The Dimitrov Battalion was part of 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 ...
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 Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
. It was the 18th battalion formed, and was named after
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mihaylov (; bg, Гео̀рги Димитро̀в Миха̀йлов), also known as Georgiy Mihaylovich Dimitrov (russian: Гео́ргий Миха́йлович Дими́тров; 18 June 1882 – 2 July 1949), was a Bulgarian ...
, a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
and General Secretary of the
Comintern
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by ...
in that period.
History
It was founded in December 1936, composed largely of
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
exiles. It soon had 800 volunteers, including about 400 Bulgarians, 160
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...
and 25
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( Bosnian and Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian and Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that was originally designed to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has b ...
. The first commander of the battalion was the Bulgarian Ivan Paunov (pseudonym Grebenarov) who perished under frontal attack on 12 February 1937. The Battalion then became part of the
XV International Brigade on 31 January 1937. There it joined two battalions that were to become famous: the
British Battalion and the
Lincoln Battalion. They fought together for the first time at the
Battle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spanish Legionnaires and ...
in February 1937, with the Dimitrovs holding the right. The brigade suffered extremely heavy casualties.
On 20 September 1937 the Dimitrovs were moved to 45th International Division Reserve, where the battalion was rebuilt. On 13 February 1938 it became part of the newly formed
129th International Brigade, which was formed from central European battalions. It remained with the 129th Brigade until it was demobilised on 5 October 1938. Its last commander,
Josef Pavel
Josef Pavel (18 September 1908 – 9 April 1973) was a Czechoslovak communist politician and military official who served as Minister of Interior of Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring.
Biography
Early career
He was born in to the poor f ...
,
[''Thomas (2001)'' p 926] became a cabinet minister during
Alexander Dubček's
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First ...
in 1968.
Notable members
*
Todor Angelov (1900–1943), Bulgarian anarcho-communist and later member of the
Belgian Resistance.
*
Peko Dapčević (1913–1999), Yugoslav communist and partisan who later became
Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff.
List
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States)
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Af ...
of Yugoslavia
See also
*
Yugoslav volunteers in the Spanish Civil War
References
Sources
*
Hugh Thomas, ''The Spanish Civil War'', 4th Rev. Ed. 2001.
*
Antony Beevor
Sir Antony James Beevor, (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works on the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War.
Early life
Born in Kensington, Beevor was educated at tw ...
, ''The Battle for Spain'', 2006.
Order of Battle websiteBroken link
* Đurđević-Đukić Olga
''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije'' Belgrade 1975. (COBISS.SR-ID:5575431)
Military units and formations established in 1936
Military units and formations disestablished in 1938
International Brigades
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
{{SpanishCivilWar-stub