Word: franco
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Loyalist Spain's bitterly fought "war-within-a-war" centred in Madrid and for it General Franco's troops in the nearby trenches had grandstand seats. One of the hardest-fought engagements between the Loyalist factions took place near the old Royal Palace, in West Madrid on the high bank of the Manzanares River within plain view of some ten miles of Franco entrenchments. The Communist stronghold was in the partly completed Government buildings on the old race-track course in northeastern Madrid, less than two miles from the Franco trenches in University City. At one time...
...centre of Madrid, but they were still said to be holding important outskirts with 30,000 men. Furthermore, aid to them was on its way from other fronts. The chances were that the Loyalist forces, within plain view of their common enemies, would fight each other until the Franco Army, last week more a spectator than a fighting force, stepped in and cleaned them...
Although greater in tonnage and ships than the Franco Navy, the Loyalist fleet early in the war lost control of the strategic Strait of Gibraltar and with it the mastery of the Spanish waters. Reasons: 1 ) when the war started sailors on Loyalist ships killed most of their experienced officers, leaving only inexperienced men in command; 2) the Franco fleet was rein forced by Italian submarines, destroyers and lesser craft. Both sides lost heavily during the war. There were about eight engagements during which the Franco fleet's most notable losses were the battle ship Espa...
Although outmatched early in the war, the Loyalist fleet continued to do some quiet, important convoying near the coastline. Last week, with the enemy ships out of the way, Generalissimo Franco declared a complete blockade. The Loyalist coastline was declared "closed to navigation for all classes of embarkation, regardless of their flag and merchandise." Ships were warned that at several points the Franco Navy had submarines waiting with orders to "sink every ship that tries to pass the three-mile limit, no matter what flag...
...London British Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax perked up his ears, reminded General Franco that even though Britain had granted Franco Spain recognition, it had not granted belligerent rights. He announced to the House of Lords that "His Majesty's Government would regard as a very serious matter the sinking of a British merchant vessel even within territorial waters," that British warships had been instructed to "retaliate even inside territorial waters against any submarine taking such indefensible action...