Battles of the Spanish Civil War
- Jarama (February 1937)
- Brunete (July 1937)
- Belchite (August-September 1937)
- Fuentes de Ebro (October 1937)
- Teruel (December 1937- February 1938)
- Aragon Offensive and the Great Retreats (March-April 1938)
- Levante Offensive (April-July 1938)
- Ebro (July-November 1938)
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was fought on many fronts. International volunteers participated in some of them. The men who signed the fan belonged to the 15th International Brigade, which was particularly active near Madrid and in the Aragon front. The brigade first fought at the battle of Jarama in February 1937 and continued until the final battles around the Ebro. The International Brigades were dissolved in September 1938. It is estimated that 15% of the International Brigade volunteers died, with a 40% casualty rate.
Jarama (February 1937)
Source: https://richardbaxell.info/jarama/
The battle of Jarama was the first battle the 15th International Brigade fought in Spain. It took place in the valley of the Jarama river (east of Madrid) in February 1937. In November 1936, fearing the fall of Madrid, the capital of Republican Spain had been moved to Valencia in the Mediterranean coast. The role of the International Brigades was to defend the Madrid-Valencia road and prevent the capture of Madrid by the Nationalists. The International Brigades suffered heavy losses, but they achieved their goal. Madrid remained in Republican hands until the end of the war in 1939.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “The Battle of the Jarama.”
Brunete (July 1937)
Source https://www.historyhit.com/the-battle-of-brunete-the-decisive-clash-of-the-spanish-civil-war/
A small town in the outskirts west of Madrid. The battle of Brunete took place during July of 1937. An initially successful Republican attack in early July was eventually repelled by the Nationalists who recaptured Brunete at the end of July. The 15th Brigade suffered heavy losses. The Americans lost over 300 men, forcing them to combine their two battalions (the Abraham Lincoln and the George Washington) into one: the Lincoln-Washington. Because of the high death rate among International Brigades volunteers, grumbling, insubordination, and desertion became more frequent.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “Destruction at Brunete.”
Belchite (August-September 1937)
A small town near Zaragoza. The battle of Belchite was one of several battles that took place in the Aragon front in the summer of 1937. Starting on August 24, 1937 Republican troops, including the 11th and 15th International Brigades, launched an offensive against the Nationalists. After fierce house-to-house combat, Belchite surrendered on September 6, 1937. Belchite would be recaptured by the Nationalists in March 1938. After the Civil War, Franco preserved the ruins of the town as a living monument to the war.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “Belchite.”
Fuentes de Ebro (October 1937)
A small town southeast of Zaragoza, on the Ebro river. Like Belchite, the battle of Fuentes de Ebro was part of the Republican offensive in the Aragon front aiming to capture Zaragoza. The 15th Brigade was sent to Fuentes de Ebro in October 1937. This would be the first military action of the recently created Canadian battalion (Mackenzie-Papineau). Despite heavy losses, Republican forces were not able to take Fuentes del Ebro and to open the path to the conquest of Zaragoza, which remained in Nationalist hands.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Monument, Toronto.”
Teruel (December 1937-February 1938)
The battle for the city of Teruel (in southern Aragon) was one of the bloodiest in the war. It lasted two months (December 15, 1937 to February 22, 1938). The Republican offensive was initially successful, and the Nationalists surrendered Teruel on January 8. But within a couple of weeks, the Nationalist counteroffensive began in earnest, and by February 22 they had recaptured the city. Following the victory at Teruel, the Nationalists began the Aragon offensive as the exhausted Republican troops retreated.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “Teruel.”
Aragon Offensive and the Great Retreats (March-April 1938)
The Aragon Offensive, led by the Nationalists, started on March 7 and ended on April 19, 1938. Following the victory at Teruel, the Nationalists pushed through the Republican front lines as Republican forces chaotically withdrew in what became known as the Great Retreats. In March, the Nationalists retook several towns, including Belchite, and by mid-April they had reached the Mediterranean, cutting the Republican territory in two and separating Catalonia from the rest of Republican Spain. The Nationalists were stopped at the Ebro river when the retreating Republicans blew up the bridges. During the retreats, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade suffered great losses, including its commander, Robert Merriman.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “Francoist Soldiers Reach the Mediterranean.”
Levante Offensive (April-July 1938)
Having defeated the Republican forces in the Aragon front, the Nationalists turned south and attempted to capture Valencia from April to July 1938. While most of the International Brigades remained in the northern sector, a number had ended up in the South during the retreats. Among them were the men of the 129th anti-tank battery. They now fought under the army of the Levant. In the meantime, the Republican forces in the north planned a new offensive, crossing the Ebro river to regain the territory just captured by the Nationalists and to stop the Nationalists advance on Valencia.
Spanish Civil War. Virtual Museum. “The XYZ Line.”
Ebro (July-November 1938)
The longest battle of the war, the battle of the Ebro started on July 25 and ended on November 16, 1938. The Republican forces crossed the river at several points. Their advance took the Nationalists by surprise. During the following months, however, the Nationalists recovered the territory they had lost at the start of the battle. This was the last major Republican offensive and the last battle of the 15th International Brigade. On September 21, the Spanish Prime Minister, Juan Negrín, announced the withdrawal of the International Brigades, hoping, in vain, that Franco would also renounce the military support he received from Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany. The International Brigades received the gratitude of Republican Spain in a series of farewell parades as they prepared to leave the country. It is estimated that a third of the American volunteers died in Spain.