Spanish Civil War: an introduction

Big Battles

In Memory of a Welshman Who Fell in Spain 

Afar he lies who loved the land 

That bore him. Neither dole nor jails 

Could dim that love, a fiery band

That bound him to his own wild Wales

A greater love, a brighter gleam

Had lit his soul, and now amid

Those nameless ones who shared that dream 

He lies, who died for Wales outside Madrid

             -  T. E. Nicholas

 

'I was never disillusioned as regards the object of the fight, never disillusioned about that'

- Archie Cook

Battle of Jarama (6th-27th February 1937)

The first battle for many Welshmen was the action at Jarama. Half of the Welsh volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War arrived in Spain before or during this battle which lasted three weeks, ending on the 27th February 1937. The battle was a Nationalist attempt to dislodge Republican forces along the River Jarama (the Madrid-Valencia Road). No significant breakthrough was achieved, but both sides suffered heavy casualties.

While there was initial enthusiasm at the partial Republican victory (ability to maintain ground at the centre after loss of the flanks), the action at Jarama played a critical role in depletion of International Brigader’s morale. The battle highlighted the poor training and leadership, alongside political divisions and heavy losses (number of troops falling from 600 to 225). At least five Welshmen were killed in the engagement. Michael O’Donoghue remembered the ‘terrific bombardment’ the Republicans faced from Trench warfare and airborne machine gun fire.

 

Battle of Brunete (6th-25th July)

The Republicans sought to divert Franco's attention from battles in the North so they engaged in combat at Brunete, 15 miles West of Madrid. This site, situated on the Extremadura road, was strategically chosen to disrupt Nationalist supply lines and forces besieging Madrid. The first Republican offensives were successful but cracks began to show when Nationalist reinforcements and pincer movements threatened Republican momentum. When Nationalist counter attacks began on the 18th July, lengthy artillery barrages and heavy aerial attacks overpowered the Republican position. By the 25th the International Brigades had lost half of its men and the majority of its indispensable equipment. 

'I realised the first day I was in action that we were outgunned and outmanned, for every shell our guns sent over we received fifty back. The fastest planes and tanks were everywhere. Their mortars rained destruction everywhere. It was absolute hell. And after 12-15 days of no sleep, hardly any food, unwashed, we were completely exhausted'

- Edwin Greening

Welshman Alun Menai Williams recalled the inability to properly bury the dead and shortage of medical staff/equipment:

'At one period I was busy dressing people and they were laying down in lines and nobody could attend to them, they were dying because I couldn't attend to them. And there were terrible casualties and there were no facilities to attend to the casualties. People were just dying because I didn't have enough tourniquets, there was not enough expertise on the team I had'

Williams also highlights Brunete as a battle at which political factions (communist, socialist, anarchist) within the Republican army became clear. As well as his experience of increased insubordination and desertion from within the International Brigades battalions.

Battle of the Ebro

The Battle of the Ebro was the largest battle of the Spanish Civil War. It took place between 25th July-16th November 1938 concentrated on the lower course of the Ebro river (Catalonia and Fayón). At this stage the condition of the Republican forces was dire, especially after bloody combat at the Battle of Teruel.

The Republican forces crossed the Ebro at a bend between  Fayón and Benifallet on the night of the 24th-25th. They initially used ninety assault boats for troop transport and the remaining forces used pontoon bridges the following morning. The surprise assault was successful but the subsequent offensives failed and the International Brigade was forced to retreat after suffering huge losses.

Volunteer Tom Jones describes the desperate situation of the Republic in the Spring of 1938 and the response of Franco’s forces to the attack:

 ‘The fascists opened an Aragon offensive coming down the Ebro valley, with about 250,000 Italian, German, Moroccan, and Spanish troops. Their planes were everywhere. They had hundreds of tanks. Thousands of guns. The Republican troops and the British battalion retreated' 

Jones saw the Spanish Civil War as a dress rehearsal for the Second World War. He was convinced that the fascist forces could have ended the war much more quickly, but instead Hitler used it as an opportunity to develop and practise the efficiency of Bliztkrieg and panzer attacks. It was Franco’s airborne reinforcements (eight divisions, 140 bombers and 100 fighters) that prevented Republican tanks and artillery crossing the Ebro, resulting in a lack of supplies and ammunition for troops. 

When asked about the hardest battle fought, Archie Cook without hesitation replied: 'The Ebro. The Ebro and continuing after the Ebro like, after we crossed the Ebro'.

Archie Cook continued to believe that victory was a possibility for Republican forces, epitomising Welsh resilience and courage. Cook was specifically mentioned in dispatches for his bravery in the Battle of the Ebro for always being the first in attack. During the battle Cook suffered multiple wounds by trench mortar and burst shrapnel. In spite of this he was selected for Officers’ school and left as a sergeant. He served in ‘all of it, every front, crossing the Ebro, Brunette, Casa de Nueva’.

Prominent Welshmen

Despite the heavy losses and decreasing morale, from within the battles of Jarama, Brunete and the Ebro emerged the acknowledgement of the courage and bravery of Welsh miners. A number of Welsh volunteers were selected for higher rank. These battles also highlighted the crucial role of Welshmen as moral boosters within their battalions. 

Alec Cummings (Mid-Rhondda) became Commander of the Number One Company and Tom Glyn Evans (Kenfig Hill) his second in command during the Battle of Jarama. Both Welsh Volunteers Jack Roberts and Harry Dobson also rose in military prominence as battalion commissars.