when the Nationalists commenced the Catalonia offensive, the overall Republican troops in the enclave were some 220,000. This force dwindled significantly. On January 22 the Nationalists claimed 39,000 POWs from the beginning of the campaign (Heraldo de Aragon 24.01.1939), apart from desertions, WIAs and KIAs. Also, only some of surviving Republican units were tasked with defending Barcelona. The French government in mid-1939 estimated the number of Spanish military internees at 200,000, see Campos de refugiados, [in:] Cultura service of the Spanish government. It is likely that 90% of these internees were soldiers who crossed from Catalonia in January–February 1939, so arithmetic leaves only few tens of thousands as possible defenders of Barcelona
elespanol.com
J. M. Poblet, Vida i mort de Lluís Companys, Barcelona, 1976, p. 471. In historiography there are different dates given as to Companys' departure from Barcelona. Some authors claim January 23, see e.g. David Barreira, Companys, del exilio, [in:] El Español 23.12.2018, the opinion maintained also e.g. by Josep Solé i Sabaté, Introducció, p. XVII. Some claim January 25 or even 26, see e.g. J. Sariol Badía, Petita historia de la guerra civil. Vint-i-tres testimonis informen, Barcelona, 1977, p. 35
femturisme.cat
on December 23, 1938, the Nationalists commenced the Catalonia offensive with 320,000 troops. They suffered rather minor losses. One month later, around January 23, Barcelona was approached by 3 corps: Cuerpo de Ejército del CTV (originally 55,000), Cuerpo de Ejército de Navarra (39,000) and Cuerpo de Ejército Marroquí (40,000), Carles López Rovira, La conquesta de Catalunya: diari d'operacions de l'exércit del nord (desembre de 1938 – febrer 1939) [PhD thesis UAB], Barcelona 2010, p. 229. One propagandistic text claims that "el 26 de enero de 1939 unos 90.000 soldados del ejército franquista entraban en Barcelona", see Barcelona 1939. La oscura noche del franquismo, [in:] FemTurismeCat service, but it is not clear where the figure comes from
Fabre Fornaguera 2002, p. 115. Some monuments (Doctor Robert, Rafael Casanova) were removed already in April, the same month some new ones were erected (victims of Montjuïc executions, to Dos de Mayo), Fabre Fornaguera 2002, p. 145-154. Numerous street names were changed, e.g. Passeig de Pi i Margall to Paseo del General Mola, Plaça de Catalunya to Plaza del Ejército Español, or Via Durruti to Vía José Antonio, Fabre Fornaguera 2002, p. 162
