Other Forces

Escamots d'Estat Català

Desperta.Ferro

In this picture you can see members of the "Escamots d'Estat Català" (Squads of Catalan State) that was the paramilitary organization created by the political party of Estat Català in the 1922 that tried to liberate Catalonia of the oppression of the Spanish government several times. In this case, these men of the "Escamots d'Estat Català" are in the Aragón front during the Spanish Civil War in the early years of the war, possibly in the summer of 1936 when these squads were organized in July 1936 by the order of President Lluís Companys to defend the democracy in Catalonia and in Spain. In the picture, these men didn't wear regular uniforms because they weren't soldiers but they use some berets created by the political party. Also, they use a different type of guns (possibly Spanish Mauser, Oviedo rifle, etc.) Another thing to talk it's the flag that they use: the "Estelada", an independentist flag inspired in the flag of Cuba. These militia groups were re-organized in May 1936 into the "Exèrcit Popular de Catalunya" (Catalan Popular Army) that in the same time was into the "Ejército Popular Republicano" (Republican Popular Army). In the end of the war, the men that couldn't retreat to France was tortured and executed by the fascist regime of Franco.