| Aceituna Campaing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Spanish Republic International Brigades |
Nationalist Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| General Martinez Monje General Juan Hernández Saravia |
Gonzalo Queipo de Llano | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ? | 4,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ? | ? | ||||||
The Aceituna Campaign took place during the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
Contents |
On December 1936, Queipo de Llano started an offensive in the Cordoba province in order to capture the rich olive-growing area of Andujar.[1]
The Nationalist launched their offensive on December 13, with 2,000 requetes and moorish troops (later 4,000). On 20 December, the Nationalist occupied the town of Bujalance, on 22 December Pedro Abad and Villafranca. The Republic decided to launch a counteroffensive in order to halt the Nationalist advance and a new Army of the South was organised, under the command of the General Martinez Monje. The XIV International Brigade was sent to the Cordoba front. On 24 December the 9th company of the XIV International Brigade (600 men) was decimated by the Nationalist troops at Villa del Rio (400 dead) and the Nationalist occupied Villa del Rio and Lopera and on 25 December Montoro. On 27 december the XIV International Brigade launched an attack in order to recover the town of Lopera. The Brigade suffered apalling casualties and the attack was called off on 29 December. By December 31 the Nationalist occupied the town of Porcuna and halted their advance.[2]
The Nationalist occupied 1,000 square miles of olive-growing land, some towns and the hydro-electric station at El Carpio.[3]