The Battle of Guadalajara was a major battle of the Spanish Civil War, fought from 8 to 23 March 1937. The army of Republican Spain, notably including the courageous International Brigades, repelled a Royal Italian Army-led Nationalist offensive against Guadalajara, boosting Republican morale.
History[]
In February 1937 the International Brigades held Francisco Franco's Nationalists in desperate fighting in the Jarama valley, east of Madrid. Italian general Mario Roatta decided to attack toward Guadalajara, intending to join up with Franco's forces. The initial advance on 8 March, spearheaded by over 100 light tanks supported by artillery, broke through the thinly held Loyalist line, but the Italians were hampered by snow and sleet, for which they were ill prepared. Franco remained passive, allowing the Loyalists to transfer forces from the Jarama front. These included the Garibaldi Battalion, largely composed of anti-fascist Italians, who found themselves fighting an Italian civil war on Spanish soil. On 12 March the Loyalists mounted a counterattack, deploying Soviet T-26 tanks that outgunned the Italian armor. Loyalist aircraft carried out ground-attack missions to devastating effect, and the Italians were driven back in disarray. A small defensive victory, Guadalajara gave a boost to Loyalist morale and dented the prestige of fascist Italy.