- War in the North
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=War in the North
caption=
partof=theSpanish Civil War
date=March 31 ,1937 –October 21 ,1937
place= NorthernSpain
result=Decisive Nationalist victory
combatant1=flagicon|Spain|1931 Spanish Republic flagicon|Basque CountryBasque Army
combatant2=flagicon|Spain|1939 Nationalist Spain
commander1=Francisco Llano de la Encomienda
commander2=Emilio Mola José Solchaga
strength1=30,000-40,000 basque "milicianos"
thousands of anarchists "milicianos" [JACKSON, Gabriel."La república española y la guerra civil."RBA editores. 2005. Barcelona. Pagina 330]
strength2=40,000 nationalist soldiers
60,000 italian soldiers [JACKSON, Gabriel."La república española y la guerra civil."RBA editores. 2005. Barcelona.]
casualties1=~?
casualties2=~?|Description
The War in the North, in the
Spanish Civil War was the campaign in which the Nationalist forces defeated and occupied the parts of northernSpain that remained loyal to the Republican government. The campaign included several separate battles. TheBattle of Bilbao resulted in the loss of the part of Basque Country still held by the Republic. During this part of the campaign we witness theBombing of Guernica and Durango. TheBattle of Santander caused the loss of the province of Santander inCantabria n Castile for the Republic. TheBattle of El Mazuco lead to the capture of the Republican controlled part ofAsturias and the fall ofGijón , the Republic's last stronghold in the North, to the Nationalists. The campaign ended October 21, 1937 with a decisive and total Nationalist victory.Introduction
With the fall of
Irun and thenSan Sebastián , in September, 1936, the Nationalists campaign in Guipúzcoa isolated the Republican controlled areas in northern Spain to the provices ofVizcaya ,Santander and Asturias. This area was cutoff from the rest of Spain by large swaths of Nationalist controlled territory. This area was very attractive to the Nationalists because of the industrial production of Vizcaya and the mineral resources of Asturias. To conquer this area would gain these valuable resources, eliminate large numbers of Republican forces and make available large numbers of Nationalist troops tied down in a two front war. Franco realized that Madrid was not going to be conquered quickly. The iron, coal, steel and chemicals were a tempting target. The Republican north also was politically divided and not that well supplied. Franco ordered The Madrid Front to go on the defensive and all available resources to go to the north. [Hugh Thomas, "The Spanish Civil War", (2001) p. 594.]Beginning of the campaign
Emilio Mola was in command of the start of this campaign, beginning on March 31, 1937; however, Mola, died in an airplane crash, June 3, 1937. The Nationalists began the attack with 50,000 men of the 61st Navarre Division under GeneralJosé Solchaga . [Hugh Thomas, (2001), p. 595] The Republican Army of the North was commanded by General Francisco Llano de la Encomienda. [Hugh Thomas, (2001), p. 597.] This was the start of theBattle of Bilbao .References
External links
* [http://es.geocities.com/paisajes_guerrilla/mazuco.html "El Mazuco (La defensa imposible)"(Spanish)]
** [http://www.speleogroup.org/files/ElMazuco-impossible-defence.html El Mazuco (the impossible defence) Translated from the Spanish]
* [http://es.geocities.com/su_biografia/guerra_civil.htm La Guerra Civil en Cantabria]
* [http://www.lacucaracha.info/scw/diary/ La Cucaracha, The Spanish Civil War Diary]
* [http://www.revistanaval.com/armada/buques1/cervera.htm "Almirante Cervera"]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.