Spanish Republican Armed Forces facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spanish Republican Armed Forces Fuerzas Armadas de la República Española
Flag of Spain (1931–1939).svg Spanish Republican Flag
Established	1931
Disbanded	1939
Parts	Army  Navy  Air force
Leadership
Commander-in-chief	Manuel Azaña (last)
Minister of Defence	Segismundo Casado (last)
Serving soldiers
Active employees/soldiers	225.000 (1936)
Industry
Suppliers from inland	CASA Hispano-Suiza Spanish Society for Naval Construction
See also
History	Sanjurjada Revolution of 1934 Spanish Civil War
Ranks	Military ranks of the Second Spanish Republic

The Spanish Republican Armed Forces (which means "Armed Forces of the Spanish Republic" in Spanish) were the military forces of the Second Spanish Republic. They were first made up of two main parts:

• The Spanish Republican Army (called Ejército de la República Española from 1931–1936 and Ejército Popular de la República Española from 1936–1939). This included the Aeronáutica Militar, which was its air branch.
• The Spanish Republican Navy (called Marina de Guerra de la República Española). This also included its own air branch, known as Aeronáutica Naval.

History of the Republican Military

The Spanish Republican Armed Forces went through two clear stages during their time. These stages show how they changed and adapted.

Before the Civil War

The first stage was before the Spanish Civil War. This was before a major event in July 1936. This event, known as the coup of July 1936, caused a big split in Spain's military.

During the Civil War

The second stage happened during the Civil War. At this time, the forces that stayed loyal to the government had to reorganize. They did this because of the urgent needs of the war.

The Republican Air Force

When the Spanish Republic was created, the Air Force had two parts. These were the Aeronáutica Militar and the Aeronáutica Naval. The Aeronáutica Militar was the air part of the Army. The Aeronáutica Naval was the air part of the Navy.

In September 1936, during the Civil War, new government departments were set up. These included the Navy and Air Ministry (Ministerio de Marina y Aire). There was also the Air Undersecretariat (Subsecretaria del Aire). Both were part of the National Defence Ministry. Indalecio Prieto was in charge as minister.

The Republican air force changed its structure again in May 1937. This was well into the Civil War. The new structure brought together the Aeronáutica Militar and Aeronáutica Naval. Some people say this date marks the start of the Spanish Republican Air Force. However, it had already been working under its two separate parts before then. The Republican Air Force kept this structure until it was ended two years later.

See also

In Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de la República Española para niños

• Military history of Spain
• Spanish Armed Forces