Spanish Civil War Educational

SPANISH CIVIL WAR EDUCATIONAL

"I think in many ways, the Spanish Civil War was the first battle of World War II. After all, where else in the world at this point did you have Americans in uniform who were being bombed by Nazi planes four years before the U.S. entered World War II? Hitler and Mussolini jumped in on the side of Francisco Franco and his Spanish nationalists, sent them vast amounts of military aid, airplanes, tanks - and Mussolini sent 80,000 ground troops as well - because they wanted a sympathetic ally in power. So I think it really was the opening act of World War II."

- Adam Hochschild

PURCHASE GAME

Notable Commanders of the Spanish Civil War

REPUBLICAN COMMANDERS in the Spanish Civil War

Name & Ranks	Zone & Battles	Summary
José Miaja Menant Lieutenant General, Minister of War.	Madrid Cordoba, Madrid, 2nd Corunna, Road, Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete.	Responsible for defending Madrid. His vanity affected his authority and leadership. Joined the Communist wave mainly for convenience.
Sebastián Pozas Perea General	Central HQ Madrid, Jarama, Huesca, Zaragoza, Aragon.	Inspector General of the Civil Guard; became Minister of the Interior and commanded the Centre unsuccessfully.
Vicente Rojo Lluch General	Central HQ Madrid, Jarama, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragon, Ebro, Catalonia.	Catholic, conservative Republican who participated in reorganizing the Army; prepared Madrid's masterful defence.
Segismundo Casado López Colonel	Centre Madrid, Jarama, Brunete.	Head of Operations; became disillusioned, began contact with the enemy and led an 11th hour coup against Negrín.
Adolfo Prada Vaquero General	North; Extremadura; Centre 2nd Corunna, Santander, Asturias.	A strict disciplinarian who resisted Communist influence and later supported Casado's coup.
Enrique Líster Forján General	Centre Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara,Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Ebro, Catalonia.	Arguably the most romantic figure in the war; a fierce Communist imposing ruthless discipline on his men.
Juan "Modesto" Guilloto León Brigadier General	North; Ebro; Centre Madrid, Jarama, Belchite, Brunete, Teruel, Ebro, Catalonia.	Led Communist militias and was quickly promoted to command the V Regiment; bitter rival of Líster.
Cipriano Mera Sanz Lieutenant Colonel	Anarchist Militia; Centre Madrid, Guadalajara.	One of the few CNT anarchists to accept army organization and attain a significant post; wary of Communists.
Valentín "El Campesino" González Lieutenant Colonel	Mixed Brigades Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragon, Catalonia.	Commander of the first militias, whose Soviet propaganda value outweighed military accomplishments.
Juan Perea Capulino General	East 2nd & 3d Corunna Road, Madrid, Teruel, Catalonia, Ebro.	Anti-communist with strong CNT connections; experienced defender; the only one to hold out in Catalonia.
Etelvino Vega Martínez Lieutenant Colonel	Centre, East Guadalajara, Teruel, Ebro.	PCE member who studied in the USSR; rising through the ranks. Upheld the slogan "Defense of the Republic"
José Riquelme y López Bago Lieutenant General	East Guadarrama, Tagus, Talavera de la Reina.	Africanista who remained loyal
Manfred "Kléber" Stern General	International Brigades
Dmitry Pavlov General	Central Army HQ

NATIONALIST COMMANDERS in the Spanish Civil War

Name & Ranks	Zone & Battles	Summary
Francisco Franco Bahamonde Commander in Chief; Generalissimo; Caudillo	Entire War Madrid, Teruel, Ebro, Catalonia.	Initially only faintly committed, nevertheless availed himself of the tricks of fate opening his path to power. Unimaginative in strategy, yet reputable, focused and determined. An overall ambitious and cautious soldier.
Emilio Mola y Vidal Brigadier General	North Gipuzkoa, Guadarrama, Irún, Madrid, Biscay.	Organized the coup against the government, but remained a dedicated Republican; commanded the north.
Juan Yagüe Blanco Colonel	South, Centre Melilla, Badajoz, Madrid, Brunete, Teruel, Aragon, Ebro, Catalonia.	Aggressive, pragmatic attacker, possessing a rare combination of temerity and respect for the enemy. Was chastened by Franco twice for his attitude.
Fidel Dávila Arrondo Lieutenant General	President of Junta Bilbao, Asturias, Aragon, Segre, Ebro, Catalonia.	Seized Burgos and remained in the leadership core to become minister of defence; organized southern offensives.
Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Lieutenant General	South Andalusia, Aceituna, Malaga, Pozoblanco.	Unscrupulous overseer of the revolt in the south; his perpetual criticism left him discredited among other officers.
Luis Orgaz Yoldi Lieutenant General	Centre 1st Corunna Road, Jarama.	Africanista who took Franco's place in the Canary Islands and supported him as head over a single command.
José Enrique Varela General	Centre, South, East Andalusia, Toledo, Cordoba, Madrid, Jarama, Segovia, Brunete, Teruel.	After release from prison in Cadiz, he helped secure this crucial port as well as the remaining South.
Antonio Castejón Espinosa Major; Lieutenant Colonel	South, Centre. Andalusia, Badajoz, Tagus, Toledo, Madrid, Ebro.	Commanded Legion columns under Queipo de llano and Yagüe, taking over key positions in Andalusia.
Rafael García Valiño Lieutenant Colonel	North, East Irun, Bilbao, Teruel, Aragon, Levante, Ebro.	Was vacationing in Biscay at the outbreak of the conflict; joined the northern forces and led Carlist units.
Carlos Asensio Cabanillas Lieutenant Colonel	South, Centre Extremadura, Badajoz, Tagus, Madrid.	Secured the revolt in Tétouan and fought alongside Yagüe during the early march northwards in Andalusia.
Eduardo Sáenz de Buruaga Colonel	South Melilla, Madrid, Zaragoza, Brunete, Teruel.	Seized Tetuán and imprisoned the Hight Commission, holding the region until Franco's arrival, governing it later.
Heli Rolando de Tella Brigadier General	South, Centre Badajoz, Madrid.	His taking of Mérida was an underrated victory of major strategic significance; it secured Yagüe's attack on Badajoz.
Mario Roatta General	Centre Guadalajarra	Italian CTV
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen General Field Marshal	Entire war	Commanded the German Condor Legion air contingent. Notorious for the bombing of Guernica.

PURCHASE GAME

Course of the Spanish Civil War

TIMELINE OF SPANISH CIVIL WAR BATTLES

MAJOR BATTLES OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

The Lighter Side of the Spanish Civil War

Believe it or not, these are all true stories that took place during the Spanish Civil War!

HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY

On July 20, 1936, two days after the success of the rebel coup, General José Sanjurjo returned from exile in Lisbon to lead the Nationalist junta. His plane crashed, killing everyone onboard. Some thought his to be a sabotage by contender Francisco Franco. The truth, however, is that Sanjurjo himself was responsible. First he insisted on flying in a much smaller aircraft than originally planned, because he was convinced that it looked more heroic to arrive in Spain that way. Secondly, he wanted to make sure he was dressed for that and all other future occasions, so he overloaded the plane with all his uniforms and medals. The machine could not take the weight.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL REBEL

On the first days of the coup, on realizing that the government had acted too slowly newly minted Republican prime minister Martínez Barrio tried to reconcile immediately with the Nationalists by asking rebel general Emilio Mola throw in the towel and ask for a surrender. Mola firmly rejected it saying: “It is not possible, Señor Martínez Barrio. You have your people and I have mine. If you and I should reach agreement, both of us will have betrayed our ideals and our followers.” Antony Beevor wrote that “it was perhaps ironic that a rebel general should remind the prime minister that he was the representative of those voters to whom he owed his appointment.”

(Beevor, A. The Battle for Spain)

FRUIT FLIES

In the first days of the war, civilians were enthusiastic to fight, on both sides. The lack of weapons did not stop anyone. For instance, in August 1936, two civilian pilots from the Seville flying club took their planes up in the air filled with melons. They then proceeded to bombard enemy militiamen, forcing them to abandon their positions due to the summer fruit raining down on them.

WEEKEND WARRIORS

During the siege of the Alcázar (July-September 1936), people from Madrid would take taxis to the "front" on weekends, pick up borrowed rifles, fire a few shots at the fortress (usually without hitting anything) and go back home quite proud that they had fought in the war.

TURKEY SHOOT

During the siege of Santa María de la Cabeza, near Andújar (September 1936) the Nationalist air force dropped supplies attached to live turkeys. The birds flapped their wings all the way down, serving as live parachutes, which could also be eaten by besieged troops.

CAFÉ

In October 1936, the Republican militia retreated at full speed toward Madrid. The whole world thought that surely the capital would fall to the Nationalists in a matter of weeks, bringing the new conflict to an early close. Nationalist general Emilio Mola bragged that he would be having coffee at the famous avenue Gran Via. Indeed, the Republic heroically resisted and Madrid was never taken. The popular Café Molinero thereafter mockingly kept a table reserved for General Mola in large letters.

BOLSHEVIK PIRACY

The entire gold reserve of Spain, which remained in the hands of the Republic, was shipped to the Soviet Union in October 1936. This was to be used as collateral against badly needed arms purchases from their unofficial ally. Upon the arrival of the gold, a banquet was held at which Stalin remarked: "The Spaniards will never see their gold again, just as one cannot see one’s own ears"!

(NON) INTERVENTION COMMITTEE

The major potential participants in the Spanish Civil War – France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Portugal – agreed early on to abstain from military support to either side of the conflict. They took it upon themselves to closely monitor the activities near the Spanish coast and borders. In reality, all these countries clandestinely intervened in the war with shipments of material and troops. Regular meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee continued as normal to keep up the facade. German foreign minister Von Ribbentrop joked that "Intervention Committee" would be a more appropriate name for the group.

ARMED TOURISTS

The warm Mediterranean coast of Spain had always attracted travelers, particularly from the colder northern European countries. By January 1937, the Spanish Civil War drew the interest of the world and the dedication of several volunteer groups who began converging on the peninsula even before the establishment of the International Brigades. Some doubted the contribution that these amateur warriors, lacking any military training, would bring to the fight. Recognizing the romantic motivation behind many of these adventurers, Winston Churchill, ever the scoffer, called them “armed tourists”.

PROPAGANDA DROPS

The Nationalist zone encompassed most of the country’s food producing regions from the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, while the Republic could boast of holding most of the industrial centres able to produce manufactured goods. In the winter of 1938-39, the Nationalists conducted an air raid over Barcelona, where they dropped loaves of bread on the hungry population. This was meant to be an insult to show the enemy how much food they had. The Republicans responded in kind, from their own abundance, by defiantly dropping shirts and socks over the Nationalist side. They were even.

THE GHOST OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

The Munich Agreement of September 1938 sealed the fate of the Republic during the Spanish Civil War. Britain’s appeasement of Hitler’s territorial ambition made it clear that it would not risk war with the Axis by intervening in Spain on the side of that floundering democracy. British prime minister Neville Chamberlain also effectively traded off Czechoslovakia’s sovereignty for "peace in our time." In January 1939, upon America’s continued abstinence from the Spanish conflict, the White House received a letter saying: "For God’s sake, lift that embargo on Spain. Look what happened to us!"
The letter was signed "Ghost of Czechoslovakia".

PURCHASE GAME

Reference information on the Spanish Civil War

> Spanish Civil War - Wikipedia

> Spartacus Educational

> Battles of the Spanish Civil War - Wikipedia

> Naval battles of the Spanish Civil War - Wikipedia

> The Spanish Armada - Naval Encyclopedia

Selected Articles on the Spanish Civil War

> Spanish Civil War Memory Project

> Ghosts of the Spanish Civil War

Selected Videos on the Spanish Civil War

> The Spanish Civil War in 3 Minutes

> The Spanish Civil War in 10 Minutes

> Spanish Civil War Factions: The Republicans

> Spanish Civil War Factions: The Nationalists

> The Spanish Civil War (1 of 6)

> Great Battles of the Spanish Civil War (1 of 12)

> The Battle for Madrid

> La Gran Historia de la Guerra Civil Espanola (1 of 12)

> Talkernate History of the Spanish Civil War

> The Last Days of the Spanish Republic

> Flags of the Spanish Civil War

Museums and Groups on the Spanish Civil War

> The War Poets Association

> The Cultural Experience Battlefield Tours

Selected Books on the Spanish Civil War

Organized by order of military relevancy:

Beevor, Antony (1989). The Battle for Spain. London: Penguin Random House

Thomas, Hugh. (1961). The Spanish Civil War. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode
Hooton, E R (2019). Spain in Arms – a Military History of the Spanish Civil War. Philadelphia and Oxford: Casemate.
Payne, Stanley G; Palacios, Jesus (2014). Franco – a Personal and Political Biography. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Graham, Helen (2005). The Spanish Civil War - a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Puell, Fernando; Huerta, Justo (2007). Atlas de la Guerra Civil española. Madrid: Editorial Sintesis
Alpert, Michael (2007). The Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Archivo General Militar de Ávila. (1994). Ávila: Ministerio de Defensa. Dir: Coronel D. Francisco

Selected Movies on the Spanish Civil War

While at War (2019)
Dragón Rapide (1986)
Belle Epoque (1993) (pre war)
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) (post war)
Libertarias (1996)
The Soldiers of Salamis (2003)
Land and Freedom (1995)
There Be Dragons (2011)
La Voz Dormida (2011)