Word: asturian
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...high mountains surrounding Gijón on the Bay of Biscay winter had already come last week. Rightist troops shivered along mountainous paths slippery with seven inches of snow, fought every inch of the way by indomitable but ill-equipped Asturian miners who heartily cheered the snow that bogged down their enemies' tanks and heavy artillery, grounded their planes. Rightist capture of Gijón seemed in expert military eyes inevitable, but if snow and bad weather continued that capture might be postponed for many weeks, possibly till spring. The slated siege of Gijón would likewise...
Only 18 miles southwest of beleaguered Gijón another siege was ending its 14th month, but in this case the roles were reversed. At Oviedo, once a city of 70,000 people, a Rightist garrison was still holding out against a circling force of Asturian miners who have sworn to capture and kill Oviedo's commander, General Miguel Aranda "if we have to get him over the dead bodies of our own children...
...best hated men in Spain. Miguel Aranda first came to Oviedo in 1934 with the rank of colonel and orders from Madrid to help put down a revolution of Asturian socialists and anarchists against what they saw to be a swiftly developing fascist dictatorship. With ruthless Foreign Legionaries and Moors, imported into Spain for the first time in its history, Aranda did his work well, causing the death of numberless men in a few weeks...
Generalissimo Francisco Franco's northern army pecked gingerly at the remnant of Asturian militiamen still holding out at Gijón on the Bay of Biscay last week, otherwise Spain was as quiet as the tomb it is rapidly becoming. From Madrid there was no word, on the Aragon front both sides seemed exhausted after the Leftist capture of Belchite. The war was going on, but the real scene of action had switched to a small sedate town on the shore of Lake Geneva-Nyon...
Early last week it seemed that the Caudillo Franco had almost earned his title of Victor. Santander had fallen. Free for use on other fronts were 50,000 troops. Next objective in the northwest was Gijon, and as Rightists pushed westward along the Bay of Biscay they claimed Asturian troops were in full flight before them, 5,000 surrendering at the port town of Lanes. The Vatican had recognized the Rightist State. Off the tables of Marshal Pietro Badoglio in Rome was generally expected a new plan of attack by which Madrid would be captured before cold weather...