Central Region Army Group

The Central Region Army Group, Spanish: Grupo de Ejércitos de la Región Central (GERC), was a military formation of the Spanish Republican Army during the last phase of the Spanish Civil War. It gathered the most powerful section of the republican military and would endure until the 1939 surrender. The GERC was under the command of general José Miaja Menant, the Defence of Madrid hero.

Central Region Army Group
Grupo de Ejércitos de la Región Central (GERC)
Military flag of the Popular Army
Active22 April 1938 – 29 March 1939
Country Spain
BranchSpanish Republican Army
TypeArmy group
RoleHome Defence
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders		General José Miaja Menant
Map of Spain in November 1938. In pink the two regions under Republican control.

History

The Central Region Army Group was established on 16 April 1938 by means of an order of the general Staff of the Popular Republican Army. It sought to reorganize the Republican forces following the disastrous campaigns of the Aragon Offensive and the splitting of the Spanish Republican territory in two by the rebel faction. It was initially named "Group of Armies of the Central-Southern Zone" (Agrupación de Ejércitos de la Zona Centro-Sur) before being renamed as Central Region Army Group.[1] At the time of its establishment it was composed by four armies, the Andalusian Army (Ejército de Andalucía), the Extremaduran Army (Ejército de Extremadura), Central Army (Ejército del Centro) and Levantine Army (Ejército de Levante), as well as 16 Army corps, 49 divisions and 138 mixed brigades.[2] It also included a Coastal Defence brigade and the two anti-aircraft artillery brigades of the Defensa Contra Aeronaves (DCA).[3]

In June the same year, the Eastern Region Army Group Grupo de Ejércitos de la Región Oriental (GERO) would be established as well. In December 1938 the GERC was scheduled to take part in General Vicente Rojo Lluch's "Plan P", an ambitious project of an offensive campaign in Extremadura that would have taken place at the same time as a disembarkment within the enemy lines in Motril, along with diversionary attacks in other places of Andalusia and the Madrid Front. However, in the face of the opposition of General Miaja and other Republican commanders to the implementation of the whole plan, it was not carried out to its full extent and the only action taken was the Battle of Valsequillo which resulted in failure shortly before having been initiated.[4]

Following the fall of Catalonia in February, on 2 March 1939 President Juan Negrín arranged for a reorganization of the Republican Armed Forces in the Central Zone, decreeing the disbandment of the GERC, as well as a reorganization of the command structure.[5] However, Segismundo Casado's coup that took place a few days later would hinder the implementation of these eleventh-hour measures.

Structure
Army Corps
Divisions[6]
Sectors
Central Army
I Army Corps1st, 2nd & 69thGuadarrama - Somosierra
II Army Corps4th, 7th & 65thLas Rozas - Usera - Carabanchel
III Army Corps9th, 15th & 18thJarama-Aranjuez
IV Army Corps12th, 17th & 33rdGuadalajara - Montes Universales
VI Army Corps5th, 10th & 8thTajo - Jarama
Fourteenth Guerrilla Army Corps[7]-Rear guard
Extremaduran Army
VII Army Corps36th & 37thAlgodor - Zújar
VIII Army Corps38th, 63rd & 51stZújar - Guadalmellato
Andalusian Army
IX Army Corps20th, 21st & 54thCórdoba - Jaén
XXIII Army Corps23rd & 71stGranada - Almería
Levantine Army
XIII Army Corps28th & 65thMontes Universales - Albarracín
XVI Army Corps39th & 48thLevante
XVII Army Corps[8]19th, 40th & 25thLevante
XIX Army Corps64th & 66thLevante
XX Army Corps49th & 53rd & CLevante
XXI Army Corps68th, 52nd & 6thEspadán
XXII Army Corps[8]47th, 70th & 41stLevante
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See also

References
  1. Octavio Ruiz Manjón-Cabeza (1990); La Segunda República y la guerra, pág. 588
  2. Octavio Ruiz Manjón-Cabeza (1990); La Segunda República y la guerra, pág. 598
  3. J. V. de Leito Aparici (2000); Defensa antiaérea republicana, 1936-1939: artillería y refugios, pág. 89
  4. Hugh Thomas (1976); La Guerra Civil Española, pp. 932-935
  5. Ángel Bahamonde Magro et al (2000); Así terminó la Guerra de España, pág. 341
  6. Carlos Engel, p.253
  7. Michael Alpert, p. 391
  8. Antony Beevor, p.486

Bibliography
  • Alpert, Michael (1989); El Ejército Republicano en la Guerra Civil, Siglo XXI de España, Madrid.ISBN 978-84-323-0682-2
  • Engel Masoliver, Carlos (1999); Historia de las Brigadas mixtas del Ejército popular de la República, 1936-1939, Editorial Almena, Madrid, 1999 ISBN 84-96170-19-5.
  • Helen Graham (2003). The Spanish Republic at War 1936-1939. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521459327.
  • Salas Larrazábal, Ramón (2006); Historia del Ejército Popular de la República. La Esfera de los Libros S.L. ISBN 84-9734-465-0
  • Thomas, Hugh (1976); Historia de la Guerra Civil Española. Círculo de Lectores, Barcelona.ISBN 84-226-0874-X.
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