Despite everything, the organization of international brigades is developing. In November 1937 the 13th was born, composed mostly of Poles. In December, a Jewish company was formed, called “Naftali Botwin”. It has its own flag, publishes a newspaper in Yiddish. Its leader, Karl Gutmann, will be kill
Even more extraordinary is the case of Frenchman Henri Dupré. Member of the Cagoule, a secret far-right organization financed by Mussolini, he joined the Communist Party with several of his friends at the start of the Spanish Civil War and left with his group for Albacete.Playing the intractable, he
The ardor in combat, the abnegation of the volunteers of the brigades is recognized even in the opposing camp. In his Military History of the Spanish War, published in Madrid in 1961, the Francoist writer Manuel Aznar writes for example:Seeing these men who had come from all over the world, a sort o
André Malraux arrived in Spain in October 1936, like André Marty. Malraux had already fought eight years earlier in the ranks of the Chinese revolutionaries. This time, accompanied by his friend, the aviator Corniglion-Molinier, he undertook to create a squadron:it would be the “Espana” squadron of
The next day, another column r commanded by General Varela attacked further south of the capital. Opposite her the entire 11th International Brigade orders from Lazare Stem, a Hungarian, said:The quarryman and the mason The next day, another column r commanded by General Varela attacked further sout
At this price, the motley army becomes a shock troop. The men take the following oath:“I am a volunteer of the international brigades because I deeply admire the valor and heroism of the Spanish people in their struggle with international fascism. Because my enemies are always the same as those of t
The newcomers will join the first volunteers. In October 1936, the first of the international brigades was formed:the 11th. It has five battalions of 600 men each, from the centuries. Its first leader is a Frenchman, Captain Jules Dumont.If they dont look like the popular militias, the international
At the beginning of September, two new foreign centuries were set up:a French one, called the Commune of Paris and to which a few Poles were incorporated; an Italian, who takes the name of Gastone Sozzi. These two new centuries joined a Catalan column of 2,000 men, the Libertad column, which took th
It is only by strongly arming the people that the government has been able to keep control of a large part of the country, but all of a sudden the real power is in the streets, in the hands of the various left-wing parties and the trade union centers which, even in the face of danger, have not burie
At this time when old Europe is splitting into two hostile camps, the tragedy which has just broken out in Spain, a harbinger of the great confrontation, is polarizing convictions and emotions, hatred and enthusiasm.From the first days of the civil war, the Spanish Republic spontaneously received th
On February 27, the French Chamber voted to recognize Franco and sent him a prestigious ambassador:Marshal Pétain. The gold bars stored by the Republic at Mont-de-Marsan, as well as the works of art, weapons, ammunition, Spanish fleet and vehicles will be handed over to the new government, including
In April 1938, Catalonia was cut off from Valencia beyond the Ebro and the Republican territory split into two sections. Francos troops march on Valencia. But there they come up against a powerful Republican defense, commanded by Hernandez Sarabia and Melendez. On the initiative of General Rojo, Chi
Despite their setbacks in the North, the Republicans are not and do not want to be defeated. On the threshold of the winter of 1937-1938, they pulled themselves together. The government, now chaired by Juan Negrin in place of Largo Caballero, moved to Barcelona, in order to push war production in
Madrid withstood three successive attacks by the Nationalist army. For the time being, Franco gave up trying to seize the capital and directed his military effort towards the North. In the meantime, the Movimiento has formed its unity. It adopted as its symbol the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarc
Faced with the disparate and fluctuating foreign aid available to the Republican government, that encountered by Francos armies was massive and frank. Germany and Italy recognized Francos government on November 18, 1936, for obvious ideological and strategic reasons. How could they not be present on
Foreigners intervene in the civil war, from the beginning of the operations. On July 21, 1936, a Spanish mission will travel to Italy. On July 22, the German consul in Tangier will transmit to his government a request from Franco for ten troop transport planes, piloted by Germans. The nationalist ap
The second Nationalist attack, via the Jaramâ valley, combined with an Italian offensive on Malaga - which was a success and led to the fall of the city - began on February 6, 1937. Led by five mobile brigades and six heavy batteries , it will aim to cut the road from Madrid to Valencia. There too,
On September 28, Varela entered Toledo, having cleared the Alcazar the day before. On October 1, an important event - this one of a political nature - consecrated Francos fortune. Already, he was acclaimed “generalissimo”. The predestination that his faithful grant him found in the facts a singular
Whats going on in the capital? Panic in the government and disorder in the streets. The Casares Quiroga cabinet gave way to that of Martinez Barrio, which is attempting a policy of conciliation between the parties. But the Popular Front does not want to hear about moderation. Azana then entrusted po
The very day that Franco arrived in Spanish Morocco, whose garrisons he subjugated—July 19—Goded, after having easily imposed the rebellion on Majorca, landed in Barcelona. Taken prisoner the next day by the Republican command, he will be shot at the beginning of August. In Seville, thanks to the bl
Le Poilu victorious, by Eugène Benet (1863-1942). Civray, France • WIKIMEDIA COMMONS In the 1920s, the mourning of the communes will materialize in the form of various monuments. In 2013, the Goncourt prize was awarded to Goodbye up there, a burlesque and dizzying novel, one of whose themes is w
Matilda II, Marks I to V Type :infantry tank.Crew :4 men.Armament :a 2 pounder cannon; a Vickers .303 machine gun (Mark I); a 2 pounder gun, a 7.92 mm BESA (Mark II); a 3-inch howitzer, a 7.92mm BESA (Mark II CS).Armour: maximum 78mm;minimum 14mm. Dimensions: length: 5.61m; width: 2.59 m;height :2
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in his book India Wins Freedom has expressed his views in opposition to the principle of creation of Pakistan at many places. He was born in Mecca in 1988. He was a renowned scholar of Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, and English. He was educated at Al Azhar in Cairo. Maulana
The Economic Blocks correspond to the union of countries of the same region to promote economic and social growth. At the end of the Second World War, and especially from the 1990s onwards, economic blocs multiplied around the world. What are economic blocs? Economic bloc is the association of sev