Battle of Valsequillo

Battle of Valsequillo

Battle of Valsequillo
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Date 5 January-4 February 1939 Location Estremadura, Spain Result Tactical and strategic Republican defeat
Belligerents
Spanish Republic	Nationalist Spain
Commanders and leaders
General Antonio Escobar Huertas Colonel Juan Ibarrola	Gonzalo Queipo de Llano
Strength
90.000 hombres 200 guns 40 tanks	80,000 men 100 guns
Casualties and losses
?	?

The Battle of Valsequillo also known as Battle of Peñarroya was a diversionary Republican offensive which took place in Extremadura between the 5 January and the 4 February 1939 during the Spanish Civil War.

Background

After the defeat of the Ebro the Republican Army was broken and would never recover. The Republicans had lost most of their armament and experienced units. At the beginning of December, the Nationalists concentrated an army of 300.000-340.000 men led by the general Davila in order to conquer Catalonia. Then, Vicente Rojo, decided to launch a diversionary offensive in the central zone in order to divert nationalists forces and stop the nationalist offensive against Catalonia.

Plan P

In 1937, the commander in chief of the Republican army, Vicente Rojo, had planned an offensive through Estremadura towards the portuguese forntier in order to cut in a half the Nationalist held zone, (the Plan P), but the republican government rejected the plan. On December 1938, Rojo decided to launch the offensive. One Republican army would attack through Estremadura towards Cordoba and one brigage would disembark in Motril, advance towards Malaga and start a raising in Andalusia against the Natioalists. The offensive was intended to start on 8 December, but the amfibious assault at Motril was called off just as the troops were ready to leave and the generals Miaja and Matallana rejected the plan. The republican offensive on Extremadura didn't start until 5 january after the start of the Nationalist offensive against Catalonia.

The Republicans had concentrated the Estremadura Army led by the general Escobar with, the XXII Corps ( 47th, 70th and 10th divisions), led by the colonel Ibarrola; the Agrupacion Toral (6th, 28th and 52th divisions), led by the major Nilamon Toral; and four mixed brigades. It was a large force but the troops lacked weapons and equipment. Opposing the Republicans, the Nationalists, led by Queipo de Llano had seven divisions.

The Battle

On 5 January, the XXII corps started the offensive, broke the Nationalist lines at Hinojosa del Duque, opening a breach of eight kilometres long. On 6 January, the republican forces broke the Nationalist's second line and occupied Fuenteovejuna and on 7 January occupied Los Blazquez and Peraleda de Zaluejo, but the Republican advance was halted by the Nationalists before Peñarroya. The Republican offensive was halted by the Nationalists air attacks and the bad weather, because the tanks were bogged down in the mud. The republican had occupied 500 square kilometres but with little strategic value.

On 17 January, the Nationalists started a counteroffensive, seized back Peraleja del Saucejo on 22 January and Fuenteovejuna on 25 January. By 4 February, the Nationalists had taken back all the territory conquered by the Republicans and the general Escobar ordered the republican troops to withdraw.

Aftermath

The offensive was a complete failure. The republican forces occupied briefly a large territory, but the Nationalist offensive against Catalonia continued and on by February all Catalonia had been occupied by the Nationalists.

References

Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Valsequillo