Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista
The Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista was a clandestine anti-fascist organization formed among members of Spain’s Republican armed forces during the Second Spanish Republic.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista (UMRA), usually rendered in English as the Republican Antifascist Military Union, was a clandestine political and military organization associated with members of the armed forces of the Second Spanish Republic. It emerged in response to the growth of the Unión Militar Española, a secret network of officers described in historical accounts as sympathetic to authoritarian and pro-fascist ideas and increasingly hostile to the republican political order. The organization’s immediate roots lay in the Antifascist Military Union, whose creation was strongly associated with Eugenio Rodríguez Sierra, an officer in the Republican Navy. A separate Republican Military Union had already been established within the Army in 1929. These groups shared the objective of resisting anti-republican and fascist influence within the armed forces. Their subsequent merger produced the organization known as the Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista, although the precise date and institutional mechanics of the merger are not established in the available reference material. UMRA operated as a secret society rather than as a commercial enterprise or public membership organization. Its purpose was to organize republican and anti-fascist officers, counter the influence of hostile military networks, and defend the constitutional order of the Republic. Its membership was reportedly particularly strong among the Assault Guard, a security force created during the republican period and generally associated with the defense of the republican state. The organization therefore occupied a sensitive position inside the military and security institutions at a time when political polarization, conspiratorial activity, and disputes over civil-military authority were intensifying. Several members became targets of the opposing Spanish Military Union. Captain Carlos Faraudo was reportedly blacklisted by that organization and was allegedly placed at the top of a list before being murdered. This episode illustrates the dangers faced by UMRA members and the broader climate of intimidation surrounding military politics in the years preceding the Spanish Civil War. Another prominent member, Captain Díaz Tendero, later died in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. The available material does not provide a complete account of the organization’s internal structure, membership numbers, regional branches, or operational activities. UMRA belongs to the history of the Second Spanish Republic’s military conflicts and to the wider struggle over the future of Spain’s armed forces. Its existence reflected the fact that political divisions were not confined to civilian parties: officers and members of security services also formed secret organizations aligned with competing visions of the state. The organization’s historical significance lies principally in its attempt to resist anti-republican military influence from within the armed forces, rather than in any product, service, or enduring commercial identity. As a clandestine wartime-era organization, it no longer operates and has no known contemporary corporate successor, commercial owner, website, or listed status.
History
The Republican Antifascist Military Union was created within the armed forces of the Second Spanish Republic against a background of increasing political conflict among Spanish officers. By the middle of the 1930s, the Unión Militar Española, a secret military organization associated with pro-fascist and anti-republican officers, had expanded its influence and was openly hostile to the Republic. The growth of that network encouraged republican officers to establish a counter-organization. Eugenio Rodríguez Sierra, an officer in the Republican Navy, played an important role in the foundation of the Antifascist Military Union. At the same time, a Republican Military Union had existed within the Army since 1929. The two organizations pursued broadly similar goals: defending the Republic, resisting fascist influence, and opposing the political use of military networks against republican institutions. They were subsequently merged, creating the Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista, commonly abbreviated UMRA. UMRA was a secret society rather than a public political association. Its membership included officers and members of the republican security forces, with especially significant representation reportedly found among the Assault Guard. The organization sought to monitor and counter the influence of anti-republican officers inside the military. Its activities reflected the wider fragmentation of Spain’s armed forces, where competing clandestine groups represented conflicting political projects and loyalties. The conflict between UMRA and the Spanish Military Union could have lethal consequences. Captain Carlos Faraudo, a member of UMRA, was reportedly blacklisted by the Spanish Military Union and allegedly placed at the top of a list before his murder. His case is associated with the atmosphere of surveillance, retaliation, and political violence surrounding military conspiracies in the years before the Spanish Civil War. The available account does not establish every detail of the alleged list or provide a full chronology of Faraudo’s killing. Captain Díaz Tendero was another prominent UMRA member. He later died in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, linking the organization’s history to the persecution and deaths experienced by Spanish republican personnel during and after the Civil War. The surviving reference material does not provide a complete membership register, a detailed account of UMRA’s command structure, or a precise date for the merger that created the organization. UMRA’s historical importance comes from its position inside the republican military and security apparatus. It demonstrates that the struggle over the Republic’s survival was also fought within the officer corps and state forces, not only among civilian parties and mass organizations. The organization represented an attempt by republican officers to create an internal defense against anti-fascist and anti-republican military conspiracies. As the Second Spanish Republic disappeared and the republican cause was defeated, UMRA ceased to function as an active organization. It has no known commercial successor, public-facing institution, or continuing organizational presence.
- 1929
Republican Military Union founded within the Army
[1]A Republican Military Union was established within the Army as an earlier organization pursuing goals later associated with UMRA.
Antifascist Military Union established
[1]Eugenio Rodríguez Sierra, a Republican Navy officer, was instrumental in creating the Antifascist Military Union in response to the influence of the Spanish Military Union.
Formation of UMRA through organizational merger
[1]The Antifascist Military Union merged with the earlier Republican Military Union, producing the Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista.
Carlos Faraudo targeted and murdered
[1]UMRA member Captain Carlos Faraudo was reportedly blacklisted by the Spanish Military Union and allegedly placed at the top of a list before being murdered.
Díaz Tendero died at Mauthausen-Gusen
[1]Captain Díaz Tendero, described as a leading UMRA member, later died in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp.
Products and positioning
A clandestine republican and anti-fascist military organization intended to counter anti-republican influence within Spain’s armed forces during the Second Spanish Republic.
Brand decisions
- Merger of the Antifascist Military Union and Republican Military UnionM&A
Background
Two clandestine military organizations with related republican and anti-fascist objectives operated in response to the influence of the Spanish Military Union.
Action taken
The Antifascist Military Union and the Republican Military Union were merged to establish the Unión Militar Republicana Antifascista.
Aftermath
The merger created a broader republican military network, with reported strength particularly among the Assault Guard.
Sources1 sources
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