Rif War
Date 1920 - 1926 Location Spanish Morocco Result Dissolution of the Republic of the Rif
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, also called the War of Melilla or Second Moroccan War was fought between Spain (later assisted by France) and the Moroccan Rif and Jibala tribes. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Spanish Morocco, was the area of Morocco ruled by Spain from up to 1956, when France and Spain recognised Moroccan independence. ... Flag of the Republic of the Rif The Republic of the Rif (full name The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif, or Dawlat al-Jumhuriyya ar-Rifiyya) was created in September 1921, when the people of the Rif (the Riffians) revolted and declared their independence from Spanish Morocco. ... Image File history File links Spain1785. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Flag of the Republic of the Rif The Republic of the Rif (full name The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif, or Dawlat al-Jumhuriyya ar-Rifiyya) was created in September 1921, when the people of the Rif (the Riffians) revolted and declared their independence from Spanish Morocco. ... Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté (4 August 1873 – 19 May 1953) was a Spanish soldier and politician. ... José Millán-Astray as a young officer José Millán-Astray y Terreros (July 5, 1879 - January 1, 1954) was the founder and first commander of the Spanish Legion, and a major early figure of Francoist Spain. ... Spanish dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, Marqués de Estella (Jerez, January 8, 1870 - Paris, March 16, 1930) was a Spanish military official who ruled Spain as a dictator from 1923 to 1930, ending the turno system of alternating parties. ... Henri-Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain, was a French general, later Head of State of Vichy France, from 1940 to 1944. ... Time Magazine, August 17, 1925 Abd el-Krim (c. ... Combatants Morocco Spain Commanders Mohammed IV of Morocco Juan Prim Leopoldo ODonnell Strength 40,000 140,000 Casualties 6,000 dead or wounded 4,000 dead or wounded The Spanish-Moroccan War of 1859, known as the African War in Spain (Spanish: La Guerra de África), was a war... Combatants Spain Rif Confederacy (Morocco) Commanders Juan García Margallo † Arsenio Martínez de Campos Hassan I of Morocco Baja-el-Arbi Strength 25,000 regulars and militia 40,000 irregulars The Rif War of 1893, also called the Melilla War or the Margallo War (after an unfortunate Spanish general... The Ifni War, also known as the 1957 Invasion of Spanish Sahara and, in Spain, the Forgotten War (la Guerra Ignorada), was a series of armed incursions into Spanish West Africa by Moroccan insurgents and indigenous Sahrawi rebels that began in October 1957 and culminated with the abortive siege of... for the historical event see: History of Western Sahara for the aerobatic team see: Marche Verte This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Mercator projection: public domain Online Map Creation The Isla Perejil (Parsley Island in Spanish; Arabic: Leila, night[probably just an adaptation from a romance form li(s)la the island], local i. ... Rif mountains near Al Hoceima The Rif (Arif in Berber, er-Rif الريف in Arabic) is a mainly mountainous region of north Morocco, from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Cape Tres Forcas and Melilla in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river...

As an outcome of the Treaty of Fez (1912) Spain gained possession of the lands around Melilla and Ceuta. In 1920 the Spanish commissioner, General Dámaso Berenguer, decided to conquer the eastern territory from the Jibala tribes. This, however, did not succeed, and ill equipped Spanish troops suffered a momentous defeat—known in Spain as the Disaster of Annual—by the forces of Abd el-Krim, the leader of the Rif tribes. The Spanish were pushed back and during the following five years occasional battles were fought between the two. By the Treaty of fez, signed March 30, 1912, sultan Abdelhafid gave up the sovereignty of Morocco to the French, making the country a protectorate. ... Area  â€“ Total    20 km² (8 mi²) Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  65,488  3274. ... Area  â€“ Total   28 km² Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  75,276  2688. ... Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté (4 August 1873 – 19 May 1953) was a Spanish soldier and politician. ... The Disaster of Annual was a grave military defeat suffered by the Spanish army on July 22, 1921 at Annual in northeastern Morocco during the Rif War or War of Melilla. ... Time Magazine, August 17, 1925 Abd el-Krim (c. ...

In 1925 events took a new turn as the French joined the war on the side of Spain, and began showing a distinct advantage over their Rif opponents and their Spanish Allies. The Spanish army had adopted much from French Foreign Legion and, as a result, a Spanish equivalent, Tercio de Extranjeros ("Regiment of Foreigners", generally known in English as the "Spanish Legion"), was formed in 1920 and commanded by general Francisco Franco. Less than 25% of this "Foreign Legion" were, in fact, foreign. They developed a notoriety for fierceness. The superior manpower soon resolved the course of war in favour of France and Spain. The French troops pushed through from the south while the Spanish fleet secured Alhucemas Bay and began attacking from the north. After one year of bitter resistance Abd el-Krim, the leader of both the tribes, surrendered, and in 1926 the Spanish Morocco was finally retaken after using chemical weapons against the Riffians. The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion Étrangère) is a unique unit within the French Army established in 1831. ... The Spanish Legion (La Legión Española) is a military elite unit of the Spanish Army. ... Franco redirects here. ... Al Hoceima is a Moroccan port on the Mediterranean Sea, and it is the main city in the Rif. ... Spanish Morocco, was the area of Morocco ruled by Spain from up to 1956, when France and Spain recognised Moroccan independence. ... Early detection of chemical agents Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare While the study of chemicals and their military uses was widespread in China, the use of toxic materials has historically been viewed with mixed emotions and some disdain in the West (especially when the enemy were doing it). ...

References

• Steven Thomas, 1911 - 1927 Rif War / Second Moroccan War
• The Rif War 1893 (sic) on OnWar.com.
• Chemical Weapons: Tenth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC 7-11 November 2005, The Hague, The Netherlands