The Battle of Badajoz was one of the first major engagements of the Spanish Civil War, resulting in a tactical and strategic Nationalist victory, however at a significant cost in time and troops. After several days of shelling and bombardment, Nationalists stormed the fortified border city of Badajoz on August 14, 1936, cutting off the Spanish Republic from neighbouring Portugal and linking the northern and southern zones of Nationalist control (although actual contact with General Emilio Mola's northern troops was not established until September 8). Strategic situation The Spanish Civil War had begun on July 19, 1936, after a half-failed coup d'état: the rebels had not managed to take power, but the Republic could not crush them either. This left rebel forces in control of only approximately a third of the country. José Sanjurjo died in a plane crash on the 20th of July, only three days into the war. Emilio Mola had control of the North, while Francisco Franco took care of the Moroccan part. His first move had been to get German and Italian air support to transport almost 10,000 regular troops of the Spanish Army of Africa to southern Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar. German and Italian planes, painted as Spanish, airlifted most of them, and ensured that the Republican Navy did not cross the way of the Nationalist fleet transporting the remaining and the heaviest gear. By August 1, General Franco was able to order a sweep north to link up his forces assembled at Seville with General Mola's distant forces. Led in the field by Colonel Carlos Asensio and Major Antonio Castejón, the Nationalist Army dashed north in motorized detachments, pausing to bombard and capture walled frontier towns. By August 10, when Lieutenant Colonel Juan Yagüe arrived to take command near Mérida, the Nationalists had secured 300 km of the Portuguese frontier. Mérida fell after a stiff fight on the banks of the Guadiana River, leaving the neighbouring city of Badajoz, now the last remaining Republican outpost on the Portuguese border, isolated from the Republic. Franco personally supervised the operation against Mérida and on the evening of August 10, received Yagüe in his headquarters to discuss the capture of Badajoz and the next objectives. He wanted to knock out the city to unify the two sections of the rebel zone and leave the left flank of the advancing columns covered by the Portuguese border.