The Nationalist forces involved in the Battle of Guadalajara were primarily the Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV).

In the evening, the first formations of Italian troops reached the suburb of Brihuega, where they halted to await a wider breach in the Republican lines.

In the morning, Italian forces on the Nationalist side launched heavy artillery and air bombardments and without success began the assault on the XI International Brigade.

At that point they had committed 26,000 soldiers, 900 machine guns, 130 light tanks, and a large number of artillery pieces.

At the end of the day, Lacalle resigned his command, officially for health reasons, but probably because of his resentment at being passed over by Jurado.

The Italians began a successful advance on the positions of XI and XII International Brigades, who retreated down the main road.

Close to one-hundred "Chato" and "Rata" fighter planes and two squadrons of Katiuska bombers of the Spanish Republican Air Force had been made available at the Albacete airfield.

While the aircraft of the Italian Legionary Air Force were grounded on water-logged airports, the Republicans did not have this problem since the Albacete airfield had a concrete strip.

Several Italian tankettes were lost when General Roatta attempted to change the position of his motorized units in the muddy terrain; many got stuck and were easy target for strafing fighters.

The Republican counterattack on Trijueque and Casa del Cabo, Palacio de Ibarra was launched with some success.

The Italian and Spanish Nationalist forces consisted of some 45,000 soldiers, 70 mortars, 200 artillery pieces, 80 light tanks (L3 tankettes), and 50 planes.

At dawn, Vicente Rojo gave the orders and Mera led the 14th Division across the pontoon bridge over the Tajuña River.

[8][9] The Italian CTV lost some 3,000 men (Spanish Nationalist losses were marginal) and a considerable number of light tanks.

In addition, the Republican army captured sizeable quantities of badly-needed materiel, including 65 artillery pieces, 500 machine guns, 67 trucks and vehicles, 13 mortars, 10 tanks, and plenty of ammunition.

[2] Strategically, the Republican victory prevented the encirclement of Madrid, ending Franco's hopes of crushing the Republic with a decisive strike at its capital.

[7] Franco, who was uncomfortable with the prospect of the CTV successfully crushing the Republic forces by itself (he believed this would give the impression that the fall of Madrid was wholly creditable to a foreign army) brimmed with Schadenfreude over his allies' humiliation.

[12] Franco's soldiers began singing popular Italian tunes with lyrical changes mocking the defeated CTV.

The following chorus, originating with Moscardó's Navarrese, humorously takes the Italians to task for their earlier complaints about the lack of motorized transport in Nationalist ranks:[11][13] The CTV may have lost the battle because Franco did not start a side offensive, from Jarama toward Alcalà de Henares, as agreed on March 1 with General Roatta.

After seeing that the Nationalists were not attacking, the Republicans were able to redeploy the troops facing Jarama to meet the Italian offensive.

[16] In truth, both views have merit: armoured forces were largely ineffective against deep prepared defenses; in adverse weather, and without enough air support, the result was disaster (Italian strategists failed to consider these variables).

[17] But the German assessment noted the deficiencies in Italian weaponry, planning, and organization that contributed to the defeat at Guadalajara.

In particular, vehicles and tanks lacked the technical quality, and leaders the determination, to effect the violent breakthroughs characteristic of later German blitzkrieg tactics.