1925 — The Amphibious Landing That Ended the Rif War

On September 8, 1925, Spanish and French forces carried out a massive amphibious landing at Alhucemas Bay in northern Morocco during the Rif War. Around 13,000 Spanish troops, supported by French naval and air units, stormed ashore against Abd el-Krim's Riffian forces, which had humiliated Spain at Annual in 1921.

The operation used tanks and coordinated air support from the sea — the first amphibious landing in history to do so — and became a model studied for the Allied landings of World War II. Among the Spanish officers was Colonel Francisco Franco. The landing broke Riffian resistance and effectively ended the war within a year.