ABSTRACT
The civil government set up in November by General Mola to administer conquered Madrid remained for six months in Getafe. While the militia and the International Brigades held the besieging army at bay, the Junta of Defense completed the work that was begun on the night of November 6. The troops under the direct control of General Miaja numbered approximately 40,000, including all arms. The infantry units had been partially reorganized into brigades made up of two battalions of three infantry and one machine-gun company, with supporting artillery and tank detachments. At the end of November, Generals Franco, Mola and Várela held a two-day conference at Varela's headquarters in Leganés. The attack was directed against the entire northwest sector of the Madrid front from Navalgamella to Casa de Campo. The attack was made in typical German blitzkrieg style. First came the flights of bombers, exploiting temporary control of the skies over the Humera-Pozuelo-Aravaca sector.
