Battle of Guadalajara

Battle of Guadalajara
Part of the Spanish Civil War
Nationalist forces at Guadalajara
Date March 8–23, 1937 Location Guadalajara, Spain Result Republican victory
Belligerents
Spanish Republic International Brigades	Kingdom of Italy Nationalist Spain
Commanders and leaders
Enrique Jurado José Miaja Cipriano Mera Enrique Líster El Campesino	José Moscardó Mario Roatta
Units involved
People's Republican Army Garibaldi Battalion	CTV Army of Africa
Strength
20,000 infantry 45 artillery pieces 70 armoured vehicles 80 aircraft	15,000 Moroccan colonial troops 35,000 Italians 270 artillery pieces 140 armoured vehicles 62 aircraft
Casualties and losses
2,000 dead 4,000 wounded 400 captured	3,000 dead 4,000 wounded 800 captured 65 artillery pieces, 500 machine guns, and 10 tanks captured

People's Republican Army

The Battle of Guadalajara (March 8–23, 1937) saw the People's Republican Army (Ejército Popular Republicano, or EPR) defeat Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to encircle Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist forces involved in the Battle of Guadalajara were primarily the Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV).

The battle opened with an Italian offensive on 8 March. This offensive was halted by 11 March. Between 12 March and 14 March, renewed Italian attacks were supported by Spanish Nationalist units. These were halted too. On 15 March, a Republican counter-offensive was prepared. The Republicans successfully launched their counter-offensive from 18 March to 23 March.

After the collapse of the third offensive on Madrid, Spanish Nationalist General Francisco Franco decided to continue with a fourth offensive aimed at closing the pincer around the capital. The Nationalist forces, although victorious at the Battle of the Jarama River, were exhausted and could not create the necessary momentum to carry the operation through. However, the Italians were optimistic after the capture of Málaga, and it was thought that the Italian forces could score an easy victory owing to the heavy losses sustained by the People's Republican Army at Jarama. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini endorsed the operation and committed Italian units to it.

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