ABSTRACT
In Madrid an official Assault Guards truck, numbered 17, pulled out of the Pontejos Barracks. The Government in Madrid dithered, uncertain as to its first move. The hours slipped by and the rumors of heavy fighting and new revolts trickled into Madrid and yet the city remained ominously quiet. In Madrid cars loaded with men wearing the insignia of their party and shouting slogans and waving rifles roared through the streets. The capture of Maqueda, however, had opened the way not only to Madrid but also to Toledo. In Madrid on February 8, Miaja was well aware that yet again the fate of Madrid hung in the balance. The lesson no one seems to have taken to heart was that, given the highly mobile nature of modern war, sieges are almost certain to occur. Once more the siege was relegated to the past and the weapons of mobility and the tactics of movement honed for the next war.
