Battle of Teruel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Battle of Teruel

Republican soldiers at Teruel, 1938

Date	December 15, 1937 – February 22, 1938
Location	Teruel, Aragon, Spain
Result	Nationalist victory

Belligerents

Spanish Republic

Nationalist Spain

Commanders and leaders

Juan Hernández Saravia

Enrique Fernández Heredia

Juan Ibarrola

Vicente Rojo Lluch

Enrique Líster

El Campesino

Karol Świerczewski

Francisco Franco

Antonio Aranda

José Enrique Varela

Juan Yagüe

Domingo Rey d'Harcourt (POW)

Strength

40,000

100,000

Teruel garrison: 4,000-less than 10,000

Reinforcements: 100,000

Casualties and losses

~60,000

~57,000

The Battle of Teruel was a major fight during the Spanish Civil War. It happened in and around the city of Teruel from December 1937 to February 1938. This was during one of Spain's coldest winters in 20 years. The battle was very intense, with the city changing hands many times. First, the Republicans captured it. Then, the Nationalists took it back. Teruel faced heavy artillery and air attacks during the two-month battle. Both sides together had about 110,000 casualties (people killed, wounded, or missing).

The Nationalist leader, Francisco Franco, had more soldiers and supplies. He eventually won back Teruel. This battle became a major turning point in the war.

Why Did the Battle of Teruel Happen?
- Teruel's Location and Defenses
- Who Fought in the Battle?
The Battle Unfolds
What Happened After the Battle of Teruel?
How Many People Were Affected?
Famous People at the Battle
See Also

Why Did the Battle of Teruel Happen?

Spain in 1937 before the Battle of Teruel. Blue shows Nationalist areas, and Red shows Republican areas. Teruel was a "bulge" of Nationalist land into Republican territory.

The Republic decided to attack Teruel for several important reasons. Republican military leaders believed Teruel was not well defended. They wanted to capture it to gain an advantage in the war. By 1937, Teruel was a small "bulge" of Nationalist land sticking into Republican territory. Taking it would make communication lines shorter between central Republican Spain and Valencia on the coast. Teruel was surrounded on three sides by Republican land. It was also a symbol of Nationalist power in the Aragon region.

Indalecio Prieto, the Republic's Minister of War, hoped for a big victory. He wanted to show how well the army was doing under his leadership. A win at Teruel would also help the government of Prime Minister Juan Negrín. They wanted to take control of factories in Catalonia from the workers. Finally, Republican spies learned that Franco planned a big attack near Madrid on December 18. So, the Republicans wanted to start their own attack on December 15. This would force the Nationalists to move their troops away from Madrid.

Teruel's Location and Defenses

Teruel is in southern Aragon. It was a small city with about 20,000 people. It was built in 1170 to protect against fighting between Moorish and Christian states. In 1937, it still served a similar purpose. It separated the Republicans in Valencia from the Nationalists in Zaragoza. Because it's high in the mountains (about 3,050 ft), Teruel often has Spain's coldest winter temperatures. The town was a natural fortress, surrounded by walls and mountains. It sat on a high hill where the Turia and Alfambra rivers met. The area around it had rough gorges and sharp peaks. West of the town, a road led up to a flat plain near the village of Concud. A very important spot was a ridge west of town called La Muela de Teruel (Teruel's Tooth). Teruel's defenses were strong. It had trenches and barbed wire already in place because it stuck out into Republican land.

Who Fought in the Battle?

The Spanish Republican Army was led by Juan Hernández Saravia. He had rebuilt the army almost from scratch. The Republicans had about 100,000 soldiers in two armies. The Army of the Levante led the main attack, supported by the Army of the East. Saravia wanted the attack on Teruel to be an all-Spanish operation. He did not want help from the International Brigades (foreign volunteers). One of his trusted commanders was Enrique Líster. Saravia chose Lister's division to lead the first attack.

Colonel Domingo Rey d'Harcourt was the Nationalist commander in Teruel. When the battle began, the Nationalist defending force had about 9,500 people, including civilians. After the attack started, Rey d'Harcourt gathered his remaining defenders into a garrison to protect the town. The Nationalist garrison in Teruel had between 2,000 and 6,000 people. It was probably around 4,000, with about half being civilians.

The Battle Unfolds

This map shows the battle. The red line is the front on December 15. The purple line shows Teruel surrounded on December 20. The green line shows the front at the end of the battle. La Muela is west of the town.

Lister's Republican division attacked Teruel on December 15, 1937, as snow fell. There was no bombing or artillery fire before the attack. Lister and his fellow commander, Colonel Enrique Fernández Heredia, quickly moved to surround the town. They immediately took control of the high ground at La Muela. By evening, they had completely surrounded the city. Rey d'Harcourt pulled his defenses back into the town. By December 17, he had given up trying to hold La Muela.

Francisco Franco, the Nationalist commander, decided on December 23 to help the defenders in Teruel. He had a rule that no provincial capital should fall to the Republicans. Losing Teruel would be a political failure. Franco was determined not to let it happen. He had just started a big attack near Guadalajara. Helping Teruel forced him to stop that attack. His Italian and German allies were not happy about this. The decision to help Teruel also showed that Franco had given up on ending the war quickly. He now accepted a long war, to be won by force and with foreign help.

Republicans Take the City

By December 21, Republican forces were inside the town. Famous writer Ernest Hemingway and two journalists, including Herbert Matthews from The New York Times, entered Teruel with the troops. Rey d'Harcourt, the Nationalist commander, moved his remaining defenders to the southern part of town. There, they planned to make a last stand. By Christmas Day, the Nationalists still held four key places: the Civil Governor's Building, the Bank of Spain, the Convent of Santa Clara, and the seminary. The Republicans' Radio Barcelona announced that Teruel had fallen. But Rey d'Harcourt and the remaining 4,000 defenders still held out. The fighting continued, hand-to-hand and building-to-building. Republicans would bomb a building with artillery, then move in with bayonets.

Nationalists Try to Help

Franco stopped the Guadalajara attack on December 23. But his relief force could not start its own attack until December 29. Franco could only send messages to Rey d'Harcourt, telling him to hold out at all costs. Meanwhile, the Republicans kept up their attack in terrible weather. The Nationalist counterattack began on December 29, as planned. Experienced Generals Antonio Aranda and José Enrique Varela led the attack. The German Condor Legion provided air support. By New Year's Eve, the Nationalists made a huge effort. They reached the La Muela Heights and even broke into the town. They took the bullring and the railway station. But they could not hold these gains inside the town.

Then, the weather got even worse. A four-day blizzard began, dropping 120 cm of snow. Temperatures dropped to -18 °C. The fighting stopped as guns and machines froze. Soldiers suffered terribly from frostbite. The Nationalists suffered the most because they did not have warm clothing. Many soldiers had to have frozen limbs removed.

Franco kept sending more men and machines. Slowly, the battle started to turn in his favor. However, the Republicans continued their siege. By New Year's Day in 1938, the defenders of the convent were gone. The Civil Governor's Building fell on January 3. Ernest Hemingway was there when it happened. The attackers and defenders were on different floors of the building, shooting at each other through holes. The defenders had no water, few medical supplies, and little food. Their defenses were just piles of ruins, but they kept fighting. The Nationalist advances stopped because of the weather. Finally, on January 8, Rey d'Harcourt surrendered. The Bishop of Teruel, Anselmo Polanco, was with him. Teruel had fallen to the Republicans.

Sadly, Rey d'Harcourt and the bishop, along with other prisoners, were later captured and did not survive the war. After Rey d'Harcourt's surrender, the people of Teruel were moved out. The Republicans then became the ones being attacked, and the Nationalists became the attackers.

Nationalists Fight Back

After Rey d'Harcourt surrendered, the Nationalist forces grew stronger. As the weather cleared, the Nationalists started a new attack on January 17, 1938. Two days later, the Republican leaders finally allowed the International Brigades to join the fight. Many of these units had been nearby but held in reserve. Meanwhile, famous people and politicians visited the troops. The American singer Paul Robeson sang for them on Christmas Eve. His songs included L'Internationale and Ol' Man River. Future British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and other British politicians also visited a British unit.

Both sides' commanders were now in heated trains near the battlefield. They were directing their troops in the final part of the battle. Slowly but surely, the Nationalists advanced. They took back the La Muela heights. Republican forces launched strong counterattacks on January 25 and the next two days. But their gains were only temporary. Finally, on February 7, the Nationalists attacked north of Teruel. This was a weak area for the Republicans. Most of their forces were concentrated south around Teruel itself. A massive cavalry charge, one of the last in history, broke the Republican defenses. The Republican soldiers scattered. Generals Aranda and Yagüe quickly advanced, and the victory was complete. The Nationalists took thousands of prisoners and huge amounts of supplies. Republicans ran for their lives if they could.

The final battle began on February 18. Aranda and Yagüe cut off the town from the north. Then they surrounded it, just as the Republicans had done in December. On February 20, Teruel was cut off from the former Republican capital in Valencia. As the Nationalists entered the town, Hernández Saravia ordered a withdrawal. Most of the army escaped before the escape route was cut off. But about 14,500 men were trapped. The famous communist Republican commander El Campesino was surrounded. But he eventually broke out and escaped. He always claimed that Lister and other communist commanders had left him behind, hoping he would be killed or captured. The Nationalists finally recaptured Teruel on February 22.

The Nationalists found 10,000 Republican bodies in Teruel after the battle ended.

What Happened After the Battle of Teruel?

The Battle of Teruel used up many of the Republican Army's resources. The Spanish Republican Air Force could not replace the planes and weapons it had lost. On the other hand, the Nationalists gathered most of their forces in the east. They prepared to push through Aragon into Catalonia and the Levante region. Franco had an advantage in getting new supplies. The Nationalists now controlled the well-run factories in the Basque Country. However, the Republican government had to leave the armament (weapon-making) industry in Catalonia in the hands of the anarchists. One anarchist observer said that even with a lot of money spent, their factories could not finish a single type of rifle, machine gun, or cannon. Franco's recapture of Teruel was a big blow to the Republic. It crushed the high hopes they had after first taking the city. It also removed the last obstacle for Franco to reach the Mediterranean Sea.

Franco wasted no time. He began the Aragon Offensive on March 7, 1938. The Republic had pulled back its best troops to rest them after losing Teruel on February 22. The Republicans, still recovering from heavy losses at Teruel, offered little resistance. The Nationalists swept through Aragon, entered Catalonia and Valencia Province, and reached the sea. By April 19, 1938, they controlled 60 km of coastline. This split the Republic into two parts.

Laurie Lee, a British poet and writer, who said he served in the International Brigade, summed up the Republican strategy at Teruel. He said, "The gift of Teruel at Christmas had become for the Republicans no more than a poisoned toy. It was meant to be the victory that would change the war; it was indeed the seal of defeat."

How Many People Were Affected?

It's hard to know the exact number of people affected in the Battle of Teruel. The Nationalist relief force lost about 14,000 killed, 16,000 wounded, and 17,000 sick. The original Teruel defenders, including the garrison, had about 9,500 casualties. Almost all of them were killed or captured. This means the Nationalists had about 56,500 casualties in total. It is very likely that the Republican casualties were 50% higher, around 85,000. The Republicans also lost many prisoners. In round numbers, the Nationalists had about 57,000 casualties and the Republicans about 85,000. This makes a total of about 140,000 casualties for both sides.

Famous People at the Battle

Many famous people visited or reported on the Battle of Teruel. These included journalists like Herbert Matthews and writer Ernest Hemingway. Singer Paul Robeson also performed for the troops. British politicians like future Prime Minister Clement Attlee visited as well.

One interesting person was the Soviet spy Kim Philby. He was officially a reporter for The Times, covering the war from the Nationalist side. He was secretly working for Moscow but wrote glowing reports about Franco. In December 1937, near Teruel, a shell hit a car Philby was riding in with three other journalists. Philby was the only one who survived. Franco himself gave Philby an award, which made Philby very excited.