Madrid, Siege of

In the Spanish Civil War, Nationalist siege of Republican forces in Madrid from November 1936 to March 1939. The city was a stronghold of Republican opposition to Franco and when it fell the Republican effort collpased.

The Nationalist commander General Emilio Mola famously boasted that he had four columns of troops outside the city and a ‘fifth column’ of sympathizers inside.

The Nationalists attacked Madrid in November 1936 and by 21 November had advanced and taken the University City suburb, but after this trench lines were dug and stalemate ensued. The Republicans mounted a counterattack in July 1937, but were driven back at a cost of 15,000 casualties. The siege remained in place for the next two years while the Civil War continued elsewhere in Spain, and eventually the various Republican factions began quarrelling among themselves. The Nationalist leader, General Francisco Franco, launched a sudden offensive against Madrid on 26 March 1939; resistance collapsed and the city was occupied on 31 March, ending the Civil War.