In Memory

 It is another day of emptiness.  We will go under the N-211 if that helps. This National Road has wiki pages in both Spanish and Dutch.  It is 85.6km long.  Does that help?




We are heading to Caspe, so let turn to events in 1938.  The under resourced and overstretched Republican Army was hit, on 7th March the Fasc launched an offensive in Aragon, supported by Italian and German hardware. The Republican lines collapsed before the 150,000 troops and 900 planes being thrown at them.





On 9 March the Nationalists advanced 36 kilometres, on 10th March they occupied Belchite held by the XV International Brigade and pushed forward to Caspe.  Republican General Vicente Rojo ordered to establish a defensive line with the town of Caspe at its centre.  By 16th March three Nationalist divisions of the Varela's Army, led by Fernando Barrón, Muñoz Grandes and Bautista Sánchez, surrounded the town held by the XV International Brigade. The Brigade fought with great valour, but after two days of heavy fighting Caspe fell to the Nationalists. That we arrived on the anniversary is accidental but appropriate.



Tomorrow we enter Caspe.














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