For several decades now, archaeology has developed a deep interest in studying the remains and material evidence of the Spanish Civil War. These studies not only help to better understand what happened but also provide new insights with fresh data that aid in understanding the violence unleashed in the country between 1936 and 1939. As Alfredo González Ruibal asserts, the civil war is possibly the most extensively studied conflict archaeologically, although there is still much to investigate (González Ruibal, 2023, p.13).
The Bielsa Pocket
In March of 1938, a few days after the Battle of Teruel ended, Franco's Nationalist troops launched a powerful offensive against the Aragon front with the aim of reaching the Mediterranean and cutting off Republican territory in two. The campaign concluded mid-April of that same year, resulting in a decisive defeat for the Republican forces which failed to halt the advance of the Nationalists and were completely overrun until the front stabilized between the Ebro, Segre, and Noguera Pallaresa rivers (Martínez Bande, 1976, p.48).
Due to the rapid advance of Franco's troops, the Republican 43rd Division was encircled by the Navarrese 3rd Division in the Pyrenean valleys of Aragon, an area that would later be known as the Bielsa Pocket. The Republican forces, although isolated and outnumbered, managed to resist from April 3, when they separated from the main body of Republican troops retreating towards Catalonia, until June 16, at which point they crossed into France due to their inability to continue resisting (Salas Larrazábal, 2006, p.2316).
During this period of time, the majority of the defensive perimeter of the 43rd Division remained calm, although at certain moments there was intense fighting to control the scarce communication routes, strategic peaks, and mountain passes. This was the case for the Sahún Pass and Cape Pientes (Martínez Bande, 1976, p.49).
Archaeological study of the fortifications at the Sahún Pass
To access the interior of the defensive perimeter of the 43rd Division there were only two main communication routes where vehicles and carts could be used, the road from Castejón de Sos to Plan and that from Aínsa to Laspuña. Both roads ended by joining in Salinas de Sín before reaching Bielsa. For this reason, most of the armed confrontations took place around these two axes.
The road from Castejón de Sos to Plan passed through a high mountain pass known as the Sahún Pass. Due to its strategic importance, the Republicans opted to fortify the surrounding heights by taking advantage of available resources in the area and the rugged terrain. In this zone, one can still find a good number of structures from that period in the form of stone huts built with dry stone, parapets, trenches, machine gun nests, and sniper pits.
The defensive positions at the Sahún Pass were privileged since from Cape Pientes and Marradetas Hill, one had a great view not only of the Sahún Pass but also of Barbaruens Valley and Esera Valley.
Most of the fortifications consist of small trenches dug directly into the rock and reinforced with dry stone parapets. In each of the different fortified points, one finds the remains of small huts that would have served soldiers as shelter from the harsh mountain weather.
The fortifications at Cape Pientes, unlike other points, consist of a complete defensive perimeter with all angles covered since it is the highest point and therefore, the rest of positions depended on this one. In some stretches, some wooden beams are still preserved which could indicate that some sections of trench had a roof. From Cape Pientes to the Sahún Pass or Barbaruens Valley the Republican fortifications follow rocky crests taking advantage of the rugged terrain.
The main weakness of the Republican fortifications was in the southern sector, in Sierra de Chía. While the Sahún Pass and Barbaruens Valley were well defended, the southern sector had been left very unprotected, perhaps because the terrain at this point was very rugged and did not seem possible for an attack from this sector. This would be a mistake that would have grave consequences.
Evidence of combat: The fall of Sahún Pass
The defensive positions between Cotiella and the French border were assigned to soldiers from the 102nd Mixed Brigade. On June 9, these positions were assaulted by the 2nd Moriones Grouping and the 4th Lombana Grouping of the Navarrese 3rd Division. In a short time, the positions at Barbaruens and Cotiella fell and Nationalist troops prepared to assault Sahún Pass (Escribano Bernal, 2005, p.326).
The 9th Tábor of Moroccan Regulars from the 2nd Grouping took advantage of the lack of fortifications south of Sierra de Chía to climb the slope undetected by Republicans and take positions before assaulting Cape Pientes. Nonetheless, the Republicans had already detected their movements and fortified themselves in defensive positions. Soldiers from the 2nd Grouping assaulted Republican fortifications with support from two batteries of 105mm guns and another of 65mm (Berfua, 1995, p.163). Despite being outnumbered, the Republicans offered fierce resistance before retreating. By the end of the day, Nationalist troops had managed to occupy Sahún Pass and advance towards Plan, although they suffered 92 casualties compared to 10 Republican soldiers killed and another 18 captured (Escribano Bernal, 2004, p.163).
Evidence of these battles can still be observed on the ground. The presence of various fragments of shrapnel and artillery fuses is material evidence of the intensity of the Nationalist assault. Also found are numerous bullet casings and rifle clips that demonstrate how the assault unfolded.
Conclusions
To conclude, there is still much for Spanish Civil War archaeology to contribute. In this article, only some of the material and structural evidence of the conflict that remains around Sahún Pass has been shown, without delving too deeply into it. A more thorough archaeological intervention could provide a lot more information about how soldiers who garrisoned these positions lived as well as showing in greater detail what transpired at this location.
Bibliography
Berfua, F., (1995). In the past one suffered the tragedy of war. Sobrarbe Review of the Center for Sobrarbe Studies, 12(2), 157-169.
Escribano Bernal, F., (2005). War in Aragon II Images, Delsan Books.
Escribano Bernal, F., (2004). War in Aragon Volume I, Delsan Books.
González Ruibal, A., (2023). Fallen Land A journey through violence from the Paleolithic to the 21st century, Editorial Planeta.
Martínez Bande, J. M., (1978). The Battle of Ebro Military Historical Service Monographs on the Spanish War - No.13, San Martín Bookstore.
Salas Larrazábal, R., (2006). A History of the Popular Army III From the Brunete Offensive (June 1937) to the Battle of Aragon and the division of the Republican zone with the arrival of the Nationalists at the Mediterranean. The Sphere of Books.
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