Battle of El Mazuco
Part of Spanish Civil War
El Mazuco and the heights of Llabres
Date September 1937 Location El Mazuco, near Llanes Result Nationalist victory
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 Battle of El Mazuco was fought in September 1937, between the Republican (government) and Nationalist (rebel) armies of the Spanish Civil War. The Republican defence of El Mazuco and the surrounding mountains halted the Nationalist advance into eastern Asturias, despite their forces being outnumbered seven-fold. After weeks of intense fighting over extreme terrain the defenders were eventually overwhelmed, and the Nationalists were then able to link up with their forces advancing from León, leading to the fall of Gijón and the abandonment of Asturias, the last Republican province in North-West Spain. Combatants Spanish Republic CNT-FAI UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Casualties Civilians killed/wounded = hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April... Image File history File linksMetadata ElMazuco-Llabres. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Llanes coast near Cue Llanes (the Concejo de Llanes) is an administrative district of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Spanish State (Estado Español) was the formal name of Spain from 1936 to 1978, under the régime of Generalísimo Francisco Franco (d. ... Hermann Göring delivering an honour (likely to be the Spanienkreuz, Spanish Cross) to a member of the Legion Condor (April 1939) The Condor Legion was a unit of Nazi Germanys air force which was sent as volunteers to support the right wing Nationalists (i. ... The Corpo Truppe Volontarie (Division of Volunteer Troops) was an Italian expeditionary force which was sent to Spain to support Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. ... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT-FAI UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Casualties Civilians killed/wounded = hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April... 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 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 Ildefonso Puigdendolas Juan Yagüe Carlos Asensio Antonio Castejón Strength 5,000 militia 2,250 regulars 750 Moroccan regulares 30 guns Casualties 4,500 dead, wounded, or captured 2,000 dead or wounded The Battle of Badajoz was one of the first... 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... Madrid during the Civil War 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... The Battle of Jarama was a battle of the Spanish Civil War in Febrary 1937. ... The Guadalajara Offensive (8 March – 23 March 1937) was an engagement in the Spanish Civil War. ... People in destroyed Guernica. ... 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 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. ... The Battle of the Ebro was the last great offensive of the Spanish Republicans in the Spanish civil war. ... This article covers the Spanish Civil War in 1936. ... 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. ... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT-FAI UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Casualties Civilians killed/wounded = hundreds of thousands The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian have special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... Categories: Spain geography stubs | Castile-Leon | Provinces of Spain ... Capital Gijón Area  - total  - % of Asturias Ranked 22nd 181. ...

In this battle, carpet bombing was used for the first time on a military target. The phrase carpet bombing refers to the use of large numbers of unguided gravity bombs, often with a high proportion of incendiary bombs, to attempt the complete destruction of a target region, either to destroy personnel and materiel, or as a means to demoralize the enemy (see terror bombing). ...

Prelude

Following the fall of Bilbao and the defeat of the Republican forces defending Santander, the Republican stronghold of Asturias was isolated from the Republican armies in the South and East of Spain. The leader of the Nationalist forces surrounding Asturias, General Dávila, attacked from the south and from the east, expecting little resistance from the demoralized Republicans. La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : 43,15° n. ... The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain between Asturias (to the west) and the Basque Country (to the east). ...

The first republican line, along the Deva river, was soon overrun, and the town of Llanes fell on the 5^th (of September 1937). However, the routes the Nationalists then had to take were commanded by the limestone walls of the Sierra de Cuera on the north of the front and the Deva Gorge to the south. The Nationalists had to clear the defenders from these mountains in order to advance, and to do that they planned a pincer movement moving south-west from Llanes and west from Panes towards Cabrales. Llanes coast near Cue Llanes (the Concejo de Llanes) is an administrative district of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. ... A claw is a curved pointed growth found at the end of a toe or finger, or in arthropods, of the tarsus. ... Panes were beings in ancient Greek myth resembling the god Pan, being like humans above the waist and goats below. ... Cabrales is a municipality (conceyu) in the autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. ...

On both fronts, the rugged terrain and stiff Republican resistance halted the advance. It was then clear that the mountains of the Sierra del Cuera were vital to the defence of Asturias, and the key to the Sierra del Cuera was the pass of El Mazuco.

The Combatants

The Nationalist forces comprised four Navarrese Brigades (33,000 men), under the command of General José Solchaga Zala (Solchaga), with 15 artillery batteries and strong air support (including the German Legión Cóndor). The pass of El Mazuco is only 5km from the sea, and so the cruiser Almirante Cervera was also able to use its guns in the action. Hermann Göring delivering an honour (likely to be the Spanienkreuz, Spanish Cross) to a member of the Legion Condor (April 1939) The Condor Legion was a unit of Nazi Germanys air force which was sent as volunteers to support the right wing Nationalists (i. ...

The Asturian and Basque forces (Republicans) comprised three weakened brigades (fewer than 5,000 men in all), under the command of Colonels Juan Ibarrola Orueta and Francisco Galán Rodríguez (Ibarrola and Galán), with little artillery and no air support.

The battle

El Mazuco from Alto de la Tornería, with the ridge of Llabres on the right

The attack on El Mazuco began with an assault by the nationalist Navarrese I brigade on the 6^th September. This was repulsed, and at the same time the southern advance of the pincer movement was also stopped. In response to these setbacks, the German Condor Legion was called in and for the first time carpet-bombed a military target, the Republican forces defending the approach to El Mazuco. Image File history File linksMetadata El-Mazuco-valley. ...

On the 7^th, further attacks were halted and the fronts stabilized; a noted Republican commander, Higinio Carrocera, arrived, with three battalions and 24 heavy machine guns. Carpet-bombing with explosive and incendiary bombs continued all day.

On the 8^th, in dense fog, fierce hand-to-hand fighting inflicted severe losses on both sides. The Nationalists gained some 2km on the southern front, which the Republicans were unable to recapture.

On the 9^th, the Nationalists pounded the positions defending El Mazuco, and two Republican battalions were forced to retreat, although the Nationalist were unable to take advantage of it. For the rest of that day and the next, waves of bombings and artillery bombardment were each followed by a Nationalist infantry attack, each in turn cut down and turned back by the Republican machine-guns.

On the 10^th, in fog again, an all-out attack by the I Brigade took the hill of Biforco (below the pass of El Mazuco), but this was still dominated by the heights of Llabres, from where the Republicans hammered the area with machine guns and rolled down carbide drums filled with explosive. For the first time since the start of the battle, hot food reached the Republican front lines.

On the 11^th and 12^th, on the southern front, the Nationalists could not make progress along the valley, so had no option but to advance up the ridge of the Sierra towards Pico Turbina. This peak, at 1,315m, is a formidable obstacle with slopes of 40° and an almost moon-like karst terrain. There were no tracks, even for mules, so supplies and ordinance were largely carried by hand. The weather was bad, too, so aircraft could not operate, but the fogs also hid the attacking forces.

On the 13^th, to the north-west of El Mazuco, the Republican front began to weaken under the relentless artillery bombardment.

On the 14^th, the Republicans were forced to yield Sierra Llabres, whose height commands both the village of El Mazuco and the western approaches. The village of El Mazuco itself was then indefensible. Further south, Turbina was almost taken, but the attack was driven back with hand-grenades, in confused fighting in dense fog.

On the 15^th, El Mazuco and its surrounds were occupied, and the Republicans in that sector fell back to Meré. To the south, the Republicans still held the heights of Turbina and Peñas Blancas (the summits of Peña Blanca). On the 16^th, Turbina was taken, and Peña Blanca was almost encircled as Arangas and Arenas fell to the Nationalists.

The three summits of Peñas Blancas now formed the only salient from the Republican line along the Bedón river. Initial Nationalist assaults failed, and so sixteen battalions were brought up to reduce the positions. Air support was minimal due to the weather, and on the ground, rain turned to snow on the heights.

On the 18^th, better weather at noon brought three waves of airborne strafing from 'strings' of German and Italian fighters. After each attack, the inevitable infantry assault was beaten off by machine guns and hand grenades. For four full days, the pattern was repeated: aircraft and mortars pounded the remaining defenders, the Navarrese infantry attacked, and were repulsed. Until the 22^nd  "the red flag waved on the highest peak". On that day, the Peñas Blancas were overrun.

Aftermath

The defence of El Mazuco offered the hope of stemming the Nationalist advance until winter; if that had been achieved, then the course of the war would have been different. As it was, the attackers suffered a costly delay. The defenders regained their honour, battered in Santander, but also at great cost. The third-parties involved, notably the Condor Legion, learned many lessons which were later applied in the European theatre of the World War that followed.

The defence of El Mazuco also allowed the Republicans further West in Asturias a certain breathing space and a chance to regroup, but ultimately this made little difference. The Nationalists on the Eastern front soon joined up with the forces advancing from León and closed in on Gijón, the last republican stronghold in Northern Spain, which fell a month later followed by great civilian suffering at the hands of the victorious military.

References

• Juan Antonio de Blas, "El Mazuco (La defensa imposible)," in La guerra civil en Asturias, Ediciones Júcar, Gijón 1986.
• El Mazuco (La defensa imposible)   (Web page verified against original book 11/2004.)
• English translation: El Mazuco (the impossible defence)   (2004–2005)