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THE BATTLE OF JARAMA February 1937

The Republican forces had defeated the Nationalists’ direct frontal assault on Madrid and it was clear that the now exhausted offensive had come to a halt. The Republicans had organised their fragmented forces well and were also able to reinforce their position. The Nationalists now turned to another battleground for a further offensive - a series of plateaux and valleys in a south-eastern direction from Madrid including the Jarama valley. The river flowed along a wide flat plain about three kilometres wide and beyond this were some further steep slopes, hills and plateaux. It was in this same area that the Republican forces were already slowly concentrating for a planned offensive, but General Miaja was reluctant to weaken his forces around Madrid in case a surprise attack might take over the city.

The Nationalist plan was to encircle the city from the south by crossing the river Jarama and cutting the Madrid-Valencia Road. This was to be followed by a further offensive at Guadalajara to the north. The successful outcome would be to stop supplies and isolate Madrid from the Republican government’s base in Valencia. Colonel José Enrique Varela, an experienced and militarily distinguished campaigner, was the commander of the Nationalist forces in the field and he had five brigades under his command with support from German troops and other battalions in reserve. In all there were about 25,000 Nationalist troops and about 20,000 Republican soldiers.

Phase 2 of the Nationalist action from 11th February saw some crossings of the river Jarama, first at Pindoque and then at San Martin de la Vega. In the latter crossing the raid was at dawn on 12th February, when, hiding under the bridge arches, the Nationalists took the sentries by surprise and then crossed in large numbers. It was to this situation that the 15th International Brigade, in its usual role as shock troops to plug gaps and support existing actions, was brought under the leadership of the Russian Colonel Gal.

Courtesy Alan Warren

These photos are of the the farmhouse today at Chinchon which was to be the Battalion cookhouse during the campaign. The Battalion moved forward in the direction of the river, scrambling up a hill, across a plateau and dry valley and on to the next ridge.

For the British the battle was a disastrous as they suffered an onslaught in a situation where they had no answer to the artillery shells and heavy machine-gun fire and were not equipped to deal with the elite troops of Franco’s army of Moors who followed the barrage of fire. The catastrophic attack took place on what became known as SUICIDE HILL. For a full description of the battle involving the Welsh volunteers and an account of those volunteers killed, see 'You are Legend' pages 67-83.

The photos below show the site of the battle.

'Suicide Hill' with the Jarama valley and the city of Madrid in the background

On the left is the 'sunken road' which became the front line and on the right the memorial to the International Brigades at one end of the road with author in the one photo.

Below are photos of trenches and shelters still visible in the surrounding area

The town of Morata de Tajuna lies in the valley of the river Tajuna about 35 kilometres south west of Madrid.

On the edge of the town the restaurant El Cid houses a museum set up by Gregorio Salcedo, one of the town’s inhabitants, who as a child started to collect scrap metal and artefacts of the war from the fields.

It has a remarkable collection of bullets, missiles, weapons, photographs and other paraphernalia from the civil war.