Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War

Final Offensive
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Date Casado's coup: March 5-March 11
Final Offensive: March 26-April 1, 1939
Location South-east Spain (provinces of Madrid, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Albacete, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Jaen, Almeria, and parts of Toledo, Guadalajara, Granada and Castellon).
Result
  • Decisive Nationalist victory. End of the war.
  • Dissolution of the Second Spanish Republic and beginning of the Franco's dictatorship.
Belligerents
 Spanish Republic Condor Legion[1]
(CTV)
 Nationalist Spain
Commanders and leaders
Segismundo Casado
Manuel Matallana
Jose Miaja
Cipriano Mera.		 Francisco Franco
Juan Yague
Gastone Gambara
José Solchaga
Rafael García Valiño
Strength
250.000[2]-500,000 men[3]
40 aircraft		 1,000,000 men[4]
600 aircraft
Casualties and losses
Casado's coup: 230[5]-2,000 dead[6]
Final offensive: 150.000 captured[7]		 1,223 dead (sinking of the Castillo de Olite) [8]
Background
July 1936 uprising
Melilla · Seville · Barcelona · Cuartel de la Montaña · Gijón · Oviedo · Cuartel de Loyola
1936
Alcázar · Extremadura · Convoy de la victoria · Almendralejo · Sigüenza · Mérida · Badajoz  · Mallorca · Sierra Guadalupe · Córdoba · Gipuzkoa · San Marcial · Monte Pelato · Talavera · Irún · Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza  · Cerro Muriano · Cape Espartel  · Seseña · Madrid · Ciudad Universitaria · 1st Corunna Road · Villarreal · Ursula · Aceituna · Lopera · 2nd Corunna Road
1937
3rd Corunna Road · Málaga · Jarama · Cape Machichaco · Guadalajara · Pozoblanco · War in the North · Biscay · Guadarrama · Durango · Jaén · Guernica · Barcelona May Days · Deutschland · Almería · Segovia · Huesca · Bilbao · Albarracín · Brunete · Santander · Zaragoza · 1st Belchite · Asturias · El Mazuco · Cape Cherchel · Sabiñánigo · Teruel
1938
Alfambra · Cape Palos  · Aragón · 2nd Belchite · Bombing of Barcelona · Caspe · Lérida · 1st Gandesa · Segre · XYZ Line · Balaguer · Los Blázquez · Alicante · Granollers · Bielsa · Merida pocket · Ebro · 2nd Gandesa · Cantabria · Cabra
1939
Catalonia · Valsequillo · La Garriga · Menorca  · Cartagena · Olite · Final offensive

The Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War took place between the 26th of March and the 1st of April 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. On 5 March 1939, the Republican army led by the colonel Segismundo Casado and the politician Julián Besteiro, rose against the prime minister Juan Negrin and formed a military Junta, the Council of National Defense (Consejo Nacional de Defensa or CND) in order to negotiate a peace deal. Negrin fled to France, but the Communist troops around Madrid rose against the Junta, starting a civil war within the civil war. Casado defeated them, and started peace negotiation with the Nationalists, but Francisco Franco only accepted an unconditional surrender. On 26 March the Nationalists started a general offensive and by 31 March they controlled all the Spanish territory. Hundreds of thousands of Republicans were arrested and interned in concentration camps.

Contents

Background

Fall of Catalonia

After the fall of Catalonia in February 1939, the military situation of the Republic was hopeless. The Republic still had the capital city and 30 per cent of the Spanish territory, but it had lost 220,000 soldiers, the second city of the country and the Catalan war industry.[9] Furthermore, on 27 February Manuel Azaña the president of the Republic resigned and Great Britain and France recognized the francoist government.[10]

Military situation.

The Republican army still had between 250,000[11] and 500,000 men,[12] but only had 40 aircraft (three Natasha's and two Katiuska's bomber squadrons, and 25 Chatos and Moscas fighters),[13] little artillery and few automatic weapons.[14] Many soldiers were unarmed (on December 1938 the Republican army had only 225,000 rifles),[15] and lack shoes and overcoats.[16] In Madrid there was food only for two months, and no water, heatings, medicine or surgical dressings.[17] On the other hand the Nationalist army had more than a million men at the end of 1938, among them 35,000 Moroccans, 32,000 Italians and 5,000 Germans[18] and 600 aircraft.[19]

Opposition to continue the resistance

On 16 February the high command of the Republican army told to the prime minister, Juan Negrin, that a further military resistance was impossible.[20] Most of the members of the Republican Army, the PSOE, the UGT and the CNT, believed that was necessary to initiate peace negotiations.[21] Nevertheless, Negrin backed by the PCE wanted to continue the resistance because Franco rejected to give any guarantee against reprisals and he believed that the World War was imminent.[22] Furthermore he wanted to organize the evacuation of those most in risk.[23]

Casado’s coup

The plot

From the end of February 1939, the Colonel Segismundo Casado, had been preparing a coup against the Negrin government in order to start peace negotiations with the Nationalists. Colonel Jose Cendaño, a Fifth column agent inside the Republican army, promised to him that Franco would guarantee the lives of the Republican officers who had committed no crimes.[24] Most of the non-communist elements of the Popular Front in Madrid supported the plot, among them one of the leaders of the PSOE, Julian Besteiro, because believed that to continue the war was useless.[25] Furthermore, after the surrender of Minorca, many Republican officers in the central zone believed that they would negotiate a deal with the Nationalists.[26]

On 2 March, Negrin announced a number of new appoinments in the Central Zone.[27] The Colonel Casado and the Communists Colonels Modesto and Cordon became Generals, the General Manuel Matallana was appointed as head of the central general staff[28] and communist officers were appointed to command the ports of Alicante (Manuel Tagüeña), Murcia (Etelvino Vega) and Cartagena (Francisco Galán).[29] The non-communists elements believed that the communists wanted to control the evacuation harbours[30] and they joined to the plot against Negrin.[31]

The coup and the fight in Madrid.

On 5 March 1939, the Colonel Segismundo Casado, supported by the General Matallana, the CNT[32] (Cipriano Mera), the secret service of the Republic (the Military Investigation Service, Servicio de Investigación Militar or SIM),[33] a section of the PSOE (Julian Besteiro) and a section of the UGT (Wenceslao Carrillo), deposed the prime minister Juan Negrin and formed a Military junta, the National Council of Defense (Consejo Nacional de Defensa) in order to negotiate a peace deal with Franco.[34] On 6 March, Miaja joined the rebellion and was appointed as president of the Junta.[35] The other members of the Junta were Casado, Julian Besteiro, Wenceslao Carrillo, Gonzalez Marín and Eduardo Val (CNT), Antonio Perez (UGT), and the republicans Miguel San Andrés and Jose del Río.[36]

The Colonel Adolfo Prada was appointed commander of the Army of the Centre, the communist commanders of the I, II and III Army Corps of the Army of the Centre were relieved, the PCE's newspaper Mundo Obrero was closed and Casado ordered massive arrests of communist commisars and militans.[37] Casado said that Negrin and the PCE wanted to carried out a Communist takeover, but in fact, he rose against the government because he believed that Franco would negotiate a peace deal without Negrin and the Communists. Furthermore, the British government said to him that Franco would guarantee the lives of the Republicans.[38] Casado had said to the commander of the Republican Air Force, Hidalgo de Cisneros: “I give you my word…that I can better terms from Franco than Negrin ever can. I can ever assure you that they will respect our ranks.”.[39]

After a failed attempt to negotiate with Casado, on 6 March Negrin fled to France from the Monovar's airfield, near Elda, with Hidalgo de Cisneros, the leaders of the PCE (La Pasionaria and Vicente Uribe), and the foreign minister Julio Álvarez del Vayo, in order to avoid capture by the supporters of Casado.[40] The Casado's coup was supported by the commanders of the other three Armies of the Republican army (Leopoldo Menéndez López, commander of the Levante Army; Antonio Escobar, commander of the Estremadura Army; and Domingo Moriones, commander of the Andalusia Army).[41] Nevertheless, the army units settled around Madrid and controlled by the PCE (the I corps of the Army of the Centre led by Luis Barceló and the Emilio Bueno’s II and Antonio Ortega’s III Corps), rose against the Junta on 7 March, starting a brief civil war inside the Republic. Barceló appointed himself as commander of the Army of the Centre and his troops closed all the entrances to Madrid, occupied most of the city center and detained and shot three Casado's colonels. The supporters of Casado only held some government buildings and the south-east part of the city.[42] Nevertheless, the Mera´s IV corps counterattacked and occupied Torrejon and Alcala de Henares and the Nationalists started an offensive towards the Manzanares.[43] By 10 March, the Barcelo's troops had been surrounded and ceasefire was arranged. On 11 March, after days of bloody combats, Casado, backed by the IV corps of Cipriano Mera, defeated the Barceló’s troops. Barceló and his commissar José Conesa were arrested and executed.[44] There were between 230[45] to 2,000 dead.[46]

Cartagena

There were also combats in Ciudad Real and Cartagena. In Ciudad Real the Escobar's Extremadura Army crushed the communist resistance led by the deputy Martínez Cárton.[47] Nevertheless, in Cartagena (the main base of the Republican Navy), where the supporters of Casado, backed by elements of the Fifth column, had started the uprising against the Negrin's government on 4 March, they were defeated by the PCE's 206th Brigade, of the IV Division, led by the colonel Joaquin Rodriguez, after a brief combat, on 7 March. Nevertheless, on 5 March, the Republican Navy (three cruisers and eight destroyers) led by the admiral Buiza had fled to Bizerte, after a Nationalist air bombing.[48] One Nationalist transport ship, the Castillo de Olite, sent by the Nationalists in order to support the uprising was sunk by the coastal batteries of Cartagena, killing 1,200 Nationalist soldiers.

Peace negotiations with Franco.

After the defeat of the Barceló's troops, the Council tried to start peace negotiations with Franco, hoping to achieve a guarantee against political reprisals. On 12 March the Council propossed a peace deal, asking for a guarantee against reprisals and a period of 25 days to allow anyone who wanted to leave Spain to do so. On 16 March, Franco answered that he would only accept an unconditional surrender.[49] On 23 March, the Council sent two negotiators to Burgos (Colonel Antonio Garijo and Major Leopoldo Ortega), and the Nationalists told to them that on 25 March the Republican Air Force must be surrendered and by 27 the Republican troops must raise the white flag.[50] Nevertheless, on 25 March, the Republicans didn't surrender their Air Force due technicals reasons (bad weather) and Franco broke the negotiations with the Junta.[51][52]

The final offensive

On 26 March, the Yague’s troops advanced in Sierra Morena. There were no resistance and in one day captured two thousand kilometers and 30.000 prisoners.[53] The Council of National Defense ordered not to resist to the Nationalist avance and the Republican soldiers threw away their weapons and abandoned the front.[54] On 27 March, the Nationalists advanced in all the fronts without resistance. The Solchaga's Navarra Corps, the Gambara's CTV and the Garcia Valiño's Army of Maestrazgo advanced from Toledo. The same day, colonel Prada, the commander of the Army of the Centre surrendered to the Nationalists and the Nationalist troops occupied Madrid.[55][56] Casado and the other members of the Junta, except Besteiro, fled to Valencia.[57] On 29 March, the Nationalists occupied Jaén, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Albacete and Sagunto.[58] 50,000 Republican refugees gathered at the harbours of Valencia, Alicante, Cartagena and Gandia,[59] but without the Republican navy an evacuation was impossible and the French and British governments rejected to organize an evacuation.[60] Only a minority, those who had money to pay an passage,[61] were evacuated by British ships (between 650[62] and more than 3,500),[63] among them Casado.[64] On 30 March the Nationalists occupied Valencia and the Gambara’s troops entered Alicante, rounding 15,000 Republican refugees.[65] The Italian general Gambara was prepared to permit the evacuation of political refugees, but on 31 March the Nationalist troops arrived and took over jurisdiction from Gambara.[66] Then, many refugees committed suicide in order to avoid capture by the Nationalists.[67][68][69] On 31 March the Nationalists occupied Almeria, Murcia and Cartagena, and controlled all the Spanish territory and by 1 April 1939 the war was officially over.[70]

Aftermath

On April 1, the United States recognized the francoist government, the Soviet Union was the only major power that didn't recognize it.[71] The new regime had signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Portugal and a teatry of friendship with the Nazi Germany on March 31,[72] and on April 6, Franco makes public the Spain's adherence to the Anti-Comintern Pact.[73] On April 20, the Non-Intervention Committee was dissolved and by June the Italian and German troops had left Spain.[74] The Francoist dictatorship remained until the Franco's death in 1975.

Casado remained in exile in Venezuela until returning to Spain in 1961.[75] Cipriano Mera fled to Oran and Casablanca, but he was extradited to Spain[76] in February 1942. In 1943 he was condemned to death, a sentence that was exchanged for 30 years in prison, but he was set free in 1946 and fled to France.[77] Miaja fled to France and then Mexico, where he died in 1958. Matallana was detained and imprisoned by the Nationalists and died in Madrid in 1956.[78] Besterio was arrested by the Nationalists, he faced a court martial and was sentenced to thirty years.[79] He died in prison in 1940.[80]

The Nationalists arrested hundreds of thousands of Republican soldiers and civilians (150,000 soldiers captured in the final offensive) and herded them into improvised concentration camps, (between 367,000 and 500,000 prisoners in 1939).[81] In the first years of the post-war 50.000 Republican prisoners were executed.[82]

In literature

The Casado's coup and the last days of the war are the background of the Max Aub's novels, Campo del Moro[83] and Campo de los Almendros.[84]

Notes

  1. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. p.395
  2. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1967. p. 475
  3. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.861
  4. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.838
  5. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.884
  6. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. p.394
  7. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.404
  8. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.391
  9. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.854
  10. ^ Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. 2005. p. 165
  11. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1967. p. 475
  12. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.861
  13. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.868
  14. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.861
  15. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.488
  16. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.866
  17. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.869
  18. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.838
  19. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.866
  20. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.867-868
  21. ^ Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.296
  22. ^ Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.296
  23. ^ Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. 2005. p.111
  24. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.870-871
  25. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.861
  26. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p. 861.
  27. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton University Press. Princetons. 1967. p.468
  28. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.874
  29. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.875-876
  30. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1967. p.468
  31. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-1939. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1967. pp.468-469
  32. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.873
  33. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.875
  34. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.876-878
  35. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.878
  36. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pp.392
  37. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pp.393-394
  38. ^ Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.296
  39. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.875
  40. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pp.392-393
  41. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.883
  42. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.882
  43. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.884
  44. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.884
  45. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.884
  46. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.394
  47. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.884
  48. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.876-877
  49. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pp.394-395
  50. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.395
  51. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.885-888
  52. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.395
  53. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.867
  54. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.887
  55. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.888-889
  56. ^ Preston, Paul. Doves of war. Four women of Spain. Harper Collins. London. 2002. p.79
  57. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.888
  58. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.890
  59. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.889
  60. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. 2006. London. p.396
  61. ^ Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. 2005. p.113
  62. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.890
  63. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.396
  64. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760981-1,00.html TIME Aftermath
  65. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.396
  66. ^ Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1939-1939. Princeton University Press. Princeton. 1967. p.477
  67. ^ Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. 2005. p.113
  68. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.396
  69. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.890
  70. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. pp.886-890
  71. ^ Thomas, Hugh. (2001) The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. p.894
  72. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.893
  73. ^ Graham Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. 2005.p.166
  74. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.894
  75. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.923
  76. ^ Beevor, Antony. The battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War. 1936-1939. Penguin books. London. 2006. p. 410
  77. ^ Beevor, Antony. The battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War. 1936-1939. Penguin books. London. 2006. p. 410
  78. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. 2001. London. p.923
  79. ^ Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2001. p.888
  80. ^ Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. 2006. London. p.319
  81. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.404
  82. ^ Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p.405
  83. ^ http://www.hispanicexile.bham.ac.uk/works/33
  84. ^ http://www.hispanicexile.bham.ac.uk/works/37

References

External links

Further reading