Madrid may have been a bust, but Franco still had the initiative. Looking around on where to strike next, he settled on the Republican-held coastal strip along the northern coast. While this was indeed where the anti-Fascist forces were weakest, the combination of terrain and determined fighters would turn the campaign into a months-long affair taking up the bulk of 1937.  Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Gabriel The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 1931-39 Princeton University Press 1965Preston, Paul The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge Harper Perennial 2006Thomas, Hugh The Spanish Civil War Modern Library 2001Beevor, Antony The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 Penguin Books 2006 Preston, Paul A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence, and Social Division in Modern Spain 1874-2018 William Collins 2020 Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]