The

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

(IB) were volunteer military units of foreigners who fought on the side of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. The number of combatant volunteers has been estimated at between 32,000–35,000, though with no more than about 20,000 active at any one time.Thomas (2003), pp 941-5; Beevor (2006), p. 257. A further 10,000 people probably participated in non-combatant roles and about 3,000–5,000 foreigners were members of CNT or

POUM The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification ( es, Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, POUM; ca, Partit Obrer d'Unificació Marxista) was a Spanish communist party formed during the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic and mainly active a ...

. They came from a claimed "53 nations" to fight against the Spanish

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

forces led by General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

and assisted by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

forces.Thomas (2003), pp 941-5 The volunteers were motivated to fight on political or social grounds and made their way to Spain independently of the Spanish government. The brigades were not initially formally conceived and methodically recruited. Instead, they evolved as a means of organising the streams of volunteers arriving from every quarter of the world. It has been estimated that up to 25% of IB volunteers were

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish. This article describes the order of battle of each of the International Brigades, describing the order and manner in which each brigade was mustered and formed, and following the progress of individual battalions throughout the conflict.

Introduction

Early International units

The first volunteers arrived in Spain in mid-August 1936. These were mostly Franco-Belgian, German, British and Italian. At first, they grouped themselves into sections, called ''Columns'' or ''Centuria'' (nominally of a hundred men). These were mostly formed in August/September 1936. * The Tom Mann Centuria, named after English trade unionist leader

Tom Mann Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941), was an English trade unionist and is widely recognised as a leading, pioneering figure for the early labour movement in Britain. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a ...

, became part of the Thaelmann Battalion * The Thaelmann Centuria (the nucleus of the Thaelmann Battalion), named for

Ernst Thälmann Ernst Johannes Fritz Thälmann (; 16 April 1886 – 18 August 1944) was a German communist politician, and leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933. A committed Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist, Thälmann played a major r ...

. * Gastone Sozzi Centuria, named for Gastone Sozzi * Rosselli's Italian Column * Colonna Giustizia e Libertà

Brigade structure

Each brigade was a

mixed brigade Mixed brigade ( es, brigada mixta) was a basic tactical military unit of the Republican army during the Spanish Civil War. It was initially designed as “pocket division”, an innovative maneuverable combined-arms formation. Because of high sa ...

consisting of four battalions, sometimes with an ancillary specialist support company. They had a brigade commander and a political commissar, and a small brigade staff. Initially, the battalions were formed entirely of foreign volunteers but, increasingly, it became practice to have at least one Spanish battalion in each brigade (and, from spring 1937, one Spanish company in each battalion). As time went on, and the difficulties of recruiting new international volunteers increased, the percentage of Spaniards went up. At first, these were volunteers but conscription was later introduced. The brigades were formally incorporated into the Spanish Army in September 1937, as Spanish Foreign Legion units.

Battalion structure

The battalions were originally organised by language, with volunteers sharing the same (or similar languages) and given names that reflected the groups. To develop an esprit de corps, these names were replaced by names of inspirational figures or events, for example, ''

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

'', or ''

Commune de Paris The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

''. "Theoretically, the Battalion organisation consisted of the Battalion Commander, his Second in Command, the Political Commissar, the Adjutant and orderly room staff, three Companies of infantry, one machine-gun Company, Battalion scouts, and the Quartermaster and cookhouse staff. There were three platoons in each company, each divided into

our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

sections of ten men, so that the Battalion at full strength would number more than 500 men...."

Political commissars

''See article: Political commissar''

International brigade depots

Albacete Albacete (, also , ; ar, ﭐَلبَسِيط, Al-Basīṭ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-ea ...

- Headquarters *

Madrigueras 250px, right Coat of arms of Madrigueras Madrigueras is a municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto ...

- Training camp *

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

- Officer training school * Camp Lukácz - Penal battalion

XI International Brigade

Names: * The Hans Beimler Brigade (after Hans Beimler) * The Thälmann Brigade (after

) Songs by Ernst Busch and the choir of the XI Brigade:
''Hans Beimler Lied''

''Lied von XI Brigade''
("Song of the XIth Brigade")
''Lied der XI Brigade''
Or ''Ballade'' or ''Marsch der XI Brigade'') Detailed Order of Battle

Formation

*Formed at

: 14–17 October 1936 as IX ''Brigada Movil'' ("Mobile Brigade"). ** 1st Bn Franco-Belgian (14 October 1936) ** 2nd Bn Austro-German (14 October 1936) ** 3rd Bn Italo-Spanish (14 October 1936) ** 4th Bn Polish-Balkan (17 October 1936) *Re-Organised: 14–22 October 1936 as XI ''"Hans Beimler" International Brigade''. The battalions were renamed as follows: **

Commune de Paris Battalion A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

(after the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

. (Formerly 1st Franco-Belge) ** Edgar André Battalion (after

Edgar André Edgar André may refer to: * Edgar André (politician) * Edgar André (footballer) {{hndis, Andre, Edgar ...

). (Formerly 2nd Austro-German) **

Garibaldi Battalion The Garibaldi Battalion (Garibaldi Brigade after April 1937) was a largely-Italian volunteer unit of the International Brigades that fought on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War from October 1936 to 1938. It was named after Giuseppe Ga ...

(after

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

). (Formerly 3rd Italo-Español) **

Dabrowski Battalion The Dabrowski Battalion, also known as Dąbrowszczacy (), was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was initially formed entirely of volunteers, "chiefly composed of Polish miners recently living and working in F ...

(pronounced Dombrowski), (after

Jarosław Dąbrowski Jarosław Żądło-Dąbrowski (; 13 November 1836 – 23 May 1871), also known as Jaroslav Dombrowski, was a Polish nobleman and military officer in the Imperial Russian Army, a left-wing independence activist and radical republican for Poland ...

). (Formerly 4th Polish-Balkan) *Minor Re-Organisation: 3 November 1936 ** Garibaldi Battalion, as it had no rifles, was transferred to XII Brigade ** Thaelmann Battalion joined XI Brigade from XII Brigade ** Asturias-Heredia Battalion (Spanish) joined XI Brigade.

Brigade staff

Division "Kléber" ''(XI and XII Brigade 20 Nov.36 - 4 Feb 37 )''

*Commander: General "Kléber" (

Manfred Stern Manfred (Moses) Stern (also known as Emilio Kléber, Lazar Stern, Moishe Stern, Mark Zilbert) (1896–1954) was a member of the GRU, Soviet military intelligence. He served as a spy in the United States, as a military advisor in China, and gained ...

)Beevor (2006) p. 167

XII International Brigade

Name: The Garibaldi Brigade Detailed Order of Battle
EPR Order of Battle Website

Formation

Raised 22 October 1936 at Albacete, General "Lukàcs" ( Mate Zalka) commanding. (Lukàcs was killed during the Huesca Offensive.) *Units that formed part of the Brigade at different times: ** André Marty Battalion **

a.k.a. Dombrowski Battalion **Figlio Battalion **

**Madrid Battalion **Prieto Battalion ** Thaelmann Battalion

XIII International Brigade

Names: The Dabrowski Brigade, The Dombrowski Brigade Detailed Order of Battle
EPR Order of Battle Website

1st formation

Raised: 12 December 1936 * Louise Michel (II) Battalion *

Chapaev Battalion The 13th International Brigade – often known as the XIII Dąbrowski Brigade – fought for the Spanish Second Republic during the Spanish Civil War, in the International Brigades. The brigade was dissolved and then reformed on four occasions. ...

(Tchapaiev, Czapiaew; named for

Vasily Chapayev Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev or Chapaev (russian: link=no, Василий Иванович Чапаев; 5 September 1919) was a Russian soldier and Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War. Biography Chapayev was born into a poor peasan ...

) * Vuillemin Battalion **One Balkan Company **1st Battery "Ernst Thaelmann" **2nd Battery "Karl Liebknecht" **3rd Battery "Antoni Gramsci"

2nd formation

Reformed: 4 August 1937 *

Palafox Battalion The Palafox Battalion was a volunteer unit of largely Polish and Spanish composition in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. It was named after José de Palafox, a Spanish general who successfully fought French Napoleonic for ...

Rakosi Battalion The Rákosi Battalion was a volunteer unit founded in April 1937. It was formed predominantly of Hungarians, who fought in the CL International Brigade and the XIII International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). The battalion wa ...

3rd formation

Reformed (in Monredón): 1 October 1938 (exclusively Spanish battalions)

4th formation

Reformed: 23 January 1939 (from demobilised International Brigade members who had remained in Spain)

Brigade staff

XIV International Brigade

Name: The Marseillaise Brigade Order of Battle
EPR Order of Battle Website

Formation

Raised 20 December 1936 with volunteers mainly from France and Belgium, under General "Walter" (

Karol Świerczewski Karol Wacław Świerczewski (; callsign ''Walter''; 10 February 1897 – 28 March 1947) was a Polish and Soviet Red Army general and statesman. He was a Bolshevik Party member during the Russian Civil War and a Soviet officer in the wars foug ...

). After the

Battle of Brunete The Battle of Brunete (6–25 July 1937), fought west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War. Although initially successful, the Rep ...

(6–25 July 1937), brigade strength was reduced from four to two battalions. The battalions attached to this Brigade at different times were: **

Domingo Germinal Battalion Domingo may refer to: People *Domingo (name), a Spanish name and list of people with that name *Domingo (producer) (born 1970), American hip-hop producer *Saint Dominic (1170–1221), Castilian Catholic priest, founder of the Friars popularly cal ...

Henri Barbusse Battalion The Henri Barbusse Battalion was a French International Brigade battalion during the Spanish Civil War. The Battalion served in the XIV International Brigade. It was named after French communist and writer, Henri Barbusse, who died in 1935. Histo ...

** Louise Michel I Battalion ** Louise Michel II Battalion ** Marsellaise Battalion **

Pierre Brachet Battalion Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

Primera Unidad de Avance Battalion Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

Nine Nations Battalion 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

a.k.a. Sans noms or Des Neuf Nationalités Battalion ** Sixth February Battalion ** Vaillant-Couturier Battalion

XV International Brigade

*Name: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade *Raised:

, 31 January 1937 *Brigade songs: Jarama Valley, An tldirnisinta (Internationale),

Viva la Quinta Brigada "Viva la Quinta Brigada" is a Christy Moore song about the Irishmen who fought in the Spanish Civil War against Franco. The title was changed to "Viva la Quince Brigada" in some later recordings. The song is about the Irish socialist volunteers, ...

, Ay Carmela (song) (Viva La Quince Brigada) *Battles: Jarama, Brunete, Boadilla, Belchite, Fuentes de Ebro, Teruel, Ebro Order of Battle : :Main Sources: (i)
EPR Order of Battle Website
(ii)

*Sub-battalion units attached to Brigade **

Connolly Column The Connolly Column (, ) was the name given to a group of Irish republican socialist volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the ex ...

(Irish volunteers operating as a unit of the Lincoln Battalion) **Brigade Anti-Tank Company **XVth Brigade Photographic Unit (August 1937 – September 1938
Archive
*Re-organised May/June 1937, into two regiments: **First regiment, commanded by

George Nathan Samuel George Montague Nathan (20 January 1895 – 16 July 1937) was an English soldier who served in the British Army during World War I, the Royal Irish Constabulary's Auxiliary Division during the Irish War of Independence and the Internatio ...

*** Lincoln Bn, commanded by

Robert Hale Merriman Robert Hale Merriman (November 17, 1908 – ) was an American doctoral student who fought with the Second Spanish Republic, Republican forces in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He was killed while commanding the Abraham Lincoln Battalion o ...

*** Washington Bn, commanded by Mirko Markovic *** British Bn, commanded by

Fred Copeman Frederick Bayes Copeman OBE (1907–1983) was an English volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the British Battalion. He is also notable for contributing to London's air raid defences during the Second ...

**Second regiment, commanded by Major "Chapaiev" ***

Dimitrov Battalion The Dimitrov Battalion was part of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. It was the 18th battalion formed, and was named after Georgi Dimitrov, a Bulgarian communist and General Secretary of the Comintern in that period. History ...

*** Sixth February Battalion *** Voluntario 24 Battalion (Spanish) (Capitano Aquilla)Combat use of BT-5 in Spain (Боевое применение танков БТ-5 в Испании)
/ref> *Post-Brunete, reinforced by: ** Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion *International Volunteers Demobilised ** Barcelona, 23 September 1938

Other International Brigades

86th Brigade

Raised 13 February 1938 *Units that formed part of the Brigade at different times: **Veinte Battalion (Twentieth Battalion)

CXXIX / 129th Brigade

Name/s: Central European Brigade Raised 13 February 1938 *Units that formed part of the Brigade at different times: **Dimitrov Battalion **Djure Djakovic Battalion **Thomas Mazaryk Battalion (after

Tomáš Masaryk Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovak politician, statesman, sociologist, and philosopher. Until 1914, he advocated restructuring the Austro-Hungarian Empire into a federal state. With the help of t ...

) **Tschapaiew Battalion

CL / 150th Brigade

Name/s: Dabowski Brigade Raised 27 May 1937 *Units that formed part of the Brigade at different times: **André Marty Battalion (after

André Marty André Marty (6 November 1886 – 23 November 1956) was a leading figure in the French Communist Party (PCF) for nearly thirty years. He was also a member of the National Assembly, with some interruptions, from 1924 to 1955; Secretary of Comintern ...

) **Mathis Rakosi Battalion (after

Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892
– 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian

)

Ad hoc units

*Agrupació Torunczyk (21 January 1939 – 9 February 1939) **Elements from XI, XIII and XV Brigades

Catalonia Offensive The Catalonia Offensive ( ca, Ofensiva de Catalunya, es, Ofensiva de Cataluña) was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on 23 December 1938 and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with Barcelona ( ...

*Agrupació Szuster (1 February 1939 – 9 February 1939) **Elements from XII and CXXIX Brigades

Notes

References

* Beevor, Antony. (2006). ''The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006. * Gurney, Jason (1974) ''Crusade in Spain''. London: Faber, 1974. * Thomas, Hugh. (1961) ''The Spanish Civil War''. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1961. * Thomas, Hugh. (2003) ''The Spanish Civil War'', 2003. London: Penguin (Revised 4th edition), 2003. * O'Riordan, Michael. "The Connolly Column", 1979. Reprinted by Warren and Pell, 2005. * Rust, William (2003). "Britons in Spain", 1939. Reprinted by Warren and Pell, 2003. * Ryan, Frank (ed.) "The Book of the XV Brigade", 1938. Reprinted by Warren and Pell, 2003.

* Sugarman, Martin. ''Jews Who Served in The Spanish Civil War'
PDF file

Introduction

Early International units

Brigade structure

Battalion structure

Political commissars

International brigade depots

XI International Brigade

Formation

Brigade staff

Division "Kléber" ''(XI and XII Brigade 20 Nov.36 - 4 Feb 37 )''

XII International Brigade

Formation

XIII International Brigade

1st formation

2nd formation

3rd formation

4th formation

Brigade staff

XIV International Brigade

Formation

XV International Brigade

Other International Brigades

86th Brigade

CXXIX / 129th Brigade

CL / 150th Brigade

Ad hoc units

Notes

References

See also