Battle of Cordoba Line (Different Alliances)

== Battle of Cordoba line==

Prelude to the battle
In summer 1936, Soviet Union sent military support to Republican Spain. Few days after arriving, soviet units went to their first clash against fascist forces. It was near on Cordoba defense line, in southern Spain. Soviet forces were under commanding of combrig Navrchov and Shevchenkova, fascist commanders are unknown.

Soviet goal was to defend line and halt fascist offensive to save Cordoba from enemy attack. Fascist goal was to break through soviet defense lines, eliminate republican resistance and capture strategic important Cordoba.

Both sides were very different and soviets had many advantages and helps, on other side, fascist had more soldiers and elite paratroopers commando.

The Battle
At peak of day, soviet units fortified on "Cordoba defense line" near important industrial and trade city Cordoba. Soviet commander Andrei Navrchov gave order to secure perimeters and establishe commanding outpost.

Commanding over left-wing of defense gave to commander of brigade Levandovski. Commanding over right-wing of defense gave to commander of battalion Shevchenkova. Commander of battalion Budyonny gathered his cavalry elite forces.

On Navrchov order, soviet tanks hide behind rocks and trees.

Meanwhile, col. Stoewer prepared his paratroopers to ambush action against soviet units. In coordination with commander Miguel Valasquez, commander of spanish fascist, he did the last preparation. Valasquez choose old-time mass wave tactic. Stoewer urged him to do not use this tactic and just support german ambush. Valasquez did not heard about it and gave order to start frontal attack.

Soviet soldiers gave order to start shoting on thousands targets, when fascist get their sight. Combrig Navrchov gave order to "fire-at-will" and himself with rifle Mosin-Nagant 1936/22 start shoting against fascists.

Budyonny prepared his comrades to help, but he got order to wait until real danger for defense line.

After few minutes of fight, Stoewer lost his nerves and gave order to ambush attack. Soviet soldiers killed more then 4,000 fascists troops, but they were ambushed from left-side by elite paratrooper SS commando.

Surprising ambush led to heavy casualities in soviet ranks and wound. In the final moment, when SS soldiers thought they won over soviets and when morale of soviet soldiers and officers fall down, Budyonny elite red cavalry attacked behind nazis paratroopers.

Cavalry unit surprised german troops and killed many of them. SS paratrooper unit lost 621 soldiers of 800 soldiers. Commander Stoewer capitulated and soviet troops secured whole area under Cordoba defense line.

However, during cleaning area under Cordoba defense line, commander Budyonny, legendary hero of Russian civil war and bolshevik armies, died. He was shot by fascist soldier to head and died in his uniform with all medails and insignias.

Aftermath
In battle died 139 soviet soldiers and officers(include combat Shevchenkova and Budyonny) and 162 were wounded(include combrig Navrchov and Levandovski). Soviets lost 3 tanks thanks to enemy artillery fire from unknown position.

Casualities on fascist side was worse. 4,625 killed men, 2,566 wounded, cca.500 captured and just few dozens escaped or deserted/defected.

For republican soldiers and soviets, it was decisive and great victory. But Germans and fascist morale fall down on zero cold point.