Page 27 - All About History - Issue 70-18

SEIZING COMMAND

The guerrillas finally began to approach the towns
and villages of the Aran valley after a long journey.
It did not take long for the men to overtake these
towns and villages, raising the Spanish Republican
Flag high for all to see. Despite this success,
the capital of Aran, Vielha, still remained out of
Republican hands.

CONSOLIDATING CONTROL

The French Resistance started to send supplies
such as food, ammunition,
weapons and fuel
across the border
to support the
guerrillas. In
the meantime,
the men
got to work
installing a
Republican
government
in the valley,
with plans to
hold anti-Franco
meetings in the One of the valleys the guerrillas used
various plazas to cross the Pyrenees into Spain
they had seized.

SENDING FOR

REINFORCEMENTS

With the news that the guerrillas had successfully
entered the Aran Valley, more men made their
–
way through the Pyrenees eventually around
7,000 guerrillas would cross the border during the
operation. Nonetheless, the rebels could not match
the large force that Franco was sending to take
back control of the border.

A WAITING GAME

The guerrillas had hoped that their arrival,
along with the establishment of a Republican
government, would spark rebellions in support of
their cause across the country. They waited for this
–
uprising in vain they had not considered that
many citizens were too traumatised from the Civil
War and too scared of Franco’s cruel repression to
take part in a revolt.

FUTILE HOPE

As the first day drew to close, the invasion
appeared to be going well but in reality, it was
doomed to fail. Just over a week later, Franco’s
forces arrived and forced the guerrillas back across
the border, taking 1,400 men prisoner. Though
the invasion was quashed, domestic guerrilla
strongholds could still be found in Spain, most Alamy
notably in Catalonia. ©

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