Battle of Bilbao

Coordinates: 43°15′N 2°55′W / 43.250°N 2.917°W / 43.250; -2.917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Battle of Bilbao
Part of the Spanish Civil War

The Northern Front. Bilbao is on the right of the red area.
Date12–19 June 1937
Location
Biscay, Northern Spain
Result Nationalist victory
Territorial
changes		 Nationalists capture Biscay from Republicans
Belligerents
 
Basque Army
  Nationalist Spain
Fascist Italy CTV
Condor Legion
Commanders and leaders
Second Spanish Republic Mariano Gámir Ulíbarri
Second Spanish Republic Juan Cueto Ibáñez Surrendered
Second Spanish Republic Pablo Belderráin
Second Spanish Republic Joseph Putz
Second Spanish Republic Nino Nanetti †
José Antonio Aguirre Alberto Montaud
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
Strength
50,000 troops and militia 60,000 Nationalist troops
15,000 Italian troops
Casualties and losses
Unknown Nationalist Spain: Unknown
Italy: 105 dead
427 wounded
3 missing

The Battle of Bilbao, part of the War in the North in the Spanish Civil War, saw the Nationalist Army capture Bilbao and the rest of the Basque Country that was still being held by the Spanish Republic.

Background

Triumphant nationalist forces parade through Bilbao; a Panzer I light tank passes several armoured vehicles.

Bilbao was the capital of the

Basque people in Spain generally inhabit four provinces: Navarre, Álava, Gipuzkoa and Biscay. The Basque nationalists were dominant in the last two provinces. Navarre and Álava had rallied to the rising against the Republic.[1]

The Spanish Nationalist troops gained

Gipuzkoa early in the war with the fall of Irún in August and San Sebastián on 13 September 1936,[2] isolating the Basque Country and the zone held by the Northern Republicans from the French border. On 31 March, the Nationalists, led by the General Emilio Mola, launched an offensive
against Biscay Province. The Basque troops had to retire, and by June, the Nationalists had reached the outskirts of Bilbao.

Battle

By 11 June 1937. the Basque forces had fallen back to the city of

First World War fortifications, and so was vulnerable to modern warfare and weapons, such as aircraft and artillery. Also, only 30,000 troops defended it although it had been conceived to be defended by 70,000. Therefore. the Iron Ring was rather easily overcome by Nationalist forces.[4][5]

The ring was breached by an infantry assault supported by heavy air and artillery bombardment (150 guns and 70 bombers). On 12 June, the Spanish Republican Army launched a diversionary attack against Huesca to stop the Nationalist offensive, but the Nationalist troops continued their advance. On the night of 13 June, the defenders evacuated most of the civilian population from the city. On 18 June, General Ulibarri withdrew his remaining troops from Bilbao, and the Nationalists occupied the city on the following day. The city's bridges had been destroyed to hinder the attackers, but the city remained mostly intact.[6]

See also

References

  1. Jackson, Gabriel
    (1965). The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931–1939. p. 384.
  2. ISBN 0375755152
    .
  3. ^ Gabriel Jackson, pp. 380–384.
  4. ^ (in Basque) Josu Chueca: «Burdin Gerrikoa puskatuta», 36ko Gerra orain.
  5. ^ (in Spanish) Imanol Villa: «El Cinturón de Hierro», El Correo, 2007-02-11.
  6. ISBN 014303765X
    .

43°15′N 2°55′W / 43.250°N 2.917°W / 43.250; -2.917

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