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. Madrid was held by forces loyal to the Second Spanish Republic and was besieged by Spanish Nationalist and allied troops under Francisco Franco. The Battle of Madrid in November 1936 was the most concentrated fighting in the city, when the Nationalists made their most determined attempt to take Madrid. The city, besieged from October 1936, eventually fell to the Nationalists on March 28 1939. Image File history File linksMetadata Madrid_civil_war. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Madrid_civil_war. ... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was a conflict in which the... 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 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 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 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 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... Battle of El Mazuco Conflict Spanish Civil War Date 1937 Place El Mazuco, near Llanes Result Nationalist victory; leading to the fall of Asturias The Battle of El Mazuco was fought in September 1937, between the Republican (government) and Nationalist (rebel) armies of the Spanish Civil War. ... 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. ... A siege is a military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... Location Location of Madrid in Europe Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was a conflict in which the... Flag of the Second Spanish Republic This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Francisco El Caudillo Franco. ...

July 1936 Uprising - Madrid held for the Republic

A Republican poster printed in 1937, celebrating the first anniversary of the Republican militia's resistance to the military rebellion on July 18, 1936

The Spanish Civil War began with a failed coup d'etat against the Popular Front government of the Spanish Republic by right wing Spanish Army officers led by Francisco Franco on July 18, 1936. In Madrid, the Republican government was unsure of what to do. It wanted to put down the coup, but was unsure if it could trust the armed forces and did not want to arm the CNT and UGT trade unions and potentially precipitate social revolution. On July 18, the government sent units of the Guardia Civil to Seville to put down the rebellion there. However, on reaching that city the Guardia defected to the insurgents. On the 19 July Santiago Casares Quiroga resigned as Prime Minister, to be succeeded by Diego Martinez Barrio. He tried to to arrange a truce with the insurgent general Emilio Mola by telephone but Mola refused the offer and Martinez Barrio was ousted as Prime Minister by Jose Giral. Giral agreed to arm the trade unionists in defence of the Repubic and had 60,000 rifles delivered to the CNT and UGT headquarters (though only 5000 were in working order). In a radio broadcast on the 18th, the Communist leader Dolores Ibarruri coined the famous slogan No pasaran! (they shall not pass), urging resistance against the coup. The slogan was to become synonmous with the defence of Madrid and republican cause in general. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (454x636, 36 KB) Spanish Republican poster (Color lithograph poster, 1937) (Gift of the Packer Outdoor Advertising Company) Source: Library of Congress LoC description: The intensity of the bitter conflict between republican and nationalist forces in Spain is reflected in this poster... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (454x636, 36 KB) Spanish Republican poster (Color lithograph poster, 1937) (Gift of the Packer Outdoor Advertising Company) Source: Library of Congress LoC description: The intensity of the bitter conflict between republican and nationalist forces in Spain is reflected in this poster... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Popular Fronts comprise broad coalitions of political and other groups, often made up of oppositioners or left wingers, and often united against particularly stringent circumstances. ... There have been two Spanish Republics: First Spanish Republic (1873-1874) Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939) Franco declared Spain to be a monarchy, but did not permit a monarch until his death in 1975. ... The Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra in Spanish; literally, Land Army) is one branch of the Spanish armed forces, in charge of land operations. ... Francisco El Caudillo Franco. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labour or CNT), founded in Barcelona, Spain, in 1910, was at one time that countrys largest labor unions. ... UGT emblem // History Pablo Iglesias (Founder of UGT) The Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT, Workers General Union) is a major Spanish trade union, historically affiliated with the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE). ... The term social revolution may have different connotations depending on the speaker. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Guardia Civil (Civil Guard in Spanish) is the name of several police forces: Guardia Civil (Spain) Guardia Civil (Peru) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... Santiago Casares Quiroga (La Coruña, 1884 - París, 1950) was a Spanish politician who was Prime Minister of Spain from May 13 to July 19, 1936. ... Diego Martínez Barrio (Seville, 1882 – Paris, 1965) was a Spanish politician during the Second Spanish Republic and briefly held the position of Prime Minister of Spain after the resignation of Santiago Casares Quiroga, on July 19, 1936, three days after the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. ... 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 Giral Pereira, (Santiago de Cuba, 1879 - Mexico, 1962) was a Spanish politician during the Second Spanish Republic. ... Dolores Ibarruri Dolores Ibárruri Gómez, also known as La Pasionaria (the passion flower) (November 12, 1895–December 9, 1989) was a Spanish political leader. ... They shall not pass (French: Ils ne passeront pas), (Spanish ¡No pasarán!) is a propaganda slogan used to express determination to defend a position against an enemy. ...

At the same time, General Fanjul, commander of the military garrison based in Montana barracks in Madrid was preparing to launch the military rebellion in the city. However, when he tried to march out of the barracks, his 2,500 troops were forced back inside the compound by hostile crowds and armed trade unionists. On the 20th, the barracks was stormed by a mixture of workers and Assault Guard (asalto) police loyal to the government (perhaps 10,000 fighters in total). The fighting was chaotic and on several occasions some soldiers within the barracks indicated their willingness to surrender, only for other troops to keep firing at the attackers, killing those who had advanced to take their surrender. Eventually the barracks fell when the asaltos brought up a 75mm field gun to bombard the complex and its gate was opened by a sapper sergeant sympathetic to the Republican side. The sergeant was killed by one of his officers, but his action allowed the Republicans to breach the walls. A number of soldiers were massacred by the crowd, enraged by the apparent false surrenders, after the fall of Montana barracks. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with combat engineering. ...

Thereafter and for the remainder of the war, Madrid was held by the Republicans. However its population contained a significant number of right wing sympathisers. Over 20,000 right wingers sought refuge in foreign embassies in the city. The weeks that followed the July uprising, saw a number of fascists, or fascist sympathisers (as the left termed them) being killed in Madrid by Republicans. For example, on August 23, 70 prisoners from the Model Prison in the city were massacred in revenge for the Nationalist killing of over 1,500 Republicans after the storming of Badajoz. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the right-wing authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 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... Badajoz (formerly Badajos), the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ...

Nationalists "Drive on Madrid" August to October 1936

Nationalist troops of the Spanish Foreign Legion march on Madrid in August 1936

The initial strategy of the military plot had been to assume power all over the country in the manner of a Pronunciamiento (military coup) of the nineteenth century. However, the resistance to the coup by Republicans meant that instead of this, Franco and his allies would have to conquer the country by military force if they wanted to seize power. Franco himself had landed in Algeciras in southern Spain with Morrocan troops from the Spanish Army of Africa. Mola, who was in command of the colonial troops as well as the Spanish Foreign Legion and Carlist and Falangist milita, raised troops in the north. Together, they planned a "Drive on Madrid" to take the Spanish capital, Franco advancing from Badajoz, which he took in August and Mola from Burgos. Franco's veteran colonial troops, or regulares, under General Yague, along with air cover supplied by Nazi Germany, routed the Republican militias in their path. Yague argued for a rapid advance on Madrid, but Franco overuled him in favour of relieving the Nationalist troops besieged in Toledo. This diversion held up their attack on Madrid by up to a month -giving the Republicans time to prepare its defence. Image File history File links Gce_ago36_3. ... Image File history File links Gce_ago36_3. ... The Spanish Foreign Legion was founded by General Milian Astry in February 1920 as the Spanish equivelent to the French Foreign Legion. ... A pronunciamiento (literally, pronouncement or declaration) is the Spanish term for a military uprising or coup in Spain and the Spanish American republics, particularly in the 19th century. ... Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, near the British colony/Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, slightly to the north from Tarifa, which is the southernmost town of the peninsular Spain and Europe (, ). Both cities are situated on the Strait of Gibraltar; Algeciras also faces the Mediterranean. ... The Spanish Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that administered Spanish Morocco until Moroccos independence. ... The Spanish Foreign Legion was founded by General Milian Astry in February 1920 as the Spanish equivelent to the French Foreign Legion. ... Carlism was a conservative political movement in Spain, purporting to establish an alternative branch of the Bourbons in the Spanish throne. ... Falange was a totalitarian clerical fascist political organization founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera in 1933 in opposition to the Second Spanish Republic. ... The cathedral Our Lady of Burgos. ... Regulares (Spanish for Regulars) was the name commonly used to designate the infantry and cavalry units recruited in Spanish Morocco. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The façade of Toledo cathedral Toledo is a city located in central Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. ...

Meanwhile, in the city, the Republican government had reformed under the leadership of socialist leader Francisco Largo Caballero. Caballero's government included 6 Socialist party ministers, 2 Communists, 2 from the Republican Left party, 1 from the Catalan Left party, one Basque nationalist and one Republican Union minister. Although the communists were a minority in the government, they gained in influence through their access to arms from the USSR and foreign volunteers in the International Brigades. The Republican military commander in Madrid was nominally a Spanish general, Jose Miaja, but Soviet military personnel were perhaps more important. General Goriev was their overall commander. General Smushkevic controlled the air forces sent from Russia and General Pavlov commanded their armoured forces. In spite of Soviet aid, most of the Republican defenders of Madrid (c.90%) were militias, raised by left-wing political parties or trade unions, who elected their own leaders. The Republican command had relatively little control over these units in the early phase of the Civil War. The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... Francisco Largo Caballero (October 15, 1869 -March 23, 1946) was a Spanish politician and trade unionist. ... PCE symbol More symbols and logos The Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España or PCE) is the third largest political party of Spain. ... Izquierda Republicana is a Spanish political party. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... The Republican Union Party were a political party in Spain led by Diego Martinez Barrio who in 1936 led them into the Spanish Popular Front, a collection of left-wing political parties brought together for the purpose of contesting the 1936 election. ... Flag of the International Brigades Blason of the International Brigades Fifteenth International Brigade redirects here. ... Jose Miaja José Miaja Menant (Oviedo, Asturias, 1878 - Mexico, January 14, 1958) was a Spanish Army Officer in the Second Spanish Republic. ...

On the other side, both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supplied Franco with air cover and armoured units for his assault on Madrid, while the German ariel units in Spain, the Condor Legion were commanded independently of Franco's officers. The Nationalists reached Madrid in early November 1936, approaching it from the north and west. On the 29th of October, a Republican counter attack by the 5th (communist) regiment under Enrique Lister was beaten off at Parla. On November 2, Brunete fell to the nationalists, leaving their troops at the western suburb of Madrid. Mola famously remarked to an English journalist that he would take Madrid with his four columns outside the city and his "Fifth column" - composed of right wing sympathisers within it. The term "fifth column" became a synonym for spies or traitors on the Republican side and paranoia regarding them led to massacre of nationalist prisoners in Madrid during the ensuing battle. Believing the capital was about to fall, the Republican government under Caballero abandoned Madrid on the 6th of November for Valencia. General Miaja and the political leaders who remained formed the Junta de Defensa de Madrid (Committee for the Defence of Madrid) to organise the republican defenders. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the right-wing authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... 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. ... Enrique Líster (1907, Ameneiro (A Coruña) - 1994, Madrid) was a Spanish communist politician and army official. ... Brunete is a place outside Madrid, Spain. ... A fifth column is a group of people which clandestinely undermines a larger group to which it is expected to be loyal, such as a nation. ... 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. ...

However, the Nationalist's attempt to capture Madrid had some serious tactical drawbacks. For one thing, their troops were outnumbered over two to one by the defenders (although the Nationalists were far better trained and equipped). Another disadvantage was their inability to surround Madrid and to cut if off from outside help.

November 1936 -the Battle for Madrid

Battle of Madrid
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Members of the International Brigades fighting in the School of Medicine in the University City during the Battle of Madrid, December 1936.
Date: November 8 to early December 1936 Location: Madrid, Spain Result: Nationalist assault on Madrid beaten off by Republican forces
Combatants
Second Spanish Republic	Nationalist Spain
Commanders
José Miaja	Francisco Franco, Emilio Mola
Strength
42,000	20,000
Casualties
c. 5,000 dead or wounded (including civilians)	c. 5,000 dead or wounded

Republican International Brigade troops at Casa de Campo on the western outskirts of Madrid during the battle

The Republicans had a geographical advantage in defending Madrid - the river Manzanares separated the Nationalists from the city centre, representing a formidable physical obstacle. Mola planned his assault on Madrid for November 8, 1936. He planned to attack through the Casa de Campo park (on a front only one km wide) to try to avoid street fighting, with the intention of taking the University City, just north of the city centre thus establishing a bridgehead across the Manzanares. He also launched a diversionary attack towards the suburb of Carabanchel to the southwest of the city centre. However, on the 7th of November, the Republicans had captured plans of the attack on the body of a Nationalist officer and therefore were able to concentrate their troops in the Casa de Campo to meet the main attack. Combatants Spanish Republic CNT UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was a conflict in which the... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (466x624, 89 KB) Summary Members of the International Brigades on Complutense University campus, Spanish Civil War. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (466x624, 89 KB) Summary Members of the International Brigades on Complutense University campus, Spanish Civil War. ... Flag of the International Brigades Blason of the International Brigades Fifteenth International Brigade redirects here. ... Flag of the Second Spanish Republic 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. ... Image:SPmaija. ... Francisco El Caudillo Franco. ... 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. ... International Brigades at the Casa del Campo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... International Brigades at the Casa del Campo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Manzanares is a river in central Spain which passes through the countrys capital, Madrid. ... The Casa de Campo is a large urban park situated in Madrid (Spain), next to the Monte de El Pardo. ... Los Portadores de la Antorcha (The Bearers of the Torch of Knowledge) statue at Plaza Ramón y Cajal, in the Moncloa Campus. ... Carabanchel is a neighbourhood in Madrid, Spain. ...

Mola attacked on November 8 with 20,000 troops, mostly Moroccan regulares, supported by Italian light armour and German Panzer I tanks under German officer Wilhelm Von Thoma. The Republicans deployed 12,000 troops in Carabanchel and 30,000 more to meet the main assault at the Casa de Campo. Despite their superiority in numbers, the Republicans were very badly equipped, mostly having only small arms, with reputedly only ten rounds for each rifle. In addition, most of them had never been trained in the use of weapons, let alone experienced combat before. Nevertheless, they held off the Nationalist onslaught at Casa de Campo. Late on November 8, the first International Brigade, the XI, of 1900 men arrived at the front. Although numerically small, their arrival was a major morale boost for the defenders of Madrid. Two days afterwards, 4000 more Republican reinforcements arrived from the Aragon front -anarchist CNT militiamen under Buenaventura Durruti. The Panzer I was a light tank produced by Germany in the 1930s, intended as a training tank, but also used extensively in the Spanish Civil War and early World War II. The Panzer I went by many names and designations, with the most common official designation as the Panzerkampfwagen... 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... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 269 027  2,9%  26,59/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ... The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labour or CNT), founded in Barcelona, Spain, in 1910, was at one time that countrys largest labor unions. ... Buenaventura Durruti (July 14, 1896 in León—November 20, 1936, Madrid) was a central figure of Spanish anarchism during the period leading up to and during the Spanish Civil War. ...

The Moncloa Campus in the University City was largely destroyed by artilery fire from the Francoist forces during the Battle

On the 9th of November, the Nationalists switched the focus of their offensive to the Carabanchel suburb, but this heavily built up urban area proved a very difficult obstacle. The colonial Morroccan troops got pinned down in house to house fighting (in which they had little previous experience) and took heavy casualties at the hands of militiamen who knew the urban terrain very well. Image File history File links GCE_GN06_ACM_Universitaria. ... Image File history File links GCE_GN06_ACM_Universitaria. ... Palacio de la Moncloa, settled in Madrid, is the official residence for the Prime Minister of Spain since 1977, when Adolfo Suárez moved the residence from a palace situated in the centre of Madrid, at Paseo de la Castellana. ...

Republican troops counter attacked all along the front in Madrid, on the 9th, 10th and 17th of November, driving back the Nationalists in places but at a cost to some units of up to half their men. On November 11, an infamous massacre occurred on the Republican side, when 1029 Nationalist prisoners held in the Model Prison were taken out and killed in the Jarama valley on November 11 by the Republican 5th regiment as potential "Fifth Columnists". It has been alleged that the killings were ordered by communist leader Santiago Carrillo but this has never been proved. On the 12th, the newly arrived XII International Brigade, under General "Lukacs" (German, Scandinavian, French, Belgian and Italian troops), launched an attack on Nationalist positions on the Cerro de los Angeles hill, south of the city, to prevent the cutting of the road to Valencia. The attack collapsed due to language and communication problems and insufficient artillery support. However the road to Valencia remained open. Jarama is a river in central Spain. ... Santiago Carrillo Solares (born January 18, 1915), Spanish politician, was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. ... Georg Lukács (April 13, 1885 - June 4, 1971) was a Hegelian and Marxist philosopher and literary critic. ...

On the 19th the Nationalists made their final frontal assault and under cover of a heavy artillery bombardment, Morrocan and Foreign Legion troops fought their way into the University City quarter of Madrid. While their advance was checked, they established a bridgehead over the river Manzanares. Bitter street fighting ensued. Durruti, the anarchist leader, was killed on the 19th, reportedly by the accidental discharge of one of his own men's weapons. Despite fierce counter attacks by the XI International Brigade and Spanish Republican units, the Nationalists kept their toehold in the University City and by the end of the battle were in possession of three quarters of the complex. However, their attempt to storm Madrid had failed, in the face of unexpectedly stiff Republican resistance. Franco stopped further infantry assaults, as he could not risk losing any more of his best regulare and legionaire troops. Manzanares river. ...

Nationalist aircraft bomb Madrid in late November 1936

Having failed to take Madrid by assault, Franco ordered the aerial bombardment of the city's residential areas, with the exception of the upper class Salamanca district (which was assumed to contain many Nationalist supporters) with the intention of terrifying the civilian population into surrender. Franco is quoted as saying, "I will destroy Madrid rather than leave it to the Marxists". German bombers pounded the rest of the city from the 19th to the 23rd of November. Arguably, this tactic of Franco's was counter-productive, as the Republican population in Madrid were not cowed into surrender and the aerial bombardment of civilians (one of the first in the history of warfare) was heavily criticised by foreign journalists, among them Ernest Hemmingway. The casualties from the aerial bombardment seem to have been relatively low. There is no definitive figure for the civilian casualties it caused, but a figure of 150-200 deaths is most often quoted. 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. ... 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. ... Ernest Hemingway, 1950. ...

The battle petered out in December, with both sides exhausted. A front line stabilised in the city, running from the Nationalist salient over the river Manzanares in the University City, through the Casa de Campo park and through the streets of the Carabanchel area. The population of Madrid was subjected to a sporadic artillery and aerial bombardment and food became short as the winter went on. The UGT union transferred some vital industries to metro tunnels under the city which were not in use. The casualties inflicted in the Battle of Madrid were never accurately counted, but British historian Hugh Thomas has estimated that they came to about 10,000 between the two sides and civilian population. In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. ... Metro is: a general term, synonymous with rapid transit, subway or underground, for an urban underground rail public transit system (see list of rapid transit systems); any of several specific public transport systems, including: Bi-State Development Agency in Missouri and Illinois, d/b/a Metro since 2003 Buffalo Metro...

Franco's final action of 1936 was to attempt to cut off the road to Corunna, north east of Madrid as first step towards surrounding the Spanish capital. The battle of the Corunna Road was also a stalemate. A Coruña , (in English Corunna, in Spanish La Coruña, and in Galician A Coruña) is a Galician city, in north-western Spain. ... 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. ...

1937 - Battles around Madrid

After the Battle of Madrid, the Republican government tried to re-organise its armed forces from a collection of militias into a regular "Popular Army". This was achieved by integrating the militias into the structures of the elements of the pre-war army which had sided with the Republic. While in theory this reduced the power of political parties relative to the government, in practice it increased the influence of the Communist Party, who were the source of foreign volunteers, Russian arms and military advisors. The party, therefore, had a disproportionate influence in the appointment of military commanders and the setting of military policy.

The year 1937 saw two major battles in the immediate area around Madrid, the Battle of Jarama (January to February) and the Battle of Brunete in July. In addition, two other battles were fought further afield as part of the Nationalist's campaign to take the capital. In March, at Guadalajara to the north west and at the end of December at Teruel, north east of Madrid. The Battle of Jarama was a battle of the Spanish Civil War in Febrary 1937. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 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... Teruel (Aragonese: Tergüel) is a city in Aragon, Spain, the capital of Teruel Province. ...

In the first of these battles, in early 1937 Franco tried to cross the river Jarama to cut off the road between Madrid and Valencia, where the Republicans had moved their government. The battle's results were inconclusive. Franco's troops managed to get onto the east bank of the Jarama but failed to sever communications between Madrid and Valencia. Casualties on both sides were heavy, estimates of their losses ranging from 6,000 to 20,000 on each side. Jarama is a river in central Spain. ... 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. ...

In March, the battle of Guadalajara was fought about 60km to the north east of Madrid, when Republican troops routed an attempt by Italian troops to cross the Jarama, encircle Madrid's defences and launch an assault on the city. The Guadalajara Offensive (8 March – 23 March 1937) was an engagement in the Spanish Civil War. ...

In May, Republican forces under Polish communist officer Karol Swierczewski tried to break out of Madrid in an armoured assault, but were beaten back. A far more ambitious northern offensive was launched by the Republicans in July, with the intention of encircling the Nationalists. However, the ensuing Battle of Brunete again developed into a bloody stalemate. The initial Republican attack took Brunete and pushed back the Nationalist front some 12 kilometres, but determined Nationalist counter attacks re-took this territory by the end of the battle. In this case, Republican losses were significantly higher than those of the Nationalists. Karol Świerczewski, Marian Spychalski and Michal Rola-Zymierski Karol Świerczewski, (callsign Walter) (22 February 1897 in Warsaw – 28 March 1947 at Jabłonki near Baligród) was a military officer, general in service of Poland, Russia and Spain and a communist activist. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

In late 1937, the Nationalists took much of northern Spain -the country's industrial heartland - and with it many arms factories that had sustained the Republican war effort up to that point. At the very end of the year, the Republican commander of the IV Corps, Cipriano Mera intercepted Nationalist plans for a fresh assault on Madrid from the direction of Zaragoza. General Vicente Rojo launched a pre-emptive offensive of his own, with over 100,000 men on December 15th and took the town of Teruel. Rojo's offensive put paid to Franco's proposed assault on Madrid, but led to one of the bloodiest battles of the war, with over 100,000 casualties on both sides. Cipriano Mera Sanz (Madrid, 1896-Paris, 1975) was a Spanish military and political figure during the Second Spanish Republic. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Zaragoza (Spanish) Spanish name Zaragoza Founded 24 Postal code 50001 - 50018 Website http://www. ... Vicente Rojo Lluch (1894, Fuente la Higuera, in Valencia–June 15, 1966 Madrid) was a prominent Republican army officer during the Spanish Civil War. ... Teruel (Aragonese: Tergüel) is a city in Aragon, Spain, the capital of Teruel Province. ... 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. ...

1938-March 1939, Republican infighting and the fall of Madrid

In 1938, the siege of Madrid tightened and its population suffered increasingly from a lack of food, warm clothes and arms and ammunition. However Franco by this point had given up on the idea of another frontal assault on the city and instead was happy to gradually constrict the siege, while keeping up a bombardment of the city.

By the spring of 1939, after the collapse of the Republican forces on other fronts, it was clear that the Republican cause in Madrid was destined to failure. This created a bitter division within Republican ranks. One one side was the prime minister Juan Negrin, some other government ministers, and the Communist Party, who wanted to fight to the end. They were opposed by the Republican general Segismundo Casado and others, who wanted to negotiate the surrender of Madrid to spare Republican supporters the worst of the Nationalist retribution. On the 5th of March, Casado's men arrested communist officers in Madrid and stripped them of their powers. On the 7th, the Communist leaders, Russian advisors and the socialist Prime Minster Negrin flew out of Madrid. The following day saw fighting in the streets between communist and non-communist troops, ending with the defeat of the communists and the execution of their leader Luis Barcelo. Juan Negrín Lopez (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, February 3, 1887 - Paris, November 12, 1956) was a Spanish republican political figure during the Spanish Civil War. ... Segismundo Casado Segismundo Casado López (Nava de la Asunción, Segovia, 1893 - Madrid, 1968) was a Spanish Army Officer in the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. ...

This left Casado free to try to negotiate surrender terms with Franco. However, the Nationalist leader insisted that unconditional surrender was all that he would accept. On March 26, Franco ordered a general advance into Madrid and on the 27th, the Republican front collapsed - many of their troops surrendering or simply throwing away their weapons and starting for home. On March 28 1939, Madrid finally fell to Franco's forces. In spite of Casado's efforts at negotiation, many of the Republican defenders of Madrid were among the 200,000 or so people executed by Franco's regime between 1939 and 1943. Unconditional surrender refers to a surrender without conditions, except for those provided by international law. ...

The Valle de los Caidos or "valley of the fallen", a collossal memorial built by Franco near Madrid after the war, ostensibly to commemorate from both sides, but widely seen as a monument to Nationalist dead only

Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos -- taken from the Spanish wikipedia, es:Imagen:ValleCaidos. ... Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos -- taken from the Spanish wikipedia, es:Imagen:ValleCaidos. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos. ...

Sources

• Chris Bishop, Ian C. Drury. Battles of the Twentieth Century, Hamlyn 1989.
• Anthony Beevor, The Spanish Civil War, Cassell 1999.
• Hugh Thomas. The Spanish Civil War, Penguin 2003.

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

External links

• Spartacus.net article on the Siege: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SPmadrid.htm
• Short summary (English): http://www.lacolumna.org.uk/article_battles%20of%20the%20SCW.htm#madrid
• Magazine article and images from elcultural (in Spanish): http://www.elcultural.es/html/20040909/LETRAS/LETRAS10163.asp
• Article on life in Madrid during the siege, by the students of the Faculty of Geography and History of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid (in Spanish): http://www.ucm.es/info/hcontemp/madrid/guerra%20civil.htm