List of battles in the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was fought between July 17, 1936, and April 1, 1939, between the Second Spanish Republic and the Nationalist Rebels. Republicans tended to align with left-leaning political beliefs, and their faction consisted of Republicans, anarchist, liberals, communist, socialist, and separatist groups. The President of the Second Spanish Republic was the politician Manuel Azaña. In contrast, the Nationalist faction consisted of more right-leaning groups such as monarchists, traditionalists, conservatives, and Falangists. Their faction was led by a military junta, which came to be under the control of General Francisco Franco. The war began on July 17, 1936, with an attempted coup organized by generals in the Spanish Republican Armed Forces. The rebellion failed to overthrow the government quickly, however, the rebels gained control over large sections of the country. Their power bases were centered in the west and south of the country. The Republican government still maintained control over important cities such as Madrid. By 1937, the rebels had captured much of Spain's coastline and had laid siege to Madrid. They also conquered the remaining areas in the north. This sector of the war is known as the War in the North. Throughout 1938 the rebels marched to the east of the country, capturing Aragon and Catalonia. This cut off the Republican government from their primary source of supplies in Catalonia. By this point in the war, the Republicans had lost hundreds of thousands of men, and their morale was wavering. Colonel Segismundo Casado staged a coup against the government and hoped to take control and negotiate peace with the Nationalists. However, Franco rejected all offers. Franco had conquered Madrid on April 1, 1939, declaring victory. Afterward, Franco punished those who had associated with the Republican faction in a series of purges and executions known as the White Terror.

Battles

Battle	Date	Image	Description	Outcome
July 1936 military uprising in Melilla	July 17, 1936 – July 18, 1936		Francoist rebels in Melilla, a city in Spanish Morocco, overthrew the Republican government and seized control over the colony.	Nationalist Victory
Siege of the Montaña barracks	July 18, 1936 – July 20, 1936		Rebels attempted to stage a coup in Madrid. The majority of the soldiers in the city remained loyal and the rebellion was squashed.	Republican Victory
July 1936 military uprising in Barcelona	July 19, 1936		Officers of the Spanish army staged a coup in Barcelona. The Civil Guard, Assault Guard, the Mossos d’Esquadra, and Spanish Anarchists defeated the rebels.	Republican Victory
Siege of Gijón	July 19, 1936 – August 16, 1936		Spanish forces and Anarchist militia besieged a rebel garrison in Gijón. The defenders ran out of supplies and were forced to surrender.	Republican Victory
Siege of Oviedo	July 19, 1936 – October 17, 1936		Republican forces besieged rebel forces in Oviedo. The defenders resisted until a Nationalist relief force arrived.	Nationalist Victory
Siege of the Loyola barracks	July 19, 1936 – July 27, 1936		Soldiers in the Loyola barracks joined the uprising. Republican forces arrived and besieged the barracks. After a few days of fighting, the rebels surrendered.	Republican Victory
July 1936 coup d'état in Granada	July 20, 1936 – July 23, 1936		The garrison of Granada rebelled against the government. Workers, civilians, and soldiers still loyal to the Republican government held out in the neighborhood of Albaicín. After several days the Republicans surrendered.	Nationalist victory
Campaign of Gipuzkoa	July 20, 1936 – September 26, 1936		Nationialist forces invaded and captured the province of Gipuzkoa.	Nationalist Victory
Siege of the Alcázar	July 21, 1936 – September 27, 1936		Republican forces besieged the Alcázar. It is the former residence of the Spanish monarchs, and was of significant symbolic importance to the Nationalists. They viewed it a representation of Spanish dominance. The siege was lifted when a rebel relief force arrived repelling the loyalist army.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Guadarrama	July 22, 1936 – September 15, 1936		Nationalist forces attempted to cross the Sierra de Guadarrama to reach Madrid from the north. The loyalist army repelled them.	Republican Victory
Extremadura campaign	August 2, 1936 – August 14, 1936		Nationalist forces conquered Extremadura. This connected the two disparate parts of the rebel territory in the south and west.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Almendralejo	August 7, 1936 – August 15, 1936		Nationalist troops occupied the town of Almendralejo. Loyalist forces retreated, although 40 remained in the parish. The rebels besieged the remaining soldiers, and took the town.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Sigüenza	August 7, 1936 - October 15, 1936		Sigüenza is captured by nationalist army.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Mérida	August 10, 1936 – August 11, 1936		Nationalist forces conquerued Mérida and repelled Loyalist attempts to retake the city.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Badajoz	August 11, 1936 – 14, 1936		Nationalist forces captured the city of Badajoz. Securing them control of Extremadura.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Majorca	August 16, 1936 – September 12, 1936		Republican forces staged an amphibious landing of Mallorca in an attempt to reconquer it. Their assault was repelled by the rebels.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of the Sierra Guadalupe	August 17, 1936 – August 31, 1936		Nationalist forces captured several towns in the Sierra Guadalupe mountains	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Irún	August 19, 1936 – September 5, 1936		Nationalist forces captured the city of Irún, cutting off loyalist provinces from receiving French aid.	Nationalist Victory
Córdoba offensive	August 19, 1936- August 22, 1936		Nationalist forces repelled a failed Republic attempt to retake Córdoba	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Monte Pelado	August 28, 1936		Volunteers of the Matteotti Battalion defeated a Nationalist force at Monte Pelado.	Republican Victory
Battle of Talavera de la Reina	September 3, 1936		Nationalist forces conquerued the city of Talavera de la Reina. José Giral was forced to resign following the defeat.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Cerro Muriano	September 5, 1936		Nationalist forces overwhelmed a Spanish Republican position at the village of Cerro Mariano in Andalusia.	Nationalist Victory
Siege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza	September 4, 1936 – May 1, 1937		Rebel soldiers encamped at the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza. Republican forces besieged and squashed the rebels.	Republican Victory
1936 uprising in Spanish Guinea	September 19, 1936 - October, 1936		Nationalist forces staged a coup against the Republican governor of Spanish Guinea. Remaining Republican forces were driven out.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Seseña	October 29, 1936		Republican forces armed with Soviet tanks launched a counteroffensive to stop the Nationalist advance on Madrid. Their assault fails, and the rebels continued their march.	Nationalist Victory
Villarreal Offensive	November 3, 1936 – December 24, 1936		Euzko Gudarostea besieged the town of Villarreal. Although Nationalist forces repelled their offensive, they secured some land in the nearby mountains.	Inconclusive
Siege of Madrid	November 8, 1936 – March 28, 1939		Nationalist forces besieged the city of Madrid. After a few years of fighting the city fell to the rebels.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Ciudad Universitaria	November 15, 1936 – November 23, 1936		Republican forces halted the Nationalist advance on Madrid at the campus of the Ciudad Universitaria.	Republican Victory
First Battle of the Corunna Road	November 29, 1936 – December 3, 1936		Republican forces repelled a Nationalist attempt to cut off the Corunna Road. This prevented Madrid from being cut off from the west.	Republican Victory
Aceituna Campaign	December 13, 1936 – December 31, 1936		Nationalist forces launched a campaign to conquer Andújar. They defeated Republican forces but failed to occupy the city.	Inconclusive
Second Battle of the Corunna Road	December 13, 1936 – January 15, 1937		Nationalist forces successfully took the Corunna Road. Although Republican forces successfully prevented the encirclement of Madrid.	Republican Victory
Battle of Lopera	December 27, 1936 – December 29, 1936		Republican forces launched an assault on the town of Lopera. Their assault is repelled by the Nationalists.	Nationalist Victory
Third Battle of the Corunna Road	January 1937		Nationalist forces conquerued more land along the Corunna Road. However, Republican forces maintained control of the countryside, preventing the rebels from encircling Madrid.	Inconclusive
Battle of Málaga	February 3, 1937– February 8, 1937		Nationalist and Italian forces routed a Republican army and captured Málaga.	Nationalist Victory
Los Blázquez Offensive			Nationalist forces launch an offensive as part of their assault on Málaga.
Battle of Jarama	February 6, 1937 – February 27, 1937		Nationalist forces attempted to dislodge the Republicans at the Jarama river. Republican forces were pushed back, although no breakthrough was made. Following the initial assault there was a series of failed Republican counteroffensives.	Inconclusive
Battle of Cape Machichaco	March 5, 1937		One Nationalist cruiser attacked a Republican convoy guarded by four trawlers. One trawler was sunk, two were damaged, and the convoy was captured.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Pozoblanco	March 6, 1937- April 16, 1937		Republican troops repelled a Nationalist effort to capture Pozoblanco.	Republican Victory
Battle of Guadalajara	March 8, 1937– 23, 1937		Nationalist and Italian forces attempted to encircle Madrid. The Republican forces successfully pushed the rebels back and launched a successful counteroffensive.	Republican Victory
War in the North	March 31, 1937 – October 21, 1937		Nationalist forces conquered all the land in northern Spain that remained loyal to the Republic.	Nationalist Victory
Biscay Campaign	March 31, 1937 – July 1, 1937		Nationalist forces occupied the province of Biscay and captured the city of Bilbao.	Nationalist Victory
Segovia Offensive	May 31, 1937 - June 6, 1937		Republican forces launched an offensive to capture Segovia. This was intended to divert the rebel armies marching on Bilbao. The offensive failed due to a lack of air support.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Bilbao	June 12, 1937 – June 19, 1937		Nationalist forces captured Bilbao and all of the remaining territory in the Basque Country.	Nationalist Victory
Huesca Offensive	June 12, 1937 - June 19, 1937		Republican troops launched an offensive to capture Huesca. The rebels successfully repelled the assault.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Albarracín	July 5, 1937– August 11, 1937		Republican forces assaulted the city of Albarracín. They experienced short term success, forcing the rebels to take defensive positioning. However, the Nationalists soon launched a counterattack repelling the Republicans from the area.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Brunete	July 6, 1937 – July 25, 1937		Republican troops launched an offensive on Brunete to alleviate rebel pressure on Madrid. They gain 24 kilometers of territory during the earlier part of the battle. The Nationalists organized a counterattack and forced the Republicans to retreat.	Inconclusive
Battle of Santander	August 14, 1937 – 17 September 1937		Nationalist forces launched an offensive to conquer the province of Santander, which is now Cantabria. Their assault was successful, they captured the land and inflicted catastrophic losses on the Republicans.	Nationalist Victory
Zaragoza Offensive	August 24, 1937 – September 7, 1937		Republican forces launched an offensive to retake Zaragosa. They failed to retake the city, however they captured Belchite.	Inconclusive
Battle of Belchite	August 24, 1937 – September 7, 1937		The Republicans retook Belchite and surrounding towns as part of the Zaragoza Offensive. Afterwards, the Nationalists launched a counteroffensive to try and recapture the city. However the Republican lines held firm.	Republican Victory
Asturias Offensive	September 1, 1937 – October 21, 1937		The Nationalists launched an offensive to capture Asturias. They successfully took the land, ending the War in the North.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of El Mazucu	September 6, 1937 – September 22, 1937		Republican forces protecting El Mazucu temporarily halted the Nationalist offensive in Asturias. After eight weeks of fighting, the rebels overwhelmed the defenders.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Cape Cherchell	September 7, 1937		One Nationalist heavy cruiser unexpectedly encountered two Republican naval light cruisers guarding a convoy. The warships engaged in battle, and the Republican convoy was lost.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Sabiñánigo	September 22, 1937 – November 8, 1937		Republican forces attempted to capture Sabiñánigo. They encircled the city, but failed to occupy it. However, they retook Biescas.	Republican Victory
Battle of Teruel	December 15, 1937 – February 22, 1938		Republican and Nationalist forces fought of the city of Teruel. Republican forces initially occupied the city. However the rebels used their superior equipment and manpower to recapture the area.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Alfambra	February 5, 1938 - February 7, 1938		Nationalist forces launched an offensive as part of the Battle of Teruel to rake the city. They broke through Republican lines at Alfambra, took thousands of prisoners, and threatened the Republican position in Teruel.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Cape Palos	March 5, 1938 – March 6, 1938		Republican and Nationalist naval forces engaged each other at Cape Palos. During the battle, the Nationalist cruiser Baleares was sunk.	Republican Victory
Aragon Offensive	March 7, 1938 – April 19, 1938		After retaking Teruel the Nationalists launched an offensive on Aragon. They took control over the province and conquered land in Catalonia and the Levante.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Caspe	March 16, 1938 – March 17, 1938		Nationalist forces defeated a Republican garrison in Caspe, conquering the town.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Lérida	March 27, 1938 – April 3, 1938
Battle of Gandesa	April 1, 1938 - April 3, 1938		After conquering Caspe Nationalist forces marched on Gandesa, capturing the town.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of the Segre	April 4, 1938 – January 3, 1939		Republican forces were pushed back to the Segre river following the loss of Aragon. Nationalist forces launched an assault on the area. They were met with a line of heavily fortified Republican defensive positions. After months of fighting, the Nationalists broke through the Republican lines.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Biesla pocket	April 14, 1938 – June 16, 1938		Republican soldiers in Bielsa were encircled after the fall of Aragon. They successfully escaped and crossed the border to France. Nationalist forces captured the town of Bielsa afterwards.	Nationalist Victory
Levante Offensive	April 25, 1938 – July 24, 1938		Nationalist forces launched an offensive to capture Valencia. They conquered the province of Castellón, however failed to take Valencia.	Republican Victory
Balaguer Offensive	April 1938 - May, 1938		Republican forces launched a series of failed counter offensives after losing Aragon.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of the Merida pocket	July 20, 1938 - July 24, 1938		Nationalist forces launched a successful offensive to capture Mérida.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of the Ebro	July 25, 1938 – November 16, 1938		The Republicans launched an offensive across the Ebro river to halt the Nationalist offensive. They expended much of their resources and manpower, but failed to halt the Nationalist assault. In the ensuing rebel counteroffensive, they retook some of the land the Republicans had conquered.	Nationalist Victory
Siege of Gandesa	July 31, 1938 – November 2, 1938		Nationalist forces repelled an attempt by Republican troops to capture Gandesa.	Nationalist Victory
Catalonia Offensive	December 23, 1938 – February 10, 1939		Nationalist forces launched an offensive, successfully conquering all of Catalonia and Barcelona.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Valsequillo	January 5, 1939 – February 4, 1939		Republican forces launched an offensive on Sierra Morena to divert Nationalist forces in Catalonia. They retook 500 kilometers of land, but the Nationalists soon launched a counteroffensive retaking all the lost territory.	Nationalist Victory
Battle of Minorca	February 7, 1939 – February 9, 1939		Nationalist forces captured the island of Menorca.	Nationalist Victory
Cartagena uprising	March 4, 1939 – March 7, 1939		Republican troops in Cartagena rebelled against the Republican government. Loyal Republican forces were tasked with squashing the revolt, which they soon accomplished. Nationalist forces were sent to aid the disloyal Republicans, however by the time they arrived the Rebellion was crushed. One Nationalist ship was sunk.	Republican Victory
Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War	March 26, 1939 – April 1, 1939		Republican forces overthrew the government and established a military Junta. This new government attempted to negotiate peace with the Nationalists, however the rebels were only interested in an unconditional surrender. They launched an offensive and took control over all the remaining land in Spain.	Nationalist Victory

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