Negrín in front of an «invisible» enemy. The Fifth Column and its fight against the Republic during the spanish Civil War (1937-1939)

Abstract

The silent but constant work of the Fifth Column or clandestine Falange became another of the many enemies of Doctor Negrín’s governments during the Spanish Civil War, increasing considerably defeatism mong soldiers and officers of the Popular Army and despondency in the rearguard. In direct contact with the secret services of the rival side, it carried out a continuous task of spionage and sabotaje in different military spheres, from the production of war materials to the repair of armament, including the tasks carried our directly in the Mobilization Centres, which prevented many youths from joining the front using ingenious mean sor changing sides in expeditions that were more and more frequent and numerous. The contribution of the Fifth Column can also be detected in the uprisings of Minorca and Cartagena, as well as in the conspiracy that derived into Casado’s coup, and in the peace negotiations that started thereafter. The Second Republic was mined both from the outsine and from the inside. Franco had the ability to immediately identify its weaknesses. It was one more enemy, but it was invisible and, consequently, hard to beat both in the front and in the rearguard.