【 Chapter 14 – Spanish Civil War – Battle of Brunete (6) 】
July 21, 1937
Brunete, West of Madrid, Central Spain – 11th Division Command
Colonel Enrique Líster put his last hope and sent a telegram that was prepared with hatred of his immediate superior in mind and ignored the command structure, but the command’s reply to it was firm.
「It is recognized that the loss of your division is serious, but there is no other unit that has the necessary manpower and equipment to defend Brunette in terms of distance. The command will send reinforcements as much as possible, so defend Brunete at all costs.」
“…crazy guys.”
In the military, the expression ‘at all costs’ was clear.
It means to keep defending until everyone dies.
It was questionable from the beginning whether it was possible to protect it, and it is unlikely that the higher-ups would know that either.
In the end, they risked the lives of the last handful of elite soldiers in a gamble with extremely low odds instead of retreating to preserve the remaining elite soldiers.
Does this place have great strategic value to protect until it is necessary for all of his men who have shed blood for the victory of the people since the beginning of the civil war to be sacrificed?
No, at least that’s what Colonel Líster thought.
This is nothing but a bridgehead to secure the road to Extremadura anyway.
If the Extremadura road is abandoned, this place is only a protrusion where enemy attacks will be concentrated.
Nevertheless, the higher-ups gave up preserving the lives of his men, who had led the Republican victory since the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
It was a gamble only to show the Soviet Union and the West that the Republicans still had the upper hand in this civil war.
“What do they say, Colonel?”
Líster hesitated for a moment and replied, looking at the Deputy who looked as tired as himself.
“They want us to defend Brunete… they said they would send reinforcements.”
“Y-you mean this place? But our troops…”
Líster and his lieutenants both looked at each other and sighed.
After a moment of silence, Líster started to laugh.
“Kuh, kuhuhahaha…”
“Co-Colonel.”
“Hahaha… isn’t it funny?”
“Ye-yes?
“Keuk, hahahaha…”
Líster laughed at the bewildered adjutant for a while before opening his mouth again.
“We all struggled for our home country to die, but it’s other countries that decide the outcome.”
The Republicans were now at a point where they could do nothing without Soviet help.
Who was to blame for being forced into a situation where they had to risk their last handful of elite troops on a reckless gamble just to impress the Soviet Union?
“The leader of this defense and counterattack operation is the new Chief of Staff of the German army? Walter Model? Hahahahaha. I can’t help but laugh. Is it true that the Chief of Staff of the German volunteer army, who has just arrived, plans a more plausible operation than us who have been bleeding for a year on this land?”
The Deputy couldn’t say anything.
Veteran volunteers who have been in the Republican Party, especially British and French volunteers who experienced the last war, were also actively trying to suggest operations in the beginning.
However, the opposition of the anarchists, who did not want the foreign influence to strengthen, and the communists, who were wary of the democratic world, were all ignored.
For a while, the Nationalists acted the same, and while they were fighting each other, it was considered no big deal.
However, as soon as Germany intervened in earnest, the Republican faction collapsed.
“And the anti-tank field artillery that watered our armored units was the anti-aircraft gun that was originally there? The frontline company commander suggested that? Dietrich Schacht? ‘Lieutenant’? Phew, isn’t it ridiculous that a war on the fate of our country is concluded in this way?”
“Colonel, we can still fight more!”
The Deputy shouted so with determination, and Líster almost made an extreme choice with fatigue and stress but knew that this defeat would not end the war immediately.
This time, they did not know the military power of the German army that actively intervened, so they suffered so mercilessly. He won’t be treated like this next time.
But their homeland, Spain, did not have the power to endure this loss many times.
Nationalist rebellion, Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, all over the North, all the way to Brunete. Too much blood has already been shed and irreparable losses have been suffered.
Both the Air Force and the Armored, which had the upper hand, suffered too much damage in the battle. Will there be another chance? Even if there are, how many cards are left in their hands?
Germany is already out of the size of the volunteer army, but at the same time, it has given itself such a desperate defeat on the scale of the squadron and one division.
The misjudgment of the top 3 powers, Italy, but saying that Germany, which has just begun to rearm itself, is nothing to worry about, has led to catastrophic results.
Can the Republic win against them? No, how long can I last? 2 years? 1 year?
Líster was pessimistic.
But nevertheless, he had to do his job.
“…First, let’s look forward to the reinforcements that will be sent.”
July 23, 1937
Brunette, West of Madrid, Central Spain – war zone outside the city
It was the first time that the Condor Legion was at the forefront of the offensive.
And unlike the defensive battles they’ve experienced so far, they were suffering huge losses from the Republicans who had built a defensive line in the city.
“Aahhhh!”
“Me-medic!”
The acrid smell of gunpowder, screams, strewn corpses and shed blood fills the battlefield.
“Damn, what’s that crazy guy doing?”
“Dietrich!”
Seeing the soldier walking around in a daze in the battlefield where bullets were pouring in, I ran madly and attacked him, knocking him down.
“What are you doing, Private! Do you want to die?!”
“A, arm….”
“What?”
“My arm, my arm…”
I finally lowered my gaze and realized that his left arm was not below his arm.
“My arm… my arm…”
I almost vomited when I saw the soldier muttering blankly before getting up and moving toward the piece of meat that was rolling away.
“Damn it, it’s already…”
And before I finished speaking, blood splattered on the soldier’s back.
He fell flat. It doesn’t move again.
“Fuck, fuck…”
Even at this moment, gunshots were firing frantically from both sides, and the bloody soldiers falling down were already hard to count.
“Detri, ah, whoa. Company Commander. Please take care of yourself, okay? Can you give us orders if we’re behind you? Don’t you think so?”
Clement, who had been running quickly with his back bent, murmured imploringly, but I couldn’t let go of my gaze at the fallen soldier’s corpse while searching for his arm.
“You want me to charge you from behind and order you to die? Can’t you see that? If we comfortably go forward from behind and tell you to die, you’ll advance well!”
The heat surged through my head, and I unknowingly yelled at him.
The battlefield may not have been heard properly because it was too noisy, but the scene of the argument must have been seen well by those soldiers who looked at us with anxious eyes right now.
“Sorry, Clement. A fever rises in my head.”
I apologized to the stiff-faced Clement and wiped his face.
“…No, it’s not. Captain, I’ve made a slip of the tongue.”
Hell is no other place. Win or lose, war is a bloody hell of a thing.
A heroic struggle? A bloody victory for patriotic martyrs? Tell him to cut the crap.
With trembling hands, I opened the canteen and drank.
As my parched throat is soaked in lukewarm water, the heat on my head cools down a little.
The headquarters analyzed that the resistance capacity of the Republicans would have been exhausted, and in fact, there was no great resistance to this point.
Until they reached Brunete, most gave up sporadic resistance and soon surrendered.
But we faced strong resistance in Brunete, the recapture target.
[Stand strong. Spain’s justice and people are on our side! I will also stay here and fight with you! Don’t lose to the traitors of the foreign fascists! They can’t pass!]
“They can’t pass (No Pasarán)!!”
The 11th Division sustained serious damage as it was the vanguard of the offensive, but Enrique Líster, the enemy, was broadcasting in the city throughout the battle, raising the soldiers.
The battle chants of the enemies, who respond to the Colonel, who encourages him with a cracked and rested voice thanks to the whole day’s shouting on the air, make even the Germans who do not understand it feels sick and tired of it.
Not to mention the other Nationalist soldiers who understood it and me.
“Damn it, those bastards are really ready to bury their bones here.”
This is not good. It wasn’t really good. I didn’t expect such desperate resistance.
If you tell them to break through through sacrifice, they will be able to break through.
But how many will die? Can I live?
“Clement, give me the map.”
I got a map from Clemens and unfolded it.
No, I tried to unfold it, but a soldier who appeared to be a messenger was coming in front of me on a motorcycle.
“It’s a messenger, is it an order…”
I bet a little hope that a Colonel Model would not order me to keep getting into this hellish situation.
However, an explosion occurred right under the soldier’s nose, and both the motorcycle and the person soared into the sky and fell.
“Oh my God, damn it!”
“Uh, ah, aaaaa!”
Unfortunately, the soldier was hit by a mortar and rolled on the floor with one leg flying away.
I quickly bent over to him and dragged him into the fence.
“Medic….!”
I was about to shout but stopped.
This is because I saw a terrible appearance of intestines scattered on the way to drag him.
Even if an army doctor comes, not a medic, they will die.
“Sa, save me….”
The Corporal muttered helplessly, but there was nothing to say.
“Fuck… fuck… help me… it hurts so much….”
“M….”
I had to ask where the order was, but I couldn’t say it.
Clement, who couldn’t wait as I hesitated, asked instead.
“Soldier, the order is…”
“Mom…. mom….”
The Corporal called his mother without answering, but even that was cut off soon.
“It looks like a beggar….”
This will be a damn memory I’ll never forget. I endured nausea and searched through the arms of a dead soldier and found an order.
I feel like the sticky blood on my hands is sticking to my soul.
“Huu… Two hours later, the city will be bombed.”
Since it’s Richthofen, he’ll burn the whole city down with incendiary bombs. I let out a sigh of relief.
Yeah, maybe it would be better to burn down a small town rather than keep fighting through the streets, trying to break through those defenses.
I got goosebumps for a moment, even though I thought so.
Where am I, shocked by the bombing of Guernica?
There is no problem under international law.
As long as the enemy has built a defensive line in the city area, that is an area of engagement that cannot be excluded.
But there must be civilians too.
It is the sense that something we should have as a human being is broken.
I tried to swallow the unpleasantness and give instructions.
“Clement, engage for another hour and get the crew behind you. Don’t rush forward, just pretend to keep attacking. It’s a big deal to have an incendiary bomb fall on your head. Oh, but be careful not to waste too much bullets.”
“Okay. Lieutenant Commander.”
Seeing Clemens disappear over the fence with his back bent, I sat down, closed the eyes of the soldier, and packed his military number line.
“Arne Metz… Corporal.”
What was the name of the soldier who died trying to send as a messenger from Guadalajara?
….I don’t remember.
Two hours later, downtown Brunete – Republican 11th Division Command HQ
“…It was a tough situation, but everyone did well. Really, you did a great job.”
Colonel Líster, who spoke with a hoarse throat, also bowed his head with a solemn face.
From the Condor Legion to the Nationalists and the Italian Army.
The offensive from three sides drove the Brunete defenders frantically.
Líster burst his own throat and urged his men to fight and endure, but the casualties had already reached the point where they had to give up counting.
The reinforcements sent by the headquarters were, at best, the survivors of the battle, and at worst, a ragged group of defeated soldiers.
Líster was speechless when he first met the ‘reinforcements’, but the situation was so bad that he had to mobilize them.
Even the elite soldiers of his 11th Division, who admired the hero of the Republican, Colonel Líster, were driven to the brink of mutiny by burning thirst and meaningless losses, so it was obviously not to look at other units.
Fortunately or unfortunately, most of the other units on the offensive were destroyed with near-devastation damage, so the water coming to Brunete and supplies became abundant.
The members, who were provided with cool water and abundant meals after a long time, fought and protected them with all their might, even in order to defend the city, which was close to suicide.
However, that only lasted a few days.
“But now I have no choice but to admit that it’s definitely the limit. Spain, or at least I won’t forget your cooperation. Why don’t you withdraw from the International Brigade alone?”
The target Líster asked so politely was the commander of the International Brigade, who had led the tattered troops to Brunete in the near-death offensive.
“If we have troops fighting here for communism and the people, we will stay here. After all, we have no home to return to.”
“…..”
Líster closed his eyes slowly as he watched an officer of the German International Brigade talking with a grin.
Many international brigades were withdrawn from the Republican Command’s disgraceful behavior, but some still remained and were jumping into this hopeless battle.
In their homeland, Germany or Italy, fascists had already taken power, and communists were either suppressed or expelled.
Like the Republicans, they had nowhere to retreat.
“I’m sorry. If our military had been a little wiser, this would have happened…”
“I’m in a position to do what the high-ranking people tell me to, so what can I do about it? If you think about it now, we should have killed Hitler instead of fighting the Social Democrats. Comintern is a bunch of idiots.”
“…hahaha.”
Quite a reactionary statement for a communist, but the German commander of the International Brigade hated the Soviets as much as the fascists.
While the Communist fraction of Germany was fighting the Social Democrats by the neck as directed by the Soviet Union and the Comintern, Hitler ate the regime gratuitously and sentenced German Communism to death.
Many of the German communists who fled to the Soviet Union to escape the fire were being caught up in Stalin’s purges at this moment, rather than being rewarded for their hard work.
After fleeing his home country, he came to Spain and fought for the people’s justice and communism, but he lost most of his comrades and now remains a man of consequence.
“Well, I learned an expensive lesson. No matter how good the motivation is and how hard it is for the people, the results are not good.”
Líster also had a bitter taste.
What kind of recompense did they give to the International Brigade, who came to a foreign country and shed blood, believing only in the banner of freedom and people’s justice against the fascist traitors?
The honor of fighting for justice? The freedom given to the people?
“…our courage may be trampled upon, but not today. Even if the struggle of the people collapses, it will not be today. Yet, we are not done.”
“That’s right. With people like the Colonel, the moment will come when communism and people’s justice will be established in this country.”
It was when Líster and the last remaining officers looked at each other and shared a bittersweet laugh.
The building shook with the sound of an explosion.
“Oh!”
“Ahhhhh!”
As the building shook and officers staggered, the Deputy stormed in.
“Colonel! Bombardment!”
“Kuh, didn’t they retreat for reorganization, but because of the bombing!”
Líster rushed into the hallway and looked out the window, lost his words.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Aagh! Save me!”
Soldiers and civilians panicked, enemy planes passed in front of Líster’s eyes, firebombs burst over the fleeing people, and the rain fell.
“Ahhhh, it’s hot, ahhhhh!”
“E-Emily! Wait, I… A, argh! Argh!”
The hellish scene of the fire being transferred to a man who was trying to run to his fallen colleague and extinguishing the fire unfolded in front of Líster without filtration.
“Co-colonel! It’s dangerous!”
“Crazy…”
Líster was caught by his men and fell from the window, unable to take his eyes off the horrors of the city.
He had heard about the bombing of Guernica, but he couldn’t believe it was openly bombarding the city with incendiary bombs!
The residents here were cooperating with the Nationalists until just a short time ago!
“Co-colonel Lester! This building is on fire, too!”
Fire and smoke soared here and there in the city, and firebombs also fell on the town hall they were using as headquarters.
He didn’t risk his life to defend the city to see this, but the city, which had squeezed all the last remaining capabilities to the bottom and protected by the blood of many soldiers, was burning.
“Damn it…!”
While Lester vomited his anger, new Air Force planes appeared, bombed without distinguishing between civilians and what, and returned as they were.
On the other side of the planes, seeing more German bombers flying in the distance, Lester felt despair.
“Bastards! Are you going to leave nothing but ruins?”
There was nothing else he could do now.
“Colonel! You must avoid it!”
He just waited for the bombing to end quickly, and prayed that as many of his men as possible were alive in the meantime.
“…Walther Model, Dietrich Schacht….”
All Líster could do was grit his teeth and imprint the names of his enemies who gave him defeat.
“Damn Germans…”
His battle is over.
The bombing lasted more than four hours in a city full of subordinates and civilians who fought at his command until the end.
【 Spanish Civil War – Battle of Brunete (6) 】- End
Thank you for reading!
