The 46th 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 created 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 ...

History

Formation

The 46th Division was formed in June 1937 by grouping the 10th and 101st Mixed Brigades under a Division. The 10th Mixed Brigade's commander,

Valentín González Valentín González González (4 November 1904 – 20 October 1983), popularly known as ''El Campesino'' (the Peasant), was a Spanish Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War. Life Spanish Civil War Born in Malcocinad ...

, became the 46th Division's commander.

Notable Actions

During the

Battle of Brunete The Battle of Brunete (6–25 July 1937), fought west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War. Although initially successful, the R ...

, the Division had successfully captured the Villanueva de la Cañada after a day of fighting. During the battle, about 300 men of the division were captured by the Moroccan Regulars and later were executed and badly mutilated. Alongside the 11th Division and the 35th International Division, the 46th Division participated in the Battle of Belchite. During the later stages of 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 ...

, division was surrounded in the city. The division was ordered to retreat by General Juan Hernández Saravia, the commanding officer of the Levantine Army and the overall commander of Republican forces in Teruel. González ordered that wounded soldiers of the division were to be left behind during the retreat which resulted in 1,500 soldiers of the division being captured. After the battle, González accused

Juan Modesto Juan Guilloto León, usually referred to as Modesto or Juan Modesto (24 September 1906 – 16 April 1969), was a Republican army officer during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Early life Born at El Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz, Juan G ...

and

Enrique Líster Enrique Líster Forján (21 April 1907 – 8 December 1994) was a Spanish communist politician and military officer. He participated in the Spanish Civil War as an officer in the People's Army of the Republic and rose to the rank of major gen ...

of abandoning him and the men of the 46th Division while Líster accused González of deserting. The Division performed

rearguard A rearguard or rear security is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or Withdrawal (military), withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as Line of c ...

actions during 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 ...

. During this time, it also managed to restore discipline amongst Republican soldiers in the area. Between 28 March and 3 April 1938, the 46th Division fought in the Battle of Lleida against the Nationalist 13th Division. Despite suffering a 40% casualty rate and losing the city of

Lleida Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...

, the 46th Division managed to temporarily delay the advance of Nationalist forces.

Battle of the Ebro

On 24 July 1938,

was dismissed from command by General

and was replaced by Major . The next day, on 25 July 1938, the entire 46th Division crossed the

Ebro river The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a del ...

. After securing a bridgehead, the 46th Division linked up with the 11th Division where the two divisions planned to take control of the heights of the Pandols and Cavalls mountain ranges in order to advance on the towns of

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 ...

, Batea and

Bot Bot or BOT may refer to: Sciences Computing and technology * Chatbot, a computer program that converses in natural language * Internet bot, a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet **Spambot, an internet bot ...

. On the 26 July, the 11th and 46th divisions managed to take the heights of Pandols and Cavalls. However, both divisions had exhausted their manpower and could not launch an assault on Gandesa, Batea, or Bot. On 23 September 1938, Domiciano Leal Sargenta was killed by a Nationalist artillery strike. He was replaced by

Vicente López Tovar Vicente López Tovar (5 September 1909 – 26 December 1998) was a Spanish soldier, politician and anti-Franco guerrilla fighter. He fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, for the French Resistance in World War II, and led a faile ...

, a future member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

Catalonia Offensive and Disbandment

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 46th Division, along with the rest of the V Corps, failed to halt the Nationalists' advance and suffered heavy casualties in the process. On 17 January 1939, while retreating to Barcelona, Militia Major Rodolfo Bosch Pearson took over command of the division where he and surviving members of the division retreated across the French boarder in February.

War Crimes

During the 46th Division's life span, it committed numerous war crimes. Shortly after the

, the 46th Division had executed 400 Moroccan soldiers who they had taken as prisoners of war. González himself gained notoriety in the Republican ranks for his brutality towards

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

.Enrique Líster, ''Our War'', Editions de la Livrairie du Globe, Paris, 1966.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{Divisions of the Spanish Republic 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