The Mickiewicz Battalion was a volunteer battalion of the International Brigades 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, link ...

. It formed part of the

XIII International Brigade 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. ...

from 27 October 1937 until 23 September 1938, when the International Brigades were disbanded. It was named after

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

(1798–1855), a Polish poet and patriot. In July 1938 The Battalion took part in the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro ( es, Batalla del Ebro, ca, Batalla de l'Ebre) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between Ju ...

crossing the river and initially advancing quickly attacking and capturing many Nationalist troops at La Venta de Camposines, before moving on to near

Gandesa Gandesa () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. History In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that l ...

. By September 1938 they were dug in defending a difficult position on the road from Corbera d'Ebre under constant bombardment and machine gun fire, the only respite being at night. They continued to dig trenches and lay barbed wire. After an artillery bombardment, the Battalion continued a heroic defence against tanks and cavalry which saw many of their best men killed, before the order for withdrawal came.

Personnel

*Franek Ksiezarczyk - commander *Mieczyslaw SchleyenTremlett (2020) p.503 - political commissar *Zygmunt Molojec

References

Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1938 International Brigades Adam Mickiewicz Military history of Poland {{SpanishCivilWar-stub