Machine Translated by Google

MINUTES
14 and 15
NOVEMBER
2019
Machine Translated by Google

Editor
Official College of Doctors and Graduates in
Philosophy and Letters and in Sciences of Aragon

Year of publication: 2020

ISBN: 978-84-09-21258-3

Design and layout

Ana Duran Boldova

© Authors of the texts

Collect the contents presented to
III Congress of Aragonese Archeology and Heritage
(LAYER)
Machine Translated by Google

MINUTES

November
14 and 15, 2019

Organize:

Collaborate:
Machine Translated by Google
session 6

6.9.

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IN THE SIERRA DE

ORICHE (PIEDRAHITA, TM DE LOSCOS, TERUEL)

MILITARY POSITIONS OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IN

THE SIERRA DE ORICHE (LOSCOS, TERUEL)

Antonio Hernandez Pardos and Jesus G. Franco Calvo

Acrotera Heritage Management

Contact author/Contact author: Antonio Hernández Pardos, arqueoantonio@acrotera.net

ABSTRACT

In 2010 and 2019, archaeological surveys have been carried out at various points in the Sierras de Oriche, within
the municipalities of Luesma (Zaragoza), Badenas and Loscos (Teruel). These preventive actions were linked to
the environmental impact studies of several engineering projects that were being studied.
As a result of the same, numerous archaeological elements have been documented that become part of the
Aragonese Cultural Heritage.
On this occasion we present some defensive positions belonging to the Civil War 1936-1939, specifically the
Republican side, and unpublished in the bibliography. This sector of the Aragonese front has not received much
interest so far, despite the high number of construction remains preserved, hence the interest in its dissemination.

KEY WORDS: Spanish Civil War; Teruel; Archeology of the conflict.

ABSTRACT

In 2010 and 2019 archaeological surveys have been carried out in various points of the Oriche mountain ranges,
within the municipal term of Loscos (Teruel). These preventive actions were linked to the environmental impact
studies of several engineering projects that were being studied. As a result, numerous archaeological elements
that become part of the Aragonese Cultural Heritage have been documented.
On this occasion we will present some of these defensive positions belonging to the Civil War 1936-1939,
specifically the Republican side, and unpublished in the bibliography. This sector of the Aragonese front has not
deserved much interest so far, despite the high number of construction remains preserved, hence the interest in its dissemin
KEYWORDS: Spanish Civil War; Teruel military positions; Archeology of Conflict.

637
Machine Translated by Google

Figure 1. Firing station in a trench on Cruz San Juan hill.

638
Machine Translated by Google

session 6

1. INTRODUCTION
The celebration of the III Congress of Aragonese
Archeology and Heritage (III CAPA) in November 2019
has been an exceptional occasion to present some of
the numerous defensive positions that the Republican
and rebel factions built, occupied and abandoned –as
a result of the war dynamics itself - Throughout the
year 1937/1938 in the central sector of the Aragonese
Front. And the occasion deserves it, since this year
eight decades have passed since the end of the armed
conflict. Despite the time that has passed, the set of
defensive positions located in the extensive territory
that extends to the south of Fuendetodos and to the
north of Teruel continues to constitute one of the most
outstanding sets of Aragonese Cultural Heritage linked
to the Civil War 1936-1939.

Figure 2. The Republican columns of the summer of

2. OBJECTIVES 1936 (taken from LEDESMA and MALDONADO 2006 a).
The municipality of Loscos is literally strewn with war
vestiges, both constructive and movable, but also
associated with other activities carried out during this The entire southern front was quickly overcome in the
convulsive historical period. In the following work we Battle of Aragón, one of whose main objectives were
are going to refer to several defensive positions that the towns of Caspe and Alcañiz. The positions analyzed
were located, identified and delimited by us during here were the first to be taken by the offensive.
2009 and 2019, as a result of preventive archeology
prospecting work linked to several wind farm projects
that are being evaluated within their corresponding
Studies. of Environmental Impact, promoted by EDP
Renovables.

Taking into account the nature of this Congress and

the length of the articles, we have opted for a selective
work in which the general aspects of the study that we
have been developing are presented. From our humble
perspective, we intend to contribute to the historical
recovery and social revaluation of this warlike
landscape, aware that the most effective instrument to
protect and revalue the historical heritage is to make it
known, in this case by simply publishing the
archaeological interventions.
Maintaining the reports and documentation in an
unpublished way, without publishing, contributes to
obscurantism and the interested use of Heritage and History. Figure 3. Francoist attack in March 1938 (taken from
LEDESMA and MALDONADO 2006 b).
3. CONTEXT
The localized defensive positions largely correspond
to the Republican defensive positions that were 4. RESULTS
installed in the autumn of 1936, after the stabilization
From the results obtained during the field work, we
of the military front in Aragon with the arrival of the have cataloged and delimited the following unpublished
columns from Catalonia and Valencia. archaeological areas. They are all located along the
The analyzed sector extends between Fuendetodos
calcareous ridge that runs along the top of the Sierra
(Zaragoza) and Vivel del Río (Teruel), and was occupied de Oriche, to the SE of the Peña Tajada hill. The
at that time by the Carod-Ferrer Column. visibility that is obtained from all of them is very wide,
The position of the front in this sector remained stable, dominating from said ridge the Piedrahita-El Colladico
although with continuous clashes and small incursions valley and the Anadón molar, located opposite, with
on the Huerva riverbed. From March 1938, after the direct communication over the rest of the positions,
capture of Teruel by the Francoist troops, for which they undoubtedly constitute a set strategic.

639
Machine Translated by Google

Figure 4. Situation of the group analyzed on the National Topographic Map.

Figure 5. Trench with double parapet.

4.1. Position Cross of San Juan Oeste I

Figure 6. Trench corner with double parapet.
It is made up of two sections of parapet trench,
aligned following the contour of the rocky peak on slightly winding, forming two intermediate peaks
which it is located. They have a linear layout, where firing posts could be located. It has an
finished off at their ends by shooting posts. The exterior parapet of dry masonry reinforced with an
trench is excavated in the limestone rocky substrate, earth slope. The upper trench, near the top, shows
with a dry exterior parapet raised with the material a more angular pattern, through which several
extracted when opening the trench, which would reach a height of 130 spaces
rectangular cm. can be accessed that must have
housed a command post and a troop shelter.
4.2. Position Cruz de San Juan Oeste II
To the SE of the previous set, this position is formed The large amount of shrapnel remains located
by two adjoining trenches, arranged at different around this defensive position stands out, as can
be peak.
elevations, which occupy the southwestern slope of a gentle seen in the photo below. They possibly
The lower trench has a longitudinal layout, correspond to artifacts launched by Franco's
aviation.

640
Machine Translated by Google
session 6

Figure 7. Location of the analyzed positions on the National Topographic Map.

Figure 8. General view of the position from the NW. Figure 9. Remains of shrapnel.

Figure 10. Orthophoto with the Cruz de San Juan Oeste I position (Provenance Visor SGN).

641
Machine Translated by Google

4.3. Position Cruz de San Juan Oeste III

It is formed by a parapet trench that develops a general
L-shaped plan, its closure being located towards the NW.
It has an angular layout in its central section, where
the firing posts were to be located. It spreads out
following the contour of the rocky top. The trench is dug
in the limestone rocky substrate, with a dry double
parapet raised with the material extracted when
opening the trench, highlighting the thickness acquired
by the one located towards the outside. It is completed
with several secondary branches that start inland.

Figure 12. Detail of the trench with double parapet.

Figure 11. Detail of the trench with double parapet. Figure 13. Detail of the trench with double parapet.

Figure 14. Orthophoto with the Cruz de San Juan Oeste III position (Provenance Visor SGN).

642
Machine Translated by Google
session 6

4.4. Cross of Saint John position

Under the top of this isolated hill, the military

complex is formed by a longitudinal trench, with a
V-shaped plan and an E/W orientation. The western
section would have an exterior masonry parapet and sandbags.
On the other hand, the eastern section, which
develops a zigzag layout, has a double parapet of
dry masonry, thickened on the outside with an
earth slope. The exterior parapet is completed with
a series of protruding niches –remains of 6 can be
seen-, which would undoubtedly be occupied by a
firing point each, equipped with perimeter benches for the support of the shooters.

Figure 16. Detail of the trench with double parapet.

Figure 17. Detail of the trench with double parapet.

Figure 15. General view from the top.

Figure 18. Orthophoto with the positions Cruz de San Juan Oeste III and Cruz de San Juan, to the left and
right, respectively (Provenance Viewer SGN)

643
Machine Translated by Google

4.5. Position Cross of St. John East

The complex is made up of two adjoining trenches,
arranged at different elevations, which occupy the
southwest slope of a gentle peak, located southeast of
the previous position. The lower trench has a slightly
sinuous longitudinal layout, completed with several
spaces in which firing posts could be located. It has
an exterior parapet of dry masonry reinforced with an
earth slope. The upper trench, near the top, shows a
more angular drawing, with a prominent firing point.

The visibility obtained is very wide, dominating the

entire calcareous crest of the Sierra de Cucalón/Muela
de Anadón.

Figure 20. Detail of the lower trench.

Figure 21. General view of the position from downhill

Figure 19. Panoramic view visible from the position.

Figuta 22. Orthophoto with the Cruz de San Juan Este position (provenance Visor SGN).

644
Machine Translated by Google
5. HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
Most of the archaeological remains documented in
the surveys carried out correspond to military
remains from the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939. This
set of military structures was erected by the
Republican troops, between the end of 1936 and
March 1938, at which time they fell under the
unstoppable Francoist offensive launched on
Aragon. However, we do not have precise information
that allows us to specify the moment in which they were built.
The various localized positions are located to the
north of the urban area of Piedrahita, on the highest
peaks of the plateau mountain range that constitutes
the headwaters of the Nogueta River. These
trenches, aligned around the northern rocky
escarpment of the sierra, formed part of the
defensive enclave established by the republican
troops in the Sierra de Oriche-Anadón and its
foothills. Together with the Fuendetodos and Sierra
de Herrera sectors to the north, and Vivel del Río to
the south, it constituted an important nucleus of
resistance against the rebels from the first moments of thewithout
The complex orography of the terrain -formed by
plateaux with steep slopes- and the dense
hydrographic network -upper course of the Huerva,
Aguas Vivas and Nogueta rivers- converted the
Oriche mountain range and its surroundings
-Cucalón mountain range, Anadón molar- into a true
strategic position, defended by some and harassed
by others. The area, observatory and natural
crossroads, has been highly disputed since the military uprising of July 1936.
It was the intervention of the columns of volunteers
from the Catalan lands that ensured that these lands
remained in the hands of troops loyal to the State.
Specifically, the entire area of Rudilla, Herrera,
Azuara and Fuendetodos was occupied at the
beginning of August 1936 by the Carod-Ferrer
column (MALDONADO 2007, pp. 47-61), where it
settled permanently. This, from Tortosa, was
commanded by the Aragonese anarchist Saturnino
Carod, advised by Lieutenant José Ferrer (MARTÍNEZ
DE BAÑOS 2004, p. 43).
Until March 1938 the battle front remained immovable
in this sector of Aragon. From north to south, the
Republican defensive positions were located in Sierra Gorda –
around Fuendetodos-, Sierra de Herrera, Luesma,
Bádenas, Sierra de Cucalón, Sierra de Oriche,
Rudilla, Muela de Anadón, Segura de Baños and Vivel del Río.
The line between Herrera and Vivel was defended
from the end of 1937 –after the unification of all the
military forces of the Republican side- by the 30th
Division of the XII Army Corps, with Command headquarters 2 km north of Rudilla: here was a battalion of the
The area from Herrera, Bádenas to Rudilla was
covered by the 131st Brigade, which had no more
than 2,600 men, which was joined at the last moment,
as of March 7, by the 95th Mixed Brigade, with some 2,500 breakpoints of the front- began with a forceful fire
session 6
troops, who stood on the second front line. The
sector located from Rudilla to the southeast was
assigned to the 146th Brigade (MALDONADO 2007, pp. 332-360).
The situation –on the northern rocky escarpment-
and orientation –from E to W slightly- of the positions
located to the N of Piedrahita allowed an almost
perfect visual control. To the south they dominated
the Sierra de Oriche and the valley of Fonfría -in
which the Francoist troops were located-, and to the
north
they had direct contact with the rearguard through Loscos
However, these positions did not form an efficient
defense, since they were made up of simple isolated
trenches with hardly any installations for artillery,
as we have seen in the localized positions. To
exemplify this situation we have a description of the
positions of the Herrera area by the Republican
General Staff:
“In positions… quite far from each other… there are
very few that are barbed wire… and without covering
the trenches… and without shelters against aviation;
and the emplacements...way haveand
been
with
built
sandbags
in a visible
war (MARTÍNEZ DE BAÑOS
any consistency... 2004). the different
between
positions... there is no trench linking one to the
other” (MALDONADO 2007, p. 339). This description
can be used for the trenches located in Piedrahita.
Nothing to do with the powerful structures that the
republican army was building on the Jiloca front
from the end of 1937, as can be seen in the
spectacular position of Los Pilones in Rubielos de
la Cérida (FRANCO and HERNANDEZ 2018).
After the reconquest of Teruel by the rebels on
February 23, 1938, the national command changed
its military strategy, launching a large-scale offensive
on the Aragonese front (SOLANO 2006, pp. 207-
223). The Battle of Aragon began on March 9, with
an unpredictable and simultaneous attack on several
breakpoints on the front.
One of these avenues of attack was the area of
Rudilla and Muela de Anadón, with the aim of
reaching Muniesa and Segura de Baños. The Italian
Voluntary Troops Corps acted in this sector, made
up of three divisions that added a total of 35,000
men endowed with abundant and good war material,
including mechanized, artillery rapporteur and the
resounding collaboration of the aviation (MALDONADO 2007, pp
The point chosen for the breaking of the Front was
the space that goes from Rudilla to Salcedillo, about
4 km in a straight line, garrisoned by a small part of
the 146th Brigade of the 30th Division, which also lacked artillery
The area of El Castellar was also penetrated, about
in Oliete.
131 Brigade, so we can increase the defenders to
almost 2,000 men (MALDONADO 2007, p. 392).
The attack on the Rudilla area -as in the rest of the
645
Machine Translated by Google
artillery, at first, and aviation, later. The movement
of troops was carried out by means of a first line,
which was launched from Fonfría towards Huesa del
Comun and Segura de Baños, and a second line that
attacked Rudilla and Salcedillo.
The Black Arrows Brigade went to the right of the attack.
They continued in the direction of Barranco Cerrado-
Molatilla Muela de Anadón. The Flechas Azules
Brigade, on the left, the northernmost of the attack,
would take the Peña del Cuervo-Valdeherrera-
Anadón direction. Rudilla was commissioned by a car company
“The degree of preparation that the Italian CTV had
for the offensive that was going to start in Rudilla is
surprising. In addition to maps of the area and the
situation of the enemy, he also had a plan with the
trenches and parapets in the area” (MALDONADO 2007, p. within the Environmental Impact Studies constitute
372). The very powerful attack of fire, and the arrival
of a very numerous mechanized infantry reduced
the morale and the effectiveness of the republican
troops. Quickly, the defensive positions were
overcome. In just six days the Francoist army reached Alcañiz.
As we have just seen, the positions located to the
north of Piedrahita, together with many others
located on the high levels around Rudilla and the
Sierra de Oriche-Anadón, are an important exponent
of the events experienced during the period of the
war. civil 1936-1939, especially the defense and
attack of March 1938, from which the Aragonese
front was eliminated.
6. CONCLUSIONS
The preventive archaeological surveys carried out
in 2009, 2010 and 2019 by the Sierras de Oriche and
Sierra de Herrera have allowed us to obtain a fairly
representative overview of this extraordinary set of
military positions belonging to the Spanish Civil War
1936-1939. Thanks to these works, it has been
possible to identify and above all delimit many of
them, most of them unpublished in the bibliography,
even in the inventories of the Administration. In this
regard, the compilations of vestiges of the Civil War
published in recent years do not include them
(RODRIGUEZ and PEREZ 2011), possibly because
they are located on land that is difficult to access
and with little architectural monumentality.
Even today, the remains of the defensive positions
generated during the Spanish Civil War continue to
be despised with arguments as unjustified as "a few
more trenches, with the ones there are". It should
not be forgotten that this abundant presence is due,
firstly, to its recent chronology, and secondly, to the
brutal impact that the war had on Aragonese and
Spanish society and territory. On the other hand, it
is true that the architecture of these trenches is not
very varied, but this does not detract from interest,
rather it responds to certain social realities: a static
Franco Calvo, JG and Hernandez Pardos, A. (2018):
front war model with few resources on the Republican side. Nevertheless,
646
the various immovable and movable elements
cannot be considered in isolation from the landscape
in which they are located. After all, it is the geographical landsca
orography, above all- and its inclusion in the human
landscape of war the conditioning factors that have
generated them. In this way, landscape and military
positions constitute a true Historical Landscape, in
need of study and enhancement.
For the rest, these war scenarios have hardly been
modified subsequently, due to their location at the
top of scarcely productive hillsides, in localities
strongly affected by depopulation since the 1960s
and the gradual abandonment of agricultural activity.
The location and delimitation works carried out
a first step in the recovery process of this Historical
Heritage. In this way, the infrastructure projects and
renewable energy installations that have been
developed in the last decade in Aragon are
contributing exponentially to the study of the same,
thanks to the financing of the previous surveys, and
of the corrective measures -monitoring and
archaeological excavation - that are carried out
during the execution of the works themselves.
Recently we have also had the opportunity to
prospect a good part of the defensive positions
located in the surroundings of Belchite, both national
and republican (HERNANDEZ and FRANCO 2018).
Finally, the publication of these preliminary results
turns out to be an effective tool to facilitate the
protection and revaluation of this very weak material
heritage -as it responds to social conditions of
precariousness and provisional nature, typical of
the war-, in turn a testimony of some events historical
events that have marked our collective memory so
much, fundamentally due to their temporal proximity.
History is full of conflict, violence and war. It is not
necessary to make much effort to remember that
Modernity in Spanish society has been marked by
these aspects, since the arrival of the 19th century
with the Napoleonic occupation and the consequent
War of Independence. And although we do not
believe that the Historical Memory of Spanish society
should be limited exclusively to the Civil War and its
unfortunate consequences, due to their proximity
they constitute one of the pillars of collective
memory, which forces us to learn it and assume it. .
That is why it is necessary to insist on the
inescapable need that archaeologists have to publish
the results of preventive archaeological interventions.
It is not fair to the collective memory to keep
unpublished what Providence and society have allowed us to (re
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Machine Translated by Google
session 6

“Valuing the conflict: the case of the trenches of Los

Pilones de Rubielos de la Cérida (Teruel)”, II Congress of
Aragonese Archeology and Heritage, Zaragoza: CDL de
Aragón, pp. 467-478.

Hernandez Pardos, A. and Franco Calvo, JG (2018): “A

historical landscape of the Spanish Civil War: archaeological
remains on the Belchite front (Zaragoza)”, II Congress of
Aragonese Archeology and Heritage, Zaragoza: CDL of
Aragon, pp. 100-1 479-4

Ledesma, JL and Maldonado, JM (dir.) (2006 a): The Civil

War in Aragon, 2. The outbreak of the war.
The military uprising and the arrival of the columns.
Zaragoza: The Newspaper of Aragon.

Ledesma, JL and Maldonado, JM (dir.) (2006 b): The Civil

War in Aragon, 9. From Teruel to the Battle of Aragon
(December 1937-April 1938). Zaragoza: The Newspaper of
Aragon.

Maldonado Moya, JM (2007): The Aragon Front. The Civil

War in Aragon (1936-1938), Zaragoza: Mira Publishers.

Martinez de Baños Carrilo, F. (coord.) (2004): The Aragon

Civil War, Zaragoza: Delsan Publishing House.

Rodriguez Simon, P., and Perez Esteban, P. (2011): Vestiges

of the Civil War in Aragon: Teruel. Zaragoza: Government
of Aragon.

Solano Sanmiguel, V. (2006): The Aragon Civil War, t. III:

Teruel, Zaragoza: Delsan Publishing House.

647
Machine Translated by Google