DZ CHARLIE

Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Puerta de la Trinidad, Badajoz

City site

GuideSpanish Civil War 1936–1939
AreaExtremadura
TypeCity site
When14 Aug 1936
Time to allow30 min
LocationRight area — the exact spot is uncertain
GPS38.87807, -6.96434
Open the free field guideDirections (Google Maps)

The story

On 14 August 1936 Lt-Col. Juan Yagüe's Army of Africa columns stormed Badajoz, defended by Col. Ildefonso Puigdendolas with loyal troops and several thousand militia. The breach assault at the Puerta de la Trinidad was the bloodiest action of the day: the 16th Company of the Legion's 4th Bandera charged through machine-gun fire at the gate and was almost wiped out before the walls were carried, while Castejón's men broke in further south. Badajoz's fall joined the Nationalist zones of the south and north and opened the road up the Tagus valley towards Madrid. What followed inside the city became one of the war's most notorious episodes of repression.

What you can see today

The 17th-century gate and walls survive at the northeast corner of the old town, beside the Rivillas stream and the Puente de San Roque.

Plan your visit

Free, street-side, any time; combine on foot with the former bullring site (Palacio de Congresos) about 15 minutes away along the Ronda del Pilar.

Where sources disagree: Legion losses at the gate vary by source (from about 20 dead and 22 wounded to 76 of about 90 men of the 16th Company).

Sources

Nearby sites

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The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

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