Battle of Ponta Delgada (1931)

The Battle of Ponta Delgada (Portuguese: Batalha de Ponta Delgada) was a brief but important battle on the island of São Miguel in the Azores archipelago that took place on 12 December 1931. It was a part of the Portuguese Civil War. 
After the failed 17 November monarchist coup in Lisbon, the Azores were de facto under the control of the revolutionary socialist Portuguese Republic. The strategic capital and port of Ponta Delgada was seized by the local garrison, which numbered 133 by 12 December. The garrison had received news of the failed coup by radio, and chose to declare their loyalty to the Portuguese Republic. 
On 12 December, monarchist forces numbering 187 in total were transported to Ponta Delgada by British warships of the Royal Navy. After blockading the port, a Portuguese monarchist soldier was sent to deliver the demand for surrender to the garrison. After arriving by boat, he was shot immediately, and the garrison refused to surrender. 
The port was then bombarded by the British warships, and monarchist soldiers subsequently assaulted the port city. The garrison was low on ammunition and supplies in general, and was forced to surrender after about an hour of fighting, sustaining heavy casualties in the process. At the end of the day, 13 dead and 22 wounded were counted out of the republican garrison, while 108 were captured. 7 dead and 15 wounded were counted out of the monarchist forces. 3 civilians were killed during the bombardment of the city. 
While the battle itself was short and relatively insignificant, the monarchist victory in the battle secured the strategically important Azores archipelago for the monarchists. It is also, so far, the most direct case of British involvement in the Portuguese Civil War. Category:Portuguese Civil War