War in the North

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War in the North

Part of the Spanish Civil War

Date	March 31, 1937 – October 21, 1937
Location	Northern Spain
Result	Decisive Nationalist victory

Combatants

Spanish Republic

Nationalist Spain

Commanders

Mola

Strength

Casualties

Spanish Civil War
Alcázar – Gijón – Oviedo – Mérida – Mallorca – Badajoz – Sierra Guadalupe – Monte Pelato – Talavera – Cape Espartel – Madrid – Corunna Road – Málaga – Jarama – Guadalajara – Guernica – Bilbao – Brunete – Santander – Belchite – El Mazuco – Cape Cherchell – Teruel – Cape Palos – Ebro Chronology: 1936 1937 1938-39

1 Description
2 Introduction
- 2.1 Beginning of the campaign
- 2.2 References

[edit] 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 northern Spain that remained loyal to the Republican government. The campaign included several separate battles. The Battle of Bilbao resulted in the loss of the part of Basque Country still held by the Republic. The Battle of Santander caused the loss of the province of Santander in Cantabrian Castile for the Republic. The Battle of El Mazuco lead to the capture of the Republican controlled part of Asturias and the fall of Gijón, the Republic's last stronghold in the North, to the Nationalists. The campaign ended October 21, 1937 with a decisive and total Nationalist victory.

[edit] Introduction

With the fall of Irun and then San Sebastian, in September, 1936, the Nationalists isolated the Republican controlled areas in northern Spain to the provices of Vizcaya, 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.

The Campaign in the War of the North

[edit] 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 General Solchaga.^[1]