Battle of Almendralejo

Last updated
Church of the Purification, Almendralejo, Spain Iglesia parroquial de la Purificacion, Almendralejo, Badajoz.jpg
Church of the Purification, Almendralejo, Spain

The Battle of Almendralejo was a battle and massacre in Almendralejo, Spain, in August 1936, during the first stages of the Spanish Civil War.

Contents

History

On 7 August 1936, the troops of General Francisco Franco, under the command of Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, entered Almendralejo and took the town. Upon the entrance of the troops, the Republican militiamen withdrew; forty of them holed up in the Tower of the Parish of the Purification (Torre de la Parroquia de la Purificación), whose profile dominates the surrounding countryside. Military staff then decided to set fire to the parish and shell the tower with a cannon installed in the Fuente La Negra, in order to force the Republicans to surrender. [1]

Roughly 1,000 civilians were killed. [1] The Republicans resisted until 15 August 1936. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Battle of Badajoz was one of the first major engagements of the Spanish Civil War, resulting in a tactical and strategic Nationalist victory, however at a significant cost in time and troops. After several days of shelling and bombardment, Nationalists stormed the fortified border city of Badajoz on August 14, 1936, cutting off the Spanish Republic from neighbouring Portugal and linking the northern and southern zones of Nationalist control.

The Battle of Mérida saw Republican militia twice fail to halt the Spanish Army of Africa near the historic town of Mérida early in the Spanish Civil War.

The Battle of Málaga was the culmination of an offensive in early 1937 by the combined Nationalist and Italian forces, with air and naval support from Nazi Germany, to eliminate Republican control of the province of Málaga during the Spanish Civil War. The participation of Moroccan regulars and Italian tanks from the recently arrived Corpo Truppe Volontarie resulted in a complete rout of the Spanish Republican Army and the capitulation of Málaga in less than a week.

The Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe, also known as the Tagus Campaign, was a continuation of the Nationalist Army's race north toward Madrid in the early stages of the Spanish Civil War. In mid-late August 1936, the three Regulares columns of General Yagüe's Army of Africa dashed through the Sierra de Guadalupe Mountains, also known as Sierra de Villuercas, in central Spain and forded across the Tagus River, capturing several towns and routing the Republicans in a succession of rapid advances.

The Battle of Monte Pelado was an engagement of the Spanish Civil War fought on 28 August 1936. It was notable as the first major engagement of the Italian Republican volunteers of the Matteotti Battalion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Santander</span> 1937 battle of the Spanish Civil War

The Battle of Santander was a battle fought in the War in the North campaign of the Spanish Civil War during the summer of 1937. Santander's fall on 26 August assured the Nationalist conquest of the province of Santander, now Cantabria. The battle devastated the Republic's "Army of the North"; 60,000 soldiers were captured by the Nationalists.

<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">Battle of Bilbao</span> Part of the Spanish Civil War (1937)

The Battle of Bilbao, part of the War in the North in the Spanish Civil War, saw the Nationalist Army capture Bilbao and the rest of the Basque Country that was still being held by the Republic.

The Villarreal Offensive was an offensive of the Spanish Civil War which lasted from 30 November to 24 December 1936. Eusko Gudarostea's 4,300 men fought 600 men of the insurgent forces.

<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.

The Extremadura campaign was a campaign in Extremadura, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. It culminated in the Battle of Badajoz in August 1936, from which the troops of the Army of Africa under the command of Francisco Franco moved quickly to begin the march to Madrid.

The Córdoba offensive was a failed Republican offensive against the Nationalist held city of Cordoba. It took place from 19 to 22 August 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Seseña</span>

The Battle of Seseña was Republican-Soviet assault on the Nationalist stronghold of Seseña, near Toledo, 30 km south of Madrid in October 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. After the fall of Talavera de la Reina and Toledo in September 1936, the Nationalist troops pushed towards Madrid and in October they were 30 km from the city. The Republican government which had received new Soviet weapons decided to launch a counteroffensive in order to stop the Nationalist offensive at Seseña. The attack failed and the Nationalists resumed their advance towards Madrid. The battle is notable for being the first time that massive tank warfare was seen in the Spanish War and for the use by Nationalist troops of Molotov cocktails against Soviet T-26 tanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ciudad Universitaria</span>

The Battle of Ciudad Universitaria was a belligerent confrontation at the start of the defense of Madrid in the Spanish Civil War. This battle happened in the new campus area of the Ciudad Universitaria from 15 to 23 November 1936 leaving a stable front until the end of the war. The republican militias' objective was "the defense of the capital at all costs", and for that, it was necessary to stop the advance of general Valera's troops and the fall of Madrid. On the other side, the attackers had as an objective to "conquer the city" as fast as possible. The persistence and tenacity of both sides in the battle meant an inflection point on the Spanish Civil War, partly because it was the first time that Franco's troops were stopped. The campus was also one of the most long-lasting confrontation points during the Spanish Civil War. The resistance shown in Madrid raised the morale of other fronts amongst the Gobierno de la República's controlled zone.

The First Battle of the Corunna Road took place between 29 November and 3 December 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists tried to isolate Madrid from the west, cutting the Corunna Road, but the Republican army repelled the attack.

<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.

The Battle of Alfambra took place near Alfambra from 5 to 8 February 1938, during the Spanish Civil War. This battle 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, taking 7,000 republican prisoners and threatening the Republican forces in Teruel.

The siege of Gandesa took place between July and November 1938 during the Spanish Civil War, a few months after a battle in the same town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cerro Muriano</span>

The Battle of Cerro Muriano was a battle that took place during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The battle is perhaps most known today for the famous photograph, The Falling Soldier, that Robert Capa took during it.

The Aceituna Campaign took place during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. In December 1936, the Nationalists launched an offensive in order to occupy the town of Andújar. The Nationalists occupied 2,600 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi) and defeated the Republican Army at Lopera, but failed to occupy Andújar.

References

  1. 1 2 Wyden, Peter (January 1986). The Passionate War: The Narrative History of the Spanish Civil War. Simon & Schuster. p. 164. ISBN   978-0-671-25331-8 . Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War, (Spanish edn.) p. 404

38°41′00″N6°24′30″W / 38.68333°N 6.40833°W / 38.68333; -6.40833