Drawing to Planning the War

This article delves into the graphic representation of panoramic sketches created by the various armies involved in the Spanish Civil War. It underscores the ability of the draftsmen on both sides to interpret the terrain where the conflict took place, translating, through drawing, only the military pertinent information while omitting irrelevant geographical data to facilitate decision-making and on-site action planning. The article explores the graphic techniques employed in creating these sketches, the available methods for duplicating the drawings, and the significance their use may have had in shaping the course of events. It conducts an in-depth analysis of the graphic aspects of panoramic sketches to demonstrate that, in military strategy, just as in architecture and spatial planning, the potential of drawing has been harnessed as a tool for understanding initial conditions and as a thinking instrument for devising appropriate solutions.