Global InformationBattle of El Mazucu information
| Battle of El Mazucu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Asturias Offensive of the War in the North campaign of the Spanish Civil War | |||||||
 El Mazucu and the heights of Llabres | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Republic Sovereign Council of Asturias and León Confederal militias |
 Spanish State | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Lt. Col. Francisco Galán Rodríguez Cpt. Juan Ibarrola Orueta | Col. José Solchaga Zala | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Less than 5,000 |
33,000, plus elements of the Legión Cóndor and (possibly) Corpo Truppe Volontarie | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of El Mazucu was fought between 6 and 22 September 1937, between the Republican and Nationalist armies during the Spanish Civil War as a part of the War in the North campaign. The Republican defence of El Mazucu and the surrounding mountains halted the Nationalist advance into eastern Asturias, 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 and the abandonment of Asturias, the last Republican province in North-West Spain.
This battle was almost certainly the first use of carpet bombing against a military target.[1][2]
- ^ Juan Antonio de Blas, "El Mazuco (La defensa imposible)" (pp369–383), in La guerra civil en Asturias, Ediciones Júcar, Gijón 1986.
- ^ excerpt from de Blas source translated to English "El Mazuco (the impossible defence)"