campaign, Cold War

Opération Écouvillon

Name: Opération Écouvillon
Location: Smara, Morocco

Opération Écouvillon was a campaign fought in 1958 at Smara, in what is now Morocco. It was part of the Ifni War, which ran from 1957 to 1958. The recorded result: Franco–Spanish victory. Recorded strength: Spain: 9.000 men; 60 aircraft; France: 5.000 men; 600 vehicles; 50 aircraft against 12.000 men; Several aircraft.

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Fought1958

WhereSmara, Morocco26.739N, 11.670W

OutcomeFranco–Spanish victory

BelligerentsSpain; West Africa; France (1958); Mauritania; Allied Sahrawi tribesagainstMorocco; Army of Liberation; Allied Sahrawi tribes

Casualties and lossesSpain: 8 killed; France: 7 killed; 25 woundedand132–900 killed; 37 wounded; 51 captured

Part ofIfni War1957 to 1958

Where it sits in the Ifni War

4 placed engagements of the Ifni War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date	1958 (year precision) to 1958
Place	Smara, Morocco 26.739N, 11.670W
Kind	Campaign, Cold War
Strength	Spain: 9.000 men; 60 aircraft; France: 5.000 men; 600 vehicles; 50 aircraft	12.000 men; Several aircraft
Casualties and losses	Spain: 8 killed; France: 7 killed; 25 wounded	132–900 killed; 37 wounded; 51 captured
Commanders	José María López Valencia Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa y Quirce	El Hachmi Ely Bouya

The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Battle of Smara 1979, same recorded site
First Battle of Amgala 1976, 36 km SE
Second Battle of Amgala 1976, 36 km SE
Battle of Hausa 1989, 65 km NE
Battle of Lemseied 1983, 165 km NE

In the same war

Before: Battle of Edchera 1958
All 4 engagements of Ifni War

Elsewhere in 1958

Battle of Santa Clara Cuba
North Vietnamese invasion of Laos Laos
bombardment of Sakiet Sidi Youssef Tunisia
Operation Verano Cuba
Battle of Las Mercedes Cuba

Opération Écouvillon is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 159 in present-day Morocco.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q124616072, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Écouvillon, revision 1370701057, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.