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 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 attampt to take Madrid. The city, besieged from October 1936, eventually fell to the Nationalists on March 28 1939. Combatants Second Spanish Republic Foreign volunteers Soviet Union CNT militia UGT militia POUM militia Nationalist Spain Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Foreign volunteers Falangists Carlists Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 18, 1936 to April 1, 1939... 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 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 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 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... 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 prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... Madrids emblem: el oso y el madroño Madrid is the capital and the largest city in Spain, as well as in the province and the autonomous community of the same name. ... Combatants Second Spanish Republic Foreign volunteers Soviet Union CNT militia UGT militia POUM militia Nationalist Spain Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Foreign volunteers Falangists Carlists Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 18, 1936 to April 1, 1939... 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. ... 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 19th of 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). 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. ... 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. ... 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. ... 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. ...

At the same time, General Fanjul, based in Montana barracks in Madrid was preparing to launch the military rebellion in the city. However, when 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 occassions some soldiers within the barracks indicated their willingness to surrender, only for other troops to keep firing at the attackers who had advanced to take their surrender. Eventually the barracks fell when the asaltos brought up a 75mm field gun to bombard it and the gate of the complex 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 after the fall of Montana barracks.

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. In the weeks that followed the July uprising, some fascists, or fascist sympathisers (as the left termed them) were 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. 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 Prononciamiento 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 wante to sieze power. Franco himself had landed in Algeciras in southern Spain with Morrocan troops from the Spanish Army of Africa. Mola, who also commanded of colonial troops along the Spanish Foreign Legion and Carlist and Falangist milita, raised troops in the north. Together, the 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 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. The Spanish Foreign Legion was founded by General Milian Astry in February 1920 as the Spanish equivelent to the French Foreign Legion. ... 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. ... 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 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 personel 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. ... 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 tried to unnerve the Republican defenders of the city by announcing that he would take Madrid with his four columns outside the city and his "Fifth column" - composed of right wing sympathisers within it. Such was the paranoia this caused on the Republican side that 1029 Nationalist prisoners held in the Model Prison were massacred by the Republican 5th regiment as potential "Fifth Columnists". Believing the capital was about to fall, the Republican government under Caballero abandoned Madrid on the 6th of November for Valencia. 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. ... Fifth Column, from left to right: Caroline Azar, G.B. Jones, Beverly Breckenridge. ... The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Santiago Calatrava, Valencia, Spain. ...

However, the Nationalist's attempt to capture Madrid had some serious tactical drawbacks. For one thing, thier 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

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

Members of the International Brigades fighting in the School of Medicine in the University City during the Battle of Madrid, December 1936.

The Republicans had a geographical advantage in defending Madrid - the river Manzanares seperated the Nationalists from the city centre, representing a formidable physical obstacle. Mola launched his assault on Madrid on November 8, 1936. He attacked 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, the Republicans captured plans of the attack on the 7th of November 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. 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. ... Blason of the International Brigades Fifteenth International Brigade redirects here. ... 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. ... The Complutense University of Madrid, in Spanish Universidad Complutense de Madrid, is a prestigious Spanish university, located in Madrid. ... Carabanchel is a neighbourhood in Madrid, Spain. ...

Mola attacked with 20,000 troops, mostly Moroccan regulares, supported by Italian light armour and German Panzer I tanks under German officer 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... 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. ... CNT may be: Confederación Nacional del Trabajo Confédération nationale du travail (CNT-F) Carbon nanotube Computer Network Technology Corporation, an enterprise adquired by McData in January 2005 This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... 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. ...

On the 9th of November, the Nationalists switched the focus of their offensive to the Carabanchel suburb, but their Moroccan troops got pinned down in house to house fighting (in which they had little previous experience) and took heavy casualties.

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 their men. Around this time, the Communist leader Dolores Ibarruri coined the famous slogan No pasaran! (they shall not pass) in support of the defenders of Madrid. 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. ...

On the 19th the Nationalists made thier 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. 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.

Nationalist aircraft bomb Madrid in late November 1936

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

Havign failed to take Madrid by assault, Franco ordered the ariel bombardment of the city's residential areas, with the exception of th 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 ariel bombardment of civilians (one of the first in the history of warfare) was heavily criticised by foreign journalists, among them Ernest Hemmingway. 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 thrugh the streets of the Carabanchel area. The population of Madrid was subjected to a sporadic artillery 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. 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 captial. The battle of the Corunna Road was also a stalemate. Corunna is the English name of province and town in Spain, nowadays more frequently known by its Galician name A Coruña or its Spanish name La Coruña. ... 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 of Jarama, Brunete and Teruel

Republican dinamitero prepares improvised explosives in the trenches near Madrid in June 1937

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 and Russian arms and military advisorsa nd who therefore had a disproportionate influence in the appointment of military commanders.

The year 1937 saw two major battles around Madrid, the Battle of Jarama (January to February) and the Battle of Brunete in July at the end of December there was another major battle at [Teruel]], north east of Madrid. In the first of these battles, 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 respective losses range from 6,000 to 20,000 casualties apiece. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Jarama is a river in central Spain. ... The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Santiago Calatrava, Valencia, Spain. ...

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 Republican offensive was launched in July, with an attack on Nationalists before Madrid being laucnhed from the north, with the intention of encircling them. 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 took over many of the 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, taking 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. ... Zaragoza (formerly Saragossa in English; Latin Caesaraugusta) is the capital city of the autonomous region and former kingdom of Aragon in Spain, and is located on the river Ebro, and its tributaries the Huerva and Gállego, near the centre of the region, in a great valley with a variety... Teruel (Aragonese: Tergüel) is a city in Aragon, Spain, the capital of Teruel Province. ...

1938 - March 1939, Madrid starved into surrender

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 destinied to be defeated. This caused a bitter divisions within Republican ranks between those, including the Communists and some of the government, including prime minister Juan Negrin, who wanted to fight to the end and others including the Republican general Segismundo Casado, who wanted to negotiated the surrender of Madrid to spare thier supporters the worst of the Nationalist retribution. On the 5th of March, Casado's men arrested communist officers in Madrid and stripped them of thier 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 the only terms 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 Caasado'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 to commemorate the Nationalist dead.

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. ...

Sources

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