|
|
TOE:s FOR
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
These Tables should be used with some caution. Firstly, all TOE:s are in some way theoretical paper products: during a war units almost never ever have a full or exact complement of men or equipment, due to normal attrition and combat losses, but also constant improvisations – Gods primary gift to the military man. (These numbers could always be decreased - by %- to reflect prior losses, or, in the case of overstrength Nationalist Brigades, increased.) Secondly, as the author is no expert, the Tables are bound to contain some errors; e.g. both the composition of the HQ units and the number of Trucks and Horse Teams generally are so called guesstimates, so be warned. (All comments and corrections are off course gratefully accepted.)
REPUBLICAN ARMY
Division HQ, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Scout Trucks |
1 |
Represents Divisional Commander |
|
Light Rifle Squads |
2 |
Represents Staff |
|
Cavalry Squads |
9 |
|
|
BA-20 |
2 |
In reality the identical FA-I or the similar UNL-35 or Bilbao A/C |
|
75mm Gun |
6 |
Could be 65mm Infantry Gun |
|
Engineer Squad |
4 |
|
|
Ferry/Bridging Team |
2 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
20 |
|
|
Trucks |
10 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
3 |
Dispatch Riders |
NOTE: The inclusion of the 75mm Battery is something of an abstraction, based on the supposition that the Division has the main responsibility for the lighter Field Artillery, while the Heavier Guns are a Corps asset. The number of Guns and their type varied greatly. All AA resources have been allcated to the Corps HQ.
Corps HQ, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Scout Trucks |
1 |
Represents Corps Commander |
|
Light Rifle Squads |
3 |
Represents Staff |
|
Rifle Squads |
3 |
HQ Protection |
|
107mm Gun |
6 |
Could be 105, 155mm or any other of similar heavy calibre |
|
75mm AA Gun |
6 |
Could be Dual Heavy MG |
|
Engineer Squad |
2 |
|
|
Ferry/Bridging Team |
1 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
15 |
|
|
Trucks |
8 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
3 |
Dispatch Riders |
NOTE: The lack number of Guns and their type varied greatly.
Infantry Brigade (Brigada Mixta), Republican Army 1937:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Rifle Squads |
108 |
Heavy Rifle if Internationals or Communist 5th Regiment. Light Rifle if POUM of FAI Militia |
|
SMG Squads |
6 |
Represent staff- and support functions |
|
Cavalry Squads |
9 |
Was often missing |
|
Motorcycle Squads |
1 |
Dispatch Riders and Brigade Runners |
|
Engineer Squads |
1 |
|
|
HMG:s |
32 |
|
|
37mm AT Guns |
4 |
Or 45 mm AT |
|
Horse Teams |
20 |
|
|
Scout Truck |
1 |
|
|
Trucks |
10 |
NOTE: This represents a Brigade of some 2.500-2600 men.
Infantry Batallion, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Rifle Squads |
27 |
Heavy Rifle if Internationals or Communist 5th Regiment. Light Rifle if POUM of FAI Militia |
|
SMG Squads |
1 |
Represent HQ and staff |
|
HMG:s |
8 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
4 |
NOTE: This represents a standard Batallion of some 600 men.
Infantry Batallion, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Rifle Squads |
27 |
Heavy Rifle if Internationals or Communist 5th Regiment. Light Rifle if POUM of FAI Militia |
|
SMG Squads |
1 |
Represent HQ and staff |
|
HMG:s |
8 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
4 |
NOTE: This represents a standard Batallion of some 600 men.
Cavalry Regiment, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Cavalry Squads |
20 |
|
|
Medium MG |
4 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
4 |
NOTE: In numerical strength, a Cavalry Regiment was equal to a standard Infantry Batallion. The Republican Army was never strong in Cavalry.
Tank Batallion, Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
T-26 |
30 |
Or BT-5 |
|
BA-6 |
1 |
Represents HQ and staff |
|
Trucks |
12 |
NOTE: This represents a standard Tank Batallion.
Tank Regiment (Regimento de Carros), Republican Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
BT-5 |
64 |
|
|
BA-6 |
11 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
1 |
|
|
37mm AT Gun |
12 |
|
|
Trucks |
28 |
NOTE: Only one Regimento de Carros was set up, and put under the command of
the Soviet Colonel Kondraiev. It was first used in action during the second Offensive
against Zaragosa in October 1937.
NATIONALIST ARMY
Division HQ, Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Scout Trucks |
1 |
Represents Divisional Commander |
|
Light Rifle Squads |
2 |
Represents Staff |
|
Cavalry Squads |
12 |
|
|
75mm Gun |
6 |
Could be 77mm or 65mm Infantry Gun |
|
105mm Howitzer |
6 |
Could be any larger type less than 155mm |
|
Engineer Squad |
5 |
|
|
Ferry/Bridging Team |
3 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
24 |
|
|
Trucks |
8 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
3 |
Dispatch Riders |
Corps HQ, Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Scout Trucks |
1 |
Represents Corps Commander |
|
Light Rifle Squads |
3 |
Represents Staff |
|
Rifle Squads |
3 |
HQ Protection |
|
155mm Gun |
12 |
Could also be Howitzer or any type larger than 105mm |
|
Engineer Squad |
3 |
|
|
Ferry/Bridging Team |
2 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
20 |
|
|
Trucks |
6 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
3 |
Dispatch Riders |
Infantry Batallion, Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Rifle Squads |
27 |
Heavy Rifle if Maroccans or Foreign Legion. Light Rifle if Conscripts. |
|
SMG Squads |
1 |
Represent HQ and staff |
|
HMG:s |
8 |
12 if 1939. 16 if Foreign Legion |
|
Horse Teams |
4 |
NOTE: This represents a standard Batallion of some 600 men.
Infantry Brigade, Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
Rifle Squads |
54 |
Falangist and/or Carlists |
|
Light Rifle Squad |
54 |
Conscripts |
|
Heavy Rifle Squads |
27 |
Maroccans or Foreign Legion |
|
SMG Squads |
6 |
Represent staff- and support functions |
|
Cavalry Squads |
12 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
1 |
Dispatch Riders and Brigade Runners |
|
Engineer Squads |
1 |
|
|
HMG:s |
40 |
|
|
37mm AT Guns |
4 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
24 |
|
|
Scout Truck |
1 |
|
|
Trucks |
8 |
NOTE: The Brigade of the Nationalists were never as fixed as in the Republican Army. Their organizations was very ad-hoc in character, with units added or subtracted according to needs or circumstances. Sometimes a single Brigade could contain 6 batallions (or even more), sometimes less than 4. The composition of the Brigades were also very mixed, with batallions of Conscripts bunched together with Falangist and Carlist Miltia, and sometimes also combined with Maroccans or units from the Foregin Legion. This Brigade represents a 5 batallion Brigade of some 3300 men.
Mobile Brigade (Brigada Movil), Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
NUmber |
REMARKS |
|
PzKpfw I |
10 |
Or L3/35 or FT-17 or a mixture. Could also contain a small number of T-26. |
|
Rifle Squads |
27 |
Falangist and/or Carlists |
|
Heavy Rifle Squads |
54 |
Maroccans or Foreign Legion |
|
SMG Squads |
6 |
Represent staff- and support functions |
|
Cavalry Squads |
24 |
|
|
Motorcycle Squads |
5 |
Dispatch Riders and Recce Teams |
|
Ferry/Bridging Team |
1 |
|
|
Engineer Squads |
2 |
|
|
HMG:s |
40 |
|
|
37mm AT Guns |
4 |
|
|
65mm Infantry Gun |
4 |
|
|
Horse Teams |
8 |
|
|
Scout Truck |
4 |
|
|
Trucks |
55 |
NOTE: A good reflection of the ad-hoc organization style of the Nationalists was the Brigada Movil, which was created to be used for rapid advances and break-through exploitations. The Infantry was weaker than in a standard Brigade – if there ever was such a thing – but these often belonged to the Foreign Legion or other elite forces. It was also given its own armor, extra cavalry, organic artillery and ample motor transports. (Unlike the Republicans, the Nationalist seldom employed their armour in Batallion sized units. Instead they used them mainly as as reinforcements of regular units.)
Cavalry Brigade, Nationalist Army 1937-39:
|
Type |
Number |
REMARKS |
|
Cavalry Squads |
90 |
|
|
BA-20 |
5 |
Represents UNL-35 or captured FA-I attached as support. Could also be L3/35 or PzKpfw 1. |
|
Scout Trucks |
1 |
Representing HQ |
|
Horse Teams |
12 |
|
|
Trucks |
2 |
Supplying the AFV:s |
NOTE: Not all Cavalry Brigades had AFV:s attached, but it seems to have been a rather common occurance in the Nationalist Army.
