The war front stabilised for seven months

With the conquest of the summit of Karakate on 21 September the pro-coup forces capture a strategic location that will serve them in the early days to inflict damage on Arrate until its conquest, Karakate also being a decisive enclave, as a crossroads between the road from Eibar to Elgoibar, on the one hand, and the road that leads to Deba Garaia on the other. And also because it provides them with a key vantage point from which to bombard Eibar. This will be where they install several batteries of cannons throughout the seven months, between early October 1936 and late April 1937, during which the front is halted.

From Karakate and other points, such as the open ground and the cross of Arrate, and the heights above Soraluze and Bergara, they bombard the town centre of Eibar on a daily basis. In the bombarding of Elgeta they will use those same batteries of cannons, along with others located closer to the town of Bergara, like those in the district of San Juan, Labegaraieta or the hermitage of San Marcial, places from which the town of Elgeta and the Intxortas are visible. The photograph taken from Arrate shows a fortified observation point beyond which the silhouette of Karakate stands out.

Not being subject to the same restrictions as aviation, the use of which depends on meteorology, the cannons in the mountains will pound Eibar on a daily basis during these months, annihilating much of the population. In addition, from time to time the German and Italian air forces will bombard strategic locations in the town, until during the last attacks of 24 and 25 April 1937 the cruelty reaches a peak and leaves the town devastated and with a high death toll.

Italian plane: “Savoia-Marchetti SM. 81”, “Pipistrello”, dropping bombs and escorted by “FIAT C.R. 32”, “Chirri” fighter planes.

Members of the Amuategui Battalion placed six armoured vehicles manufactured in the factory of Orbea at the junction of Maltzaga, next to dilapidated railway bridge, protecting the roads leading from Elgoibar and Soraluze to Eibar, but soon found that the insurgents dominated the high ground above the town, after which they decided to stagger the positioning of the armoured vehicles over a stretch of half a kilometre. The advanced command post was set up in a two-story house which was very close to the junction at Maltzaga. Meanwhile the pro-coup forces placed six cannons on the road between Soraluze and Bergara, next to the entrance to the town that leads to the neighbourhood of Goimendi and Elgeta.

Republican armoured truck used to defend Markina. © Archive of Basque Nationalism.

In Karakate the insurgents had an outpost 500 metres from the summit, now on the slope which faced Eibar. There they built a small hut which was later destroyed by the impact of a projectile from the 155 mm Republican gun. They would go up there from Soraluze and from that position they established a link four times a day with radios installed in Arrate, Kalamua and Akondia, places that were dominated by the insurgents.

Meanwhile, the defenders of Eibar fired on Karakate and Arrate, once these positions had been lost at the end of September, the church being the point of reference in the latter case. They fired from the town of Eibar itself, always varying the location of the guns. The curve of the current Calle Juan Guisasola and the rear part of the present sports centre are examples of places where the batteries were positioned. From the observation points located at Galdaramiño and Urko they communicated by radio whether they had achieved their objectives or if they needed to correct the position. On the other side of Eibar, with the aim of repelling the air strikes of the squadrons arriving from Gasteiz, they had several batteries of cannons at Legarre, the quarry of the Arrate road next to Miraflores etc. All these positions shared the common quality of being protected from aerial sighting by virtue of their natural features, reinforced by the camouflage measures. The first warning of aircraft sightings was given by rockets launched from the top of Galdaramiño, which were later confirmed by the observation team that was located in the bell tower of the parish church of San Andrés.

Bell tower of Saint Andrew’s Parish Church with members of the militia on the lookout for approaching air raids. @ Eibarko Udal Artxiboa.

Main image:
Karakate view from a fortification in Arrate. Winter 1936-1937. © Archivo Municipal de Bergara. Author: Toribio Jauregi.