is a form of the name Damian. Damian is derived from the Greek name Δαμιανος (Damianos), from the Greek word (), meaning "to tame" or "to master".''Behind the Name''"Given Nam ...
; ;Commissars * Marcos García Callejo, of the CNT; * Félix Navarro Serrano, of the PCE; * Germán Clemente de la Cruz; ;Chiefs of Staff * Agustín Fuster Picó; * José Rodríguez Pérez; * Manuel Farra Cerdán;


Organization


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