War in the North facts for kids

Quick facts for kids War in the North
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Map of the campaign
Date March 31 – October 21, 1937 Location Northern Spain Result Nationalist victory
Belligerents
Spanish Republic Basque Army	Nationalist Spain CTV Condor Legion
Commanders and leaders
Adolfo Prada Vaquero Francisco Llano de la Encomienda Francisco Ciutat Francisco Galán Belarmino Tomás	Emilio Mola José Solchaga Fidel Davila Ettore Bastico
Strength
120,000 soldiers thousands of anarchists milicianos 250 artillery pieces 40 tanks 70 aircraft 2 destroyers 7 armed trawlers	100,000 Nationalist soldiers 60,000 Italian soldiers 400 artillery pieces 230 aircraft 1 battleship 2 cruisers 1 destroyer
Casualties and losses
33,000 dead 100,000 prisoners one destroyer	10,000 dead one battleship

The War in the North was a major part of the Spanish Civil War. It happened when Nationalist forces fought against and took over parts of northern Spain. These areas had stayed loyal to the Republican government.

This campaign included several important battles. The Biscay Campaign led to the loss of the Basque Country and Bilbao. Bilbao was Spain's biggest industrial city. During this part of the war, the towns of Durango and Guernica were bombed.

Later, the Battle of Santander meant the Republic lost the province of Santander in Cantabria. Finally, the Battle of El Mazuco led to the capture of Asturias. This was the Republic's last stronghold in the north. The campaign ended on October 21, 1937, with a big victory for the Nationalists.

Why the War in the North Happened

When the Nationalists took over Navarre in July 1936, General Mola announced very harsh actions against anyone who disagreed with them. People who were on a blacklist, especially families from Navarre, faced severe punishment. By late August, a group called the Requeté, a Carlist militia, moved towards Irun. Their goal was to cut off the Republican forces in Gipuzkoa from the French border.

After the fall of Irun and then San Sebastián, the Nationalists pushed through Gipuzkoa. This happened on September 23, 1936. The Nationalists, led by Francisco Franco, cut off the Republican areas in northern Spain from France. This northern area was already separated from the rest of Spain by Nationalist control.

The Nationalists really wanted to control this northern area. It had important factories in Biscay and valuable minerals in Asturias. Taking over these resources would help them a lot. It would also remove Republican forces and allow the Nationalists to focus their troops elsewhere. Franco realized that Madrid, the capital city, would not be easy to capture quickly. So, he focused on the valuable resources like iron, coal, steel, and chemicals in the Basque region. The Republicans in the north were also divided among themselves. Their main supplies came by sea, which made them vulnerable. Because of this, Franco ordered his commanders near Madrid to defend their positions and send all available help to the north.

Republican forces tried to set up a defense line at Buruntza. The fighting then settled for a while in western Gipuzkoa in October 1936. This was when the Basque Statute of Autonomy was approved in Madrid. The Basque government was quickly formed. As the Nationalist forces advanced, thousands of scared civilians fled from the occupied areas towards Bilbao.

Starting the Campaign

Emilio Mola was in charge when this campaign began on March 31, 1937. Sadly, he died in a plane crash on June 3, 1937. The Nationalists started their attack with 50,000 soldiers. The Republican Army of the North was led by General Francisco Llano de la Encomienda. This marked the beginning of the Biscay Campaign.

The Nationalist attack started on March 31. On the same day, the Legión Condor bombed the town of Durango. About 250 civilians died in this bombing. Nationalist troops from Navarre attacked the town of Ochandiano. They took it on April 4 after very tough fighting. Mola then decided to pause the attack because of bad weather.

On April 6, the Nationalist government in Burgos announced they would block Basque ports. However, some British ships still managed to enter Bilbao. On April 20, the Nationalists continued their attack. They took Elgeta after a heavy bombing with artillery. On the same day, the Legion Condor bombed Guernica. The Basque forces pulled back to a defense line called the Iron Belt. On April 30, Italian troops took Bermeo. But the Nationalist battleship España sank after hitting a mine.

The Republican government decided to send 50 aircraft to Bilbao. They also launched two attacks near Huesca and Segovia. These attacks were meant to stop the Nationalist advance, but both failed. On June 3, Davila replaced Mola as commander. On June 12, the Nationalists began their assault on the Iron Belt. After heavy bombings from the air and artillery, they entered Bilbao on June 19.

Battle of Santander

After Bilbao fell, the Republican government launched an attack near Brunete on July 6. This was meant to stop the Nationalist advance in the north. However, by July 25, this attack had ended. The Republican soldiers in Cantabria had low spirits. The Basque soldiers did not want to stop fighting. On August 14, the Nationalists began their attack on Cantabria. They had 90,000 men, including 25,000 Italians, and 200 aircraft. On August 17, the Italians took the El Escudo Pass. They surrounded 22 Republican groups at Campoo, Cantabria. On August 24, the Basque troops surrendered to the Italians at Santoña. Republican troops fled from Santander. On August 26, the Italians took Santander. By September 1, the Nationalists had taken almost all of Cantabria. The Nationalists captured 60,000 prisoners, which was the largest number during the war.

Asturias Campaign

After the Republican attack against Zaragoza failed, the Nationalists decided to continue their attack on Asturias. The Nationalists had many more soldiers (90,000 men versus 45,000) and much more equipment (over 200 aircraft versus 35). However, the Republican Army in Asturias was better organized than in Santander. Also, the difficult mountains provided excellent places to defend. During the Battle of El Mazuco, 30,000 Nationalist troops from Navarre, led by Solchaga and supported by the Legion Condor, finally took the El Mazuco valley. They also captured important nearby mountains like Peña Blanca and Pico Turbina. Only 5,000 Republican soldiers defended these areas. The fighting lasted 33 days and was very bloody.

On October 14, the Nationalists broke through the Republican defense line. On October 17, the Republican government ordered everyone to start leaving Asturias. However, Nationalist ships were blocking the ports in Asturias. Only a few military leaders, like Adolfo Prada, Galan, and Belarmino Tomas, managed to escape. By October 21, the Nationalists had taken Gijón. This completed their conquest of the northern part of Spain.

What Happened Next

With the North now under their control, the Nationalists had 36% of Spain's factory production. They also had 60% of the coal production and all of the steel production. More than 100,000 Republican prisoners were forced to join the Nationalist Army or sent to work camps. The Republic had lost its Army of the North, which was over 200,000 soldiers. At this point, it became impossible for the Republic to win the war completely. Franco then decided to start a new attack on Madrid. But Vicente Rojo Lluch, the leader of the Republican Army, launched a different attack in Aragon, called the Battle of Teruel.

See also

In Spanish: Ofensiva del Norte para niños

• List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
• Condor Legion
• List of weapons of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie
• List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
• Kasilda Hernáez