Ahead of him, several hundred miles to the northeast, across the broad Tagus River, gleamed Madrid, the aim and object of General Franco's lightning campaign.

The Army of Africa's famous northward Marcha (or "March" - actually a fully motorized displacement), consequently, continued without pause into the hills and valleys sheltering Madrid.

To cover these southern approaches, the Republic deployed loyalist General Riquelme with the so-called "Army of Extremadura", a force of about 9,000 militia.

The government militias, while unquestionably brave, were sorely deficient in training and equipment and proved unable to face the disciplined Spanish Foreign Legion and the feared Moroccan Regulares shock troops.

According to the novel L'Espoir,[2] at Medellín, a section of Colonel Carlos Asensio's column was surprised and savagely attacked by Republican aircraft under André Malraux, but on the whole resistance was minimal.