Hello to all

; a brief account as it was told at that time by the Military Review.................
THE BATTLE OF TERUEL.
The city of Teruel, capital of the Province of the same name, with a population of 9,600, had been in Franco's possession since the beginning of the war. It is situated at the junction of two river valleYR, by the confluence of the rivers Guadalaviar and Alfambra.* The terrain is very mountainous (Figure 2) and is so strong that the Insurgents considered it secure from frontal attacks, protected as it is by Muleton Hill and Mount Celadas in the north and the now famous Muela de Teruel (Teruel's Tooth) in the south; therefore, leaving only a weak garrison in this sector, the High Command proceeded to concentrate elsewhere for another offensive, either on the Guadalajara Front or along the valley of the Ebro. Apparently, the Government received information concerning these conditions, probably through spies, and secretly reinforced the "Levante Army" (Army of the East) with a number of International Brigades, which have rendered such gallant service in this war, particularly in hours of crises.
At dawn, 15 December 1937, the Government offensive was launched, the infantry heavily supported by artillery, airplanes and tanks; the attacks were directed from the north, south and southwest, to pinch out the salient. Rapid progress was made on the first day; by the 16th, the Government had captured Concud (Figure 3) about three miles west of the city, thus gaining control of the only available route that could be used to reinforce the defenders. By the 18th, the city had been encircled and on the 21st, Government troops entered the town and isolated the weak Insurgent garrison, which, occupying a few buildings, offered resistance for a few days, but was finally forced to surrender a few days later.
Sharply stung, the Insurgent High Command made preparations at once to wipe out this defeat. A powerful army was concentrated without delay on 30 December and a vigorous counterattack was launched on that date, supported ,by artillery, tanks and over one hundred airplanes. Extremely adverse weather prevailed, freezing temperatures, high winds and snow impeded the advance of the infantry, artillery and motor vehicles. This resulted in a deadlock lasting practically the entire month of January 1938, with attacks and counterattacks following each other in quick sucession. On 6 February, General Fidel Davila, the conqueror of Bilbao, assumed personal command of the operations. On 18 February, the Insurgents launched a vigorous counteroffensive directed by General Franco himself. The operations started with a feint near Montalban, about thirty-eight miles to the north. The Government massed its forces in the Montalban sector to meet this threat. With lightning speed, Franco struck between the Montalban forces and Teruel across the Alfambra River, east of Peralejos (Figure 3). Capturing Peralejos, the Insurgents seized the bridge over the Alfambra in vicinity of Villalba Baja and then swung sharply to the south along the Alfambra valley. (Figure 3.) Government defenses along this mountain valley crumbled under the fierce attack from the northeast. The village of Valdecebro and the dominating heights overlooking the city were captured in a desperate hand to hand combat and, finally, on 23 February, after fighting their way through into the city streets, overcoming machine guns, storming trenches and barricaded buildings, the Insurgents regained possession of Teruel. The situation was now the opposite to that which had taken place exactly two months before, when the Government troops, by a surprise offensive, hammered the Insurgent garrison into submission, Teruel has been converted into a mass of shell-torn ruins and the two-month seige and the various battles have left little in the city worth fighting for. It possesses, nevertheless, great strategic importance as the pivot point of the extreme southernmost tip of the Aragon front.
*The Alfambra flows into the Guadalaviar at Teruel; the latter turns sharply to the south and southeast, where it becomes known as the Guadalaviar or Turia and empties into the Mediterranean in the vicinity of Valencia.
Source: Military News Around the World. Military Review March 1938.
Cheers. Raúl M

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