The siege of Gijón (Spanish: Sitio de Gijón) was a battle that occurred in Gijón, Asturias during the Spanish Civil War between 19 July and 16 August 1936. It was one of the first actions of the war.
A small garrison of Spanish Republican Army soldiers and Guardia Civil officers led by Antonio Pinilla joined the Nationalist rebels after the Spanish coup of July 1936 two days earlier. The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias, armed mostly with dynamite, besieged the garrison in support of the Republicans. Pinilla refused to surrender despite threats and starvation, holding off the Republican forces for just over a month until the defenders were killed in a large militia assault.
The siege in Gijón was remarkable for its viciousness and the stubbornness of the besieged.
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