Tercio de la Muerte - The Battle of the Ebro River July-August, 1938

1938 went from bad to worse for the Republican cause in Spain. Successes the previous year at Guadalahara, Teruel and Belchite were undone by Nationalist victories that overran Vizcaya as well as continued and massive military support from Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Madrid was finally cut off and fell in the early summer and many outside of Spain felt the cause was lost. However, there was some hope in the Republican enclave centered on Barcelona. A new and friendly government came to power in France that reponed shipments of badly needed arms and supplies, and new shipments of arms from the Soviet Union successfully made it past the Nationalist blockade, reinvigorating the Republican forces still in the field. A larger war in Europe was increasingly apparent, and it was hoped that if the Republican forces could hold out long enough, they could be part of this larger conflict against fascism. As such, the Republican military decided upon a bold offensive across the Ebro River to retake ground in Valencia, as well as demonstrate that all was not lost.