Introduction
The Ifni-Sahara War has the characteristic of being the last colonial war that Spain had. It was a conflict little known in its time, it has had to wait until today for the first serious studies to come out. The general ignorance of the population of this conflict has given it the nickname “the Forgotten War” or “The Ignored War”. Many people believe that it was a “little war” but the truth is that it was a proper war, although not comparable to the colonial wars that other countries have carried out, such as France in Indochina (1946-1954).
The Spanish soldiers stationed in the territories of Sidi-Ifni and Western Sahara had to deal with Moroccan guerrillas, lack of water, fuel and modern weapons (1). In this series of articles I will explain the beginning, development and end of the conflict from a strictly military point of view, although I will insert social and economic data.
What is Ifni and Spanish Western Sahara?
In 1860, after the Spanish victory in the African War (1859-1860) and with the Treaty of Wad-Ras, Spain gained some territories and increased its domination of others at the expense of Mohammed IV’s Morocco. One of these territories will be Santa Cruz de la Mar Pequena, where there had been a Castilian fort at the time of Isabel “La Católica”, this territory will be called “Ifni”. In 1884, the famous Berlin Conference convened by Foreign Minister Otto Von Bismarck to deal with the issues of the colonial territories was held, in which Spain gained international recognition for its African possessions.
After this, little by little, the Spanish population settled in the territories south of Ifni, in what would become known as Spanish West Africa (Cape Juby, Villa Cisneros, Saguia el Hamra, El Aaiún). In 1934, at the time of the Second Republic, the famous city of Sidi-Ifni (2) was founded. It had a difficult start, since at first it was a camp, but over the years it will become a paved city, water and light.
Militarily, in these colonies the nomadic troops and the famous Tiradores de Ifni are formed. With the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, these units are framed in the rebel army and participate in the combats of the Peninsula. In the postwar period and with the difficult situation in which Spain remains after the struggle, these colonies are somewhat ignored by the new regime of General Francisco Franco. The military units available in the 1940s are few and poorly equipped, with outdated material. The system to defend the interior territories is based on a system of forts protected by European and indigenous personnel, as in the African War in the 1920s.
Morocco becomes independent
In November 1955, Sultan Mohamed V returns to Morocco from forced exile in Madagascar with his family. The French had wanted with this action to remove it from the environment but the political movement is not successful. In February 1956, he successfully negotiated the independence of Morocco, in 1957 he definitively took power in the country. The independence of Morocco brought about important changes, since the French had to cede territories and of course eliminate the protectorate they had. In the same way, Spain does the same and leaves Tetouan, where there was a small incident when the Spanish flag was being lowered from the square (3), and other positions.
Morocco, now independent, creates the FAR (Forces Armées Royales), a still very precarious army that will be nourished by Spanish, French and American equipment from the 2nd World War. Very soon movements appear in the country that demand the so-called “Greater Morocco”, especially the “Istiqlal” party with a nationalist ideology. Colored maps appear on the streets of what “Greater Morocco” should be, adding the territories of Mauritania (France) and of course Ifni and Spanish Western Sahara.
In 1957, an armed movement called the “Moroccan Liberation Army” was created, which intended to enter these territories to expel the colonizing countries. These armed bands enter Mauritania (4), but the French firepower and organization makes them have to withdraw back to their point of origin, it was a heavy defeat.
After the defeat, the Liberation Army sets its sights on another objective that should be “easier” to shoot down, the Spanish territories. The Moroccan guerrillas are preparing for their next campaign, this time the spirits are higher and it is thought that the weak Spanish regime will not withstand the onslaught.
opposing armies
Military assessment of the two contenders, on the one hand the Spanish troops stationed in the Sahara and Ifni and on the other hand the available forces of the so-called Liberation Army.
Moroccan Liberation Army
The Moroccan Liberation Army was an organization part of the legal government of Morocco, but de facto it was directed almost directly by King Mohamed V. The components of these paramilitary forces were usually volunteers or people forcibly recruited in exchange for a payment that was given. each month in francs. According to Ramiro Santamaría, some 20,000 men were mobilized, although only 5,000 were equipped for combat, the rest carried out material transport work, among other things. The figures are very relative and the truth is that according to the author different numbers are being considered, the thing is not yet very clear. It is interesting to highlight the guerrillas of socialist and communist ideology who participated in this organization.
The equipment was very similar to that used by the FAR. Normally, the vast majority of combatants were armed with Lebel M1886 rifles, a very obsolete weapon for the time. There were also slightly more modern rifles, like the American Mausers, Berthiers, and M1 carbines. As for automatic weapons, submachine guns of French origin such as the MAT-49 and the MAS 38, Spanish although of German origin, were common, there were also reserves of Thompson submachine guns and M3 «grease gun». In support weapons, the MAC 24/29, the British Bren and the American BAR were used. The fact of the capture of a ship by the French authorities from Eastern Europe that brought several tons of ammunition and 2,000 German MG-42 machine guns stands out. Despite everything, some of these machine guns were used in the conflict in the hands of the guerrillas. Although they had a very heterogeneous armament, the vast majority of the combatants were adapted to the harsh life of the desert.
The Spanish Army of Ifni and Sahara
As previously stated, inland Spanish positions were defended by small adobe and brick outposts, sometimes small villages containing a few indigenous soldiers and police. Some of the most famous will be Tiliuin, Telata or Tamucha.
Although Spain sent reinforcements, these will be dealt with in future entries. In the Spanish colonies there were a few thousand soldiers at the beginning of the conflict, many of them equipped with rather obsolete equipment but more homogeneous than that of the guerrillas. The Mauser «Oviedo» M1916 carabiner was used as a regulation weapon, although there were also units of the more modern «Coruña» M1943 7.92 mm. On the subject of automatic weapons we have to mention the MP-28/II, the famous «orange tree» of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and also the «Coruña» submachine gun in its different variants. The pistols were the “pure” Astra M1921 among others and the Star M1920. Available machine guns were the venerable Hotchkiss M1914 and the more modern Alfa M1944. Other weapons available were the FAO (ZB-26) machine guns and PO-1 and 1 and 2 grenades, as well as Breda grenades from the old Italian CTV.
The biggest problem that the Spanish army was going to have in these territories at the beginning of the conflict was going to be logistics, since it took several weeks to put everything in order for it to work. After the arrival of troops from the Peninsula and the Canary Islands, shipments of provisions will be made by sea and air, two territories where the ELM had nothing to do. Despite everything, throughout the campaign, more and more resources will always be needed.
The invasion of Spanish territory begins!
On November 23, 1957, several thousand Moroccan guerrillas go on the offensive against the Spanish territories in Ifni and then in the Sahara. This offensive by the ELM had already been prepared since October, when they began to position themselves near the city and the posts. The main objective of these armed gangs is the fall of the capital of the territory, Sidi-Ifni. Spanish intelligence detects part of these movements and initiates a defense of the city, the communication lines are also cut that same day and the posts are cut off from the general headquarters.
Although the city is easily defended, the ELM wants their attack to cause a popular uprising within it and drive out the Spanish. Clearly this does not happen, moreover, 500 civilians are mobilized with their rifles and volunteer to patrol the streets of the city, this group is known as the “Raincoat Battalion.” It is said that these volunteers kept their equipment and weapons in the closets of their houses along with other clothes.
After the failure of the attack, the Spanish forces began to build a strong defensive perimeter that included barbed wire in some sectors, different outposts and trenches. Although the attack was stopped, the truth is that some sectors were lost, which were recovered by Legion forces that Franco had sent from the Peninsula before the start of hostilities. The city was supplied by sea throughout the war and at its height it housed 7,500 defenders, making it virtually impregnable to the Moroccans.
Attack on the inner posts of Telata and Tiliuin
In the post of Telata before the conflict there was an indigenous police barracks. This barracks was far from prepared to withstand an attack, as it was more of a lookout post than anything else. On November 23, when communications were cut, Telata was attacked by a group from the Moroccan Liberation Army. The walls surrounding the position and the buildings came under heavy rifle and mortar fire (5).
The policemen reacted well to the attack and positioned themselves so that the defense was optimal, although they repelled all the attacks, one of them even reaching the outer wall of the barracks. In the first days of the siege, the losses were minimal for the conditions in which its occupants were, they had barely had 10 wounded and 2 dead, although this was only the beginning. It should be noted that the Telata policemen were joined during the attack by about 100 men from the Tiradores de Ifni group.
In Tiliuin there was, in addition to a stall, a…