The 54th 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

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 came to operate on the Levante front.

History

During 1937, on the Northern Front there had already been a division that used this numbering. In the spring of 1938, within the IX Army Corps, a division was created that was numbered "54". Its first commander-in-chief was Lieutenant Colonel Martín Calvo Calvo. It was made up of the newly created 180th, 181st and 182nd mixed brigades. Some time later it was sent to the Levante front, where it was included in the XIII Army Corps. It participated in the fighting in the Levante, resisting 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 against

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. During the operations, the unit had an outstanding performance, coming to be congratulated by the republican authorities. On 11 August 1938 command of the unit passed to the anarchist

Francisco Fervenza Fernández Francisco Fervenza Fernández (Santander, Spain, 15 August 1907 – Valencia, 13 January 1998) was a Cantabrian anarcho-syndicalist. Biography He was born in Santander on 15 August 1907. A metallurgical worker by profession, he became a t ...

. During the rest of the war the unit remained inactive on the Levante front.

Command

; Commanders * Martín Calvo Calvo; *

; ; Commissars * Eleuterio Dorado Lanza, of the IR; ; Chiefs of Staff * José García Benedito; * Gonzalo Castelló Gómez-Trevijano;

Organization

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Divisions of the Spanish Republic, state=expanded Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1937 Military units and formations established in 1938 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