Siege of Madrid facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Madrid
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Nationalist soldiers raiding a suburb, March 1937
Date Siege: 8 November 1936 – 28 March 1939 Nationalist assault: 8 November 1936 – early December 1936 Location Madrid, Spain Result Nationalist victory Republicans win the battle in 1936 City surrenders to Nationalists in 1939
Belligerents
Spanish Republic Supported by:  Soviet Union International Brigades	Nationalist Spain Supported by:  Germany  Italy
Commanders and leaders
Manuel Azaña José Miaja Vicente Rojo Lluch Enrique Líster Adolfo Prada Carlos Romero José María Galán Segismundo Casado Luis Barceló  Francisco Galán Antonio Ortega  Antonio Escobar Hans Beimler  † Pavol Lukács Cipriano Mera José B. Durruti  †	Francisco Franco Emilio Mola José Enrique Varela José Moscardó Ituarte Mohamed Meziane Juan Yagüe Carlos A. Cabanillas Rolando de Tella Antonio Castejón Francisco A. Delgado Hugo Sperrle
Strength
42,000 50 tanks 70 guns	20,000 30 tanks 120 aircraft
Casualties and losses
~5,000 dead or wounded (including civilians)	~5,000 dead or wounded
Casualties refer to the November 1936 battle only

The Siege of Madrid was a long battle during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It involved the city of Madrid, the capital of Spain, which was controlled by the Republican government. Armies led by General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces tried to capture Madrid. The siege lasted for two and a half years, from October 1936 until March 1939, when the city finally fell to the Nationalists. The most intense fighting, known as the Battle of Madrid, happened in November 1936. This was when the Nationalists made their strongest attempt to take the city.

The Spanish Republic created special military awards, the Laureate Plate of Madrid and the Madrid Distinction. These awards were named after Madrid because the city became a symbol of bravery and strong resistance during the long war.

Madrid Stays with the Republic (July 1936)

The Spanish Civil War began on July 18, 1936, when some Spanish Army officers tried to take over the government. This attempt, called a coup d'état, failed.

In Madrid, the Republican government was unsure what to do. They wanted to stop the takeover but worried about trusting their own armed forces. They also hesitated to arm the large worker groups, like the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) trade unions. On July 19, the government decided to arm these workers to defend the Republic. About 60,000 rifles were given out, though only 5,000 worked well. A famous slogan, ¡No pasarán! ("They shall not pass"), was used to encourage people to resist. This phrase became a symbol of Madrid's defense and the Republican cause.

General Joaquín Fanjul, who led the military in Madrid, planned to start the rebellion in the city. But when his 2,500 troops tried to leave their barracks, they were forced back inside by angry crowds and armed workers. On July 20, the barracks were attacked by workers and police loyal to the government. The fighting was messy. Many soldiers were killed after the barracks fell, as the crowd was very angry.

Madrid remained under Republican control for the rest of the war. However, many people in the city supported the Nationalists. Over 20,000 of them sought safety in foreign embassies. In the weeks after the July uprising, some people believed to be Nationalist supporters were killed by Republicans in Madrid. For example, on August 23, prisoners from the Modelo Prison were killed. This was in response to Nationalists killing Republicans in Badajoz.

Nationalists March on Madrid (August–October 1936)

The Nationalists' first plan was to take power quickly across the country. But the Republicans resisted, so Francisco Franco and his allies had to conquer Spain by force. Franco's troops, including Moroccan soldiers, advanced from southern Spain. General Emilio Mola gathered troops in the north. They planned to march on Madrid. Franco's experienced troops, with air support from Nazi Germany, easily defeated Republican militias.

Franco decided to help Nationalist troops stuck in Toledo first. This delay gave the Republicans about a month to prepare Madrid's defenses.

Meanwhile, the Republican government in Madrid changed leaders. Francisco Largo Caballero became the new prime minister. His government included members from different left-wing parties. The communists gained influence because they received weapons from the Soviet Union and had foreign volunteers. The Republican military leader in Madrid was General Jose Miaja, but Soviet military experts were also very important. About 90% of Madrid's defenders were militias formed by political parties or worker groups.

Germany and Fascist Italy also sent air and armored support to Franco. The Nationalists reached Madrid in early November 1936. General Mola famously said he would take Madrid with his four columns of troops outside the city and a "Fifth column" of supporters inside. This term "fifth column" became a way to describe spies or traitors. The government, expecting Madrid to fall, moved to Valencia on November 6. General Miaja and other leaders stayed behind to form the Junta de Defensa de Madrid (Committee for the Defense of Madrid).

However, the Nationalists faced challenges. They were outnumbered by the defenders, though their troops were better trained. Also, they could not completely surround Madrid, so help could still reach the city.

Battle for Madrid (November 1936)

Preparing for the Fight

The Republicans had a good defensive position. The Manzanares River separated the Nationalists from the city center, acting as a natural barrier. Mola planned his main attack for November 8, 1936. He wanted to attack through the Casa de Campo park, a wide-open area across the river from the city. He hoped to avoid difficult street fighting. Mola also planned a smaller attack on the Carabanchel suburb. However, on November 7, Republicans found the Nationalist attack plans. This allowed them to move their troops to the Casa de Campo to meet the main assault.

The Bridge of the French was very important because of its location over the Manzanares River. Republican forces there successfully stopped attempts to cross it.

First Attacks

Mola attacked on November 8 with 20,000 troops. These were mostly Moroccan soldiers, supported by Italian and German tanks. German planes also bombed the city.

The Republicans had 12,000 troops in Carabanchel and 30,000 more at Casa de Campo. Even though they had more soldiers, they were poorly equipped, with little ammunition. Most had no combat experience. Still, they held back the Nationalist attack at Casa de Campo. Some Nationalist troops did cross the river towards the Modelo Prison, but their attack stopped at the city's edge. Republican General Miaja reportedly encouraged his fleeing troops to stand and fight. All day, the city radio called on citizens to help, using the cry "¡No pasarán!" ('They shall not pass!').

Late on November 8, the XI International Brigade arrived. These 1,900 foreign volunteers marched through the city. Their arrival greatly boosted the defenders' spirits. The people of Madrid cheered them, mistakenly thinking they were Soviet soldiers.

Stopping the Attack and Fighting Back

On November 10, the Nationalists focused their attack on the Carabanchel suburb. But fighting in the city's narrow streets was very hard. The Moroccan troops, used to open-country fighting, struggled and suffered heavy losses against the local militiamen who knew the area well.

On November 9, the XI International Brigade attacked Nationalist positions in Casa de Campo. This fight lasted all night. The Nationalists were forced to retreat, giving up on a direct attack through the park. The XIth Brigade lost many soldiers. Republican troops also counterattacked along the front, pushing the Nationalists back in some places but also taking heavy losses.

On November 15, 4,000 anarchist militiamen arrived from Aragón to help defend Madrid.

On November 11, a sad event happened on the Republican side. Over 1,000 Nationalist prisoners from the Modelo Prison were taken out and killed in the Jarama Valley. This was done because they were seen as potential "Fifth Columnists" (traitors).

On November 12, the newly arrived XII International Brigade attacked Nationalist positions south of the city. They wanted to keep the road to Valencia open. The attack failed due to communication problems, but the road remained open.

Final Nationalist Push

On November 19, the Nationalists made their last big attack. After heavy bombing, Moroccan and Foreign Legion troops fought their way into the University City area of Madrid. They gained a small foothold across the Manzanares River. Fierce street fighting followed. The anarchist leader Durruti was killed that day. His death is still a mystery, with theories ranging from enemy fire to an accidental shooting by his own men. Despite strong counterattacks by Republican and International Brigade units, the Nationalists kept their position in the University City. However, their attempt to storm Madrid had failed because of the strong Republican resistance. Franco stopped further attacks, not wanting to lose more of his best troops.

Bombing from the Air

Nationalist aircraft bomb Madrid in late November 1936. Fiat CR 32s, flown by Italian pilots, provide fighter cover.

Since he couldn't take Madrid by ground attack, Franco ordered planes to bomb the city's neighborhoods. He wanted to scare the people into surrendering. He reportedly said, "I will destroy Madrid rather than leave it to the Marxists." German bombers attacked the city from November 19 to 23.

This bombing tactic did not work as Franco hoped. The people of Madrid did not give up. Bombing civilians was new in warfare and was criticized by foreign journalists. The number of civilian deaths was around 2,000. By early 1937, Republican fighter planes became stronger, making daylight bombing less effective.

Front Lines Settle

The battle slowly ended in December as both sides were tired. A front line formed in the city, running through the University City, Casa de Campo park, and Carabanchel. Madrid was still bombed and shelled, and food became scarce as winter arrived. Some important factories were moved to unused metro tunnels under the city. Franco's last action of 1936 was to try to cut off the road to Corunna, northeast of Madrid. This also ended in a stalemate.

The exact number of casualties in the Battle of Madrid is unknown. But historians estimate about 10,000 people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed or wounded on both sides.

Battles Around Madrid (1937)

After the Battle of Madrid, the Republican government tried to turn its militias into a regular army. This meant combining the militias with parts of the old army that supported the Republic. This change gave the Communist Party more influence because they had disciplined units and access to Soviet weapons and foreign military advisors.

In 1937, two major battles happened near Madrid: the Battle of Jarama (January-February) and the Battle of Brunete (July). Two other battles, at Guadalajara (March) and Teruel (December), were also part of the Nationalist plan to take the capital.

In early 1937, Franco tried to cross the Jarama River to cut off the road between Madrid and Valencia, where the Republican government had moved. The fighting was fierce, and neither side won clearly. Franco's troops crossed the river but failed to cut the road. Both sides suffered many casualties.

In March, the Battle of Guadalajara took place northeast of Madrid. Republican troops defeated an attempt by Italian forces to surround Madrid. Italian and Nationalist losses were higher than the Republicans'. About a third of Madrid was heavily damaged, but people's spirits remained strong.

In July, Republicans launched a big attack to try and surround the Nationalists. But the Battle of Brunete became another bloody stalemate. The Republicans initially gained ground but lost it to strong Nationalist counterattacks. Republican losses were much higher.

By late 1937, the Nationalists had taken much of northern Spain, which was important for arms factories. At the end of the year, a Republican commander, Cipriano Mera, found out about Nationalist plans for a new attack on Madrid. General Vicente Rojo launched his own attack on December 15, taking the town of Teruel. This stopped Franco's planned attack on Madrid but led to one of the war's bloodiest battles, with over 100,000 casualties.

End of the Siege: Madrid Falls (1938–March 1939)

The Valle de los Caidos or 'Valley of the fallen', a huge memorial built by Franco near Madrid after the war.

In 1938, the siege of Madrid became tighter. People in the city suffered from a lack of food, warm clothes, and supplies. Franco had given up on a direct attack. Instead, he slowly tightened the siege and continued to bomb the city.

By spring 1939, it was clear the Republican cause in Madrid was doomed. This caused big disagreements among Republicans. Some, like Prime Minister Juan Negrín and the Communist Party, wanted to fight until the very end. Others, like Republican Colonel Segismundo Casado, wanted to surrender Madrid to protect Republican supporters from Nationalist revenge. On March 5, Casado's men arrested communist officers and removed Negrín from power. They formed a new group to try and make a peace deal with Franco. The next day, communist leaders fled Spain. But communist troops around Madrid refused to accept the new group's authority. There were days of fighting between communist and non-communist troops in the streets of Madrid. The communists were defeated.

This left Casado free to try and negotiate with Franco. However, Franco demanded an unconditional surrender (meaning no terms or conditions). On March 26, Franco ordered a general advance into Madrid. On March 27, the Republican front collapsed. Many soldiers surrendered or threw away their weapons and went home. On March 28, Madrid finally fell to Franco's forces. Even though Casado tried to negotiate, many Republican defenders of Madrid were among the nearly 200,000 people who were executed or died in prison under Franco's rule between 1939 and 1943.

Madrid in Literature

The Siege of Madrid became a very important story during the Spanish Civil War. The idea of the capital city being surrounded, with the enemy so close but unable to capture it for years, inspired songs and poems. One famous poem is by Rafael Alberti, called Madrid, corazón de España (Madrid, Heart of Spain). It starts like this:

See also

• List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
• Gómez Ulla Military Hospital
• Los Emboscados
• List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
• Condor Legion