| 8th Mixed Brigade 8.ª Brigada Mixta | |
|---|---|
 Standard of theCarabineros Corps | |
| Active | March 1937– March 1939 |
| Country | .svg) Spain |
| Branch | Spanish Republican Army |
| Type | Mixed Brigade |
| Role | Home Defence |
| Size | Fourbattalions: The 29, 30, 31 and 32 |
| Part of | 18th Division Central Army (1937 - 1939) |
| Garrison/HQ | Madrid |
| Engagements | Spanish Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Enrique del Castillo Bravo. Emeterio Jarillo Orgaz José Casted Sena |
The8th Mixed Brigade (Spanish:8.ª Brigada Mixta) was amixed brigade of theSpanish Republican Army in theSpanish Civil War. It was formed at the beginning of theDefence of Madrid in early spring 1937 withbattalions of theCarabineros corps and it remained inMadrid all along the war. Its first commander wasCarabineros Lt. ColonelEnrique del Castillo Bravo who was succeeded byCarabineros CommandersEmeterio Jarillo Orgaz andJosé Casted Sena.[1][2]
This unit should not be confused with the8th Santander Brigade or 8th Mixed Brigade of the Santander Army Corps(Cuerpo del Ejército de Santander) led by Militia Major Juan Egea Jiménez,[3] which later became the169th Mixed Brigade.
A predecessor unit was established in March 1937 at theMadrid Front as"Brigada M". It was organized with the4th,15th and16thCarabineros battalions. During the instruction period the unit was under the command ofCarabineros Lt. Colonel Enrique del Castillo Bravo. At the onset of the Civil War del Castillo wasEngineer Captain at the Nr 1 Railway Regiment(Regimiento de Ferrocarriles nº 1) atLeganés and was transferred to theCarabineros Corps. Later the command of the unit was handed over toCarabineros Commander Emeterio Jarillo Orgaz, who at the time of thecoup of July 1936 was Lieutenant at the 6th Command of the corps inAlicante Province. The Chief of Staff was Major Ruiz del Toro and theComissar Demetrio Martín Martínez.[2]
One month after its establishment theBrigada M was renamed8th Mixed Brigade(8.ª Brigada Mixta) and was placed under the18th Division of theIII Army Corps of theCentral Army. Towards the end of 1937 Jarillo was replaced byCarabineros CommanderJosé Casted Sena, who had been as well at the 6th Command of theCarabineros corps in Alicante, but as captain.
The unit remained in the same division and at the same sector of the Madrid Front for the remaining two years of the war. It specialized intrench warfare and remained in its post until 27 March 1939 when the Madrid defense crumbled. Militia Captain Juan Borrás Garcerán was named Chief of Staff a few days before the surrender of the Republic that marked the end of the war.[1]