226th Mixed Brigade (Spain)

This article is about the Spanish military unit. For the British formation, see 226th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom).

226th Mixed Brigade 226.ª Brigada Mixta
Flag of the 42nd Division, Spanish Popular Army
Active	1937–1939
Country	Spain
Branch	Spanish Republican Army
Type	Mixed Brigade
Role	Home Defence
Size	Four battalions: The 901, 902, 903 and 904
Part of	42nd Division (1938 - 1939)
Garrison/HQ	La Pobla de Massaluca
Engagements	Spanish Civil War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Antonio Ortiz Roldán José de la Fuente Álvarez

View of the bleak Auts Hills where a great number of the men of the 226th MB perished.

Map of the Battle of the Ebro and location of the Auts

The 226th Mixed Brigade (Spanish: 226.ª Brigada Mixta),^[1]^[2] was a mixed brigade of the Spanish Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. Part of its forces had belonged to the former Bautista Garcet Battalion, which had distinguished itself in the combats of the Córdoba offensive at the beginning of the Civil War.^[3] Its formation began in August 1937 in Catalonia, but it was delayed for a long time, the brigade not becoming fully operational until 1938. It had four battalions, the 901, 902, 903 and 904.

History

Following a long delay, the 226th Mixed Brigade was finally established on 22 April 1938 and placed under the 42nd Division of the XV Army Corps, at the time part of the Agrupación Autónoma del Ebro (A.A.E.). The command of the unit was assigned to Militia Major Antonio Ortiz Roldán.^[4] The political commissar was José Carmona Requena.^[1]

The bloodbath at the Auts

At the onset of the Battle of the Ebro on 25 July 1938 two of the brigade's battalions crossed the Ebro River 2 km to the east of Mequinensa —being one of the first units to cross the river,^[5] following which the remainder of the brigade joined them arriving finally to the area of Gilabert after heavy combats. The brigade continued battling the rebel faction between Fayón and Mequinensa, especially at the Fayón-Mequinensa-Fabara road junction, finally being able to occupy the Auts, a semi-arid hilly area east of a bend on the Ebro River. Located at the northern end in the pocket formed on the right bank of the Ebro between Mequinensa and Amposta, the occupation of the Auts was hailed as a strategic success. However, while at the Auts the unit suffered intense aerial bombardment on 29 July and it came under heavy artillery fire between the 4 and 5 August, being prevented from advancing eastwards to capture the towns of Fayón and Mequinensa. Finally the trapped and much battered brigade withdrew from the Auts and crossed back the Ebro river on 6 August, after having suffered a great number of casualties. Two of the battalions of the 226th Mixed Brigade distinguished themselves in the bloody combats of the Auts Hills, the First Battalion (901), under Major Jaramillo, and the Fourth Battalion (904) under a Major nicknamed "Dinamita" (Dynamite).^[1]^[2]

After covering some of the many casualties the brigade returned to the bridgehead in order to give a much-needed reinforcement to the 45th Division on 20 September, moving to Hill 496 of the Serra de Cavalls. Later it was relocated to the defence of Miravet town, which was lost to enemy forces on 4 November. Together with the also much-battered 227th Mixed Brigade it arrived to Benissanet on 5 November and camped at La Picossa by Móra d'Ebre on 7 November. On 12 November the brigade made its last stand of resistance against the rebels at Ascó, but it finally had to withdraw in the face of the vehemence and strength of the enemy onslaught.

Withdrawal and extinction of the brigade

After the Battle of the Ebro ended badly for the Republican forces the 226th Mixed Brigade was concentrated in La Granadella under the command of Militia Major José de la Fuente Álvarez. When the Catalonia Offensive began, the brigade withdrew to the Serra de Prades. On 5 January 1939 it was reported to be defending the roads leading to Vinaixa. By 13 January it was at the Coll de Prenafeta and Coll de Cabra mountain passes. On 14 January it reached Alcover and on 15 the Gaià River line.^[1]

While retreating northwards the brigade offered some resistance at Vilafranca del Penedès. On 25 January in the evening the remainder of the 226th Mixed Brigade gathered at the Tibidabo Mountain over Barcelona, but all new recruits disappeared the following morning as the fall of the city was imminent.^[1]

While withdrawing towards France on 7 February the brigade was able to reunite with some disperse troops in the banks of the Fluvià River, retreating further northwards to the line of the Muga River while searching for the protection of natural obstacles in the face of the relentless enemy advance. Finally, on 9 February, what remained of the defeated and exhausted 226th Mixed Brigade crossed the French border at Portbou.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 SBHAC - Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular, 226ª Brigada Mixta
1 2 Carlos Engel, Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República, 1999
↑ Francisco Moreno Gómez (1985); La Guerra civil en Córdoba: 1936-1939, p. 395
↑ Eduardo Yasells Ferrer (2008); Sencillamente anónimos, México, p. 68
↑ Andreu Besolí et al (2005); Ebro 1938, Inédita Ed., p. 88

External links

Mixed brigades of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th XI XII XIII XIV XIV Bis XV 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th 50th 51st 52nd 53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th 65th 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th 119th 120th 121st 122nd 123rd 124th 125th 126th 127th 128th CXXIX 130th 131st 132nd 133rd 134th 135th 136th 137th 138th 139th 140th 141st 142nd 143rd 144th 145th 146th 147th 148th 149th 150th CL 151st 152nd 153rd 154th 155th 156th 157th 158th 159th 160th 161st 162nd 163rd 164th 165th 166th 167th 168th 169th 170th 171st 172nd 173rd 174th 175th 176th 177th 177th 179th 180th 181st 182nd 183rd 184th 185th 186th 187th 188th 189th 190th 191st 192nd 193rd 194th 195th 196th 197th 198th 199th 200th 201st 202nd 203rd 204th 205th 206th 207th 208th 209th 210th 211th 212th 213th 214th 215th 216th 217th 218th 219th 220th 221st 222nd 223rd 224th 225th 226th 227th 228th 229th 230th 231st 232nd 233rd 234th 235th 236th 237th 238th 239th 240th 241st 242nd 243rd 244th 245th 246th

International Brigades (in Roman numerals) Fifth Regiment Central Region Army Group Eastern Region Army Group List of Spanish Republican divisions

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.