 Such a loss would be a political failure, and Franco determined to make no concession.He had just started a major offensive at Guadalajara, and to relieve Teruel meant he had to abandon that offensive, much to the disgust of his Italian and German allies.The Nationalist relief of Teruel also signified that Franco was giving up the idea of a knockout blow to end the war, and was accepting a long war of attrition to be won by weight of arms and foreign aid.