Battle of Alfambra

Last updated
Battle of Alfambra
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Date5–7 February 1938
Location
Result Nationalist victory [1]
Belligerents
Flag of Spain 1931 1939.svg  Spanish Republic Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg  Nationalist Spain
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg  Italy
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Spain 1931 1939.svg General Juan Hernández Saravia [2] Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg Rafael García Valiño
Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg Colonel Juan Yagüe
Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg General Antonio Aranda
Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg Colonel Jose Monasterio
Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg General Juan Vigon
Strength
fewer than 50,000
120 fighters [3]
80 bombers [4]
100,000
500 guns [5]
150 fighters [6]
100 bombers [7]
Casualties and losses
20,000 [8] -22,000 ?

The Battle of Alfambra took place near Alfambra from 5 to 8 February 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, and was a part of the Battle of Teruel. After the conquest of Teruel by the Republican army, the Nationalists started a counteroffensive in order to reocuppy Teruel. On 5 February, a huge Nationalist force broke the republican lines north of Teruel towards the Alfambra River, took 7,000 republican prisoners and threatened the Republican forces in Teruel.

Contents

Background

After the conquest of Teruel by the Republican army on 7 January, the Nationalists started an offensive to conquest the high ground around Teruel on 17 January and occupied the heights of La Muela. Nevertheless, the Republican troops, led by Hernandez Saravia and backed by the International Brigades, [9] stopped the Nationalist offensive on 27 January. [10] Then, the Nationalists concentrated an army of 100,000 men and 500 guns in the Sierra de Palomera in the north of Teruel, led by General Juan Vigon, with three Army Corps (Aranda’s Galicia corps, Yagüe's Morocco corps and the Garcia Valiño’s Navarre Corp), the Italian CTV and Monasterio’s cavalry division. [11]

On the other hand, the Republican defences in this part of the front were weak since they had never seen action, [12] and most of the Republican troops were concentrated in the city of Teruel [13] The Republican Army had one corps, the 13th Army Corps, with the 29th and the 42nd Divisions.

Battle

On 5 February, launched a major offensive towards the Alfambra River, along a front of 30 km. The attack started with a massive cavalry charge of the Monasterio’s division, the last great mounted charge in Western Europe. [14] The three Nationalist army corps broke the Republican lines and advanced swiftly towards the Alfambra. The Republican forces were surrounded by the nationalists or fled in disorder. [15] By 7 February, the Nationalists had conquered 500 square miles (1,300 km2) and huge amounts of material (munitions, weapons and ambulances), [16] and aircraft (twelve on 7 February alone). [17] The Republicans had suffered 20,000 [18] to 22,000 casualties, among them 7,000 prisoners. [19]

Aftermath

By 20 February, the Republican communications to Valencia from Teruel had become threatened by the Nationalists, and Hernandez Saravia gave orders to withdraw from the city [20] although the Republicans managed to form a defence line along the right bank of the Alfambra on 25 February. [21]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Ebro</span> Battle of the Spanish Civil War

The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly concentrated in two areas on the lower course of the Ebro River, the Terra Alta comarca of Catalonia, and the Auts area close to Fayón (Faió) in the lower Matarranya, Eastern Lower Aragon. These sparsely populated areas saw the largest array of armies in the war. The battle was disastrous for the Second Spanish Republic, with tens of thousands left dead or wounded and little effect on the advance of the Nationalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentín González</span> Spanish Army commander

Valentín González González, popularly known as El Campesino, was a Spanish Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique Líster</span> Spanish military officer and communist

Enrique Líster Forján was a Spanish communist politician and military officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Teruel</span> 1937 Spain civil war battle

The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War between December 1937 and February 1938, during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years. The battle was one of the bloodiest actions of the war, with the city changing hands several times by first falling to the Republicans and eventually being retaken by the Nationalists. In the course of the fighting, Teruel was subjected to heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. In the two-month battle, both factions together took 110,000 casualties.

Sebastián Pozas Perea was a Spanish military officer and civil servant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in the North</span> 1937 Spanish Civil War campaign in northern Spain

The War in the North was the campaign of the Spanish Civil War in which the Nationalist forces defeated and occupied the parts of northern Spain that had remained loyal to the Republican government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aragon Offensive</span> Military Campaign during the Spanish Civil War in 1938

The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon, and conquered parts of Catalonia and the Levante.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Solchaga</span>

José Solchaga Zala was a Spanish general who fought for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XI International Brigade</span> Military unit

The XI International Brigade fought for the Spanish Second Republic in the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XYZ Line</span> Spanish Civil War fortifications protecting Valencia

The XYZ Line, or Matallana Line, was a system of fortifications built during the Spanish Civil War in order to defend the capital of the Second Spanish Republic in Valencia, Spain. Unlike the Maginot Line, or the Iron Belt of Bilbao, which were expensive systems of fortifications and bunkers made of reinforced concrete, the XYZ Line was a simpler system of defenses in depth consisting of trenches and bunkers that took advantage of some of the most difficult terrain in Spain in the Iberian System ranges to the north and northeast of Valencia. The defenses were built to withstand bombardment by either heavy artillery or 1,000-pound aerial bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Cordón García</span>

Antonio Cordón García. was a Spanish soldier, born in Sevilla, who commanded during the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asturias Offensive</span>

The Asturias Offensive was an offensive in Asturias during the Spanish Civil War which lasted from 1 September to 21 October 1937. 45,000 men of the Spanish Republican Army met 90,000 men of the Nationalist forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Segovia Offensive</span>

The Segovia Offensive was a Republican diversionary offensive which took place between 31 May and 6 June 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The main goal of the offensive was to occupy Segovia and divert Nationalist forces from their advance on Bilbao. After a brief initial advance the offensive failed due to Nationalist air superiority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huesca Offensive</span> Battle of the Spanish Civil War

The Huesca Offensive was an operation carried out during the Spanish Civil War by the Republican Army in June 1937 in order to take the Aragonese city of Huesca, which since the start of the war in July 1936 had been under the control of the Nationalist forces.

The Battle of Caspe took place during the Aragon Offensive of the Spanish Civil War in 16–17 March 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartagena uprising</span> Spanish Civil War uprising

The Cartagena uprising took place 4–7 March 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. The troop transport SS Castillo de Olite was sunk during the revolt.

Luis Barceló Jover was a Spanish military officer.

Francisco Galán Rodríguez (1902–1971), was a Spanish military officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etelvino Vega</span> Spanish army officer (1906–1939)

Etelvino Vega Martínez (1906–1939) was a Spanish politician and military officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levante Offensive</span>

The Levante Offensive, launched near the end of March 1938, was an attempt by Nationalist forces under Francisco Franco to capture the Republican held city of Valencia during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists occupied the province of Castellón, but the offensive failed due to bad weather and the dogged resistance of the Republican troops at the XYZ defensive line.

References

  1. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pages 347 and 429
  2. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  3. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.773
  4. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.773
  5. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.321
  6. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.773
  7. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.773
  8. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.321
  9. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.321
  10. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  11. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.321
  12. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.321
  13. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  14. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  15. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  16. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  17. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.322
  18. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.321
  19. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  20. Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.772
  21. Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.322

40°20′43″N1°07′23″W / 40.3453°N 1.1231°W / 40.3453; -1.1231