Cartagena uprising

Cartagena uprising
	Part of the Spanish Civil War
	; Cartagena
Date	4–7 March 1939
Location	Cartagena, Spain
Result	See aftermath Suppression of the Uprising; Flight of the Republican Fleet;
Belligerents
Spanish Republic	Nationalist Spain; Fifth column Supporters of Segismundo Casado;
Commanders and leaders
Miguel Buiza	Arturo Espa; Rafael Barrionuevo Gerardo Armentia;
Strength
One brigade; three cruisers; eight destroyers	Cartagena's garrison; two auxiliary cruisers
Casualties and losses
61 dead	Cartagena's garrison; 1 transport ship sunk; 1,476 dead and 700 prisoners

The Cartagena uprising took place 4–7 March 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. The troop transport SS Castillo de Olite was sunk during the revolt.

Background

After the

coup d'etat against Negrin.^[3]

The uprising

On 3 March,

Juan Negrin appointed Francisco Galán, a member of the PCE, to command the naval base of Cartagena. On 4 March, Francisco Galán arrived in Cartagena to take over command and the supporters of Casado, led by the colonel Gerardo Armentia, revolted and arrested Galán.^[4] Then, the fifth column in the city, led by Colonel Arturo Espa, joined the rebellion, seized the coastal batteries of Los Dolores and the radio station, from where they broadcast appeals for help from the nationalists.^[5] Rafael Barrionuevo, a retired general living in the city, proclaimed himself military governor.^[6]

The flight of the Republican Fleet and the suppression of the uprising

On 5 March, the Nationalist air force bombed the harbour of Cartagena, sinking

Mendez Nuñez, as well as eight destroyers, to flee from Cartagena and head to Bizerte

.

Galán, who had been liberated by the rebels, fled on board Libertad. Then the 4th division of the Spanish Republican Army, led by the communist officer Joaquín Rodríguez, was dispatched to Cartagena by the communist commissar-general of the army Jesús Hernández in order to crush the revolt.^[8] On 7 March, the 206th brigade arrived to Cartagena, crushed the rising and seized the radio station and the coastal batteries.^[9] There were 61 deaths.^[10]

The sinking of Castillo de Olite

Franco had ordered troops to Cartagena in order to support the uprising, and the same day, two Nationalist transport ships arrived to support the rebellion, without knowing that the rebellion had been crushed.^[11] The shore batteries of Cartagena fired at close range and sunk one of them, SS Castillo de Olite. 1,476 soldiers died and 700 were taken prisoners.^[12]

Aftermath

The rebellion was crushed, but the Republican fleet didn't return to Cartagena and fled to Bizerte. The French authorities interned the ships and later handed them over to the Nationalists.^[13] Without the fleet the evacuation of Republican refugees was impossible.^[14]

Notes

Beevor, Antony
. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

Thomas, Hugh
. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.854

^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.876.878

^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.390

^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. pp.390-391

^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.876

^ Juliá, Santos; Casanova, Julían; Solé i Sabaté, Josep Maria, Villarroya, Joan; and Moreno, Francisco. Víctimas de la guerra civil. 2006. Ediciones Temas de Hoy. Madrid. p.266

^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.877

^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

Casanova, Julián
; Solé i Sabaté, Josep Maria, Villarroya, Joan; and Moreno, Francisco. Víctimas de la guerra civil. 2006. Ediciones Temas de Hoy. Madrid. p.267

^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.877

^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

A Very Short Introduction
. Oxford University Press. 2005. p. 113

References

ISBN 978-0-14-303765-1
.

ISBN 978-0-14-101161-5

Further reading

ISBN 978-84-9892-031-4

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cartagena_uprising&oldid=1212303948"

[1] Beevor, Antony
. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

[2] Thomas, Hugh
. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.854

[3] Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.876.878

[4] Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.390

[5] Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. pp.390-391

[6] Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.876

[7] Juliá, Santos; Casanova, Julían; Solé i Sabaté, Josep Maria, Villarroya, Joan; and Moreno, Francisco. Víctimas de la guerra civil. 2006. Ediciones Temas de Hoy. Madrid. p.266

[8] Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.877

[9] Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

[10] Casanova, Julián
; Solé i Sabaté, Josep Maria, Villarroya, Joan; and Moreno, Francisco. Víctimas de la guerra civil. 2006. Ediciones Temas de Hoy. Madrid. p.267

[11] Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.877

[12] Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

[13] Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391

[14] A Very Short Introduction
. Oxford University Press. 2005. p. 113

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Background

The uprising

The flight of the Republican Fleet and the suppression of the uprising

The sinking of Castillo de Olite

Aftermath

See also

Notes

References

Further reading