SPANISH REPUBLICAN ARMY OFFICER BUCKLE RED ENAMEL CROSS

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2 inches wide & 2 3/4 high ( 5 X 7 cm ). SPANISH REPUBLICAN ARMY OFFICER'S BUCKLE. RED ENAMEL CROSS SUPERIMPOSED ON THE SPANISH CROWNED EAGLE. ENLISTED MEN HAD A PLAIN CROSS, OFFICER'S ENAMELED. THESE FORCES FOUGHT IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR AGAINST THE FASCIST FORCES OF GENERAL FRANCO AND HIS ALLIES (GERMAN CONDOR LEGION, ITALIAN VOLUNTEER TROOPS AND OTHERS) . FRANCO'S FORCES IN 3 YEARS OF HARD FIGHTING DEFEATED THE REPUBLICAN ARMY. RARE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL OFFICER'S BUCKLE TO HAVE SURVIVED IN THIS CONDITION. On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War it is estimated that the Republic had retained the loyalty of about half the soldiers in the Spanish Army. However, only a small percentage of the officers refused to fight with the Nationalist Army . These were often members of the left-wing Union Militar Republican Antifascisca (UMRA). There were also two internal paramilitary police forces: the Civil Guard and the Assault Guard . The Civil Guard, an elite paramilitary police force, had 34,320 men and officers. It is estimated that 14,000 joined the Nationalists and 20,000 remained with the Popular Front government. The Assault Guard had around 30,000 men. Of these, only 3,500 refused to join the Nationalist uprising. To protect the To protect the Popular Front government, José Giral , the new prime minister, gave orders for arms to be distributed to left-wing organizations and trade unions that opposed the military uprising. The Republican Army was formed from the soldiers who remained loyal to the government, militia battalions and conscripts. There was a large number of battalions that were created by various political groups. For example, the Anarchist Brigades and the Communist controlled Fifth Regiment . In the Basque provinces the militias were organized mainly by the regionalist parties. When Francisco Largo Caballero came to power in September 1936 he attempted to create a new Republican Army. With the help of two senior officers, General José Asensio and General Vincente Rojo , he established a central command and appointed generals to command specified areas in Spain. Militias were placed under military law and schools were established to train future officers in the army. Political commissars were created in the Republican Army in October 1936. These men served as education officers for soldiers who did not have a full understanding of fascism. This included the publication of army newspapers and the teaching of literacy. In October 1936 large quantities of Soviet tanks and aircraft began arriving in Spain. They were accompanied by a large number of tank-drivers and pilots from the Soviet Union . All told, about 850 Soviet advisers, pilots, technical personnel and interpreters took part in the Spanish Civil War . A total of 59,380 volunteers from fifty-five countries served in the International Brigades during the war. This included the following: French (10,000), German (5,000), Polish (5,000), Italian (3,350), American (2,800), British (2,000), Canadian (1,000), Yugoslavian (1,500), Czech (1,500) Hungarian (1,000) and Scandinavian (1,000). These men were organized into the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th of the Mixed Brigades. Volunteers included Bill Alexander , George Orwell , André Marty , Christopher Caudwell , Jack Jones , Len Crome , Oliver Law , Tom Winteringham and John Cornford . Volunteers came from a variety of left-wing groups but the brigades were always led by Communists. This created problems with other Republican groups such as the Workers Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) and the Anarchists . The performance of the Republican Army gradually improved but the lack of experienced junior officers meant that they were rarely able to take full advantage of breaking through Nationalist frontlines. In the spring of 1938 the Republicans were unable to block the Nationalist drive to the Mediterranean. Republican forces were also badly beaten in Aragon and Cat... read more

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