The Battle of Jarama and Guadalajara. – Occupied Malaga, General Franco’s troops resumed operations in the central sector, launching two successive offensives south and north-east of Madrid. The first (6-27 February), entrusted to General Varela, allowed the attackers to reach and cross the Jarama line.
With the second offensive, which started from the region of Siguenza and conducted almost exclusively by Italian legionary troops, including the motorized columns returning from Malaga, General Franco had proposed to reach the Madrid-Guadalajara-Quenca roadway, through which supplies passed. which fueled the defense of the capital.
According to WATCHTUTORIALS.ORG, the offensive was begun on 8 March by three columns advancing astride the Algora-Guadalajara road: overwhelmed the opposing resistance, the legionaries proceeded for over 50 km. towards the south, arriving on the 12th in Corijo, where they had to stop since the bad weather made the terrain absolutely impracticable, so as to prevent the movement of mechanical means, large artillery and the action of aviation, which had only makeshift fields. The government took advantage of this to launch a violent counter-offensive, supported by a strong air mass which, having regular fields, could act undisturbed. After having resisted for over 4 days the attacks of the superior opposing forces, on the 15th the legionaries retreated, out of any pressure, for about 25 km. on the Brihuega-Jadraque line, against which
Operations in Biscay and Asturias: the battles of Bilbao, Santander and Gijón. – The echo of the fighting in Guadalajara was not yet extinguished as the nationals were already launching two new offensives, one of limited scope in southern Spain, in Andalusia, and one in northern Spain. The first organized by General Queipo de Llano, in the direction of Pozoblanco, earned the nationals the capture of Alcaraceyos and Villanueva del Duque. The second, prepared by General Mola, led to the complete conquest of the government area in Biscay and Asturias.
This last grandiose operation was carried out in three successive phases: the first and the third characterized by a series of shoulders which, crumbling the opposing resistance, allowed the nationals to conquer Bilbao and Gijón; the second phase – the liberation of Santander – represents a fine example of a battle of rupture, followed by an overwhelming exploitation of success.
The first phase was attended by the legionary units “Black Arrows” and “23rd March”, the Navarre brigades and other Spanish and Moroccan units, supported by numerous artillery, tank units and considerable masses of aircraft. The offensive, which began on 31 March and started from 40-50 km away. from Bilbao it was carried out, as mentioned, with a series of vigorous pushes: with the first three (31 March-8 April) in the center, in the Villareal region, on the right wing (20 April-19 May) from the Urquiola pass to the sea, and on the left wing in the regions of Dima and Villaro (22-30 May) the nationals, overwhelmed after bitter fighting (including that of Bermejo supported by the “Black Arrows”), the enemy resistances, they managed to make contact everywhere with a strong defensive organization called the “Iron Belt” and made up of a set of fortified lines, concrete trenches interspersed with strongholds, heavily armed and preceded by several orders of fences. On 3 June, General Mola lost his life in a flight accident; this loss did not, however, cause operations to be suspended. General Davila was assigned to replace the Mola in the command of the northern army (Biscay-León-Asturias), while General Saliquet took over that of the center (Aragon and Castile) and General Queipo de Llano that of the south (Extremadura and Andalusia).). heavily armed and preceded by several orders of fences. On 3 June, General Mola lost his life in a flight accident; this loss did not, however, cause operations to be suspended. General Davila was assigned to replace the Mola in the command of the northern army (Biscay-León-Asturias), while General Saliquet took over that of the center (Aragon and Castile) and General Queipo de Llano that of the south (Extremadura and Andalusia). ). heavily armed and preceded by several orders of fences. On 3 June, General Mola lost his life in a flight accident; this loss did not, however, cause operations to be suspended. General Davila was assigned to replace the Mola in the command of the northern army (Biscay-León-Asturias), while General Saliquet took over that of the center (Aragon and Castile) and General Queipo de Llano that of the south (Extremadura and Andalusia).).
On 11 June, preceded by a series of aerial bombardments, the last decisive push began. Although solid, the positions of the “Iron Belt” were unable to stop the attacking columns, which opened breaches in it in the direction of Munguía, Sondica and Lezame, and were able to spread towards Bilbao, where they entered on 14 June.
After Bilbao had fallen, the nationals, pursuing the retreating enemy, continued to advance slowly towards the west along the two routes constituted by the coastal roadway and the Valmaseda roadway; at the end of July they had reached a line corresponding approximately to the meridian of Valmaseda. In the meantime, they were preparing the second phase of the operation: the conquest of Santander.
In the middle section of the northern front, in the sector south of Santander, the republican lines intersected the national territory for about 30-40 km. forming a large pocket straddling the upper Ebro.
