Rojo y Negro - Iberia in the 20th Century

Tommy4ever said:

I'm not familiar with the Preston books but I've read Homage to Catalonia. I think people who know a little but not a huge amount about the Spanish Civil War and Revolution tend to get a very Catalonia-centric view of the Civil War. Probably because the main sources of information on the subject are Homage to Catalonia (because George Orwell is popular as everyone reads Animal Farm and 1984 at school) and Land and Freedom (because its a good film by a well known director). But the view from Catalonia is very different to the view from Madrid. In Catalonia the revolutionary forces (Anarchists and POUM) were at their strongest whilst the region was initially under comparitively little threat. The Aragon Front was where the Catalan militias had to hold the line and in this mountainous territory even a less effective fighting force can hold the line. So the region was under less threat and had the most advanced revolution which was working rather well. If you're in Barcelona the actions of the the government and CP seem to be nothing but evil Stalinism as they supressed the revolution, purged the revolutoinary forces and professionalised the army. From the Barcelona perpective there is no obvious reason for this except for class collaborationism and the desire of the Soviets to cosy up with Britain and France in their own national interests.

From Madrid it is a very different perspective. Here the militias barely held the line and the city was only saved thanks to the assistance of the international brigades and more professionalised (and more effective) military units. Whats more the city spent basically the whole war under siege with the very real threat of Fascist takeover and the slaughter everyone feared. In Barcelona the threat of the Fascists was more distant and the needs of the revolution took precedence, from Madrid the Fascists were on the doorstep and the needs of the war effort came above everything else. I think that getting the view from Madrid gives you a fuller view of why the government and CP acted the way they did. It wasn't because they were evil slaves of Stalin seeking only to further Soviet interests - it was because they put the war effort above everything else and saw the revolution as a threat to that war effort by causing divisions in the already class collaborationist Popular Front, by frightening off potential foriegn supporters in Britain and especially France and by relying on less effective militias.

If you take the view from Madrid into account as well as the view from Barcelona it is clear that it is not a black and white case of good versus evil but a matter of priorities. Which is more important - everything for the war effort, or everything for the revolution?

Anyway, I've rambled quite a lot.

I see all the armies of intervention are in play. Let the games begin.

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Well, I don't blame them, I concentrate all of my hate in old uncle Joe Stalin . I believe that in the situation they were there was no way out for the republic. If they continued their alliance with the trotskyists and anarchists, Madrid would've fallen pretty early in the war. However, when they crushed the militias of the POUM and CNT/FAI, they lost Barcelona...

whatguts said:

who are you playing as?

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I'm playing as Republican Spain

The Republican victory at Madrid was decisive to keep the Popular Front united and capable of fighting a war. Had the rebels taken the capital, it is unlikely the still somewhat fragile of the Spanish left-wing would’ve held together. However, despite the utmost importance of the victory at Madrid, it did not change the fact that most of northern Spain was in Nationalist control, surrounding a large contingent of the Republican army, isolated in a fragile position in the Biscayan coast. To change this and to end the war with a victory for the Republic, the only possible option was attacking, and so they did.

The Ebro offensive began in late January, 1937, with an attack on the two provinces north of Madrid, Guadalajara and Segovia. The second one was only attacked so the nationalists, believing the offensive objective was just pushing the line further away from Madrid, would have to divide their reinforcements between the two regions. The only region that really had to fall so the offensive could proceed was Guadalajara, since taking this area was crucial to reach the Ebro from the south. The nationalists managed to hold the line in both areas initially, but the Republic eventually unleashed the second and much stronger part of the attack on Guadalajara: The bulk of the air force, reinforced by Soviet aircrafts, began to heavily bomb the region, while armored units attacked, breaking the Nationalist line in several points. Guadalajara had fallen.


At the same time the second phase of the attack initiated in Guadalajara, the Republican offensive against southern Aragón also began. It had the clear objective of liberating Zaragoza, thus reestablishing the front line on the Ebro River. The attack initiated on the beginning of February, and even though it did not possess the same strength the one against Guadalajara had, it achieved success rather quickly. This happened for two main reasons: first, the Nationalists underestimated the strength of their enemy, and the large-scale Republican offensive caught them by surprise. Second, internal conflicts arose inside the Nationalist faction. The Carlists were afraid of the power the Falange had gained since the beginning of the war, as they were only a minor political party before the conflict. They feared their cause could not be strengthened by supporting the fascists, since the Falange never stated they had clear intentions of placing Prince Xavier, the Carlist pretender, on the throne, but eventually they realized they did not had much of an option, since a Republican victory would crush their movement once and for all. Still, the Requetés, the Carlist militias, would until the end of the war hesitate several times in following orders issued by non-Carlist commanders, and this would prove decisive in the Ebro offensive. On March 3, 1937, Republican forces entered Zaragoza victorious, acclaimed by the masses, who sang not the Himno de Riego, the anthem of the Republic, but the revolutionary songs of the POUM and of the CNT/FAI.


The next stage of the Ebro offensive began in mid-March. By this time, it was already clear that the Republican attack, coming from both the Basque Country and Guadalajara, had the intention of capturing the province Soria, this way creating a pocket of several Nationalist divisions in Navarra and northern Aragon. The rebel commanders however, had no control of the situation, since their divisions in Zaragoza and especially Guadalajara, facing onslaught at the hands of their enemies, retreated not quite in an orderly fashion. Still, the Nationalist leaders did everything possible to stop the advance of their enemies, ordering attacks against Estremaura, Asturies and even Catalunya. Their efforts proved fruitless however, only tiring Nationalist units and making the Republican job easier. The pocket was completely closed on April 17, when units from the Republican army met up with soldiers from the Basque nationalist militia, effectively trapping several Nationalist divisions.


After almost a month starving, without connection by land and sea with allies, the rebel forces in the pocket were finally attacked. In northern Aragon it was really a mopping-up operation, since reaction was almost nonexistent, and the population welcomed the Republican forces as liberators in each city and village they entered. Resistance however, was much stronger in Navarra, the stronghold of Carlism. The Requetés fought to the death, demanding a heavy price for every inch of land retaken by government forces. Still, their resistance would be crushed eventually, and Republican forces entered a silent Pamplona on the seventh of June. The Nationalists were defeated decisively in the Ebro Offensive, with more than 50,000 rebel soldiers killed and 120,000 others captured, and they would never recover from this heavy blow. The tide of the Spanish Civil War had turned.

Tommy4ever said:

Its always a bit of a disappointment when the Civil War ends so quickly. :/

What now for the Republic? With the war over so swiftly the Revolutionaries will still be very much active. Will there be a Civil War to follow the Civil War? Or will the power of the social revolution sweap across Spain.

Looking forward!

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Yep, it's going to end soon . I'm happy however, as it gives me more time for the final battle against Fascism. Let's face it, Hitler will at least try to avenge Franco

Also, I recommend that all readers check the second post of this thread before reading any new update. It is to, let's say, get you into the revolutionary mood

Van5 said:

Wooo! go Popular Front

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Milites said:

A successful Batalla del Ebro and the Spanish Republic seems on the brink of total victory. A pleasant development

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Thanks

The Spanish Civil War was marked by the amount of intervention from foreign government, but this was not the only way that outsiders participated in it. The conflict also saw a historically unprecedented presence of volunteers. These came from all over the world, in the thousands, to fight for both sides of the war. This is the reason why some historians later wrote that the civil war was not a Spanish conflict, but rather it was an international ideological battle, with Spain merely serving as the battlefield for it.

The presence of foreign volunteers on the Nationalist side was much smaller, since their faction was composed by authoritarian coupists, features that did not enjoy a lot of popularity in the average people, and strongly Catholic countries of Europe proved to be the only source of volunteers for the rebels. Portugal stands out in this matter, as the numbers of volunteers coming from the Iberian neighbor, the so-called “Viriatos”, was higher than all other countries combined. Other notable foreign groups are the Irish “Blueshirt” brigade, organized and led by Eoin O’Duffy, and the “Jeanne d’Arc” company, set up by the Croix de Feu, a French far-right league, which would later be dissolved by Léon Blum’s government.

The arrival of volunteers to fight for the Republic was initially extremely limited. Most of the people willing to fight for the Republicans came from western countries aligned with the United Kingdom and the United States, and these two major powers, as the main advocates of non-intervention on the Spanish conflict, exerted a great deal of pressure on these countries, making their governments complicate or even prohibit travels to Spain. Thus, in the first months of war, the Republican side received almost solely humanitarian aid, the only kind of support that could be sent easily, and this situation only changed when an intermediary finally appeared.


The route used by most volunteers to join the fight for the Republic in Spain would later receive the name of French Connection. This plan began to be organized when the Popular Front government of Spain contacted their counterpart in France, searching for a middleman to facilitate the entrance of foreign volunteers in Spain. On October 23, 1936, after successful negotiations, the Office of the International Brigades would be opened in Brest, and the city would function until the end of the war as the major port for the arrival of volunteers. In the capital of Brittany, the volunteers were organized into units according to nationality and ideology, and then sent south, towards Catalunya, where they would be trained and receive equipment in several camps. The initial plan was to establish the training camps in southern France, but the Radical Party threatened to leave the government coalition if this happened, and so this part of the project was scrapped. Nevertheless, the modified plan went on successfully, as the U.K. and the U.S., even though they issued a small protest, were unwilling to lose the friendship of Paris, because France was extremely important to keep Nazi expansionism in check.


The French Connection is considered one of the biggest military and diplomatic victories of the Republic throughout the civil war period. Spain was suffering with increasing isolation in the western world, and in a moment where the Spanish people felt all alone in their struggle, the French helped, and the friendship of the northern neighbor would always be remembered. The International Brigades proved invaluable to the republican cause, participating in all major battles of the war that occurred after its creation. It was a battle force guided not by payment, nationalism or threats, but by the heroic dedication to the republican ideal, for which they were even willing to give their lives if necessary. It is estimated that around 50.000 people from all over the world fought for the International Brigades, and around 8.000 of them perished in Spanish lands. They would never be forgotten.

Not sure if there's a lot of people reading this...:huh:

Arise ye lurkers !

Tommy4ever said:

I'm still reading!

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Soulstrider said:

So do I.

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Thats good to hear (read in fact)

BootOnFace said:

I love the Spanish Civil War/Revolution, so I'm definitely reading this. I hope you spread the revolution to the Axis by the end of this.

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Oh, don't you worry. Their time will come

The victory achieved by the Republic in the Ebro Offensive was decisive, succeeding in driving the enemy’s forces and breaking the backbone of the rebel army. It was not over, however, as Castilla la Vieja and León remained under strong Nationalist command, held by the forces that were already there and by the few who managed to escape the pocket. To make matters worse, they had a sea connection through the Galician port of Vigo, maintaining the constant influx of equipment, supplies and reinforcements sent by both Germany and Italy to their fascist allies in Spain. The momentum was with the Republicans, and to conserve it and end the war as quickly as possible, they had to keep pushing forward.

The results of this need to end the conflict quickly were preparations for a new offensive, planned by the high command of the Republican forces. She was named in the same fashion that the victorious Ebro Offensive, receiving the name of the river which was at the center of it, the Duero. The Republic, with its territory no longer divided, committed all its military strength to this attack. Hundreds of fighters and bombers, armored divisions, infantry and cavalry units, the International Brigades, all they had would be used in this last push to defeat the rebels once and for all.


The Duero Offensive, like the Ebro one, began with an attack on the province of Segovia, but this time it was no decoy; the Republic intended to take and keep the region. The Nationalists put up a desperate defense, fighting for every single trench, village or any other kind of strongpoint they had, but it was to no avail. The Republicans, for the first time in the war clearly superiors in both numbers and equipment eventually broke through the battered fascist lines, and they routed. Meanwhile, up in the northwest, the Nationalists in León were suffering the same fate, as the region was heavily attacked by Republican troops from Galicia, Asturies, and Cantabria. Facing extremely unfavorable odds, the Nationalists had to bitterly retreat there too, and after a bloody battle, Republican armies marched victorious into the city of León, on September 17, 1937.

Encouraged by their success and seeing nationalist resistance crumbling right in front of them, the Republicans continued with the planned offensive, keeping their attacks from both north and south. The Nationalists gave the best they had, but their numbers were just not enough anymore. The morale of their troops had plummeted, many soldiers deserted, trying to escape in any way possible, and the mere appearance of Republican soldiers was enough to make several units surrender. Those who continued to fight were finally defeated by the end of the month, and on September 29, 1937, Republican troops coming from north and south cheerfully met in the Duero, effectively cutting the remaining Nationalist-controlled areas in three.


The remaining pockets of rebel control were southern Galicia, southern Leon, and the area around Burgos. The first two fell remarkably easy, as troops there were no longer willing to fight for a lost cause, and by mid-October, there was no significant remaining opposition to Republican rule in these two areas. However, the situation developed in a completely different way in Burgos. The city was the capital of the Nationalist faction, with the most loyal troops they still had there to fight for it. Nearly all of the rebel leadership was trapped in the city, unable to flee because of the way the Duero offensive unfolded, and this served as further incentive for the defenders. They would fight with the same grip with which the Carlists fought defending Navarre, and like the Requetés in Pamplona, they would fight to their last man for every building and every street, and so they did. When the battle was finally over a month later, thousands of bodies were rotting in the streets, and the once mighty Burgos was nothing but ashes and ruins. It was a costly victory, but it was victory nonetheless. The lifeless bodies of Franco and Mola were hanging from the remains of a building, and Spain was united again.


The Spanish Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in the history of the Iberian country, it was an ideological conflict, and the republican struggle, especially of the International Brigades and the Spanish militias, would influence generations to come, serving as an inspiration for many future revolutionary movements. National infrastructure was severely damaged, in some areas totally destroyed, and around half a million Spaniards died, more than a third of them civilians. Besides these, some 30.000 foreigners also perished in Spanish lands. The first battle against fascism had been won, but the war was just beginning.