XIX Army Corps (Spain)

The XIX Army Corps was a military formation of the People's Army of the Republic that fought during the Spanish Civil War. Located on the Teruel Front, it took part in the Teruel and Levante campaigns.

XIX Army Corps
XIX Cuerpo de Ejército
Active	August 2, 1937–March 1939
Country	Spanish Republic
Allegiance	Republican faction
Branch	Spanish Republican Army
Size	Corps
Garrison/HQ	Libros
Engagements	Spanish Civil War: Battle of Teruel Levante Offensive
Commanders
Notable commanders	Joaquín Vidal Munárriz

History

The unit was created on August 2, 1937 using some forces from the XIII Army Corps as a base.[1] Both formations were assigned to the Levantine Army on August 19, 1937,[n. 1] covering various sectors of the Teruel front.[2] The General Staff of the XIII Army Corps was located in Torrebaja, a town in Valencian Rincón de Ademuz located south of Teruel.[3] Its first commander was Manuel Eixea Vilar, succeeded on November 15, 1937 by Joaquín Vidal Munárriz.[4] Meanwhile Aurelio Matilla Jimeno acted as chief of staff.[4]

Some of its units took part in the Battle of Teruel. Later, in the spring and summer of 1938, it had a prominent participation during the Levante campaign, cooperating with the XIII, XVI, XVII, XX and XXII Army Corps to stop the Francoist offensive on Valencia.[n. 2] It did not intervene in relevant operations for the remainder of the conflict.

Command

Commanders

• Manuel Eixea Vilar;[6]
• Joaquín Vidal Munárriz;[7]

Commissars

• Carlos Sanz Asensio, of the CNT;

Chiefs of Staff

• Aurelio Matilla Jimeno;[8]
• José Guarner Vivancos;
• Ricardo Vivas García;
• Aurelio Matilla Jimeno;[n. 3]

Organization

Date	Attached Army	Built-in divisions	Battlefront
November-December 1937	Levantine Army	40th, 41st, 64th	Teruel
April 30, 1938	Levantine Army	40th, 64th, 66th	Levante
June 9, 1938	Levantine Army	5th, 48th, 64th	Levante
June 18, 1938	Levantine Army	5th, 64th, 201st MB	Levante
July 4, 1938	Levantine Army	64th, 66th	Levante

Notes

1. In fact, the Levantine Army had been created on August 19, 1937 from the XIII and XIX Army Corps.[1]
2. During the Levante campaign, the XIX Army Corps maintained its positions south of Teruel.[5]
3. On January 7, 1938, he left the headquarters of the General Staff, which he returned to on February 19, 1938..[4]

References

1. Martínez Bande 1973, p. 74.
2. Maldonado 2007, p. 200.
3. Sánchez Garzón 2018.
4. Engel 1999, p. 192.
5. Martínez Bande 1977, p. 285.
6. Alpert 2013, p. 331.
7. Martínez Bande 1977, p. 152.
8. Alpert 2013, p. 342.

Bibliography

• Alpert, Michael (2013). The Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Cambridge University Press.
• Engel, Carlos (1999). Historia de las Brigadas mixtas del Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). Madrid: Almena. ISBN 84-922644-7-0.
• Maldonado, José M.ª (2007). El frente de Aragón. La Guerra Civil en Aragón (1936–1938) (in Spanish). Mira Editores. ISBN 978-84-8465-237-3.
• Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1973). La Gran ofensiva sobre Zaragoza (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
• Martínez Bande, José Manuel (1977). La ofensiva sobre Valencia (in Spanish). Madrid: Editorial San Martín.
• Salas Larrazábal, Ramón (2006). Historia del Ejército Popular de la República (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 84-9734-465-0.
• Sánchez Garzón, Alfredo (February 2018). "Don Joaquín Vidal Munárriz, un coronel republicano en Torrebaja (y II)". Desde el Rincón de Ademuz (in Spanish). Retrieved October 2, 2020.
• Zaragoza, Cristóbal (1983). Ejército Popular y Militares de la República, 1936-1939 (in Spanish). Barcelona: Ed. Planeta.