December 1937–February 1938
Fought in temperatures as low as -20°C, the Battle of Teruel was a study in Republican ambition undone by Nationalist firepower. The Republic captured the city on December 21, giving the government a propaganda victory it desperately needed. But Franco threw in his reserves and by February 22, Teruel had fallen. The Republic had lost 60,000 men and most of its remaining modern weapons. The Nationalist road to the Mediterranean — and the splitting of Republican Spain — lay open.
Commanders