Spanish Civil War: Campaigns, Battles, and Final Victory

Spanish Civil War: Major Campaigns & Turning Points

Madrid's Defense and Early War Struggles

For greater safety, the Republican government moved to Valencia. Madrid resisted thanks to the International Brigades and an anarchist column led by Durruti, where he died. The battles raged around Madrid, and the conflict grew in the north. Foreign aid flowed to both sides. Having failed to enter the capital, the rebels launched two maneuvers to isolate Madrid, especially targeting the Valencia road. The insurgents planned an attack to cut this off, leading to the Battle of Jarama, which featured intense dogfights. In Guadalajara, Italian forces sent by Mussolini suffered a significant defeat at the hands of the International Brigades.

The Northern Front and Republican Counterattacks

Franco abandoned the idea of taking Madrid and concentrated troops in the north to gain vital resources like coal, steel, and weapons. In March 1937, Mola's offensive began. German aircraft, specifically the Condor Legion under Franco's orders, bombed Guernica in Vizcaya. Bilbao fell in June. To ease military pressure in the north, the Republic attacked Brunete (near Madrid) and later Belchite near Zaragoza. All of the northern zone, an industrial and mining area of immense importance, fell into rebel hands. There was a significant exodus of exiles to Catalonia.

Push to the Mediterranean: Battle of Teruel

This phase, from November 1937 to June 1938, saw Franco planning his march to the Mediterranean after the fall of the north in October 1937. His aim was to divide the Republican zone in two and isolate Catalonia. In December 1937, the Republican army, led by General Vicente Rojo, began the Battle of Teruel, which led to the Republican occupation of Teruel. Franco's army's campaign unleashed in the lands of Aragon in April. The Republican territory was then divided into two areas, one of which was Catalonia.

Battle of the Ebro and the War's Conclusion

From July 1938 to April 1939, the Battle of the Ebro marked a supreme effort by the Republic to prevent Franco's advance towards Catalonia, highlighting General Republican Lister's leadership. The Republican army crossed the Ebro River, but the enemy ultimately defeated them. The Nationalists took Barcelona in January 1939. The fall of Girona meant exile to France for countless refugees, including the head of the Republican government, Juan Negrín, and its president, Manuel Azaña. Republicans left Spain en masse. Spain's capital, Madrid, was reduced to the southern plateau and the Levantine coastal area.

The Final Surrender and End of the War

In early March, Franco imposed unconditional surrender. Franco's troops entered Madrid, and in the following days, the entire east coast fell. On April 1, 1939, Franco announced in Burgos that the war had ended. Spain, destroyed after three years of conflict, would take a long time to recover.