The Berbers are fighting for their land...!


Since 1497, a small area in North Africa that is barely visible on maps has "belonged" to the Kingdom of Spain: the exclave of Mellila...:







Mellila was not acquired peacefully, but conquered militarily by the Berber tribes living there, or rather: robbed!

Since then, the Berber princes have been trying to regain control of Melilla from the Spaniards.

On October 3, 1893, the Berbers get serious!

Around noon (the time of the traditional "siesta"), about 6,000 Berber warriors from 39 different tribes suddenly appear...





...raise from the surrounding mountains and attack Mellila, which is only defended by a garrison of about 400 men regular infantry...:







So far, this has been completely sufficient due to the more modern weapons of the Spaniards - but now the occupiers are experiencing a nasty surprise:

The Berbers got hold of modern Remington rifles from wherever they came from...:



And although the attackers suffered heavy casualties (160 dead, countless wounded), the Spanish defenders, under Governor General Juan García Margallo...


... can't hold out for long and have to retreat - together with the European inhabitants of the city - to the citadel, where they are besieged...:



The so-called “Rif War” has begun!

There is little the Spaniards can do in the besieged citadel - and in order to at least do something, they sack the surrounding villages with a few small-caliber guns.

A mosque is also hit and badly damaged. This immediately triggers "jihad" among the Berbers, the "holy war"!

When the shocked Spaniards peered out of the arrow slits the next morning, more than 12,000 Berber warriors were standing in front of the city - supported by many muslim Moroccan soldiers...



...who have crossed the nearby border and are now making common cause with the Berbers!


**continued next post**

Part II


Spain is now mobilizing in a hurry:

Three warships, the ironclad "Numancia"...



...and two gunboats are sent out, plus 5,000 men from the Andalusia army...:



A large part of the relief force, supported by Spanish ship artillery, managed to break through to Mellila, but the siege was not broken.
They only add to the heap of trapped people.

On October 22, General Margallo dares to break out of the city with 2,000 men in an act of desperation, but is repelled with heavy losses...:





Immediately after giving the order to retreat, Immediately after giving the order to retreat, General Margallo falls... falls...





...and just a quick reaction from his representative, General Ortega...



...prevents a slaughter.

The Spanish lose 70 dead and record 122 wounded.

The siege continues. The besieged are constantly expanding their positions - at the cost of 12 officers and 100 men, most of whom are killed by Berber snipers.

Now the Spaniards try the diplomatic route and intervene with the Moroccan Sultan Mulay al-Hassan I.



But he operates a cautious seesaw policy:

On the one hand he concedes the right of the Spaniards to defend their possession of Mellila, on the other hand he reacts with deaf ears to the Spanish demands that the Moroccan troops be withdrawn across the border.

And thus supports – without saying it out loud – the Berber tribes.

Spain is now sending almost its entire Andalusian army: On November 27th, General Arsenio Martínez-Campos lands...



...with 7000 infantry, three cavalry regiments and strong artillery units....:





With the arrival of the armored cruisers "Alfonso XII."...



... and "Isla de Luzon"...



... now turns the tide in favor of the Spaniards!

They can use their superior firepower and start a continuous bombardment of the coast from the ships. In order to be able to fire during the night, searchlights are used for the first time in the history of war.

The Spaniards also win on land...:





General Arsenio Martínez-Campos, meanwhile also appointed Spanish ambassador to Morocco, now forces the sultan into a peace treaty in the Agreement of Fez (1894), which essentially guarantees the Spaniards their possession of Melilla.

Means: The clever Sultan...



...has given the Spaniards something that doesn't even belong to him!

The real owners of Mellila, the Berber tribes, disappeared from their trenches around the city one morning as suddenly as they had appeared.

Spain will be two more times - in 1909...



... and from 1921 to 1926 - having to fight for Mellila!



The exclave is still Spanish owned today - more than 80,000 people now live there...: