The last victory of the republic...!


On March 8, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the Battle of Guadalajara begins...:



The Franco-Fascists and their Italian and German allies want to complete the encirclement of the Spanish capital Madrid and deal the final blow to the defenders of the Republic!

Italy's dictator Mussolini is confident of victory in view of the material superiority of his "Truppo Volontarie" and the absolute supremacy of the German "Legion Condor" and believes in rapid success.

Franco's offensive is therefore on Mussolini's direct orders!

For their offensive, the fascists offer 35,000 men, 222 guns, 108 tankettes of the types L3/33 and L3/35...





...32 other armored vehicles, 3,685 motor vehicles and 60 Fiat CR.32 fighter planes on...:



In addition, there are a dozen German "Panzer I" of the "Legion Condor"...:



Opposing them is only the 12th Division of the Republican Army under Colonel Lacalle. The picture shows him together with Gustav Regeler (right, with beret), the commander of the "Thälmann Battalion" of the International Brigades...:



Lacalle's troop consists of just under 10,000 poorly equipped and supplied soldiers, of whom only about half have a rifle at all, as well as 85 machine guns and 15 artillery pieces...:



There are no fixed positions from which the Republicans can defend themselves - their leadership had expected the fascists to attack somewhere else.

When Franco's attack had already begun, Colonel Lacalle received a company of T-26 tanks from the Republic's Soviet allies at the last moment...:



A dubious reinforcement - after all, the lightly armored Soviet vehicle is notorious for turning into a blazing torch on even light hits!

But the sight of the tanks at least raises the morale of the troops!

At first, Mussolini's (and Franco's) assessments seem to be correct, the far superior fascist units can push back the Republicans in battles that result in losses - but they can't break through anywhere...:







The tide turns when the Republicans succeed in defeating the highly motivated XI. International Brigade (consisting of the German Thälmann battalion...





... the French Edgar-André Battalion, and also the French Battalion "Commune de Paris) and the XII. International brigade (Polish Jarosław Dabrowski battalion and Italian Garibaldi battalion) to the front (total 4,350 soldiers, 8 mortars, 16 artillery pieces and 26 light BT 5 tanks)...



...and the very talented Republican commander Enrique Líster Forján...



...a stonemason by trade takes over the command.

In addition, the defenders of the republic are scraping together all the planes they have left:

About 100 "Chato" (Soviet I-15)...



...and "Rata" (Soviet I-16) fighter planes...



...and two squadrons of Soviet Tupolev SB-2 bombers...



The Republican aviators support their comrades desperately fighting on the ground most effectively!



On March 23, 1937, the battle for Guadalajara will end with a heavy defeat for the fascists! Franco loses about 10,000 soldiers, the Italians more than 6,000!
In addition, Republicans can replenish their arsenals with plenty of loot.

The goal of Madrid is a long way off for the fascists!



In sober historical terms, it was the last Republican victory in the Spanish Civil War - it added two years to the life of the Republic.

On March 28, 1939, the victorious fascists will invade Madrid and the dark years of the Franco dictatorship, lost for Spain, will begin...