The 83rd Mixed Brigade was a unit 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'' ...
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 ...
from the militarization of the
Iron Column
The Iron Column (, ) was a Valencian anarchist militia column formed during the Spanish Civil War to fight against the military forces of the Nationalist Faction that had rebelled against the Second Spanish Republic.
History
The Iron Column ...
. It came to operate on the
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 ...
,
Levante and
Central fronts.
History
Front of Teruel
The unit was created in March 1937, on the
Teruel front, from the militarization of the
Iron Column
The Iron Column (, ) was a Valencian anarchist militia column formed during the Spanish Civil War to fight against the military forces of the Nationalist Faction that had rebelled against the Second Spanish Republic.
History
The Iron Column ...
. The 83rd MB was integrated into the
41st Division, along with other recently militarized forces. Joaquín García-Morato Ruiz was appointed as head of the brigade. It went on to publish its own newspaper, the "''Columna de Hierro''", printed in
Vinaroz.
In July the 83rd MB was sent to the
Albarracín
Albarracín () is a Spanish town, in the province of Teruel, part of the autonomous community of Aragon. According to the 2007 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 1075 inhabitants. Albarracín is the capital of the mountainous Si ...
sector as reinforcement against 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 ...
counteroffensive that followed the
Battle of Albarracín. After its arrival in the area, it came to replace the Republican
42nd Division, which was left very broken after the nationalist attacks. At the beginning of August, the brigade was placed in the
64th Division of the
19th Army Corps. During the following days it had to resist the enemy counterattacks, which began on August 4 and lasted until August 21, managing to maintain its positions.
At the end of 1937 the unit, which was still attached to the 64th Division, participated in 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 ...
. On December 16, it participated in the capture of , subsequently remaining as a support unit. On December 30 the nationalists launched a counteroffensive that sought to lift the siege of Teruel, attacking in the Campillo sector. The
81st Mixed Brigade fell back under enemy pressure, losing Campilo and causing a breach in the front that would also drag the 83rd MB into its retreat. After the republican conquest of the Teruel capital, the unit was located on the left flank of the front, where it saw no outstanding activity.
Fighting in Levante
At the end of the military operations in Teruel, the 83rd MB was again added to the 41st Division. In mid-April 1938, after the republican zone was cut in two, the unit was added to the
Extremadura Division and destined for the coastal sector; attacked by the forces of
Rafael García Valiño
Rafael García Valiño (24 October 189829 June 1972) was a Spanish army officer who fought in the Spanish Civil War for the Nationalist faction.
Early life
He was born in Toledo, and enrolled in the Infantry Academy at age fifteen. In 1916, ...
, the 83rd MB suffered severe attrition and on May 11 it had to be relieved by elements of the
14th Division. The following day the brigade fought in the
Albocàsser
Albocàsser () or Albocácer in Spanish is a municipality in Castellón, Valencia, Spain.
It is located in the ''comarca'' of Alt Maestrat and has a population of 1439 inhabitants. The area is mountainous and very picturesque, especially during ...
-
Les Coves de Vinromà sector.
In the
La Iglesuela del Cid
La Iglesuela del Cid is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 501 inhabitants. See also
* List of municipalities in Teruel
This is a list of th ...
sector, the unit suffered severe damage from enemy attacks, having to give ground; by May 29 it was positioned in the
Ares del Maestrat
Ares del Maestrat, also known as ''Ares del Maestre'' in Spanish or simply Ares, is a municipality in the province of Castelló in the Valencian Country. It is situated near the top of the Mola d'Ares mountain, at an elevation of 1,148 m.
As a r ...
-La Llama sector. A day later, after giving ground and facing the danger of being surrounded, the 83rd MB withdrew together with the entire division towards
Albocàsser
Albocàsser () or Albocácer in Spanish is a municipality in Castellón, Valencia, Spain.
It is located in the ''comarca'' of Alt Maestrat and has a population of 1439 inhabitants. The area is mountainous and very picturesque, especially during ...
, and then towards
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 ...
. On June 10, the 83rd MB was covering part of the right flank of Castellón de la Plana, although on June 13 it had to face an enemy attack on the heights of "Choquera"; the brigade launched several counterattacks in the
Borriol
Borriol is a town and municipality located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain.
History
Numerous archaeological remains, including the rock paintings of l'Albaroc indicate that the Borriol area was populated in antiquity. Th ...
mountain range, although the assaults it was subjected to finally forced it to withdraw towards the capital of
Castellón. After the fall of this city, the unit was withdrawn to the rear to undergo a reorganization.
End of the war
After the end of the fighting in Levante, the unit was assigned to the
73rd Division, remaining as a general reserve of the
Central Region Army Group (GERC). On March 8, 1939, under the rule of the
National Defence Council, the 83rd MB was sent to
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in support of the
Casadista forces, where it collaborated in the assault on the
Jaca Position. Later it advanced on the urban center of Madrid, in support of the forces of
Armando Álvarez Álvarez.
Controls
; Commanders
* Joaquín García-Morato Ruiz
; Commissioners
* José Segarra Puig;
* Ernesto Orgaz Grau
; Chiefs of Staff
* Emilio Soler Serrano;
* Francisco Cardona Rosell;
See also
*
Iron Column
The Iron Column (, ) was a Valencian anarchist militia column formed during the Spanish Civil War to fight against the military forces of the Nationalist Faction that had rebelled against the Second Spanish Republic.
History
The Iron Column ...
*
Mixed Brigades
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{Authority control
Military units and formations established in 1937
Military units and formations disestablished in 1939
Mixed Brigades (Spain)
Militarized anarchist formations