Battle of Badajoz
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Date August 14, 1936 Location Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain Result Nationalist victory
Combatants
Second Spanish Republic	Nationalist Spain
Commanders
Ildefonso Puigdendolas	Juan Yagüe Carlos Asensio Antonio Castejón
Strength
6,000 militia	3,000 regulars 30 guns
Casualties
750 dead 3,500 wounded, captured or missing	285 dead or wounded

The Battle of Badajoz was one of the first major Nationalist victories in the Spanish Civil War. A series of costly assaults won the Nationalists the fortified border city of Badajoz on August 14, 1936, cutting off the Spanish Republic from neighbouring Portugal and linking the northern and southern zones of Nationalist control (although actual contact with General Mola's northern troops was not established until September 8). Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location Badajoz, Spain location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Badajoz (Spanish) Spanish name Badajoz Founded 875 Area code 34 (Spain) + 924 (Badajoz) Website http://www. ... Capital Mérida Official language(s) Spanish; Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 5th  41,634 km²  8. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Second_Spanish_Republic. ... Anthem El Himno de Riego Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Government Republic President  - 1931–1936 Niceto Alcalá-Zamora  - 1936–1939 Manuel Azaña Legislature Congress of Deputies Historical era Interwar period  - Monarchy abolished April 14, 1931  - Spanish Civil War 1936–1939  - Surrender to Franco April 1, 1939 Currency Spanish peseta... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain_under_Franco. ... The Spanish State (Estado Español) was the formal name of Spain from 1936 to 1978, under the régime of Generalísimo Francisco Franco (d. ... Ildefonso Puigdendolas was a Spanish military officer who served the Republic with a rank of Colonel during the Spanish Civil War. ... Juan Yagüe Blanco (1891 – October 29, 1952) was a Spanish army officer during the Spanish Civil War. ... Carlos Asensio Cabanillas (1892 - 1969) was a Spanish soldier and statesman who served during the Spanish Civil War, rising in command from Colonel to General in Francos Army of Africa. ... Antonio Castejón Espinosa (1896 - 1969) was a Spanish army officer from the Army of Africa who fought for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. ... Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Cándido Cabello José Moscardó Ituarte Strength 8,000 militia 1,028 regulars and militia Casualties Unknown 65 dead 438 wounded 22 missing The Siege of the Alcázar was a highly symbolic battle in the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Manuel Otero Antonio Pinilla † Strength Unknown 180 regulars and militia Casualties Unknown 180 dead or wounded The Siege of Gijón took place in the Spanish Civil War between July 19 and August 16, 1936. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Popular Front militia units CNT-FAI UGT Nationalist Spain Commanders UGT miner, Otero CNT Steelworker, Higinio Carrocera Colonel Antonio Aranda Mata Strength Unknown 3000 Casualties Over 5,000 2,500 // A memorable event in the Spanish Civil War, the siege lasted from July 19, 1936, until... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Unknown Carlos Asensio Heli Rolando de Tella Strength 2,600 militia 1,000 regulars Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Mérida was contested early in the Spanish Civil War when Republican militia twice attempted to halt the Army of Africa near the... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Alberto Bayo Manuel Uribarri García Ruiz Strength 8,000 militia 10 guns 3,500 regulars and militia Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Mallorca, known as the Mallorca Landings in Spanish (optimistically called the Reconquest of Mallorca by the Republicans) was a... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Manuel Riquelme André Malraux Juan Yagüe Carlos Asensio Antonio Castejón Heli Rolando de Tella Strength 9,000 regulars and militia 4,000 regulars Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe (English: Guadalupe Mountains), also the Tagus Campaign, was a... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Mario Angeloni † Unknown Strength Unknown 500 regulars Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Monte Pelato (Bald Mountain) was an engagement of the Spanish Civil War fought on 28 August 1936. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Manuel Riquelme Juan Yagüe Strength 10,000 regulars and militia 3,500 regulars Casualties 500 dead 1,000 captured 1,000 dead or wounded The Battle of Talavera de la Reina was fought on September 3, 1936 in the Spanish Civil War. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Unknown Francisco Moreno Strength 3 destroyers 2 heavy cruisers Casualties 1 ship sunk 1 ship damaged Unknown The Battle of Cape Espartel was a naval battle of the Spanish Civil War that broke the Republican blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar, securing the... The Siege of Madrid was a three year siege of the Spanish capital Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. ... The Battle of the Corunna Road was a battle of the Spanish Civil War from 13 December 1936 to 15 January 1937, north west of Madrid. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders José Villalba Lacorte Queipo de Llano Mario Roatta Strength 40,000 militia 10,000 Moors 5,000 Requetés 5,000 Italians Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Málaga was the culmination of an offensive in early 1937 by the combined Nationalist... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders José Miaja, Sebastián Pozas Perea, Enrique Líster, Valentín González, Robert Merriman Enrique Varela, García Escámez, Carlos Asensio, Fernándo Barrón Ortiz Strength ~30,000 infantry, (June 15)[1] 19,000–40,000 infantry, ~40 guns[2... The Guadalajara Offensive (8 March – 23 March 1937) was an engagement in the Spanish Civil War. ... The bombing of Guernica was an aerial attack on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War by planes of the German Luftwaffe Condor Legion and subordinate Italian Fascists from the Corpo Truppe Volontarie expeditionary force organized as Aviazione Legionaria. ... Combatants Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Strength  ?  ? Casualties ~? ~? The Battle of Bilbao was part of the War in the North, in the Spanish Civil War where the Nationalist Army conquered Bilbao and the part of the Basque Country still held by the Republic. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Mariano Gamir Ulibarri Fidel Dávila Arrondo Strength 80,000 infantry 90,000 infantry 126 guns 220 aircraft Casualties 60,000 dead, wounded, or captured Unknown The Battle of Santander was fought over the summer of 1937 in the Spanish Civil War. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Enrique Líster Alfonso Trallero † Strength 80,000 infantry 105 tanks 90 aircraft 7,000 infantry Casualties Unknown Unknown Battle of Belchite was a group of military operations that took place in the Spanish Civil War between august 24 and september 7, 1937... Combatants Asturian popular army (Second Spanish Republic) Army of the North (Nationalist Spain) Commanders Colonel Juan Ibarrola Orueta Colonel Francisco Galán Rodríguez General José Solchaga Zala Strength under 5,000 33,000, plus elements of the Legión Cóndor and Corpo Truppe Volontarie Casualties Unknown Unknown The... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Unknown Unknown Strength 2 cruisers 4 destroyers 1 heavy cruiser Casualties Unknown 1 ship damaged The Battle of Cape Cherchell was a sea battle between the Nationalist heavy cruiser Baleares and the Republican light cruisers Libertad and Méndez Núñez in the... A Republican soldier seeks cover on the Plaza de Toros in Teruel, north-east of Madrid The battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel in the Spanish Civil War in December 1937-February 1938. ... The Battle of Cape Palos, also known as the Second Battle of Cape Palos, was the biggest naval battle of the Spanish Civil War, fought on the night of March 5 - 6 1938, 70 miles east of Cape Palos near Cartagena, Spain. ... Combatants Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Juan Modesto Enrique Lister Queipo de Llano Francisco Franco Strength 100,000 90,000 Casualties 30,000 dead 20,000 wounded 19,563 captured 200 aircraft 6,500 dead 30,000 wounded 5,000 captured The Battle of the Ebro (Spanish: Batalla del Ebro... The outbreak of war can be seen to be the uprising in Morocco on July 17 triggered by events in Madrid. ... This article covers the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) during 1937. ... This article covers the Spanish Civil War in the period from the start of 1938 to the end of 1939. ... Flag Motto Una Grande Libre Anthem Marcha Real Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Religion Roman Catholic Church Government Monarchy Head of State¹  - 1939-1975 Francisco Franco  - 1975-1978 Juan Carlos I Legislature Cortes Generales Historical era Cold War  - Spanish Civil War 1936-1939  - Republic defeated April 4, 1939  - Death of... Not to be confused with the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823. ... Location Badajoz, Spain location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Badajoz (Spanish) Spanish name Badajoz Founded 875 Area code 34 (Spain) + 924 (Badajoz) Website http://www. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Anthem El Himno de Riego Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Government Republic President  - 1931–1936 Niceto Alcalá-Zamora  - 1936–1939 Manuel Azaña Legislature Congress of Deputies Historical era Interwar period  - Monarchy abolished April 14, 1931  - Spanish Civil War 1936–1939  - Surrender to Franco April 1, 1939 Currency Spanish peseta... Emilio Mola Vidal (June 9, 1887 – June 3, 1937) Spanish army officer, was one of the leaders of the 1936 army revolt which began the Spanish Civil War. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Strategic situation

In the summer of 1936, German and Italian airlifts, and later the Nationalist fleet, transported almost 10,000 regular troops of the Spanish Army of Africa to southern Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar. The Nationalists assembled at Seville and on August 1 General Franco ordered a sweep north to link up with General Mola's distant forces. There are two types of airlifts in the military, strategic and tactical. ... The Spanish Navy (in Spanish, Armada Española) is the maritime arm of the Spanish Military. ... The Spanish Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that garrisoned Spanish Morocco until Moroccos independence. ... The Strait of Gibraltar as seen from space. ... For other uses, see Seville (disambiguation). ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “Franco” redirects here. ... Emilio Mola Vidal (June 9, 1887 – June 3, 1937) Spanish army officer, was one of the leaders of the 1936 army revolt which began the Spanish Civil War. ...

Led in the field by Colonel Asensio and Major Castejón, the Nationalist army dashed north in motorized detachments, pausing to bombard and capture walled frontier towns. By August 10, when Lieutenant Colonel Yagüe arrived to take command near Mérida, the Nationalists had secured 300 km of the Portuguese frontier. Mérida fell after a stiff fight on the banks of the Guadiana, leaving the neighbouring city of Badajoz, now the last remaining Republican outpost on the Portuguese border, isolated from the Republic. Yagüe marched against Badajoz with 2,250 Legionnaires, 750 Moroccan regulares, and five field batteries, leaving Major Tella behind to hold Mérida. This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Carlos Asensio Cabanillas (1892 - 1969) was a Spanish soldier and statesman who served during the Spanish Civil War, rising in command from Colonel to General in Francos Army of Africa. ... Major is a military rank the use of which varies according to country. ... Antonio Castejón Espinosa (1896 - 1969) was a Spanish army officer from the Army of Africa who fought for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. ... Motorised infantry is an infantry unit which is transported by trucks or other fast motor vehicles. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Juan Yagüe Blanco (1891 – October 29, 1952) was a Spanish army officer during the Spanish Civil War. ... Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. ... Guadiana (Latin Anas, Spanish Guadiana, Portuguese Guadiana) - one of the major rivers of Spain, part of it is the border with Portugal, ends in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Location Badajoz, Spain location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Badajoz (Spanish) Spanish name Badajoz Founded 875 Area code 34 (Spain) + 924 (Badajoz) Website http://www. ... Regulares (Spanish for Regulars, officially called the Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas) was the name commonly used to designate the volunteer infantry and cavalry units of the Spanish Army recruited in Spanish Morocco. ... Heli Rolando de Tella y Cantos (1888 - October 10, 1962) was a decorated Spanish soldier and military officer who served in the Moroccan War and the Spanish Civil War, siding with Francos Nationalists. ...

Inside the fortress-city Colonel Puigdendolas commanded about 6,000 Republican militia. When the Nationalist army approached, a body of Guardia Civil attempted to defect to the Nationalists. Puigdendolas crushed the revolt, but it sapped him of men and morale. This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Ildefonso Puigdendolas was a Spanish military officer who served the Republic with a rank of Colonel during the Spanish Civil War. ... Patrol boat, Nervion river, Bilbao. ...

The battle

The Nationalists launched their attack on the afternoon of August 14 after shelling the town for most of the day. A unit of the Spanish Legion, singing and shouting, stormed the Puerta de la Trinidad. Determined resistance by Republican machine gunners and riflemen checked the assault, shredding several waves of Nationalist troops. is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Spanish Legion (Spanish: Legión Española or simply La Legión), formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Ignoring their losses, the Legionnaires pressed on. A charge led by armoured cars won the gate and the Nationalists overtook the defenders, pouring through the breach and killing them in hand to hand combat. But the cost was appalling: the 16th Company alone had lost 80 officers and soldiers. All the unit's officers fell in the attack except the captain and one corporal. Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ... Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry company. ... Captain is a rank or title with various meanings. ... This article is about the military rank. ...

On the south side Nationalist units stormed the walls with less difficulty. The Tetuán regulars pushed through the Puerta de Los Carros and the Legionnaires and Moroccans swept the Republicans from the barracks. Once inside the ramparts they drove the Republican militia before them, knifing and bayoneting their way toward the city center. Street fighting raged past nightfall. Tétouan (Arabic: تطوان (meaning eyes in the Berber language)) is the capital and cultural centre of the region Tanja (Tangier) in the north of Morocco, near the Mediterranean Sea. ... A barracks housing conscripts of Norrbottens regemente in Boden, Sweden. ... Urban warfare is a modern warfare conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. ...

Puigdendolas, meanwhile, had slipped out of the city and fled to Portugal.

Aftermath

The fall of Badajoz tore from the Republic the large region of Extremadura north of Huelva, which was later subdued and swallowed by the emerging Nationalist state. After the battle Yagüe turned northeast toward Madrid and reached the Tagus. He engaged Republican forces in pitched battles in the weeks that followed. Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... View over Tejo River from Almourol Castle in Portugal (May 2005). ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Nationalist Spain Commanders Manuel Riquelme André Malraux Juan Yagüe Carlos Asensio Antonio Castejón Heli Rolando de Tella Strength 9,000 regulars and militia 4,000 regulars Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe (English: Guadalupe Mountains), also the Tagus Campaign, was a...

The Battle of Badajoz followed patterns that continued for much of the summer: Republican militia seized the medieval fortresses dotting Castile, yet could not halt or even slow the advance of Franco's professional troops. The Spanish regular army would prove able to sweep prepared defences held by superior enemy forces, but often suffered staggering losses of its best troops. By year's end much of the Spanish Legion lay dead, scattered along a trail of walled towns stretching from Seville to the outskirts of Madrid. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra in Spanish; literally, Land Army) is one of oldest active armies in the world and a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, in charge of land operations. ... For other uses, see Seville (disambiguation). ...

Massacre of civilians

The Nationalists sacked Badajoz and killed several thousand prisoners and civilians, culminating in an infamous round of executions in the bull ring. Murder and mass rape flared unchecked for several days, and Yagüe's failure to call a halt to the killings earned him the nickname, "The Butcher of Badajoz." ^[1] It hould be noted, however, that in the colonial wars waged by the Spanish in Morocco, systemic brutality and armed reprisals against civilians had been the norm. Curiously, Franco intervened to put an end to the Moroccans' practice of castrating their slain enemies' bodies. Bullfighting, Edouard Manet, 1865-1866. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Wars of national liberation. ... Castration (also referred as: gelding, neutering, orchiectomy, orchidectomy, and oophorectomy) is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testes or a female loses the functions of the ovaries. ...

Foreign correspondents, depending on their political sympathies, reported between 1,800 and 4,000 civilian deaths. Post-war Nationalist historians dismissed the Badajoz massacre as an outright fabrication. For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... A historian is an individual who studies history and who writes on history. ...

Notes

1. ^ Rafael Tenorio, Las matanzas de Badajoz (Spanish)

References

• Hugh Thomas (2001). The Spanish Civil War. Modern Library. ISBN 0-375-75515-2. 

Hugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton (born October 21, 1931 in Windsor), is a British historian. ...

External links

• Spartacus Schoolnet - Battle of Badajoz
• La Marcha: The Drive on Madrid