Fifth Regiment
| Fifth Regiment Quinto Regimiento | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1936–1937 |
| Disbanded | 20 January 1937 |
| Country |  Juan Guilloto León |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem |  |
| Badge |  |
The Fifth Regiment (Spanish: Quinto Regimiento, the full name Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares) was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment was active in the first critical phase of the war and became one of the most renowned units loyal to the Republic.[1]
The number of soldiers in the Fifth Regiment quickly rose from about 6,000 in August to over 20,000 in November 1936. This loyalist elite corps lasted only until the Spanish Republican Army was reorganized in the second year of the civil war, but in barely half a year it had managed to become one of the most famous units of the whole conflict.[1]
The Fifth Regiment used the
History
Shortly after the Spanish coup of the 17 July 1936, the Republican Government took the radical decision of dissolving the Spanish Republican Armed Forces by granting unlimited leave to all military personnel and arming the trade unions. The measure was taken in order to ward off further rebellions of officers by depriving them of troops at their command. In the face of the void thus created, the Communist Party of Spain led the implementation of a policy that sought to replace the spontaneous and disorganized bands fighting for the Spanish Republic with loyal, disciplined and militarized units.[3]
Finally, the Communist-led
Most of the initial Fifth Regiment members belonged to the MAOC. However, it soon attracted members from other ideologies owing to its efficiency and capacity for organization in a critical time for the Republic, as compared to the chaotic militia groups that operated at the onset of the war. In the Fifth Regiment soldiers were not allowed to discuss the orders given by their superiors, a common practice in most of the spontaneous militia units that sprung up when weapons were issued to the trade unions.[4] This fact alone made the Fifth Regiment much more effective against the first attacks of the rebel forces.[3]
On 22 January 1937 the Fifth Regiment was integrated into the Popular Army of the Republic, the reorganized Spanish Republican Army, for which it had provided a basic pattern. Most of its members ended up in the
Model unit
The Fifth Regiment was more than a military unit, for its activities reached into the social and cultural fields. Its members contributed to the development of education, imparting basic skills and knowledge to the poor and the less favoured members of Spanish society, vowing to eradicate illiteracy and social ills. Quinto Regimiento propaganda posters and murals became ubiquitous and well known in Madrid at the time, as well as its mobile libraries and its "Theatre Guerrillas" ("guerrillas teatrales), both in the city streets and in the front lines.[6]
Quite a number of notable people were either members of the Fifth regiment or became associated with it. Among these the following deserve mention: Poets and writers such as
In literature
The Fifth Regiment became an almost mythical unit that was the subject of poems and songs during the Spanish Civil War; one of these was ¡Soy del Quinto Regimiento! by Rafael Alberti:
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Books
- ISBN 8472223639.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Comín Colomer, Eduardo (1973); El 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares. Madrid.
- ^ El quinto regimiento - Lila Downs
- ^ a b De Miguel, Jesús y Sánchez, Antonio: Batalla de Madrid, in his Historia Ilustrada de la Guerra Civil Española. Alcobendas, Editorial LIBSA, 2006, pp. 189-221.
- ^ Carlos Rojas, Por qué perdimos la guerra. Barcelona, Ediciones Nauta, 1970
- Hugh Thomas(1976); Historia de la Guerra Civil Española p. 353
- ^ "El madrileño distrito de Tetuán homenajea al Quinto Regimiento". Archived from the original on 10 December 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "La Batalla por Madrid". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ Poemas de Rafael Alberti - Cátedra de poesía española