Siege of the Montaña barracks
Siege of the Montaña barracks | |
---|---|
Part of the Montaña del Príncipe Pío, Madrid | |
Result | Republican victory |
- 2,000 soldiers
- 500 falangists
The siege of the Montaña barracks (Spanish: Sitio del Cuartel de la Montaña) was the two-day siege which marked the initial failure of the July 1936 uprising against the Second Spanish Republic in Madrid, on 18–20 July 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War. The bulk of the security forces in Madrid remained loyal to the government, and supported by workers' militias, crushed the uprising.
Background
On 17–18 July 1936, a part of the Spanish army, led by a group of officers—among them Generals
The coordinator of the plot in Madrid, Colonel
Located on the
A further eight regiments, plus four independent battalions and two artillery groups, were based in other garrisons located in and around the city. Finally, 25 companies of
The coup in Madrid
18 July
On 18 July, news of the military rising in
The plotters had planned that General García Herrán would seize the army camp at
19 July
On 19 July, the new government of Prime Minister José Giral decided to issue weapons to the unions; 65,000 rifles were handed over, but only 5,000 had bolts. The other 60,000 bolts were stored separately at the Montaña barracks. The commander of the barracks, Colonel Moisés Serra, disregarded the order of the Minister of War to hand over this essential equipment, effectively marking the beginning of the uprising in Madrid.[8]
On the morning of 19 July, General Fanjul arrived at the Montaña barracks, as did groups of officers from the other Madrid garrisons and a number of falangist and monarchist volunteers. After giving a lecture to his fellow officers on the political goals of the military rising, Fanjul tried to advance into the central city streets with his troops, now numbering approximately 2,000 officers, military cadets and soldiers plus 500 volunteers.[9]
A crowd of about 8,000 organized by the
The engineer units at El Pardo had been withdrawn to the north by their officers under the pretext of suppressing risings elsewhere in Spain. The First Infantry Regiment at Retiro had surrendered their barracks to government forces without opposition. Finally at the Getafe Air Base, rebels had been defeated by loyal troops after the death of an air force officer. This permitted flights to be made over the Montaña barracks the next day, initially to drop leaflets and then bombs.[11]
The communist-led Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias formed five battalions that took an active part in the siege. One of these battalions became the renowned Fifth Regiment.[12][page needed]
20 July
On the morning of 20 July, two 75 mm guns commanded by a retired artillery officer Captain Orad, plus one 155 mm gun joined the siege. Also, a
Around noon, the crowd maddened by these incidents broke through the main gate. Some surrendering defenders were massacred by the crowd in the main courtyard, several being thrown from an upper gallery. Photographs show the courtyard littered with uniformed bodies.[13] Orad and Arturo Barea both reported seeing a number of rebel officers who had gathered in a mess room and then shot themselves.[14] At least some of the falangist and monarchist volunteers wearing civilian clothes were able to slip away in the confusion.[15]
Colonel Serra was among those killed immediately after the fall of the barracks. The wounded General Fanjul together with other surviving rebel officers, was detained in Madrid's Model Prison for trial.[16][17] Of the 145 rebel officers who had been at the Montaña barracks, 98 died in the fighting, were killed after surrender, committed suicide, or were subsequently executed.[18]
Some of the garrison were reportedly killed by attackers with axes, knives and mallets [citation needed]. Total losses among the defenders are estimated at between 200 and 1000 dead while the casualties among the attacking forces appear to have been significantly lighter. The rifle bolts and ammunition that had been the immediate cause of the attack on the barracks were seized by Assault Guards and taken to the Ministry of War.
Aftermath
After having defeated the rebel troops in Madrid, columns of militia, civil guards and assault guards left Madrid and occupied
See also
- List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
- List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
Footnotes
- ^ Thomas 2001, p. 232.
- ^ Jackson 1967, pp. 237–238.
- ^ Barea 2001, p. 528.
- ^ Fraser 1979, pp. 75–78.
- ^ Jackson 1967, p. 237.
- ^ Thomas 2001, p. 208.
- ^ a b Thomas 2001, p. 234.
- ^ Thomas 2001, p. 219.
- ^ Thomas 2001, p. 233.
- ^ OCLC 861614943.
- ^ Jackson 1967, p. 238.
- ^ Comín Colomer 1973.
- ^ Carr 1986, p. 49.
- ^ Barea 2001, p. 532.
- ^ Fraser 1979, pp. 77–78.
- ^ Thomas 2001, pp. 232–234.
- ^ Beevor 2006, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Fraser 1979, p. 78.
- ^ Thomas 2001, p. 390.
Bibliography
- Barea, A. (2001) [1941–1946]. ISBN 9780802776150.
- Beevor, A. (2006). The Battle for Spain. London: ISBN 9780143037651.
- Carr, R. (1986). Images of the Spanish Civil War. London: ISBN 9780049400894.
- Comín Colomer, E. (1973). El 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares (in Spanish). Madrid: San Martín. ISBN 9788471400611.
- Fraser, R. (1979). Blood of Spain. New York: ISBN 9780394489827.
- Jackson, G. (1967). The Spanish Republic and the Civil War. ISBN 9780691007571.
- Thomas, H. (2001). The Spanish Civil War. New York: ISBN 9780375755156.