Battle of Majorca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Majorca |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
 Map depicting the height of the offensive in the Balearics, with Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Cabrera, and eastern Majorca all under Republican control (in gray). |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Republic |
 Kingdom of Italy Nationalist Spain |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Cpt. Alberto Bayo Cpt. Manuel Uribarri |
 Arconovaldo Bonaccorsi Lt. Col. Luis García Ruiz |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 militia 1 battleship 1 light cruiser 2 destroyers 3 submarines 10 guns |
3,500 regulars and militia 3 bombers 3 fighters |
||||||
The Battle of Majorca was an important fight during the early days of the Spanish Civil War. It was also called the Majorca Landings. This battle happened when forces loyal to the Second Spanish Republic tried to take back the island of Majorca from the Nationalists.
The Republicans launched an attack from the sea, hoping to win quickly. Their plan was to land troops on the island and push the Nationalists out. They even called it "the reconquest of Majorca," showing how confident they were. However, the Nationalists fought back hard, especially with strong air support. This led to the Republican forces being defeated and forced to leave the island.
Contents
Why Majorca Was Important
The Spanish Civil War started in July 1936. It was a fight between two main groups: the Republicans and the Nationalists. The Republicans supported the elected government, while the Nationalists wanted a different kind of government, led by General Francisco Franco.
Early Attacks on the Islands
Majorca is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. When the war began, Majorca, along with Ibiza and Formentera, quickly fell under Nationalist control. The nearby island of Menorca stayed loyal to the Republic.
Republican groups in Barcelona and Valencia quickly started planning to take back the islands. They believed it was important to control these islands. On July 23, Republican planes bombed Palma, the capital of Majorca. On August 1, Republican forces from Menorca landed on Cabrera island.
Planning the Majorca Landing
The main government in Madrid did not fully approve these early attacks. This meant there was some confusion and a lot of quick planning. Captain Alberto Bayo gathered about 8,000 volunteer soldiers, called militia, in Barcelona.
On August 7, Nationalist soldiers on Formentera surrendered to Republican militia from Valencia. A few days later, on August 13, another 400 Catalan militia took control of Cabrera. Captain Bayo tried to get all these different Republican groups to work together for the main attack on Majorca. However, some of the groups, especially the anarchists, did not trust him. This made it harder to plan a united attack.
The Battle Begins
On August 16, 1936, Captain Bayo's forces landed on Majorca. They came ashore at Punta Amer and Porto Cristo. The Spanish Republican Navy helped them by providing support from the sea. The Republicans brought many soldiers and some heavy guns with them.
Initial Success
Even though they had trouble getting their guns off the ships, the Republican forces pushed inland. They advanced about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the island. The Nationalist forces on Majorca were smaller, with about 1,200 regular soldiers and some volunteers. At first, it looked like the Republicans might win.
Nationalist Counterattack
However, the battle changed dramatically on August 27. The Nationalists received a lot of help from Italy. Italy sent supplies and, most importantly, powerful aircraft. These Italian planes were much stronger than the Republican bombers. They quickly took control of the skies.
With strong air support, the Nationalists launched a powerful counterattack on the ground. The Republican forces were caught off guard and began to retreat. They had to leave behind their guns and equipment.
The Retreat
The Republican forces started to evacuate, or leave, Majorca on September 5. They held onto the beaches for a few more days, trying to get all their soldiers onto ships. By September 12, the last Republican ship sailed away. Majorca was left completely in Nationalist hands.
The Nationalists then quickly took back the other islands. Cabrera fell to them again a week after the Majorca retreat. Ibiza was captured on September 19, and Formentera on September 20. The Battle of Majorca was a clear victory for the Nationalists.
See also
In Spanish: Desembarco de Mallorca para niños
- List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
- List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
