Queries on Battle of Corunna Road

[Spearfish]

During the Battle of the Corunna Road about January 11 1937 the Republic created a Group Burillo with 12 and 14 BI and 35 BM. Was this officer Ricardo Burillo Stholle, who I thought was elsewhere, and, if so, why was he selected? Also does anyone know the name of the 38 BM commander during this battle?

[Ironmachine]

The 38 BM was commanded by Joaquín Zulueta Isasi from its creation at the end of 1936 until 8 January 1937, when Zulueta, wounded, was replaced by Antolín Serrano García. On 31 January Serrano was replaced by Mariano Tomás Lozano.

[Spearfish]

Very many thanks for that Ironmachine. Can you also clear up who led the division-sized Group Burillo?

[Eugen Pinak]

During the Battle of the Corunna Road about January 11 1937 the Republic created a Group Burillo with 12 and 14 BI and 35 BM. Was this officer Ricardo Burillo Stholle, who I thought was elsewhere, and, if so, why was he selected?

Burillo was to the south of Toledo at this time. It's probably a mistake for Luis Barceló Jover.

[Ironmachine]

AFAIK, Luis Barceló Jover had been seriously wounded during the Second Battle of the Corunna Road, and replaced as commander of the 35 BM. I don't think he was available for the Third Battle of the Corunna Road in January 1937.

[Eugen Pinak]

AFAIK, Luis Barceló Jover had been seriously wounded during the Second Battle of the Corunna Road, and replaced as commander of the 35 BM. I don't think he was available for the Third Battle of the Corunna Road in January 1937.

Than I'm at loss here.
Though Barcello's page at Spanish wiki cites one source, that claims he was wounded and replaced only in January 1937: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Barc ... te_note-27

[Ironmachine]

Barceló's page at Spanish wiki actually says that he was replaced on 31 December 1936, though one source claims that happened on January 1937. However, that exact quote from that source (Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War by Francisco J. Romero Salvadó):

He headed the 35th Brigade in clashes around the capital and, in January 1937, was gravely wounded.

As there is no exact date showed, it is still possible that by 11 January he was already wounded and not available.
On the other hand, Nino Nanetti's page at Spanish wiki cites a different source that claims Nanetti replaced Barceló as commander of the 35 BM on 31 December 1936, and that he (Nannetti) commanded the brigade at the Third Battle of Corunna Road.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Nanetti

IMHO Barceló was not available on 11 January, but the matter is open to discussion.

[Eugen Pinak]

That's strange - Engel's famous book in Mixed Brigades says, that 35 BM was formed on the 1st January 1937. Though this book also says, that 35 BM was led by Nanetti from the beginning.

[Ironmachine]

[quote:"Eugene Pinak"]That's strange - Engel's famous book in Mixed Brigades says, that 35 BM was formed on the 1st January 1937. Though this book also says, that 35 BM was led by Nanetti from the beginning.[/quote]
It could be that the change in name from Columna Barceló to 35 BM and the change of commanding officer from Barceló to Nanetti were simultaneous. Or that both facts are making difficult to obtain a correct timeline.

However, what follows comes from http://frentedebatalla-gerion.blogspot. ... en-el.html, and I think it finally solves the question about Barceló, because (supposedly) its source is an official document, el Diario de Operaciones del Estado Mayor de las Fuerzas de la Defensa:

La primera de las citadas, la Brigada XXXV, era la antigua Columna Barceló, cuyo jefe había sido sustituido el 31 de diciembre de 1936 por el comunista italiano Nino Nanetti, al resultar herido el primero. Sobre este episodio se ha escrito mucho. La versión oficial señaló que el teniente coronel Barceló había resultado herido en combate, pero en el Diario de Operaciones del Estado Mayor de las Fuerzas de la Defensa (fecha 1 enero 1937) puede leerse: “En la Columna Barceló, el comandante de milicias del batallón Dimitrov, Carlos Alfonso Sanz, solicitó el relevo de dos compañías, no autorizándole el teniente coronel Barceló, por cuyo motivo marchó al puesto de Mando descompuesto, donde disparó contra el referido teniente coronel, hiriéndole en la cara…”.

Translated into English, this is what it says:
"The first of the aforementioned unit, the XXXV Brigade, was the old Barceló Column, whose leader had been replaced on December 31, 1936 by the Italian Communist Nino Nanetti, when he was wounded. Much has been written about this episode. The official version was that Lieutenant-Colonel Barceló had been wounded in combat, but in the Diario de Operaciones of the General Staff of the Defense Forces (dated January 1, 1937) it can be read: "In the Barceló Column, the militia commander of the Dimitrov battalion, Carlos Alfonso Sanz, requested the relief of two companies, not authorized by Lieutenant Colonel Barceló, for which reason he, distressed, went to the command post, where he fired on the aforementioned lieutenant colonel, wounding him in the face ... ".
I don't have access to the cited document, but Carlos Alfonso Sanz was indeed convicted on 5 January 1937 of attacking a superior with a weapon (and then pardoned), as can be seen here:
https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE//1937 ... -01316.pdf

[Spearfish]

Gentlemen
Many thanks for your input.
Since Martinez Bande refers to Group Burillo and it included some battalions from his division, I suspect Burillo was on temporary assignment from 9 DI to the Corunna battlefield. But it as certainly interesting to hear about Barceló.

[Eugen Pinak]

La primera de las citadas, la Brigada XXXV, era la antigua Columna Barceló, cuyo jefe había sido sustituido el 31 de diciembre de 1936 por el comunista italiano Nino Nanetti, al resultar herido el primero. Sobre este episodio se ha escrito mucho. La versión oficial señaló que el teniente coronel Barceló había resultado herido en combate, pero en el Diario de Operaciones del Estado Mayor de las Fuerzas de la Defensa (fecha 1 enero 1937) puede leerse: “En la Columna Barceló, el comandante de milicias del batallón Dimitrov, Carlos Alfonso Sanz, solicitó el relevo de dos compañías, no autorizándole el teniente coronel Barceló, por cuyo motivo marchó al puesto de Mando descompuesto, donde disparó contra el referido teniente coronel, hiriéndole en la cara…”.

Wow! This is some story here I never knew, that Barcelo was wounded not by the enemy.

[Ironmachine]

Since Martinez Bande refers to Group Burillo and it included some battalions from his division, I suspect Burillo was on temporary assignment from 9 DI to the Corunna battlefield.

That would make sense. Burillo would be a logical option for commanding an "agrupación" of divisional size that included forces of his own command.