Page 26 - All About History - Issue 70-18

SPAIN

Day in the life A Republican guerrilla camp pictured
in the foothills of the Pyrenees

SPANISH

RESISTANCEFIGHTER

THE FIGHT AGAINST GENERAL FRANCO’S

DICTATORSHIP SPAIN, 19 28 OCTOBER 1944

Following the Nationalist victory at the end of the
Spanish Civil War in 1939, thousands of Spanish
Republicans fled across the border to France.
Refusing to accept Franco’s fascist regime, many
of them formed a guerrilla resistance determined
to overthrow him and his government. These
resistance fighters were also known as the Spanish
Maquis, a name given to those who took part in
the French Resistance during World War II. In their
biggest move against the Francoist regime, they
invaded Spain via the Aran Valley in October 1944,
which was named Operation Reconquest of Spain.

GETTING READY

The guerrilla resistance against
In the early hours of the morning, the General Franco lasted for almost
Spanish guerrillas were preparing to three decades
invade Francoist Spain through the
Pyrenees. The scheme had been
planned with the help of the
French Resistance, whom the
guerrillas had fought with during
World War II after fleeing to
France in exile at the end of the
Spanish Civil War.

ON THE MOVE

Around 4,000 men, armed and ready,
began to make their way down from the
guerrilla camps located in the Pyrenees mountains
towards the Aran Valley, where they planned to
cross the border from France into Spain. Though
the men had weapons, they were ill-equipped
compared to Franco’s Nationalist army.

A TREACHEROUS JOURNEY

Making their way through the snow-covered
Pyrenees to the Aran Valley was not an easy
feat for the men, particularly as winter was
approaching. However, the guerrillas had also
launched smaller invasions along other valleys
in the Pyrenees in the previous weeks in order to
distract Franco’s army and allow the main invasion
to go ahead as smoothly as possible.

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