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| Battle of Lleida | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSpanish Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Spanish Republic |  Nationalist Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Valentín González | Fernando Barrón | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 46th Division 27th Division 16th Division | 13th Division "Black Hand" [es] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,000 men 12 tanks 10 armored cars | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4,000 killed, wounded, or captured | 2,000 killed or wounded | ||||||
TheBattle of Lleida (1938) took place during theSpanish Civil War in 1938 in the city ofLleida, westernCatalonia.[1]
On 7 March 1938,Francisco Franco ordered anoffensive from Aragon towards the sea with the goal of isolating Catalonia from the rest of the Republican zone. As soon as Franco's troops enteredCatalonia, the president of the Catalonia,Lluís Companys, gave a speech inCatalan announcing that "foreign armies are at the gates of our house." He called on the Catalans "to fight, to work and to resist, because to resist is to triumph and because we could not live without freedom. If the enemy wins, our language would be persecuted, our institutions mocked, our people subjugated, our customs mocked."[2]
The Republicans deployed46th Division in the city with the mission of defendingLleida.[3] It was supported by troops from the Republican16th and27th [es] Divisions. Republican units were deployed in the surrounding orchards in order to establish a defensive perimeter.[4]
Republican forces suffered heavy casualties during the battle. The Republican46th Division suffered a 40% casualty rate while the Nationalist 13th Division suffered a 10% casualty rate by comparison.[5]
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