Auts () is a

mountain chain A mountain chain is a row of high mountain summits, a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains,Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p 87. . or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger mo ...

that is located southeast of

Mequinenza Mequinenza (Aragonese and ) or Mequinensa () is a town and municipality of the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is located beside the river Segre, close to its confluence with the river Ebro between the Mequ ...

, close to the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

river in the Bajo Cinca

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a " ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to so ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. Its maximum elevation is 434 metres.

History

These moderately high, dry mountains were the scenario of one of the most bloody confrontations during the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro ( es, Batalla del Ebro, ca, Batalla de l'Ebre) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between Ju ...

in 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 Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

(1936–39). On 25 July 1938 the 42nd Division of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Rep ...

successfully crossed the river in this area and occupied the Auts area taking positions in the hills. Initially the feat of the Republican troops was hailed as a great victory by the Spanish Republic, eager to see a positive outcome of the Battle of the Ebro effort. But the 226th and 227th

mixed brigade Mixed brigade ( es, brigada mixta) was a basic tactical military unit of the Republican army during the Spanish Civil War. It was initially designed as “pocket division”, an innovative maneuverable combined-arms formation. Because of high sa ...

s of the divisionSBHAC - Brigadas Mixtas del Ejército Popular, 226ª Brigada Mixta
/ref>Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República'', 1999 were soon surrounded and relentlessly massacred in the Auts by

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

rebel faction The Nationalist faction ( es, Bando nacional) or Rebel faction ( es, Bando sublevado) was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939. It was composed of a variety of right-leaning political groups that supported the Spanish Coup o ...

. After having suffered a great number of casualties the few battered survivors of the division had to cross back the Ebro River. There is a monument to the many soldiers who died in the Auts at the feet of the range near the road leading to Mequinenza.La Batalla de l’Ebre a l’any 2007
/ref>

Auts Monument

Six decades after the events, on August 8, 1998, the "Quinta del Biberón", a group of survivors inaugurated the monument erected on the hillside of the Alto de los Auts, a key position, the highest and most strongly defended by the Republicans of the Mequinenza-Fayón battle. The monument, designed by Javier Torres, is chaired by two plaques, in Catalan and Spanish, and two helmets on each side. The plaque says: 'To all those who lost, who were all'. The event involved up to 250 "biberones" accompanied by their families. After making a floral offering at the foot of the monument, the veterans recalled the thirst, heat and illness they suffered at those spaces.

Origin of the name

The name "Auts" comes most likely from an ancient Catalan word for "heights", ''"alts"'' in modern Catalan. Referring to hills this name appears, for example, in Ramon Llull's following text: Batalla Ebro

References

Bibliography

*Jaume Aguadé i Sordé, ''El diari de guerra de Lluís Randé i Inglés; Batalles del Segre i de l’Ebre i camps de concentració (abril 1938 - juliol 1939)'', El Tinter {{ISBN, 84-9791-082-6

External links

Atles de la Guerra Civil a CatalunyaLa Batalla del Ebro - Mequinensa.com
Mountains of Aragon Military history of Spain