The Battle of Jarama was a campaign of the Spanish Civil War from February 6 to 27, 1937. It was fought over the river Jarama, just east of the Spanish capital of Madrid. It pitted the elite Legionnaires and regulares of Franco's Army of Africa against the Republican Army of the Centre, including the volunteers of the International Brigades. The Nationalist attempt to force the river led to a fitful struggle which ended in a bloody stalemate: Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union[1] Nationalist Spain With the support of: Italy Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Emilio Mola José Sanjurjo Casualties 500,000[2] The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 141 KB)A Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 during a bombing raid in the Spanish Civil War, photograph most likely taken in 1935. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Second_Spanish_Republic. ... Anthem El Himno de Riego Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Government Republic President¹  - 1931 Niceto Alcalá-Zamora  - 1937-1939 Juan Negrín 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 ¹ Formal... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_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. ... Image:SPmaija. ... Sebastián Pozas Perea (Zaragoza, 1876 - 1946) was a Spanish military officer and civil servant. ... General Enrique Líster at the Battle of the Ebro, 1938. ... Valentín González (1909 Malcocinado, Badajoz—1983, Madrid) was a Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War. ... Robert Hale Merriman (1908-1938) was an American professor of economics at the University of California who joined the Republican forces in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and led the American Volunteers with the International Brigades. ... José Enrique Varela Iglesias (born in San Fernando, Cadiz, Spain, April 17, 1891 - died in Tangier, Spanish Morocco, March 24, 1951) was a Spanish military commander and an important figure in 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. ... Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union[1] Nationalist Spain With the support of: Italy Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Emilio Mola José Sanjurjo Casualties 500,000[2] The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict... 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 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... 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 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. ... Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union[1] Nationalist Spain With the support of: Italy Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Emilio Mola José Sanjurjo Casualties 500,000[2] The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jarama River in Titulcia Jarama is a river in central Spain. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... The Spanish Legion (Spanish: Legión Española or simply La Legión), formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army. ... Regulares (Spanish for Regulars) was the name commonly used to designate the infantry and cavalry units recruited in Spanish Morocco. ... General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892–20 November[1] 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. ... The Spanish Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that administered Spanish Morocco until Moroccos independence. ... Anthem El Himno de Riego Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Government Republic President¹  - 1931 Niceto Alcalá-Zamora  - 1937-1939 Juan Negrín 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 ¹ Formal... The three-pointed red star, symbol of the International Brigades The Flag of the International Brigades The International Brigades were Republican military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries who traveled to Spain, to fight for the republic in the Spanish...

There's a place in Spain called Jarama

It's a place that we all know too well.

For 'tis there that we fought against the fascists

And saw a peaceful valley turn to hell.^[5]

Preliminaries

The Nationalist forces, led by Francisco Franco, had failed to take Madrid in a frontal assault in November 1936 and then tried to cut the city off by crossing the Jarama to the south east and severing Madrid's communications with the pro tempore Republican capital of Valencia. General Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892–20 November[1] 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. ... The Siege of Madrid was a three year siege of the Spanish capital Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. ... Pro tempore or pro tem is a latin phrase which best translates to for the time being in English. ... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ...

General Mola was in overall command of the Nationalist forces around Madrid and planned an offensive across the Jarama around 11 km south of the capital. General Orgaz was put in command of the front, with General Varela exercising command in the field.^[6] The attack had been intended to coincide with a simultaneous offensive by Franco's Italian allies under General Mario Roatta at Guadalajara, but the Italians were not ready in time and Mola decided to launch his own offensive without them. The Nationalists had roughly 25,000 infantry, mostly Morrocan regulares and Spanish Legionnaires. Mola also had 10 squadrons of cavalry at his disposal. They were supported by German troops from the Condor Legion, including two heavy machine gun battalions, a tank corps under Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma and batteries of 155mm and 88mm guns.^[7] 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. ... José Enrique Varela Iglesias (born in San Fernando, Cadiz, Spain, April 17, 1891 - died in Tangier, Spanish Morocco, March 24, 1951) was a Spanish military commander and an important figure in the Spanish Civil War. ... Guadalajara may refer to: Mexico Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco Chivas de Guadalajara, aka Chivas, a Mexican association football team Spain Guadalajara (province), a province in Castile–La Mancha Guadalajara, Spain, the capital of the above province This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages... 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. ... General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma Wilhelm Josef Ritter von Thoma (November 11, 1891, Dachau – April 30, 1948, Dachau) was a German General der Panzertruppe during World War II. // Promotions Fahnenjunker: September 23, 1912 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier: January 25, 1913 Fähnrich: May 20, 1913 Leutnant: August 1, 1914 Oberleutnant: December 14...

The initial objectives of the Nationalists were to take the western bank of the river Jarama and to capture the heights that overlooked it. Next, they would have to break through the Republican positions on high ground east of the river and finally take the towns of Vaciamadrid and Arganda in order to sever the Madrid-Valencia road and cut off the capital to the south and east.

Flag of the International Brigades

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_International_Brigades. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_International_Brigades. ... The three-pointed red star, symbol of the International Brigades The Flag of the International Brigades The International Brigades were Republican military units in the Spanish Civil War, formed of many non-state sponsored volunteers of different countries who traveled to Spain, to fight for the republic in the Spanish...

Taking the west bank

The Nationalist offensive began on February 5 with assaults on the Republican positions on the west bank of the Jarama. The opening attacks took the Republicans by surprise. The Nationalists, as was the fashion of the Army of Africa, advanced in mobile columns and overwhelmed the unprepared Republicans. General García Escámez commanded their right flank (to the south), General Rada commanded the left, or northern wing, while General Asensio commanded the centre. Escámez on February 6 appeared at Ciempozuelos and overran the XVIII Brigade, which lost 1,800 men. Rada's men took La Marañosa hill, 700 metres high, which overlooked both banks of the Jarama. The two Republican battalions atop La Marañosa vainly stuck to their cliff-top defenses and died there to the last.^[8] From this hill top position, the Nationalists could dominate the river crossing with artillery and machine gun fire. Ciempozuelos is a town in Spain. ...

By February 8, the west bank of the Jarama was in Nationalist hands. Elements of General Pozas' Army of the Center had already begun taking flight when Líster and El Campesino showed up with their veteran brigades on February 8 and stabilized the line. Reinforcements appeared on the east bank of the Jarama and the Republic's army reorganized its defences, forestalling any enemy crossing. In addition, heavy rain flooded the river and held up fighting for two days. Sebastián Pozas Perea (Zaragoza, 1876 - 1946) was a Spanish military officer and civil servant. ... General Enrique Líster at the Battle of the Ebro, 1938. ... Valentín González (1909 Malcocinado, Badajoz—1983, Madrid) was a Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War. ...

Nationalists cross the river

A Republican T-26 tank.

On February 11 a small group of Moroccan regulares crossed the river undetected and crept up to the positions of the Republican XIV Brigade near the Pindoque railway bridge at Vaciamadrid. As they had learned to do in the Rif War, the regulares slipped inside the enemy perimeter and silently cut the throats of the sentries.^[9] Nationalist cavalry under Barrón followed them across almost immediately and rode down the blinded XIV Brigade. Nearby, Barrón's column, braving heavy Republican fire, charged across the Arganda bridge and established a bridgehead on the other side. The Republicans had laid demolition charges on the bridge, but although they were detonated, the bridge remained intact. Further south, Asensio attacked the village of San Martín de la Vega, where Republican machine gunners brought his advance to grief before being silenced by Moroccan and Legionnaire knifework. At this point, Nationalist troops under Varela crossed the river in force. However, the Republicans remained firmly entrenched along the Pingarrón heights on the eastern bank and continued to plaster the Nationalist bridgeheads with artillery fire. Barrón's brigade was held up by the Garibaldi International Brigade, which held the high ground near Arganda. Late in the day, armoured units of XI Brigade took apart a Nationalist push onto the Arganda—Colmena road and then counterattacked twice with Soviet T-26 tanks. The armoured assaults were then beaten off with artillery fire from Nationalist batteries dug in on La Marañosa, but they served to hold up further Nationalist advances.^[10] When Junkers of the Condor Legion appeared overhead in support of the Nationalists, Republican planes shot them down and took control of the skies. Until February 13, the Republican air force, largely composed of Soviet machines and pilots, maintained air supremacy. However, they were challenged by the arrival of more Italian and Spanish nationalist air power, with the result that, by the end of the battle, neither side had a decisive advantage in the air. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 587 pixelsFull resolution (959 × 704 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) T-26 tank. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 587 pixelsFull resolution (959 × 704 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) T-26 tank. ... Combatants Spain France Republic of the Rif Commanders Manuel Silvestre Dámaso Berenguer José Millán Astray Miguel Primo de Rivera Philippe Pétain Abd el-Krim Strength 465,000 regulars 15,000 irregulars Casualties 31,000 dead or wounded 54,000 dead or wounded The Rif War of 1920... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... General characteristics Length: 4. ... Junkers & Co was a major German aircraft manufacturer. ... 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. ... Air supremacy is the most favorable state of control of the air. ...

The Nationalists brought their reserves forward and opened on February 12 a powerful attack in the direction of Morata. Asensio's troops took the Pingarrón hills and assaulted the Pajares heights to the north. This struggle for the high ground east of the Jarama would see some of the most bitter fighting of the battle.

Suicide Hill

Republican propaganda pays homage to the International Brigades.

The XI International Brigade (composed of British, Balkan, French and Belgian volunteers) defending the Pajares found themselves outmanned and outgunned. Nationalist artillery massed on the heights of Pingarrón and pummeled the defenders. The British fell back and took up position at a place they named Suicide Hill. A machine-gun battalion arrived in support but proved unable to help them as they had been issued the wrong ammunition. However, Líster's veteran Spaniards appeared to the left of the British, and despite frightful casualties, the Republican line held all day and through the night. Image File history File links S12. ... Image File history File links S12. ...

A furious fight followed in which the British Battalion lost poet Christopher Caudwell and 375 of their 600 men, including almost every officer. On the 13th, Nationalist forces started a flanking maneuver and forced back the French units to the right of the British. They were then were able to isolate and capture 30 members of the machine gun battalion. The surviving Republicans gave up the hill and retreated to the heights.^[11] There the survivors were met by Colonel Gal who rallied them and convinced them to return to the battle. The Nationalists, mistaking the returning men for reinforcements, fell back in confusion. By the night of the February 14, fresh troops did arrive and managed to hold the line. Christopher Caudwell is the pseudonym of Christopher St. ...

Elsewhere, the German Thaelman Battalion held off a frontal assault on their hill top position, inflicting severe casualties on the attacking regulares with machine gun fire ^[12].

The furthest Nationalist advance was made to the south of "Suicide Hill," in the low hills between the heights of Pajares and Pingarrón. There the Nationalist centre made a breakthrough, after the XV (Italian) International Brigade was smashed by artillery fire from the Nationalist 155mm guns on Marañosa hill. Here, Barrón's nationalist troops almost reached the town of Arganda and the Madrid—Valencia road. However, their advance was halted by orders from General Varela, who was concerned that they would be cut off if they advanced too far ahead of other Nationalist units.

Republican counterattack

After Jarama, the Americans were heard to remark: "Small wonder our unit was named after Abraham Lincoln: He, too, was assassinated."

On February 14, the Republicans counter-attacked Barrón's men with 50 T-26 tanks, supported by infantry, artillery and air cover. Although it did not re-take any lost ground, the counter-attack again bloodied the Nationalists and halted their advance.^[13] The shaken Nationalists went as far as to call the 14th "el dia triste de la Jarama" ("the sad day," a throwback to Hernán Cortés' Noche Triste).^[14] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 267 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Spanish Civil War Battle of Jarama Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 267 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Spanish Civil War Battle of Jarama Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Hernán(do) Cortés Pizarro, 1st Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) was the conquistador who became famous for leading the military expedition that initiated the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. ... Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) was the conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain. ...

On February 17, General Jose Miaja took overall command of the Republican front. Command had previously been split between him and General Poza, hampering the co-ordination of Republican strategy. Miaja mounted a major counter-offensive to clear the eastern back of the Jarama. Forces under Líster made a frontal assault on the heights at Pingarrón, only to be driven back with up to 50% casualties. Another futile and costly attack was made by troops under Juan Modesto from the direction of the Manzanares river to the north on the Nationalist hill top position at Marronosa. Here again, the Republicans failed, at a heavy cost, to achieve their objectives. In the northern sector however, the Nationalists were forced back, away from Vaciamadrid and the Madrid—Valencia road. Jose Miaja José Miaja Menant (Oviedo, Asturias, 1878 - Mexico, January 14, 1958) was a Spanish Army Officer in the Second Spanish Republic. ... Juan Modesto Guilloto León (Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, 1906-Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1968) was a Republican army officer during the Spanish Civil War. ... The Manzanares is a river in central Spain which passes through the countrys capital, Madrid. ...

Further Republican counter-attacks followed between February 23 and 27. General Gal ordered another attempt to storm the Nationalist strongpoint at Pingarrón. The Republican forces involved included 450 Americans of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion under Robert Merriman. The inexperienced troops, advancing without artillery support, marched bravely into the teeth of the Nationalist lines and were cut to pieces. Poet Charles Donnelly (part of an Irish contingent known as the Connolly Column) was famously heard to remark, "even the olives are bleeding," before being gunned down by a burst of machine gun fire and killed. The Americans lost 120 dead and 175 wounded, or 66% casualties.^[15] After the failure of this attack, the Jarama valley settled again into silence. Both sides dug in and the front stabilised. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was an organization of United States volunteers supporting or fighting for the anti-fascist Spanish Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War as part of the International Brigade. ... Robert Hale Merriman (1908-1938) was an American professor of economics at the University of California who joined the Republican forces in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and led the American Volunteers with the International Brigades. ... Charles Donnelly (1914 - 1937) was an Irish poet. ... The Connolly Column refers to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Spanish Republic in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Lebanon and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ...

Aftermath

By the end of February, the battle had petered out into a stalemate, with both sides consolidating their positions to the point where no useful assault could be undertaken. Nationalists and Republicans alike had suffered very heavy losses (of between 6,000 to 25,000 each, depending on different estimates ^[16]). In addition, their troops were exhausted and low on ammunition and food.

Although the Nationalists succeeded in crossing the river and resisted all efforts to dislodge them from their footholds on the other side, the Madrid—Valencia road remained out of reach and firmly in Republican hands. Consequently, the area lost much of its strategic importance and merged into the wider front, lined with trenches and reminiscent of the static struggle of the western front in the First World War. In March, the Italian Expeditionary Army was thrown back at Guadalajara in similar fashion, and Franco's hopes of cutting off Madrid dissolved. A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defense. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Guadalajara Offensive (8 March – 23 March 1937) was an engagement in the Spanish Civil War. ...

Notes

In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... The Spanish Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that administered Spanish Morocco until Moroccos independence. ... 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. ...

References

• Anthony Beevor (1999). The Spanish Civil War. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-352 81-0. 
• Bradley, Ken; Mike Chappell (1994). The International Brigades in Spain, 1936-39. Osprey Publishing, 21-24. ISBN 1855323672. 
• Richardson, R. Dan (December 1979). "The Defense of Madrid: Mysterious Generals, Red Front Fighters, and the International Brigades". Military Affairs 43: 178–185. 
• Hugh Thomas (2001). The Spanish Civil War. Modern Library. ISBN 0-375-75515-2. 

Antony Beevor (born in 1946) is an historian, educated at Winchester College and Sandhurst. ... Hugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton (born October 21, 1931 in Windsor), is a British historian. ...

External links

• George Leeson, Irish born volunteer - writing in 1947 on 10th anniversary of Jarama

British Volunteers, International Brigade, Battle of Jarama