Battle of Ciudad Universitaria 1936
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
About the battle
The Battle of Ciudad Universitaria was a battle at the beginning of the Siege of Madrid in the Spanish Civil War. The battle happened at the new campus of the Ciudad Universitaria from 15 to 23 November 1936. The battle caused the frontline in this part of Madrid to stabilize for most of the war. The republican militias' objective was the defense of the capital at all costs, and for that it was necessary to stop the advance of General Varela's troops of the Army of Africa. Conversely, the attackers aimed to conquer the city as fast as possible. The persistence and tenacity of both sides in the battle meant an inflection point in the Spanish Civil War, partly because it was the first time that Franco's troops were stopped. The campus was also one of the most long-lasting confrontation points during the Spanish Civil War. The resistance shown in Madrid raised the morale on other fronts of the Republican government's controlled zone.
The end of the battle on 23 November 1936 was caused by a change in strategy by the attackers. The confrontation involved the participation of troops that belonged to the newly formed International Brigades, as well as heavy military materiel from the Soviet Union. The attackers received materiel and troops from Germany and Italy.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Ciudad Universitaria (revision 1370437368), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of the Montaña Barracks 1936 · 2 km
- Siege of Madrid 1936 · 4 km
- Battle of Majadahonda 1812 · 12 km
- Second Battle of the Corunna Road 1936 · 15 km
- Battle of Brunete 1937 · 22 km
- Battle of Jarama 1937 · 31 km
Other battles of the Siege of Madrid
Browse more: battles in Spain · Europe · Interwar battles