Battle of Alfambra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Alfambra |
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| Part of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Republic |
 Nationalist Spain Italy Germany |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 General Juan Hernández Saravia |
 Rafael García Valiño Colonel Juan Yagüe General Antonio Aranda Colonel Jose Monasterio General Juan Vigon |
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| Strength | |||||||
| fewer than 50,000 120 fighters 80 bombers |
100,000 500 guns 150 fighters 100 bombers |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 20,000-22,000 | ? | ||||||
The Battle of Alfambra was an important fight during the Spanish Civil War. It happened near a town called Alfambra in Spain. The battle took place from February 5 to 8, 1938. It was part of a bigger fight called the Battle of Teruel.
The Republican army had taken control of Teruel city. But the Nationalists wanted to take it back. So, they launched a big attack. On February 5, a large Nationalist force broke through the Republican lines. They moved north of Teruel towards the Alfambra river. This attack captured about 7,000 Republican soldiers. It also put the Republican forces in Teruel in danger.
Why the Battle Happened
After the Republican army captured Teruel on January 7, the Nationalists planned to fight back. They wanted to take over the high ground around Teruel. On January 17, they managed to capture some hills called La Muela. However, the Republican troops, led by General Hernandez Saravia, stopped their advance. The International Brigades also helped the Republicans.
Then, the Nationalists gathered a very large army. They had 100,000 soldiers and 500 guns. This huge force was in the Sierra de Palomera, north of Teruel. General Juan Vigon led them. His army included three main groups:
- The Galicia corps led by General Aranda.
- The Morocco corps led by Colonel Yagüe.
- The Navarre Corp led by Garcia Valiño.
- The Italian CTV (a group of Italian volunteers).
- A cavalry division led by Colonel Monasterio.
On the other side, the Republican defenses in this area were not very strong. Most of their soldiers were inside Teruel city. The Republican troops guarding this part of the front had not fought much before. They had one main group here, the 13th Army Corps. This corps included the 29th and the 42nd divisions.
The Battle Begins
On February 5, the Nationalists started their big attack. They moved towards the Alfambra river. Their attack covered a wide area, about 30 kilometers long.
The battle began with a huge charge by Monasterio’s cavalry division. This was one of the last big horse charges in Western Europe. The three Nationalist army groups quickly broke through the Republican lines. They moved fast towards the Alfambra river. Many Republican soldiers were surrounded by the Nationalists. Others ran away in a disorganized way.
By February 7, the Nationalists had taken over a large area. They captured about 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers) of land. They also seized a lot of supplies. This included ammunition, weapons, and ambulances. They even captured many aircraft, with twelve planes taken on February 7 alone. The Republicans suffered heavy losses. Between 20,000 and 22,000 Republican soldiers were killed or wounded. About 7,000 of them were taken prisoner.
What Happened Next
By February 20, the Nationalists were threatening the Republican supply routes. These routes connected Teruel to Valencia. Because of this, General Hernandez Saravia ordered his troops to leave Teruel city.
However, the Republicans managed to create a new defense line. They set it up along the right bank of the Alfambra river. This new line was ready by February 25.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Alfambra para niños
- List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
- List of weapons of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie
- List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
