No element of the Spanish Civil War gathered greater renown worldwide then did the International Brigades. Formed from "volunteers" from different countries around the world, they arrived in Spain with the single goal of stopping Fascism, or so the legend goes. Like all elements of the Spanish Civil War, the role played by the International Brigades is subject to an ongoing debate that is totally dependent on the ideological background of the author of the work. Once the rebellion started in Spain, volunteers began to appear in Spain to help fight the war against the Fascists. (Some of these volunteers were already in Spain, preparing for the Workers' Olympiad, a series of games organized in Barcelona in opposition to the regular Olympic Games of 1936, which were held in Berlin.) The volunteers were organized in groups and centuries by nationality, and attached to a local column in the am that they were serving. As a rule, they tended to have some military background and ability to work together. For service in the early war period, they should be organized as follows: Foreign Century/Group (early 1936), with: Troop Quality: Regular Morale: 9 1 command infantry stand 1-4 infantry stands and 1 MMG stand Notes 1. Known Groups include: Groupe Rakpsi (Hungarian), Tom Mann Centuri (British), Centuria. Gaston Sozzi (Italian), Thaelmann Centuria (German-Austrian), Groupo Dombrowski (Slavic), Grupo Ludwig Warmski (Polish). The success of these units and willingness of others to volunteer to serve in Spain was seen as the answer to a problern in the Soviet Union. Since 1919, the Soviet Union had supported a growing number of refugees from across Europe. Many of these were individuals who had taken part in the post-World War I Communist-supported revolts in Europe. Others were more recent refugees from Fascist governments. In either case, the war in Spain was seen as the perfect place to send these individuals to serve in the front lines. Those who did well could return to the Soviet Union; those who did not could not return--but had nowhere else to go! Starting in September of 1936, the Comintern ordered all parties in Europe to recruit volunteers for service in Spain, as well as dispatching there many of those refugees living in the Soviet Union. The refugees would form the cadre for the new units, one that would in all matters support the PCE. At the same time, the volunteers recruited by the national parties need not be members of the communist party, rather only anti-fascist in nature, and would help give these units a "Popular Front" aspect. Because of the fact that foreign aid was prohibited to either party in Spain by the Non Interventionist Pact, the journey to Spain for many of the volunteers became an adventure in itself. Volunteers traveled to Paris, and were then given instructions as to how they were to arrive in Spain. At times, the French government sealed the border, and at times it turned a blind eye. The town of Albacete in eastern Spain was chosen as the depot for the new "Internationalist Brigades" due to its proximity to the seaport of Valencia, through which most of the Soviet aid was funneled. The first two Brigades to be formed were the XI (October 22,1936) and the XII (November 5, 1936). To distinguish the international brigades from the other brigades of the Popular Army, it was decided to use Roman Numerals for their numbers. Battalions were numbered at first by brigade, and then by the order in which they were raised. All battalions were named, often using the titles of the units that had served before in the early stages of war. Both Brigades served in the defense of Madrid, and provided a needed impetus to the defenders of that city. International Brigade, 1936, with: Troop Quality: Veteran Morale: 9 Headquarters Company, with: 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff telephone truck 1 recon motorcycle infantry stand Brigade Cavalry Squadron, with 1 command cavalry stand 1 recon cavalry stand 1 cavalry stand Brigade Trains, with: 1 mounted command stand 1 baggage medium truck 1 general supply medium truck 1 medium truck with field kitchen mailer 1 support stand 3 Infantry Battalions, each with: Headquarters, with 1 command stand 1 command infantry stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with 4 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with 2 MMG stands Notes 1. The XI Brigade had the Edgar Andre Battalion, (German) Commune de Paris (French) and Dowbrowski Battalion (Polish). The XIIth Brigade had the Thaelmann Battalion (German), Garibaldi Battalion (Italian) and Andre Marty (French). The Cavalry Squadrons at this point are listed as being French. The XI and XII Brigades lost 50% of their strength in and about Madrid, but helped the Republican forces there hold off the Nationalist attack on that city. Additional International Brigades and Battalions were formed at Albacete as follows: XIII International Brigade-December 2, 1936 XIV International Brigade-December 2,1936 XV International Brigade-January 31, 1937 In addition, the following Brigades of the Popular Army had International Battalions attached to them at one point or the other: 86th Mixed Brigade 129th Mixed Brigade 150th Mixed Brigade The units of the International Brigade, including those formed already, were (see chart at right): Chart Explanations *The first number is the international Battalion Number. The second number is the number within the Spanish Republican Army. This number may or may not have applied, and is based on the battalion's placement in a given International Brigade. **Though named on paper for the first Communist Member of Parliament, the British Battalion was known as the British Battalion. Tom Paine: This Battalion was renamed the Mackenzie- Papineau Battalion for propaganda reasons, even though a majority of its members were Americans. Not all of the International Battalions existed at the same time, and often battalions were folded into one another in an effort to keep the field units up to strength. The average International Brigade after 1936 should have the following: International Brigade, 1937-38, with: Troop Quality: Experienced Morale: 9, unless noted Headquarters Company, with: 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff telephone truck 1 recon motorcycle MP stand Brigade Cavalry Squadron, with: 1 command BA-6 armored car 1 recon FAI armored car Brigade Trains, with: 1 mounted command stand 1 baggage mediurn truck 1 general supply medium truck 1 medium truck with field kitchen trailer 1 support stand Brigade AT Battery, with: 1 gun crew stand 1 37LA5 AT gun 1 light truck 2-4 International Infantry Battalions, each with: Troop Quality: Experienced-Veteran Morale: 7-9 (see Note 2) Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 3-4 Infantry Companies, each with: 3-4 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2-3 MMG stands 0-1 Spanish Infantry Battalions, each with: Trained-Regular, Morale 6-8 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 4 Infantry Companies, each with: 3 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2 MMG stands Notes 1. Each Brigade usually had four or more infantry battalions. One Spanish Battalion was often attached to an International Brigade. 2. The one exception to the unit ratings should be the American members of the International Brigades. They should be rated as Green, Morale 10 prior to their first combat, after which they should change up slowly to the same status as the rest of the Brigade. 3. The five International Brigades went through a rapid turnover in structure, until it was decided to group the battalions by language to simplify command problems. This gave the following structure as of XI International Brigade: (German) XII International Brigade: (Italian) XIII International Brigade: (Polish-Balkan) XIV International Brigade: (French XV International Brigade: (English) Artillery In addition to the infantry battalions listed above, there were 23 artillery batteries, but these were not always part of the International Brigade structure One known independent battery was the John Brown Battery (American), with the following: 35th Battery, 4th Artillery Group, with: 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 105L20 howitzer 1 medium truck The best information on any International Brigade is the XV, the English speaking brigade, as its survivors had a homeland to return to and publish their stories. Much of what is written by the members of the Brigade is suspect, especially the official history of the unit which changed somewhat from the 1939 version to the 1967. The Americans were perhaps the worst military element of the International Brigade, as they lacked discipline (especially when compared to the other units of the International Brigades) and training. It can be argued in their defense that alone of the nationalities serving in Spain, they lacked any member on the committee controlling the International Brigades, and so often drew the short end on supply shortages and missions. The myth of the Lincoln Brigade (though no such unit existed) is a difficult one to deal with. The XV International Brigade had a rather unique organization for the opening of the Brunete offensive in July of 1937. Attached to the 15th Infantry Division, the XVth had the following organization: XVth International Brigade, July 1937, with: Troop Quality: Experienced Morale: 9, unless noted Headquarters Company, with: as above Brigade Cavalry Squadron, with: as above Brigade Trains, with: as above Brigade AT Battery, with: as above 1st Regiment, with: Regimental Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 1 light truck British Infantry Battalion, with: Troop Quality: Veteran Morale: 9 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 4 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 3 MMG stands Lincoln Infantry Battalion, with: Troop Quality: Regular Morale: 7 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 3 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2 MMG stands Washington Infantry Battalion, with: Troop Quality: Trained Morale: 9 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 4 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2 MMG stands 2nd Regiment, with: Regimental Headquarters, with: as above Dimitrov Infantry Battalion, with: as British Battalion 6th of February Infantry Battalion, with: as British Battalion 24th Spanish Infantry Battalions, each with: Troop Quality: Regular Morale: 7 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 4 Infantry Companies, each with: 3 infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2 MMG stands The International Brigades tended to be used as shock troops and as a result suffered casualties out of proportion to their numbers. In the case of the Washington and Lincoln Battalions, after the battle of Brunete it was necessary to combine the two battalions into one in order to keep it at full strength. By the end of 1937 it was necessary to add a Spanish Company to each of the International Battalions to round out their numbers. For the first part of 1938 an International Battalion would have the following organization: International Infantry Battalion, with: Troop Quality: International Companies Veteran Morale: 7-9 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 2-3 infantry stands Spanish Infantry Company, with: Troop Quality: Trained to Regular Morale: 6-7 3-4 Infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2-3 MMG stands It had been the hope of the Popular Army that the International Battalions would serve as model troops and instructors for the Spanish troops. However the language barrier prevented this from happening. Nevertheless the International Brigades were sent to fight in the battles around Teruel, and were pushed back in the Nationalist Drive to the sea. As the war continued and the International Brigades continued to lose members, the ranks of all the companies were filled with additional Spanish conscripts. By mid 1938, the average International Battalion had the following: International Infantry Battalion, with: Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 4 Infantry Companies, each with: 1 international infantry stand 2 trained-regular infantry stands Machine Gun Company, with: 2 MMG stands Notes 1. The late war International Infantry Battalions were a mixture of International Brigade veterans and Spanish recruits. Rate the International Brigade veterans as veteran infantry, morale 8. Rate the Spanish troops as trained-regular, morale 6-7. In September of 1938, in an attempt to win world support, the Republican government announced that the International Brigades were to be withdrawn from Spain. It was hoped that if these units were withdrawn, Italians and Germans would follow suit, but it was not to be. Nevertheless, the remaining foreign members of the International Brigades were withdrawn from the front, parading though Barcelona on October 29th, 1938. Over the next few months, they crossed into France, and from there dispersed to their home countries. Three months after they passed though Barcelona, the city fell into the hands of the Nationalists, and the war had only two months to run. Quick Guide to the Spanish Civil War Groups and Factions Stages of the War Jumbo Map of Spain (slow: 188K) Pre-War Spanish Military: Peninsular Army Pre-War Spanish Military: Army of Africa Republican Army Nationalist Army The International Brigades German Forces in Spain SCW CD Charts: Republican (very slow: 389K) SCW CD Charts: Nationalist (very slow: 385K) SCW CD Charts: Aircraft (slow: 51K) Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly # 7 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com