The punishment of Eibar

After taking Arrate the insurgents fortify the entire area with trenches and small bunkers to prevent surprise attacks, especially via the valley of Arrate, since the most advanced positions of the Amuategui Battalion are located at Maltzaga, the Palace of Azitain and Santa Cruz. From there all of Arrate Balle, including access routes via Orbe and Los Pasos de la Virgen, was in no man’s land. For this reason, and because from the Cross of Arrate the town of Eibar is perfectly visible, the cross will be a strategic location from which to control movements and bombard the city of Eibar on a daily basis. In the photograph taken at the time the view that the assailants had can be appreciated, and very close to the cross a fortified position that was used to stop potential attacks through this area can also be seen.

To defend against these attacks from the artillery and aircraft of the insurgents, who had the invaluable support of the German Nazis and Italian Fascists, sixteen bomb shelters were built in Eibar. These shelters to a large extent took advantage of natural features such as railway tunnels and the tunnels under the river Ego. In any case, many of the insurgents’ fuses failed, so that many shells did not explode.

During these months, the town of Eibar is almost entirely destroyed, given that the buildings were mostly simple, with masonry walls, a wooden structure and tile roof, and had open-plan floors and large openings to take advantage of the natural light when working in the workshops. The mixed use of spaces was also quite normal, with factories and residential dwellings within the same building. The foundries and larger workshops were of reinforced concrete and were mostly located away from the centre of town.

The republicans occupied a line formed by the Akondia Bajo and the spur of Santa Cruz to cover the area of the Arrate road between this position and the Sanctuary, making contact with Illordo and positions of the Sierra de Elgeta via Maltzaga. From Santa Cruz the 81 mortar and the twin tube anti-aircraft gun were also used. The rebels occupied the line which, leaving Kalamua by the pass of the “Tomás Meabe” refuge and an intermediate position, via the summit of Akondia, passed the large spur of the southern boundary of Aisti, which from the Urkarregi pass dropped down to Elgoibar.

Francoist Sergeant with his “Hotchkiss 1914” machine gun in the attack on Arrate, Akondia and Kalamua. © Ministry of Education and Science. Author: Andrés Erich.

Main image:
View from Eibar Cross. Under the Cross a rebel fortification is seen dominating the upslopes from Orbe and the Virgin steps. © Archivo Municipal de Bergara. Author: Toribio Jauregi.