Battle of Merida
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
Gijón - Oviedo - Alcázar of Toledo - Mérida - Badajoz - Guipúzcoa - Mallorca - Sierra Guadalupe - Talavera de la Reina - Madrid - Road to Coruña - Málaga - Jarama - Guadalajara - War in the north ( Durango , Guernica , Santander ) - Brunete - Belchite - Teruel - Cabo de Palos - Aragon - Ebro - Catalonia
The Battle of Mérida took place near the city of Mérida from August 10-11, 1936, during the Spanish Civil War .
prehistory
In the summer of 1936, German and Italian aircraft and the Spanish fleet transported around 10,000 soldiers from the Spanish Army of Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar to southern Spain, which were initially stationed in Seville . On August 1, General Franco ordered the advance north to unite the African Army with General Emilio Mola's troops .
Under the orders of Colonel Carlos Asensio Cabanillas and Major Antonio Castejón Espinosa , the army, divided into motorized units, advanced north. The border towns on the way and resisting on the Portuguese border were captured. The nationalist army under Colonel Asensio began its advance northward from Seville on August 2nd . Major Castejón followed with a second unit on August 3rd.
On August 6, Asensio fought his way north through the republican positions. On August 7th, after a bitter battle, the African nationalist army captured the city of Almendralejo . The Republicans withdrew to nearby Mérida while the nationalists waited for reinforcements under Castejón.
The battle
On August 10, the Republicans again faced the nationalists on the Guadiana River at the Roman Bridge of Mérida. Asensio was able to capture the Roman bridge over the river and then quickly take the city of Mérida. The Republican militias were forced to withdraw, otherwise they ran the risk of being surrounded. Lieutenant Colonel (later general) Juan Yagüe arrived at the front and took command of the nationalist troops. The republican organizer of the Mérida Defense Committee, Anita López , fell while defending the city.
Yagüe began to march towards Badajoz . A detachment under the command of Lieutenant Tella was left in Mérida to secure the city. On August 11, the republican militias, the Guardia de Asalto and the Guardia Civil , coming from Madrid , attacked the city. After heavy fighting, the Republicans were repulsed by the Tellas legionaries .
At the same time, Yagüe succeeded in taking Badajoz ( Battle of Badajoz (1936) ).
literature
- Hugh Thomas : The Spanish Civil War. Revised and updated edition. Modern Library, New York NY 2001, ISBN 0-375-75515-2 .