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The Battle of the Ebro ((スペイン語:Batalla del Ebro), (カタルーニャ語、バレンシア語:Batalla de l'Ebre)) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly concentrated in two areas on the lower course of the Ebro River, the Terra Alta comarca of Catalonia, and the Auts area close to Fayón ''(Faió)'' in the lower Matarranya, Eastern Lower Aragon. These sparsely populated areas saw the largest array of armies in the war. The results of the battle were disastrous for the Second Spanish Republic, with tens of thousands of dead and wounded and little effect on the advance of the Nationalists. ==Background== By 1938, the Second Spanish Republic was in dire straits. The Republican Northern zone had fallen,〔Thomas, Hugh. (2001). ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. London. p.712〕 and in the winter of 1937/38 the Republican Popular Army had spent its forces in the Battle of Teruel, a series of bloody combats in subzero temperatures around the city of Teruel, which ended up being retaken by the Francoist army in February.〔Beevor, Antony. (2006). ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. pp.321–322〕 Then, the Nationalists launched an offensive in Aragon in March without giving their enemies a chance to recover. Fighting in the middle of bitter winter temperatures, the exhausted Republican army could offer only feeble resistance. By April 15, Franco's troops reached the Mediterranean Sea at Vinaròs, cutting Republican territory in two. As a result, the Nationalist army conquered Lleida and the hydroelectric dams that provided much of the Catalan industrial areas with electricity.〔Thomas, Hugh. (2001). ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. London. p.781〕 Nevertheless, on 17 March 1938, after the Anschluss, the French government decided to reopen the frontier.〔Thomas, Hugh. (2001). ''The Spanish Civil War.'' Penguin Books. London. pp.782–783〕 The Republican Army in Catalonia received 18,000 tons of war material between March and mid-June and twelve new divisions were formed from Nationalist prisoners-of-war and an extended call-up, which included conscripts that ranged in age from sixteen years old, the so-called ''Quinta del Biberón'' (the baby-bottle call-up), to middle-aged fathers. A new army, the Ebro's army, was then formed.〔Beevor, Antony. (2006). ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939.'' Penguin Books. London. pp.359–350〕 Meanwhile, the Francoist armies attacked the XYZ Line north of Valencia with the intention of capturing the Republican capital, instead of advancing towards Barcelona, fearing that France would enter the war in support of the ailing Republic.〔Hugh Thomas, ''The Spanish Civil War'' (2001), pages 780–781〕 In response to the situation, Spanish premier Juan Negrín approved a plan by General Vicente Rojo Lluch to launch attacks against the main Francoist forces advancing towards Valencia. The purpose of the attacks was to relieve the pressure on Valencia and Catalonia, as well as to show European governments that the Republican government was still viable.〔Graham, Helen. (2005). ''The Spanish Civil War. A Very Short Introduction.'' Oxford University Press. p.109〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of the Ebro」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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