International Brigades

The international Brigades designate enrégimentés civil volunteers, coming from foreign nations instead of belligerency.

At the time of certain crises, foreign volunteers ran in great number to come to assistance of the countries in difficulty, as during the Guerre of Spain of 1936-1939 and the Guerre of Independence of Israel of 1948. One called international Brigades the detachments of volunteers come of more than 50 different countries who fought at the sides of the Républicains at the time of the Guerre of Spain.

Formation

As of July 1936, foreigners come to Spain to take part in the combat against the pro-Franco coup d'etat (some integrate for example the Colonne Durruti).

In September 1936, the chief of the propaganda of the Comintern, Willy Münzenberg, proposes with Stalin (after the agreement of NKVD), the creation of an international organization of volunteers, Communiste S, Anarchiste S, Socialiste S, or simple fellow travellers, in order to help the Spanish Republic.

Stalin being favorable to the International committee for non-intervention in order not to scramble itself with its French and British “objective allies”, propaganda trotskist shows it to make the play of Fascism. October 17th, 1936, Stalin gives his support by letter to Jose Díaz Ramos, general secretary of the Communist party of Spain. The ministry for Soviet defense decides to provide a material aid, while the Comintern supervises the organization.

By these initiatives, Stalin obtains Juan Negrín the guard of part of the gold of the bank of Spain.

The office of recruitment of the Brigades was based with Paris, under the aegis of the Soviet general Polish Karol Świerczewski (member of PCUS who had fought at the side of the Bolchevik S at the time of the Révolution of October).

The Komintern names one of its members, the French Communist André Marty, at the post of general inspector of the international Brigades. France is besides in charge of the supply of the uniforms brigadists.

Tito is in charge of the transport of the volunteers until Albacete, and of the administrative formalities.

Recruitment begins on September 18th, by the formation of 23 battalions made up each of 6 international Brigades.

Quotas of Communists had summers fixed by the Comintern and quickly filled by the French, German or Italian PC. On the other hand, the number of volunteers of the British and American PC was not reached, partly because of the reserve of their respective country, having signed the International committee for non-intervention, on August 28th, 1936.

The foreign volunteers were grouped in formations by languages, like the Battalion Abraham Lincoln, of the Canadians and Americans before the Canadians were enough numerous to constitute their clean Bataillon Mac-CAP in the honor of the revolt of 1836-1839 of the anglophone Patriots of William Lyon MacKenzie in High-Canada (now Ontario) and of the French-speaking “Patriots” of Papineau of Low-Canada (now Quebec).

The commune of Paris was a French-speaking formation, the Germans anti-nazis were in the Bataillon Thälmann, Bataillon Edgar André, the Italians antifascists in the Battalion Gastone Sozzi or Garibaldi, and the Poles, Russians and Czechs were scattered with others exiled.

The Saklatava Battalion gathered Britanniques, Irish and the nationals of various countries of the the Commonwealth. The Soviets, of which the number was certainly lower than 2.000 and never exceeded more than 500 at the same time, occupied of the relatively important positions: for example, with the general staff or as instructors on the military aerodromes. Manfred Stern, eminent officer of the Red Army , took on this occasion the pseudonym Emilio Kléber , and was one of the Soviet main leaders.

To note that the Battalion Dąbrowski, mainly made up of the communist Polish, had a sub-section, the Company Naftali Botwin, reserved to the Jews.

In June 1937, one estimates that the international Brigades gathered approximately 25.000 French, 5.000 Poles, 5.000 Anglo-American, 3.000 Belgians, 2.000 “Balkan”, 5.000 German-Italian, that is to say nearly 45.000 people. One counted also the participation of two Chinese.

The first volunteers clandestinely passed the Franco-Spanish Frontière as of the month of October 1936. After a rudimentary drive with Albacete, the first units had begun to defend Madrid besieged on November 8th, in Casa del Campo which defended Madrid. These volunteers were then amalgamated with the Spanish defenders in the proportion of a man for four, with an aim of supporting them morally and of being able to transmit their experiment of the military service to the civilians.

In spite of the declarations of Moscow and Spanish Communist party, it seems that for much of them engagement in Spain was not solely justified by their Antifascisme. It was not the “middle-class democracy” which they defended, but the proletarian revolution and for much the installation of a working State.

Thus, the anarchists and the trotskists were fought by NKVD within the international Brigades.

Military operations

the Battle of Madrid.
guard of the road Madrid-Valence.
the Battle of Jarama.
the Battle of Belchite.
the Battle of Èbre
the Battle of Guadalajara

The international Brigades represent a vital force for the defense of Madrid. At the beginning of 1937, they contributed to prevent, by undergoing enormous losses, the surrounding of Madrid by the nationalist troops, in particular at the time of the battle of Jarama in February, where they kept the control of the road axis Madrid-Valence. The losses are always important. In March 1937, the Brigades are also implied in the battle of Guadalajara. They play a substantial part in the later offensives, like the catch of Belchite and Teruel. In the final defensive phase of the war, the Brigades played a strategic part in the spectacular attack of diversion of the republicans on Ebre, in order to try to restore the contact with Catalonia. However, in spite of their first successes and after having undergone three months of intense artillery bombardments under a torrid heat, the republicans must withdraw themselves.

The often decisive role of the international Brigades is also explained by the experience gained by certain older sergeants at the time of combat of the First World War vis-a-vis a Spanish army remained neutral in 14-18.

In spite of their support, the republicans finally lost the war vis-a-vis the nationalist of Franco supported by the forces of the Axe.

They left Spain after the Bataille of Èbre. Dolores Ibárruri (also called the Pasionaria ), bade to them farewell with Barcelona.

Proportionally with its population, Canada had more volunteers in the international Brigades than any other country, except for France which has a common border with Spain. The Canadian Norman Bethune, doctor lung specialist and thoracic surgeon created the Mobile Unit of Blood transfusion which operated on the frontline before going to join the 8th Army of Walk of Mao Zedong to create the first MASH (Military Advanced Surgical Hospital) or Advanced Military Surgical Antennas.

Direct consequences

It is to be noticed that many combatants of the international Brigades will be thereafter the resistant ones to the Nazisme (Artur London, Willy Brandt, Pierre Georges alias Colonel Fabien, Henri Rol-Tanguy responsible FFI for Paris in 1944, Marcel Spangling former brigadist and political of battalion, denounced, tortured police chief then shot with the Mount Valérien, Marcel Langer guillotine in Toulouse in 1944). After the war, in the “people's democracies” Stalinist, the old ones of the international Brigades were often victims of purgings (for example Artur London). They were regarded as “infected” by the Internationalisme. A reflection of these purgings can be found in France with the exclusion of André Marty of the PCF.

The flotilla España , made up and directed by Andre Malraux with the implicit support of Pierre Cot, then Minister for the French Air, forever belonged to the international Brigades, exclusively terrestrial component.

The quality of war veterans is granted in 1996, by Jacques Chirac, with the French survivors of the international Brigades, the request of the communist deputies including two wire of brigadists Lefort and Asensi, request hitherto a41dernier $c-b1, e,10 $c-b26 ce $c-b16 $c-b43, bn,84 refused including under the presidency of François Mitterrand.

Repercussions

Many old the international Brigades will engage in French Resistance like Joseph Epstein like much of Spanish Republicans.

Conclusion

It is only at the extreme times of wars or crises and for great ideals that affluent of the foreign volunteers of the place where these wars and these crises take place, as for the existence of the Spanish Republic in 1936 and the State of Israel in 1948 with Machal of the foreign volunteers in Israel with Colonel David (Mickey) Marcus and the others.

It should be noted that the international movement of solidarity which accompanied the fight for the safeguard by the squat Undgdomshuset of Copenhagen, to the Denmark gave place to the participation in the riots against the police force (of the 1 {{er}} with the March 4th 2007) many (perhaps a thousand the) foreign ones of a score of different nationalities which were named on several occasions “international Brigades” in the anarchistic and autonomous mediums.

Famous Brigadists

George Orwell, writer British
Simone Weil, philosopher French
Square Gaston known as JEAN-PIERRE , resistant French
Artur London vice-minister of the Foreign affairs of Czechoslovakia of 1949 to 1951
Joseph Epstein known as Colonel Gilles , resistant French
Carlo Rosselli Italian antifascist, it is one of the founder of the movement Giustizia E Libertà
Camillo Berneri member of the " Section Italian of the Ascaso" Column;
Mario Angeloni member of the " Section Italian of the Ascaso" Column;
Antonio Cieri member of the " Section Italian of the Ascaso" Column;
Guido Picelli member of the battalion Garibaldi
Asim Vokshi
Ludwig Renn German writer
Josef Pavlov future minister in the government of Alexander Dubček during the Spring of Prague in 1968
André Marty directing French Communist party excluded in 1952
Julien Hapiot resistant French
Marcel Spangling resistant French
Jean-Louis Preceded resistant French
Jean Primet resisting and politician French
Ned Urvoas known as lieutenant Utrillo , resistant French
Marcel Bertone resistant French
Théo Rol officer of the International Brigades
Henri Rol-Tanguy resistant French
Juan Miguel De Mora Spanish writer
Jean Chaintron resisting and politician French
Pietro Nenni Italian politician
Laurie Lee poet, novelist, and English scenario writer
Cecil Day-Lewis poet British
Boris Guimpel resistant French
Achilles Chavée aphorist and Belgian poet
Georges Vallet resistant French
Pierre Georges says Colonel Fabien says resistant Frédo French
Apolonio de Carvalho Brazilian and resistant politician in France
Raymond Guyot French politician, directing French Communist party
Norman Bethune Canadian doctor

One can quote also the people below who without taking part in the combat followed the International Brigades actively:

Gerda Pohorylles, known as Gerda Taro German photographer
Robert Wrapped photographer

Composition of the international brigades

XI International Brigade

1^o Battalion Edgar Andre (German)
2^o Battalion Commune of Paris (Franco-Belgian)
3^o Battalion Dombrowski (Polish, Czech and Hungarian)
Battalion Hans-Beimler (German)
Battalion 12 febbraio (Austrian)

XII International Brigade

1^o Battalion Thaelmann (German)
2^o Battalion Garibaldi (Italian)
3^o Brigade Andre Marty (Franco-Belgian)

XIII International Brigade

1^o Battalions Louise Michel (Franco-Belgian)
2^o Battalion Tchapaiev (balcan)
3^o Battalion Henri Vuillemin (French)
4^o Battalion Miskiewicz Palafox (Polish E Slavic)

XIV Brigade Internazionale

1^o Battalion Nueve Naciones
2^o Germinal Domingo Battalion (Spanish)
3^o Battalion Henri Barbusse (French)
4^o Battalion Pierre Brachet (Franco-Belgian)

XV International Brigade

1^o Battalion Dimitrov (balcan, Polish and Czech)
2^o Battalion Britannico (British)
3^o Battaglione Abraham Lincoln (American)
4^o Battalion Sei febbraio (Franco-Belgian)
Battalion Mackenzie-Papineau (Canadian)
Battalion Spagnolo (southern American)
Battalion George-Washington (American)

129^a International Brigade

1^o Battalion Magaryk (Czechoslovakian)
2^o Battalion Dayachovitch (Bulgarian)

150^a International Brigade

1^o Battalion Rakosi (Hungarian)

Monuments dedicated to the brigadists

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