Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe

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Date	August 17 - August 31, 1936
Location	Near Talavera de la Reina, Spain
Result	Tactical Nationalist victory

Combatants

Second Spanish Republic

Nationalist Spain

Commanders

Manuel Riquelme
André Malraux

Juan Yagüe
Carlos Asensio
Antonio Castejón
Heli Rolando de Tella

Strength

9,000 regulars and militia

4,000 regulars

Casualties

Unknown

Spanish Civil War
Alcázar – Gijón – Mérida – Mallorca – Badajoz – Sierra Guadalupe – Monte Pelato – Talavera – Cape Espartel – Madrid – Corunna Road – Málaga – Jarama – Guadalajara – Guernica – Brunete – Santander – Belchite – El Mazuco – Cape Cherchell – Teruel – Cape Palos – Ebro Chronology: 1936 1937 1938-9

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.

1 Background
2 The Battle
3 References
4 External links

[edit] 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"—in actual fact 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.

[edit] 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.

Gallant but doomed counterattacks launched by the fanatically brave Anarchists along the San Vicente hills were repulsed. On August 17 Colonel Tella pushed through to Trujillo and crossed the Tagus at Almaraz. Guadalupe fell to Major Castejón on August 21.

At Medellín, 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.