Zaragoza Offensive facts for kids
The Zaragoza Offensive was a big battle during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. The Spanish Republican Army tried to capture the city of Zaragoza. A very important part of this attack was the Battle of Belchite.
Quick facts for kids Zaragoza Offensive |
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| Part of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Republic |
 Nationalist Spain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Sebastian Pozas Juan Modesto Enrique Líster |
Eduardo Sáenz de Buruaga Alfonso Trallero † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 80,000 infantry 105 tanks 90 aircraft Beevor: six divisions 200 aircraft |
50,000-100,000 infantry Beevor: three divisions reinforcements: two divisions |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In August 1937, Vicente Rojo, who was the main commander of the Republican Army, decided to attack in the Aragon area. His main goal was to take the city of Zaragoza.
The attack also aimed to stop the Nationalist army from attacking Santander. Zaragoza was also a very important city for moving supplies and people across the Aragon front.
Who Was Fighting
On the Republican side, the Army of the East was fighting. General Pozas led this army, with Antonio Cordon as his chief of staff. They had six main groups called divisions. These included the 11th Division led by Enrique Líster, the 26th Division, and the 35th Division led by Walter. They also had 200 airplanes and many T-26 and BT-5 tanks.
Against them, the Nationalists had three less experienced divisions. They also had only 15 older airplanes, like the Heinkel He-46 and He-51.
The Attack Begins
The Republican plan was to break through the Nationalist lines at seven different spots. This would make it hard for the Nationalists to fight back. The 27th Division was supposed to take Zuera and then attack Zaragoza. The 45th Division would attack towards Zaragoza from the southeast. The 43rd Division would cross the Ebro River and cut the main road from Quinto to Zaragoza. The biggest attack was planned for the south side of the Ebro Valley, led by Modesto's V Corps.
The Republican attack started on August 24. They did not use artillery first, hoping to surprise the Nationalists. The 27th Division took Zuera. The 45th Division got close to Villamajor de Gállego, which was only six kilometers from Zaragoza. The 25th Division captured Codó, even though the Nationalists fought hard. However, Lister's 11th Division failed to take Fuentes de Ebro. Many of their BT-5 tanks were destroyed there.
Battle at Fuentes del Ebro
Lister's goal was to capture the strong town of Fuentes del Ebro. This would open the way to Zaragoza. The plan was for 48 BT-5 tanks, carrying Spanish soldiers, to attack the town from the front. Troops from the XV International Brigade would support them.
But the attack was not well planned. The tanks were not good for carrying soldiers. There was very little scouting done beforehand. Also, there was almost no artillery to soften up the defenses. The tanks got stuck in the mud. The attack failed, and the Republican army lost 19 of its 48 tanks. More than 300 soldiers were lost. One American soldier from the International Brigades said that the Spanish people had courage, but they needed better battle plans.
Fighting for Belchite
On August 26, the 25th Division took Quinto. But the Republican army's slow progress gave the Nationalists time to bring in more soldiers. They brought in Barron's 13th Division and Saenz de Buruaga's 150th Division. They also got 80 airplanes from the Madrid front. Because of these reinforcements, the attack on Zaragoza failed.
Modesto then decided to capture the small town of Belchite. It had about 3,800 people and was well protected. The Republican army cut off the town's water supply. The weather was very hot, but the defenders fought bravely. The attack on Belchite began on September 1. After five days of heavy bombing and fierce fighting, the Republicans finally took the town. The entire offensive ended on September 6.
What Happened After
The Zaragoza Offensive was not successful for the Republicans. The Nationalists did not stop their attack on the northern Republican areas. The Republicans only moved forward about ten kilometers. They captured only a few small towns.
The Republican Army also lost many weapons and tanks. Indalecio Prieto, a government minister, said that using so many soldiers to take just a few small towns was not good enough. The attack failed because the Republican forces did not work together well. They also lacked supplies and good information about the enemy. Republican commanders also wasted soldiers trying to defeat small groups of defenders.
See also
In Spanish: Ofensiva de Zaragoza para niños
- List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
- List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War
