The Battle of Brunete

July 6-25, 1937

Republican offensive designed to cut off units threatening Madrid through an offensive in the Estremadura region aimed at capturing the town of Brunette. Though well planned, command and supply problems manifested themselves at once and Republican insistence on reducing stubborn pockets of resistence rather than bypassing them allowed Nationalists to bring up reserves and counterattack. After counterattack, Republic retained conquests of Quijorna, Villanueva de la Cañada, Villanueva del Pardillo, and fifty square kilometers of territory. Republican losses amounted to 25,000 casualties, over a hundred tanks (80% of the armoured force), about 100 planes and a tremendous number of artillery and equipment. The Nationalists lost 10,000 men and 23 planes. Other losses are unspecified. Though Republicans claimed Brunette as a victory, the high losses of men and materiel for insignificant gains marked it as a clear setback for the Republic.[Santa Cruz].