Battle of El Mazuco
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The Battle of El Mazuco was fought between 6 and 22 September 1937, between the
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and
Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
armies during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
as a part of the
War in the North The War in the North was the campaign of the Spanish Civil War in which the Nationalist forces defeated and occupied the parts of northern Spain that had remained loyal to the Republican government. The campaign included several separate battl ...
campaign. The Republican defence of
El Mazuco El Mazuco is a village in the parroquia of Caldueño in the municipality of Llanes, in Asturias, northern Spain. Its population in 2004 was 67, in 25 dwellings. It is located at 355m above sea level in the Sierra de Cuera, at , which is 16&nb ...
and the surrounding mountains halted the Nationalist advance into eastern
Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
, despite their forces being outnumbered sevenfold. After weeks of intense fighting over extreme terrain the defenders were eventually overwhelmed, and the Nationalists were then able to link up with their forces advancing from León, leading to the fall of
Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...
and the abandonment of Asturias, the last Republican province in North-West Spain. This battle was almost certainly the first use of
carpet bombing Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in th ...
against a military target.excerpt from de Blas source translated to English "El Mazuco (the impossible defence)"
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Prelude

Following the fall of
Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...
and the defeat of the Republican forces defending
Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
, the Republican stronghold of
Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
was isolated from the Republican armies in the south and east of Spain. The leader of the Nationalist forces surrounding Asturias, General
Fidel Dávila Fidel most commonly refers to: * Fidel Castro (1926–2016), Cuban communist revolutionary and politician * Fidel Ramos (1928–2022), Filipino politician and former president Fidel may also refer to: Other persons * Fidel (given name) Film * ...
, attacked from the south and from the east, expecting little resistance from the demoralized Republicans. The first republican line, along the
Deva River The Deva is a river in Northern Spain, flowing through the Autonomous Communities of Cantabria and Asturias until it flows into Tina Mayor, an estuary. Its main tributaries are the Cares and Urdón rivers, among others. Deva is the name of a C ...
, was soon overrun, and the town of
Llanes Llanes (the ''Concejo de Llanes'', ''Conceyu de Llanes'' in Asturian language) is a municipality of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. Stretching for about 30 km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bound ...
fell on 5 September 1937. However, the routes the Nationalists then had to take were commanded by the limestone walls of the
Sierra de Cuera Sierra de Cuera ( ast, Sierra del Cuera), is a 30 km long mountain chain of the Cantabrian Mountains. The ridge's highest point is Pico Turbina (1315 m). This mountain range is located at 6 km from the sea and runs parallel to the coast. ...
on the north of the front and the
Deva Gorge Deva may refer to: Entertainment * ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film * ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film * ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film * Deva (2007 Telugu film) * ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film * Deva ...
to the south. The Nationalists had to clear the defenders from these mountains in order to advance, and to do that they planned a
pincer movement The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. This classic maneuver holds an important foothold throughout the history of warfare. The pin ...
moving southwest from
Llanes Llanes (the ''Concejo de Llanes'', ''Conceyu de Llanes'' in Asturian language) is a municipality of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. Stretching for about 30 km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bound ...
and west, along
Cares The Cares is a river in Northern Spain that flows through the autonomous communities of Asturias and León until it joins the Deva River and flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the Bay of Biscay. It forms the Tina Mayor estuary, the natural bo ...
river, from Panes towards
Cabrales Cabrales is a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. It is situated between the Sierra de Cuera and the Picos de Europa, and is a region famous for its Cabrales cheese. Important towns within the municipa ...
. On both fronts, the rugged terrain and stiff Republican resistance halted the advance. It was then clear that the mountains of the Sierra de Cuera were vital to the defence of Asturias, and the key to the Sierra de Cuera was the pass of
El Mazuco El Mazuco is a village in the parroquia of Caldueño in the municipality of Llanes, in Asturias, northern Spain. Its population in 2004 was 67, in 25 dwellings. It is located at 355m above sea level in the Sierra de Cuera, at , which is 16&nb ...
.


The combatants

The Nationalist forces comprised four Navarrese Brigades (33,000 men), under the command of General José Solchaga Zala (Solchaga) in
Llanes Llanes (the ''Concejo de Llanes'', ''Conceyu de Llanes'' in Asturian language) is a municipality of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. Stretching for about 30 km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bound ...
, with 15 artillery batteries and strong air support (including the German '' Legión Cóndor'', partly based on the Cue Aerodrome). The pass of El Mazuco is only five km from the sea, and so the cruiser '' Almirante Cervera'' was also able to use its 6 in. guns in the action. The Asturian and some Basque and Santander forces (Republicans) comprised three weakened brigades (fewer than 5,000 men in all), under the command of Colonels Juan Ibarrola Orueta and Francisco Galán Rodríguez (Ibarrola and Galán) in
Meré Meré is a village (and also a parroquia) in the concejo of Llanes, in Asturias. Its population in 2004 was 175, in 84 dwellings. It is located on the banks of the ''Ríu de las Cabras'' at , which is 28 km from Llanes and about midway ...
, with little artillery and no air support.


The battle

The attack on El Mazuco began with an assault by the Nationalist Navarrese I brigade on 6 September. This was repulsed, and at the same time the southern advance of the pincer movement was also stopped. In response to these setbacks, the German Condor Legion was called in and for the first time carpet-bombed a military target, the Republican forces defending the approach to El Mazuco. On 7 September further attacks were halted and the fronts stabilized; a noted Republican commander, Higinio Carrocera, arrived, with three battalions and 24 heavy machine guns. Carpet-bombing with explosive and incendiary bombs continued all day. The next day in dense fog, fierce hand-to-hand fighting inflicted severe losses on both sides. The Nationalists gained some 2 km on the southern front, which the Republicans were unable to recapture. The Nationalists used the following day to shell the positions defending El Mazuco, and two Republican battalions were forced to retreat, although the Nationalists were unable to take advantage of the withdrawal. For the rest of that day and the next, waves of bombings and artillery bombardment were each followed by a Nationalist infantry attack, each in turn cut down and turned back by the Republican machine-guns. The fog having returned on 10 September, an all-out attack by the I Brigade took the hill of ''Biforco'' (below the pass of El Mazuco), but this was still dominated by the heights of Llabres, from where the Republicans hammered the area with machine guns and rolled down
carbide In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece. Interstitial / Metallic carbides The carbides of the ...
drums filled with explosive. For the first time since the start of the battle, hot food reached the Republican front lines. During the next two days, on the southern front, the Nationalists could not make progress along the valley, so had no option but to advance up the ridge of the Sierra towards Pico Turbina. This peak, at 1,315m, is a formidable obstacle with slopes of 40° and an almost moon-like karst terrain. There were no tracks, even for mules, so supplies and ordnance were largely carried by hand. The weather was bad, too, so aircraft could not operate – but the fog also hid the attacking forces. By 13 September the Republican front to the north-west of El Mazuco began to weaken under the relentless artillery bombardment, and the Republicans were forced to yield Sierra Llabres, whose height commands both the village of El Mazuco and the western approaches on 14 September. The village of El Mazuco itself was then indefensible. To the south, Pico Turbina was almost taken, but the attack was driven back with hand-grenades, in confused fighting in dense fog. El Mazuco and its surrounds were occupied on 15 September, and the Republicans in that sector fell back to
Meré Meré is a village (and also a parroquia) in the concejo of Llanes, in Asturias. Its population in 2004 was 175, in 84 dwellings. It is located on the banks of the ''Ríu de las Cabras'' at , which is 28 km from Llanes and about midway ...
. To the south, the Republicans still held the heights of Pico Turbina and Peñas Blancas (the summits of Peña Blanca). Pico Turbina was taken, and Peña Blanca was almost encircled as Arangas and Arenas fell to the Nationalists the next day. The three summits of Peñas Blancas now formed the only salient from the Republican line along the Bedón river. Initial Nationalist assaults failed, and so sixteen battalions were brought up to reduce the positions. Air support was minimal due to the weather, and on the ground, rain turned to snow on the heights. The better weather on 18 September at noon brought three waves of airborne strafing from 'strings' of Junkers and Fiat fighters, and possibly Heinkel 51s based on the Cue Aerodrome. After each attack, the inevitable infantry assault was beaten off by machine guns and hand grenades. For four full days, the pattern was repeated: aircraft and mortars pounded the remaining defenders, the Navarrese infantry attacked, and were repulsed. Until 22 September "the red flag waved on the highest peak". On that day, the Peñas Blancas were finally overrun.


Aftermath

The defence of El Mazuco offered the hope of stemming the Nationalist advance until winter; if that had been achieved, then the course of the war would have been different. As it was, the attackers suffered a costly delay. The defenders regained their honour, battered in Santander, but also at great cost. The third parties involved, notably the Condor Legion, learned many lessons which were later applied in the European theatre of the World War that followed. The defence of El Mazuco also allowed the Republicans further west in Asturias a certain breathing space and a chance to regroup, but ultimately this made little difference. The Nationalists on the Eastern front soon joined up with the forces advancing from León at Infiesto, and closed in on
Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...
. Gijón, the last republican stronghold in Northern Spain, fell on 21 October.


See also

*
List of Spanish Nationalist military equipment of the Spanish Civil War {{short description, None This is a list of all military equipment used by the nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. Weapons * List of Spanish Civil War weapons of the Nationalists Aircraft * List of aircraft of Nationalist Spain in th ...
*
List of weapons of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie This is a list of weapons of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which was an Italian ground force that supported the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. It was composed of regular Royal Italian Army soldiers and members of the Blackshirt Param ...
*
Condor Legion The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...
*
List of Spanish Republican military equipment of the Spanish Civil War This is a list of military equipment of the Spanish Republicans. The Soviet Union was the main provider of Republican military equipment. Weapons * List of Spanish Civil War weapons of the Republicans Aircraft * List of aircraft of the Span ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazuco 1937 in Spain Battles of the Spanish Civil War
El Mazuco El Mazuco is a village in the parroquia of Caldueño in the municipality of Llanes, in Asturias, northern Spain. Its population in 2004 was 67, in 25 dwellings. It is located at 355m above sea level in the Sierra de Cuera, at , which is 16&nb ...
Aerial operations and battles Conflicts in 1937 September 1937 events