Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of Annual

Battle of Annual was a battle fought on 22 July 1921 at Annual, in what is now Morocco; it lasted 18 days. It was part of the Rif War, which ran from 1911 to 1927. The recorded result: Riffian victory; Proclamation of the Republic of the Rif.

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Fought22 July 1921lasted 18 days
WhereAnnual, Morocco35.120N, 3.583W
OutcomeRiffian victory; Proclamation of the Republic of the Rif
BelligerentsRiffian tribesagainstSpain
Part ofRif War1911 to 1927

Where it sits in the Rif War

Capture of El Biutz, 1916Battle of Abarrán, 1921Siege of Ighriben, 1921Battle of Annual, 1921Siege of Afrau, 1921Siege of Sidi Dris, 1921Massacre of Monte Arruit, 1921Siege of Chefchaouen, 1924Fez offensive, 1925Battle of Ouergha, 1925Capture of Ain Maatouf, 1925Siege of Kudia Tahar, 1925Bombardment of Chefchaouen, 192519161925Battle of Annual, 1921
13 placed engagements of the Rif War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date22 July 1921
to 9 August 1921
PlaceAnnual, Morocco
35.120N, 3.583W
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Commanders
  • Abd el-Krim
  • Manuel Fernández Silvestre
Battle of AnnualBattle of AnnualSiege of Sidi DrisSiege of AfrauFirst Melillan campaignMediterranean U-boat CampaignBattle of Oued AslafFirst Melillan campaignMediterranean U-boat CampaignBattle of Oued AslafFezOujdaGibraltarMelillaCeutaTazaOuezzane100 km35.120N, 3.583W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Annual
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Annual today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-14. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 387 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 116 to 933 m, 818 m of relief, steep country and today it is 54% grassland, 31% cropland, 9% shrubland.

grassland: 54%cropland: 31%shrubland: 9%bare ground: 3%grassland 54%cropland 31%shrubland 9%bare ground 3%
west to east, 10.0 km282 to 844 mnorth to south, 10.0 km302 to 592 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1921

Battle of Annual is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 159 in present-day Morocco.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1138460, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Annual, revision 1384205013, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.