Disaster of Annual
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Annual was a battle fought in Spanish Morocco
between the Spanish Army of Africa
and combatants of the Rif
region. It was a major military defeat suffered by the Spanish
army on July 22, 1921 at Annual
in northeastern Morocco
during the Rif War
. The defeat, almost always referred to by the Spanish as the Disaster of Annual, led to major political crises and a redefinition of Spanish colonial policy toward the Rif
.
In early 1921 the Spanish army commenced an offensive into north-eastern Morocco from the coastal regions previously held. The advance took place without the extended lines of communication being adequately established or the complete subjugation of the areas occupied.
On July 22, 1921, after five days of siege, Spanish forces garrisoning the encampment of Annual under the command of general Manuel Fernández Silvestre
after the contiguous position of Igueriben had fallen, were attacked and destroyed by the Riffi irregular forces under the command of Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (usually known as Abd el Krim), a former functionary of the Spanish administration in the Office of Indigenous Affairs in Melilla and one of the leaders of the tribe of the Aith Ouriaghel
(known as 'Aith Urriaguel' in Spanish).
General Silvestre disappeared and his remains were never found. The over-extended Spanish military structure in the Western Spanish Protectorate
in Morocco crumbled. More than twenty Spanish posts were overrun and their garrisons massacred without ever having had any chance of mounting a co-ordinated response to the attacks. At Afrau on the coast Spanish warships were able to remove the garrison and at Zoco el Telata de Metalsa in the south Spanish troops and civilians were able to retreat to the French Zone.
The surviving Spanish troops retreated some 80 km to the encampment of Monte Arruit where a stand was attempted under the command of General Felipe Navarro y Ceballos-Escalera. This position was however surrounded and cut off from supplies. Accordingly, General Dámaso Berenguer Fusté, Spanish High Commissioner in the protectorate
, authorized surrender on August 9. Nonetheless, the Rifeños did not respect the conditions of surrender and killed many of the refugees within the fort. General Navarro, along with some six hundred others was taken prisoner.
Melilla
was only some 40 km away, but was in no position to help: the city itself was almost defenceless and lacked properly trained troops. Abdelkrim's will to avoid international disapprovement against him led him to not attack Melilla. He later stated that this was his biggest mistake.
Spain quickly assembled elite units of the Army of Africa which had been operating south of Tetuan in the Western Zone and had not accompanied Silvestre's forces in the advance to Annual. These mainly comprised the newly raised (1920) Spanish Legion
and Moroccan Regulares
. Transferred to Melilla by sea these reinforcements enabled the city to be held and Monte Arruit to be retaken by the end of November.
The Spanish lost more than 20,000 soldiers. Rifeños dead are estimated at about 1,000. Materiel lost by the Spanish included more than 20,000 rifles, 400 machine guns and 129 cannons.
The political crisis brought about by this disaster led Indalecio Prieto
to say in the Congress of Deputies: "We are at the most acute period of Spanish decadence. The campaign in Africa is a total failure, absolute, without extenuation, of the Spanish Army."
The Minister of War ordered the creation of an investigative commission, directed by the honored general Juan Picasso González
, which developed the report known as the Expediente Picasso, which, despite calling out numerous military mistakes, owing to the obstructive action of various ministers and judges did not go so far as to lay political responsibility for the defeat, which popular opinion widely placed upon King Alfonso XIII
, who according to several sources had encouraged Silvestre's irresponsible penetration of positions far from Melilla without having adequate defenses in his rear. Alfonso's apparent indifference to the disaster - vacationing in southern France, he reportedly said that "Chicken meat is cheap" when informed of the disaster - led to a popular backlash against the monarchy.
This crisis was one of the many that, over the course of the next decade, undermined the Spanish monarchy
and led to the rise of the Second Spanish Republic
.
The Disaster of Annual is described in two famous novels - Imán, by Ramón José Sender Garcés
; and La Ruta by Arturo Barea
.
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
between the Spanish Army of Africa
Spanish Army of Africa
The Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that garrisoned Spanish Morocco from the early 20th century until Morocco's independence in 1956....
and combatants of the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
region. It was a major military defeat suffered by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
army on July 22, 1921 at Annual
Annual (Morocco)
Annual is a settlement in northeastern Morocco about 60 km west of Melilla. There, during the Rif War or War of Melilla, on July 22, 1921, the Spanish army suffered a grave military defeat against the Rifan Berber army, known as the "Battle of Annual"....
in northeastern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
during the Rif War
Rif War (1920)
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...
. The defeat, almost always referred to by the Spanish as the Disaster of Annual, led to major political crises and a redefinition of Spanish colonial policy toward the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
.
In early 1921 the Spanish army commenced an offensive into north-eastern Morocco from the coastal regions previously held. The advance took place without the extended lines of communication being adequately established or the complete subjugation of the areas occupied.
On July 22, 1921, after five days of siege, Spanish forces garrisoning the encampment of Annual under the command of general Manuel Fernández Silvestre
Manuel Fernández Silvestre
Manuel Fernández Silvestre y Patinga and Pantiga was a Spanish military general.He was the son of the lieutenant colonel of artillery Victor Fernandez and of Doña Eleuteria Silvestre...
after the contiguous position of Igueriben had fallen, were attacked and destroyed by the Riffi irregular forces under the command of Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (usually known as Abd el Krim), a former functionary of the Spanish administration in the Office of Indigenous Affairs in Melilla and one of the leaders of the tribe of the Aith Ouriaghel
Aith Ouriaghel
The Aith Waryaghar is an Amazigh tribe of the Rif region of north-east Morocco.The Aith Waryaghar were the main group which participated in the Rif wars against the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco at the beginning of 20th century...
(known as 'Aith Urriaguel' in Spanish).
General Silvestre disappeared and his remains were never found. The over-extended Spanish military structure in the Western Spanish Protectorate
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
in Morocco crumbled. More than twenty Spanish posts were overrun and their garrisons massacred without ever having had any chance of mounting a co-ordinated response to the attacks. At Afrau on the coast Spanish warships were able to remove the garrison and at Zoco el Telata de Metalsa in the south Spanish troops and civilians were able to retreat to the French Zone.
The surviving Spanish troops retreated some 80 km to the encampment of Monte Arruit where a stand was attempted under the command of General Felipe Navarro y Ceballos-Escalera. This position was however surrounded and cut off from supplies. Accordingly, General Dámaso Berenguer Fusté, Spanish High Commissioner in the protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
, authorized surrender on August 9. Nonetheless, the Rifeños did not respect the conditions of surrender and killed many of the refugees within the fort. General Navarro, along with some six hundred others was taken prisoner.
Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
was only some 40 km away, but was in no position to help: the city itself was almost defenceless and lacked properly trained troops. Abdelkrim's will to avoid international disapprovement against him led him to not attack Melilla. He later stated that this was his biggest mistake.
Spain quickly assembled elite units of the Army of Africa which had been operating south of Tetuan in the Western Zone and had not accompanied Silvestre's forces in the advance to Annual. These mainly comprised the newly raised (1920) Spanish Legion
Spanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...
and Moroccan Regulares
Regulares
The Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas , known simply as the Regulares , were the volunteer infantry and cavalry units of the Spanish Army recruited in Spanish Morocco. They consisted of Moroccans officered by Spaniards...
. Transferred to Melilla by sea these reinforcements enabled the city to be held and Monte Arruit to be retaken by the end of November.
The Spanish lost more than 20,000 soldiers. Rifeños dead are estimated at about 1,000. Materiel lost by the Spanish included more than 20,000 rifles, 400 machine guns and 129 cannons.
The political crisis brought about by this disaster led Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto Tuero was a Spanish politician, one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic.-Early years:...
to say in the Congress of Deputies: "We are at the most acute period of Spanish decadence. The campaign in Africa is a total failure, absolute, without extenuation, of the Spanish Army."
The Minister of War ordered the creation of an investigative commission, directed by the honored general Juan Picasso González
Juan Picasso González
Juan Picasso González was a Spanish military man and general who participated in the Rif Wars with the Spanish Army of Africa in late 19th century and early 20th century...
, which developed the report known as the Expediente Picasso, which, despite calling out numerous military mistakes, owing to the obstructive action of various ministers and judges did not go so far as to lay political responsibility for the defeat, which popular opinion widely placed upon King Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
, who according to several sources had encouraged Silvestre's irresponsible penetration of positions far from Melilla without having adequate defenses in his rear. Alfonso's apparent indifference to the disaster - vacationing in southern France, he reportedly said that "Chicken meat is cheap" when informed of the disaster - led to a popular backlash against the monarchy.
This crisis was one of the many that, over the course of the next decade, undermined the Spanish monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
and led to the rise of the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
.
The Disaster of Annual is described in two famous novels - Imán, by Ramón José Sender Garcés
Ramón José Sender Garcés
Ramón José Sender Garcés was a Spanish novelist, essayist and journalist.-Life:Ramón J. Sender was born in Chalamera, Huesca Province in the autonomous region of Aragon in Spain. In 1923 he was obliged to serve in the Spanish military and take part in the Spain Morocco Rif War, which lasted from...
; and La Ruta by Arturo Barea
Arturo Barea
Arturo Barea Ogazón was a Spanish broadcaster and writer.-Biography:Of humble origins, his father died when he was four months old. His mother, with four young children to support, worked as a laundress, washing clothes in the River Manzanares, while the family lived in a garret in the poor...
.
Further reading
- Rebels in the Rif - Abd El Krim and the Rif Rebellion. David S. Woolman, Stanford University Press 1968.
External links
- The Disaster of Annual (in Spanish).
- "La Guardia Civil en el Desastre de Annual", an article on this topic from the official site of the Spanish Guardia Civil (in Spanish).
- Rif War of 1919-1926 on OnWar.com
- Next publication of Abd el-Krim`s biography on the basis of official Spanish documents