'The Spanish Civil War, for all its social, political and cultural dimensions, was also in essence a military conflict. The military nature, which is often overlooked by historians, is centrepiece in Charles Esdaile¿s fascinating new study. Based on an extensive range of old and new sources and lavishly furnished with first-hand accounts throughout, this highly readable history debunks many hallowed myths surrounding the conflict and stresses the role of the Moroccan wars in the divisions within the Spanish army which in 1936 made civil war possible. Our understanding of the Spanish Civil War and Spain¿s fateful modern history more broadly will be enriched by this comprehensive work.'¿¿ Mark Lawrence, Lecturer in Military History, University of Kent, UK 'Professor Esdaile brings to this military study of the Spanish Civil War the forensic skills of an accomplished historian and a profound knowledge of Spanish politics and culture as it has been honed during his distinguished career as a scholar of contemporary Iberian politics and society. The scope of this volume includes a close analysis of the sequence of battles and an assessment of the military prowess and preparedness of the Republican and the Nationalist adversaries. Military events in the field are deftly set within their particular political contexts and include as well the daily wartime experiences of soldiers and civilians. This fine volume makes a considerable contribution to Hispanic scholarship.

Equally it will appeal to the general reader with an interest in twentieth-century war and as it was played out in the specific conditions of the civil war in Spain.' Judith Keene, University of Sydney, Australia, and author of Fighting for Franco: International Volunteers in Nationalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War (2007) and, with Elizabeth Rechniewski, Seeking Meaning Seeking Justice in a Post Cold War World (2018).