Battle of Guadalajara
The Battle of Guadalajara, fought in March 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, was a significant military engagement between Spanish Nationalist forces and the Republican army. The Nationalists, led by José Moscardo, were reinforced by four divisions from Italy under Mario Roatta, who advanced along the Saragossa-Madrid Highway. Initially, the Republican forces experienced setbacks, but they regrouped and received reinforcements, enabling them to launch counterattacks. Notable clashes occurred around Trijeque and Brihuega, where the Republicans effectively utilized tanks and aircraft in their operations.
The battle culminated in an Italian withdrawal that turned chaotic, forcing Moscardo to retreat to avoid encirclement. Both sides suffered considerable casualties, with estimates of approximately 2,000 dead and 4,000 wounded. The outcome of the battle was significant, as the Republicans managed to maintain control over Madrid until their eventual defeat in 1939. Additionally, the failure of Italian armored units during the battle contributed to a reevaluation of the effectiveness of tank warfare by observers in Britain, France, and the United States.
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Subject Terms
Battle of Guadalajara
Type of action: Ground battle in the Spanish Civil War
Date: March 8-21, 1937
Location: Northeastern Guadalajara Province, fifty miles northeast of Madrid
Combatants: 48,000 Nationalists (including 32,000 Italians) vs. 36,000 Republicans
Principal commanders:Nationalist, José Moscardo (1878–1956); Italian, Mario Roatta (1887–1968); Republican, Enrique Jurado (1883–1965)
Result: The Nationalists failed to isolate Republican-held Madrid from the bulk of Republican territory to the east
On March 8, 1937, a reinforced Spanish Nationalist division under José Moscardo and four Italian divisions under Mario Roatta attacked to the southwest near Algora. As Roatta pushed down the Saragossa-Madrid Highway with a column of eighty-one Fiat-Ansaldo tankettes leading the way, the Republic’s Twelfth Division fell back. To the west, Moscardo met little resistance, but Republican opposition along the highway and to the east increased steadily. On March 15, Roatta ordered a halt near Trijeque in order to secure his position.
Enrique Jurado, commanding the Republic’s Fourth Corps, now had time to reinforce with two hastily redeployed divisions, and his counterattacks near Trijeque and to the east at Brihuega on March 18 were well supported by tanks and aircraft. The Italian withdrawal of March 19 quickly became a rout, and on March 21, Moscardo fell back in order to prevent his own encirclement. Each side lost approximately 2,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.
Significance
The Republic would hold Madrid until its ultimate defeat in March, 1939. The failure of Italian armor caused many in Britain, France, and the United States to underestimate the tank’s potential.
Bibliography
Borkenau, Franz. The Spanish Cockpit. London: Faber & Faber, 1937.
Colodny, Robert G. The Struggle for Madrid: The Central Epic of the Spanish Conflict. New York: Paine-Whitman, 1958.
Coverdale, John F. Italian Intervention in the Spanish Civil War. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1975.
Podmore, Will. Britain, Italy, Germany, and the Spanish Civil War. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press, 1998.
Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. 3d ed. London: Penguin Books in association with Hamish Hamilton, 1990.