Battle of Guadalajara - Aftermath

Aftermath

The Battle of Guadalajara was the last major victory of the Republican Army and did much to lift morale. Herbert Matthews claimed in the New York Times that Guadalajara was "to Fascism what the defeat at Bailén had been to Napoleon." The British press heaped scorn on this "new Caporetto"—alluding to a decisive Italian defeat in the First World War—while former British prime minister David Lloyd George wrote mockingly of the "Italian skedaddle," infuriating Mussolini.

The Italian CTV lost some 6,000 men (Spanish Nationalist losses were marginal) and a considerable number of light tanks and planes. In addition, the Republican army captured sizeable quantities of badly-needed matériel and equipment, including 35 artillery pieces, 85 machine guns, and 67 vehicles. Strategically, the Republican victory prevented the encirclement of Madrid, ending Franco's hopes of crushing the Republic with a decisive strike at its capital. Franco decided to adopt a new strategy of chipping away at the Republican territories, starting in the north.

Above all, Guadalajara was a severe blow to Italian morale and a loss of prestige for Italy's fascist regime, whose Duce had orchestrated the deployment of the Italian army in the hopes of stunning the world with a show of Italy's "iron military strength." The disappointing performance of Italian arms reached its nadir at Guadalajara. In response, Franco announced his intention to dismantle the Italian field army in Spain, seeking to disperse it among Spanish Nationalist units. This threat was not ultimately carried out and Guadalajara in a sense guaranteed continued Italian aid as Mussolini sought final victory to efface his humiliation at Guadalajara.

If Republican confidence soared, there was no corresponding loss of morale in Nationalist circles, which regarded the Italian expeditionary force with some contempt. German officers in Salamanca sneered that even "Jews" and "Communists"—as the International Brigades were stereotyped—could beat the Italians. Many Spanish Nationalist officers, resenting Mussolini's henchmen for carrying their own personal war into Spain, were amused to see their boasting and well-equipped allies, so full of bluster before entering battle, brought so low at the hands of fellow Spaniards, even enemy Spaniards. Franco's soldiers began singing popular Italian tunes with lyrical changes mocking the defeated CTV. The following chorus, originating with General Moscardó's Navarrese, humorously takes the Italians to task for their earlier complaints about the lack of motorized transport in Nationalist ranks:

The CTV most likely lost the battle because Franco did not start a side offensive, from Jarama toward Alcalà de Henares, as agreed on March 1st with General Roatta. After seeing that the Nationalist was not attacking Republicans was able to redeploy the troops facing Jarama to meet the Italian offensive. Later, when faced by General Roatta, Franco tried to excuse himself saying that his Generals ignored his orders to advance. It is possible he used the Italian troops as cannon fodder to gain time to regroup his troops, exhausted after Jarama. (Paul Preston-A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War)