Malta has an archdiocese that claims to hold a piece of the True Cross.
The Guardia de Asalto -LRB- Assault Guard -RRB- was the heavy reserve force of the blue-uniformed urban police force of Spain during the Spanish Second Republic .. urban police. municipal police. Spain. Spain. Spanish Second Republic. Spanish Second Republic. The Assault Guards were special police units created by the Spanish Republic in 1931 to deal with urban violence .. At the onset of the Spanish Civil War there were 18,000 Assault Guards .. Spanish Civil War. Spanish Civil War. About 12,000 stayed loyal to the Republican government , while another 5,000 joined the rebel faction .. rebel faction. rebel faction. Many of its units fought valiantly in the battlefronts against the Francoist armies and their allies .. This display of loyalty towards the Spanish Republic brought about the disbandment of the corps at the end of the Civil War .. The members of the Guardia de Asalto who had survived the combats and the ensuing Francoist purges were made part of the Policia Armada , the corps that replaced it .. Policia Armada. Policia Armada. Francoist purges. White Terror ( Spain )