Historia de dos turons / Tale of Two Hills
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Fotografies de la zona de combats de la Batalla del Ebre (1938).
A la esquerra, Punta Targa fortificada pels republicans, al fons a la dreta, Quatre Camins, en mans feixistes.
Al sector del front de Vilalba dels Arcs, dos posicions dominaren i es disputaren la important cruïlla de carreteres entre Vilalba, La Fatarella, Corbera i Gandesa: Cuatre Camins i Punta Targa.
Entre el 26 i el 31 de juliol, foren els republicans, que assaltaren Cuatre Camins, arribant a la cruïlla i al turó del mateix nom, però foren refusats en diverses ocasions. Després d'unes setmanes d'estabilització, amb la 3ª ofensiva feixista (19 agost), foren aquests que atacaren cap a Punta Targa, ja molt fortificada. Després de la massacre del primer assalt, aquesta fou encerclada i ocupada el dia 20.
Curiosament, el dia 19 només assaltaren el front republicà els catalans del Tercio de Montserrat, sense suport artiller ni de tancs, cosa que no passà en quasi cap altre ocasió.Fou una matança. S'ha vist com una manera maquiavelica franquista per desfer-se fins i tot dels "seus" catalans...
La batalla de l'Ebre (25 juliol - 16 novembre de 1938) fou la més important i mortifera de la guerra civil espanyola. Hi ha que també la consideren també la més decisiva, però crec que per desgracia la guerra ja estava decidida de molt abans, com a minim des del trencament del front d'Aragó el 9 de març del mateix any.
Tot i que l'exèrcit republicà creuà l'Ebre el 25 de juliol del 1938 per molts punts entre Mequinensa i Amposta, la major part dels combats de la batalla es donaren a la Terra Alta, a la zona entre Vilalba dels Arcs, La Fatarella, Camposines i Gandesa, a més de la Serra de Pandols.
www.sbhac.net/Republica/Fuerzas/EPR/EprL/GCE_EXT_AntonioQ...
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_l%27Ebre
============================================
This is part of the Ebro battlefield (1938), in Southern Catalonia.
To the left, the fortified Republican stronghold "Punta Targa", to the right, the fascist held "Cuatre Camins".
In the sector of the front of Vilalba dels Arcs, two positions dominated and disputed the important crossroads between Vilalba, La Fatarella, Corbera and Gandesa: "Cuatre Camins" and "Punta Targa".
Between July 26 and 31, it was the Republicans, who stormed Cuatre Camins, reaching the crossroads and the hill of the same name, but were repulsed on several occasions. After a few weeks of stabilization, with the 3rd fascist offensive (August 19), they now attacked Punta Targa, already very fortified. After the massacre of the first assault, it was surrounded and occupied without a fight late on the 20th.
Interestingly, on the 19th only the Catalans of the Tercio de Montserrat stormed the republican front, without artillery or tank support, which did not happen on almost any other occasion. It was a massacre. It has been seen as a Francoist Machiavellian way to get rid of even "their" Catalans ...
The Battle of the Ebro (July 25 - November 16, 1938) was the most important and deadlier of the Spanish Civil War. There are those who also consider it the most decisive, but I think that unfortunately the war was already decided long before, at least since the breaking of the front of Aragon on March 9 of the same year.
The battle began with the greatest offensive made by the Republican forces, when they crossed the river Ebro between Mequinensa and Amposta (especially between Riba-roja and Miravet), and advanced to the line La Pobla de Massaluca -Vilalba dels Arcs -Gandesa - Serra de Pandols . But in just 48 hours, the dazzling advance was stopped short. Then Franco decided to crush the republican forces hill by hill (with massive artillery and bomber barrages), in a battle of attrition identical to the First World War for which the Republicans had no resources or alternative, especially with the river behind them. The main assaults, which lasted from August 10 to October 29, were concentrated in a very small and devastated area: the triangle Vertex Gaeta - Corbera - Camposines.
Finally, a final offensive on October 30 occupied the ridge of the Serra de Cavalls, making the entire Republican bridgehead unsustainable, which managed, however, to withdraw in an orderly manner until November 16. But the damage was already done, and there were no forces left for a proper defense of Catalonia, which fell three months later. Then, fascist darkness.
www.sbhac.net/Republica/Fuerzas/EPR/EprL/GCE_EXT_AntonioQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQZ_gKCHtk
Historia de dos turons / Tale of Two Hills
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Fotografies de la zona de combats de la Batalla del Ebre (1938).
A la esquerra, Punta Targa fortificada pels republicans, al fons a la dreta, Quatre Camins, en mans feixistes.
Al sector del front de Vilalba dels Arcs, dos posicions dominaren i es disputaren la important cruïlla de carreteres entre Vilalba, La Fatarella, Corbera i Gandesa: Cuatre Camins i Punta Targa.
Entre el 26 i el 31 de juliol, foren els republicans, que assaltaren Cuatre Camins, arribant a la cruïlla i al turó del mateix nom, però foren refusats en diverses ocasions. Després d'unes setmanes d'estabilització, amb la 3ª ofensiva feixista (19 agost), foren aquests que atacaren cap a Punta Targa, ja molt fortificada. Després de la massacre del primer assalt, aquesta fou encerclada i ocupada el dia 20.
Curiosament, el dia 19 només assaltaren el front republicà els catalans del Tercio de Montserrat, sense suport artiller ni de tancs, cosa que no passà en quasi cap altre ocasió.Fou una matança. S'ha vist com una manera maquiavelica franquista per desfer-se fins i tot dels "seus" catalans...
La batalla de l'Ebre (25 juliol - 16 novembre de 1938) fou la més important i mortifera de la guerra civil espanyola. Hi ha que també la consideren també la més decisiva, però crec que per desgracia la guerra ja estava decidida de molt abans, com a minim des del trencament del front d'Aragó el 9 de març del mateix any.
Tot i que l'exèrcit republicà creuà l'Ebre el 25 de juliol del 1938 per molts punts entre Mequinensa i Amposta, la major part dels combats de la batalla es donaren a la Terra Alta, a la zona entre Vilalba dels Arcs, La Fatarella, Camposines i Gandesa, a més de la Serra de Pandols.
www.sbhac.net/Republica/Fuerzas/EPR/EprL/GCE_EXT_AntonioQ...
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_l%27Ebre
============================================
This is part of the Ebro battlefield (1938), in Southern Catalonia.
To the left, the fortified Republican stronghold "Punta Targa", to the right, the fascist held "Cuatre Camins".
In the sector of the front of Vilalba dels Arcs, two positions dominated and disputed the important crossroads between Vilalba, La Fatarella, Corbera and Gandesa: "Cuatre Camins" and "Punta Targa".
Between July 26 and 31, it was the Republicans, who stormed Cuatre Camins, reaching the crossroads and the hill of the same name, but were repulsed on several occasions. After a few weeks of stabilization, with the 3rd fascist offensive (August 19), they now attacked Punta Targa, already very fortified. After the massacre of the first assault, it was surrounded and occupied without a fight late on the 20th.
Interestingly, on the 19th only the Catalans of the Tercio de Montserrat stormed the republican front, without artillery or tank support, which did not happen on almost any other occasion. It was a massacre. It has been seen as a Francoist Machiavellian way to get rid of even "their" Catalans ...
The Battle of the Ebro (July 25 - November 16, 1938) was the most important and deadlier of the Spanish Civil War. There are those who also consider it the most decisive, but I think that unfortunately the war was already decided long before, at least since the breaking of the front of Aragon on March 9 of the same year.
The battle began with the greatest offensive made by the Republican forces, when they crossed the river Ebro between Mequinensa and Amposta (especially between Riba-roja and Miravet), and advanced to the line La Pobla de Massaluca -Vilalba dels Arcs -Gandesa - Serra de Pandols . But in just 48 hours, the dazzling advance was stopped short. Then Franco decided to crush the republican forces hill by hill (with massive artillery and bomber barrages), in a battle of attrition identical to the First World War for which the Republicans had no resources or alternative, especially with the river behind them. The main assaults, which lasted from August 10 to October 29, were concentrated in a very small and devastated area: the triangle Vertex Gaeta - Corbera - Camposines.
Finally, a final offensive on October 30 occupied the ridge of the Serra de Cavalls, making the entire Republican bridgehead unsustainable, which managed, however, to withdraw in an orderly manner until November 16. But the damage was already done, and there were no forces left for a proper defense of Catalonia, which fell three months later. Then, fascist darkness.
www.sbhac.net/Republica/Fuerzas/EPR/EprL/GCE_EXT_AntonioQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQZ_gKCHtk