Hi all, I came across this line on this website that seems to be a collection of local oral history. Its a website exploring the war and the lives of the people who lived in the town of Alfajarín, which happens to be the closest the point the Durruti Column got to Zaragoza.
Looking through this site I came upon this line about 2 tabors of regulares being responsable for stopping the anarchist columns:
"I have heard that two tabores of Moors climbed the ravine of the virgin to attack the red front. When they went up there were numerous and singing and few came down carrying their dead and wounded. But they had managed to stop Durruti's advance. The front was parked there and I read that the nationals left the lights of Zaragoza on all night to let them see that they had everything and they nothing.
En Español: (He oído contar que dos tabores de moros subieron por el barranco de la virgen para atacar el frente rojo. Al subir iban numerosos y cantando y bajaron pocos llevando sus muertos y heridos. Pero habían conseguido detener el avance de Durruti. El frente se estacionó allí y he leído que los nacionales dejaban las luces de Zaragoza encendidas toda la noche para hacerles ver que ellos lo tenían todo y ellos nada. )
link
I believe "el barranco de la virgen" (ravine of the virgin, says google) to be on or near the tall hills just north of the town of Alfajarín, upon which the old Castillo Alfajarín and the Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña (hermitage of the Virgin of Piña) stand. They were certainly strategic points on the march on Zaragoza, and I may be mistaken, but these hills might also be referred to locally as Las Calabazas (the squash/pumpkins).
I remember reading a line as well in Sons of the Night about Moorish cavalry engaged on the Aragon front in autumn '36 (trying to track down the page, though I remember it didnt say who they were).
If you've read some of my questions/posts here you've probably already guessed that Im trying to figure out which specific Tabors were in Zaragoza and engaged on that front, when they arrived and when they went into action.
Searching online, so far I've seen that in Dec 37 (or prior) Moroccan troops in Zaragozza included the Tiradores of Ifni, Regulares of Ceuta, and the Mehalla of Gomara. Any more specifics about Regulares or other Moroccan forces in or around Zaragoza in the summer-fall of '36 would be much appreciated, as always.
Happy new year!
goes beyond the straight line.