| Fifth Regiment Quinto Regimiento | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1936–1937 |
| Disbanded | 20 January 1937 |
| Country |  Spain |
| Allegiance | Second Spanish Republic |
| Branch |  MAOC |
| Type | Elite corps |
| Role | Model military unit |
| Size | 20,000 (est. November 1936) |
| Headquarters | Madrid |
| March | El quinto regimiento |
| Engagements | Siege of Cuartel de la Montaña Battle of Guadarrama Battle of Talavera Siege of the Alcázar Defence of Madrid |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Enrique Castro Delgado Vittorio Vidali Enrique Líster Juan Guilloto León |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem |  |
| Badge | |
The Fifth Regiment (Spanish: Quinto Regimiento, the full name Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares) was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment was active in the first critical phase of the war and became one of the most renowned units loyal to the Republic.[1]
The number of soldiers in the Fifth Regiment quickly rose from about 6,000 in August to over 20,000 in November 1936. This loyalist elite corps lasted only until the Spanish Republican Army was reorganized in the second year of the civil war, but in barely half a year it had managed to become one of the most famous units of the whole conflict.[1]
The Fifth Regiment used the desecrated building of the Church of San Francisco de Sales in Madrid as its headquarters. The mouthpiece of this military unit was the Milicia Popular newspaper[1] and its anthem the El quinto regimiento song.[2]
- ^ a b c Comín Colomer, Eduardo (1973); El 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares. Madrid.
- ^ El quinto regimiento - Lila Downs