Links: Magnum. The Spanish Civil War: The Catalonia Offensive. Robert Capa
On December 23, 1938, the Nationalist Army started an offensive that
rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia. Barcelona – the Republic’s
capital city from October 1937 – was eventually captured on January 26,
1939. The Republican government headed for the French border and
safety, and thousands of people fleeing the Nationalists also crossed in
the following month, to be placed in internment camps. Franco had
closed the border with France by February 10, 1939.