| Severely damaged University of Madrid building. Nationalists and Republicans were stalemated in University City for years, causing widespread damage to the newly build campus. After the war, there was thought to leaving some buildings in their wrecked state as a memorial, but most of them were rebuilt. The nationalists launched their attack on November 8, 1936, and by November 19, had fought their way through the Casa de Campo, across the Manzanares River, and into Ciudad Universitaria (“University of Madrid”). These troops – many of whom were from Francisco Franco’s (December 4, 1892 – November 20, 1975) North African Army – were well-trained and vicious, however, despite being badly armed, the Republicans fought back just as hard, the city’s citizens cheering them on with the rallying cry of No Pasaran (“They shall not pass”). The ground assault culminated in a fierce battle that raged in November of 1936 in University City. Bolstered by the presence of the International Brigades, armed trade unionists, and communists, the ill-equipped Republicans fought tooth and nail taking the fight faculty to faculty using anything that came to hand. According to International Brigade member John Sommerfield (June 25, 1908 – August 13, 1991), tomes on Hindu metaphysics and German philosophy were particularly useful being “totally bulletproof.” But behind the bravado was a real fear. Even the dauntless photojournalist Robert Capa (October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954), who was there to document the battle, soiled his pants at 1 point. This was a life-or-death situation; those loyal to the cause fully expected to be executed if the nationalists broke into the city. “My intestines were not so brave as my camera,” he joked. The fight ended in a stalemate with Franco digging his troops in for the rest of the war and sanctioning an aerial bombardment of the city by the Luftwaffe (“Nazi German Air Force”) eager to test-run new technology. Despite this onslaught, the populace of the city carried on the best they could, dodging artillery fire coming from Casa de Campo as well as the Nazi air raids. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1809.jpg |
| Image Size | 206.22 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 973 x 1302 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 1, 1939 |
| Location | |
| City | Madrid |
| State or Province | Madrid |
| Country | Spain |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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