Reverse Course
July 1937. The civil war in Spain had been going on for exactly 1 year now. During that time, the nationalists under Generalissimo Sanjurjo had been gaining ground both in the east and the north in Asturias. Across all fronts, the Republicans were no match for the highly skilled Spanish army and legionnaires. The government soon began becoming desperate and started courting for outside support. Luckily, they had the backing of France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union who then began supplying the Republic with weapons and supplies.
On the Edge
Despite being supplied abundantly, it wasn’t enough to reverse the territorial losses on the ground. In July 1937, the two sides fought at Brunete just west of Madrid. It soon became a disaster for the Republicans as their center collapsed, leaving Madrid exposed to a Nationalist capture. Seizing the opportunity, the troops stormed into the capital as their enemy scrambled to organize a hasty defense. Despite stiff resistance, Madrid fell to the Nationalists on July 25. By August 1st, the Second Spanish Republic teetered on its own collapse into civil war as low morale caused infighting to spill out onto the street.
Fighting on the streets of Madrid, 1937
The outcry following the fall of the capital rallied the hawkish Frenchmen in Paris. They had been clamoring for a military intervention since day 1 but most people saw little merit of their argument, Madrid’s capture gave them a huge boost as most of the party members started being swayed by their points. France already has 2 potential enemies on their borders and mustn't be surrounded by a third one. With pressure coming from sections of society to do something, Chairman Cachin opted for military intervention and soon notified the British and the Spaniards of their intentions through diplomatic channels. Over the next few days, the French army mobilized near the Spanish border waiting for the time to strike.
Entering the Fray
On August 8th, the time finally came as French troops stormed across the border into the Nationalist territory. Another country that took part in the operation was the British, who deployed their marines and Navy took help to assist in the intervention. With the 2 countries wanting to experiment with the new strategies, tactics, and technology, Spain was the perfect testing ground. The French experiment the use of aerial bombardment and fast-moving tanks followed by infantry using a tactic called ‘La Guerre Eclaire’. Meanwhile, the British tested their new aircraft carriers off the coast where they deployed planes ready to drop bombs over enemy areas and the use of marines and light infantry which were used as effective shock troops.
RNS Birmingham off the Spanish Coast, 1937
Facing the twin might of France and Britain, the Nationalist forces were hopelessly beaten in every engagement. On all fronts, they were pushed back and hope became distant for them. In an emergency meeting by the Nationalist junta, the generals voted to evacuate Spain and head back to northern Morocco. Those that couldn’t make the trip by plane or boat opted to flee towards the Portuguese border. Soon enough, the border crossings became filled with refugees clamoring to get in while fleeing the advancing communists. Ultimately, tens of thousands manage to get across the border before the Republicans arrived to close the crossings.
Spanish refugees gathered near the Portuguese border
In the midst of the escape, Generalissimo Sanjurjo got on a two-seater plane that was filled to the brim with his personal belongings, making the plane heavy. The weight dragged the plane down until it crashed, killing Sanjurjo but sparing the pilot. In A Coruna, Emilio Mola got on a ship that was unfortunately sunk by British planes as it left the harbor. The few ones such as Franco and Primo de Rivera managed to flee to Northern Morocco by planes that were luckily not attacked. Other groups that had also evacuated were the men of the Army of Africa and the Spanish Legion, two units that were the most loyal to the Nationalist cause and their generals.
With the whole country secured under their control, the Republicans conducted mass arrests, trials, and executions of Nationalist supporters wherever they found them. Historians call this Spain’s very own ‘Red Terror’ even though the sheer depravity of it wouldn’t occur until 1943. Countless people were purged as they were labeled as reactionaries guilty for counter-revolution. Even the church was not safe as the priests and nuns were persecuted while the various religious orders were put under huge surveillance by the government.
Spanish militiamen opening fire on a statue of Jesus Christ
A Death Wish
With the collapse of the Nationalists happening just across their frontier, the Portuguese government struggled in trying to make contact with anyone that could guarantee in the event of an invasion. They tried entering into negotiations with Germany, but that was still ongoing by 1938 when the foreign minister received a letter from the French ambassador. What he read widened his eyes and made his hands shake.
It was an ultimatum. The French demanded they hand over all the Nationalist leaders in their country to the Spanish government, failure to accept the demands would result in a full-scale invasion of Portugal. To the Portuguese government, this meant either handing over the rebels or war.