Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe


caption=
partof=the Spanish Civil War
date=August 17 - August 31, 1936
place=Near Talavera de la Reina, Spain
result=Tactical Nationalist victory
combatant1=flagicon|Spain|1931 Second Spanish Republic
combatant2=flagicon|Spain|1939 Nationalist Spain
commander1=Manuel Riquelme
André Malraux
commander2=Juan Yagüe
Carlos Asensio
Antonio Castejón
Heli Rolando de Tella
strength1=9,000 regulars and militia
strength2=4,000 regulars
casualties1=
casualties2=|

The Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe (English: Guadalupe Mountains), also the Tagus Campaign, was a continuation of the Nationalist race north toward Madrid in the early stages of the Spanish Civil War. In late August 1936 the three columns of General Yagüe's Army of Africa dashed across the Guadalupe Mountains in central Spain and plunged into the Tagus valley, capturing several towns and routing the Republicans in a succession of rapid advances.

Background

On August 14 Badajoz fell to the Nationalists under General Yagüe, cutting off the Republic from Portugal. Ahead of him, several hundred miles to the northeast, across the broad Tagus, gleamed Madrid, the aim and object of General Franco's lightning campaign. The Army of Africa's famous northward "Marcha" (or "March"—actually a fully motorized displacement), consequently, continued without pause into the hills and valleys sheltering Madrid.

To cover these southern approaches, the Republic deployed loyalist General Riquelme with the so-called "Army of Extremadura", a force of about 9,000 militia. Many of these troops had been redeployed in haste from the mountains of the "Guadarrama" front and their condition deteriorated wretchedly in the open, arid Tagus valley.

The Battle

The government militias, while unquestionably brave, were sorely deficient in training and equipment and proved unable to face the Spanish Legion and Moroccan "Regulares". Desertions bled the Republicans, who refused to "dishonour" themselves by digging trenches. Consequently, the Nationalists outmarched and outflanked the defenders, forcing perpetual retreats by threatening encirclement. Riquelme's forces included 2,000 Anarchists who refused to take his orders and launched useless attacks along the "San Vicente" hills. [ Hugh Thomas, "Spanish Civil War", (1961) p. 248 ] On August 17 Colonel Tella pushed through to Trujillo and crossed the Tagus at Almaraz. Guadalupe fell to Major Castejón on August 21.

According to the novel L'Espoir [ Hugh Thomas, "Spanish Civil War", (1961) chapter 22] , at Medellín, a section of Colonel Asensio's column was surprised and savagely attacked by Republican aircraft under André Malraux, but on the whole resistance was rare. By August 27 all three columns had concentrated at Navalmoral, where the Nationalists launch the war's first air raids on Madrid.

Notes

Notes

References

*Thomas, Hugh. "The Spanish Civil War". New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961.

External links

* [http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/iberia/1936/la_marcha.htm La Marcha: The Drive on Madrid]