Badajoz massacre facts for kids

The Badajoz massacre was a terrible event that happened during the Spanish Civil War. It took place in August 1936, right after the Battle of Badajoz. Between 500 and 4,000 people were killed by a group called the Nationalists. These people were civilians and soldiers who supported the Second Spanish Republic. The killings happened after the Nationalists took control of the city of Badajoz in Spain.

Why it Happened: The Background

View of the old centre of the city of Badajoz, next to the river Guadiana, where the massacre took place after the Battle of Badajoz.

Before the Spanish Civil War started in July 1936, things were very tense in the Extremadura region of Spain. The government had passed a law called the Agrarian Reform Law. This law was meant to help poor farmers own the land they worked on. Farmers made up more than half of the people working in the area. This law caused big arguments between the farmers and the rich landowners.

In March 1936, some farmers in Badajoz tried to make the law happen faster. They went onto and took over farmlands.

After the Nationalist army started their rebellion, some violent acts were done by the Republicans. Nationalist leaders, like Queipo de Llano and Juan Yagüe, later said the killings in Badajoz were punishment for these acts.

Before the massacre, about 243 people were killed by Republican forces in the west of Badajoz. But the Nationalists also committed violent acts against Republican supporters. This happened as General Yagüe's army moved towards Badajoz from Seville. In every city Yagüe's troops captured, many people were killed. For example, after Fuente de Cantos was taken, about 325 Republicans were killed. After Almendralejo fell, another 403 Republicans were killed.

In total, between 6,610 and 12,000 people were killed by Nationalist forces in the western part of Badajoz, including the city itself. Most of these victims were poor workers and farmers.

Taking Over Badajoz

The Nationalists needed to capture Badajoz to connect their armies. One army was in the south, and the other, led by Emilio Mola, was in the north.

Badajoz was alone after the city of Mérida fell a few days earlier. About 2,250 Spanish legionarios (soldiers), 750 Moroccan Regulares (soldiers), and five artillery groups attacked the city. They were led by Lieutenant Colonel Juan Yagüe.

The final attack happened on the evening of August 14. The city had been bombed by planes (German Junkers Ju 52) and shelled by artillery for most of the day. Badajoz had old walls from the 1700s. About 2,000 Republican citizen-soldiers and 500 regular soldiers defended these walls. They were led by Colonel Ildefonso Puigdendolas.

The Nationalist troops broke through the walls on the east side. After fierce hand-to-hand fighting, Badajoz fell to the Nationalists.

What People Saw and Said

When Badajoz fell on August 14, many civilians were killed in the streets. This included women and children, especially by the Moroccan troops.

A Portuguese journalist named Mário Neves saw the massacre. His report to his newspaper was stopped by the government of António de Oliveira Salazar. Salazar was an ally of the Spanish Nationalists. Neves was horrified by what he saw and swore he would never go back to Badajoz. He did return in 1982 for a TV show.

After news of the events spread, the Nationalists tried to hide the truth. They published different stories. Some foreign reporters were even threatened or had their reputations attacked.

What Happened Next

The massacre in Badajoz was very important for how the war developed. Later in August, when towns like Irun and Fuenterrabia were being attacked, the rebels dropped flyers. These flyers threatened to treat the people there just like they had "dealt with" the people of Badajoz. This caused many people to panic and flee to France.

When foreign newspapers reported on the massacre, Franco, the Nationalist leader, ordered that such killings should stop. He knew they were hurting the Nationalists' image. On the other side, Republican groups used the massacre in their own messages. They used it to try and explain their own violent acts, like the Paracuellos massacre in November 1936.

Because of what happened in Badajoz, a German officer named Hans von Funck sent a report to Berlin. He was one of the few high-ranking German soldiers with the Nationalist army. He advised against sending regular German troops to Spain. He wrote that he was:

a soldier used to combat, who has fought in France during World War I, but he has never seen such brutality and ferocity as that with which the African Expeditionary Force carried out their operations. For this reason he advised against sending German regulars to Spain, because before such savagery, the German soldiers would become demoralised.

How Many People Died?

The exact number of people killed in the Badajoz massacre is still debated. Since the Nationalists won the war, there was never an official investigation into what happened to Republicans in the city. Most historians believe that between 2,000 and 4,000 people were killed.

One historian, Francisco Espinosa, found the names of 1,341 victims in Badajoz. But he said this was only a partial list, and the real number might be higher.

The Nationalists tried to keep the massacre a secret. But some journalists, like Mário Neves and Jay Allen, entered Badajoz after the city was taken. They found out about the killings. General Yagüe himself even admitted to an American reporter, John T. Whitaker:

"Of course we shot them", he said to me. "What do you expect? Was I supposed to take 4,000 reds with me as my column advanced, racing against time? Was I expected to turn them loose in my rear and let them make Badajoz red again?"

However, some studies suggest lower numbers. A 2010 study estimated the death toll to be between 500 and 700.

See also

In Spanish: Masacre de Badajoz para niños