Long Live The Internationalist Spirit ............................

A flag of the International Brigades used during the Spanish Civil War.

The flags of the International Brigades featured the colours of the Spanish Republic: Red, Yellow and Purple, often along with Communist symbols (Red flags, hammer and sickle, fist). The emblem of the brigades themselves was the three-pointed red star, which is often featured.

Nearly 60,000 anti-fascist volunteers from 55 countries joined International Brigades to fight for the Republican cause. The first of these, the International Column, marched into Madrid on 8 November. Included in their ranks were the New Zealanders Griff Maclaurin and Steve Yates. While organised by the Communist Party, the International Column included a range of left-wing anti-fascist volunteers of diverse political persuasions.

Casualties

• Killed in action: 9,935 (16%)^{[citation needed]}
• Wounded in action: 7,686 (12.9%)^{[citation needed]}
• Missing in Action: unknown
• Prisoners-of War: unknown

[edit]Non-Spanish battalions

Spanish Civil War Medal awarded to the International Brigades

• Abraham Lincoln Battalion: from the United States, Canada and Irish Free State, with some British, Cypriots and Chileans who lived in New York and were members of the Chilean worker club of New York.
  • Connolly Column: This mostly Irish republican group fought as a section of the Lincoln Battalion
• Mickiewicz Battalion: predominantly Polish.
• André Marty Battalion: predominantly French and Belgian, named after André Marty.
• British Battalion: Mainly British but with many from the Irish Free State, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Cyprus and other Commonwealth countries.
• Checo-Balcánico Battalion: Czechoslovakian and Balkan.
• Commune de Paris Battalion: predominantly French.
• Deba Blagoiev Battalion: predominantly Bulgarian, later merged into the Djakovic Battalion.
• Dimitrov Battalion: Greek, Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian and Romanian. Named after Georgi Dimitrov.
• Djuro Djakovic Battalion: Yugoslav, Bulgarian, anarchist, named for former Yugoslav communist party secretary Đuro Đaković.
• Dabrowski Battalion: mostly Polish and Hungarian. Also Czechoslovakian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Palestinian Jews. See also Dąbrowszczacy.
• Edgar André Battalion: mostly German. Also Austrian, Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Romanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch.
• Español Battalion: Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Chilean, Argentinian and Bolivian.
• Figlio Battalion: mostly Italian; later merged with the Garibaldi Battalion.
• Garibaldi Battalion: Raised as the Italoespañol Battalion and renamed. Mostly Italian and Spanish, but contained some Albanians.
• George Washington Battalion: the second U.S. battalion. Later merged with the Lincoln Battalion, to form the Lincoln-Washington Battalion.
• Hans Beimler Battalion: mostly German; later merged with the Thälmann Battalion.
• Henri Barbusse Battalion: predominantly French.
• Henri Vuilleman Battalion: predominantly French.
• Louise Michel Battalions: French-speaking, later merged with the Henri Vuillemin Battalion.
• Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion: the "Mac-Paps", predominantly Canadian.
• Marseillaise Battalion: predominantly French-commanded by George Nathan.
  • Incorporated one separate British company.
• Palafox Battalion: Yugoslavian, Polish, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, Jewish and French.
  • Naftali Botwin Company: a Jewish unit formed within the Palafox Battalion in December 1937.
• Pierre Brachet Battalion: mostly French.
• Rakosi Battalion: mainly Hungarian, also Czechoslovakians, Ukrainians, Poles, Chinese, Mongolians and Palestinian Jews.
• Nine Nations Battalion (also known as the Sans nons and Neuf Nationalités: French, Belgian, Italian, German, Austrian, Dutch, Danish, Swiss and Polish.
• Six Février Battalion ("Sixth of February"): French, Belgian, Moroccan, Algerian, Libyan, Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Palestinian Jewish.
• Thälmann Battalion: predominantly German, named after German communist leader Ernst Thälmann.
  • Tom Mann Centuria: A small, mostly British, group who operated as a section of the Thälmann Battalion.
• Thomas Masaryk Battalion: mostly Czechoslovakian.
• Chapaev Battalion: composed of 21 nationalities (Ukrainian, Polish, Czechoslovakian, Bulgarian, Yugoslavian, Turkish, Italian, German, Austrian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Belgian, French, Greek, Albanian, Dutch, Swiss and Baltic).^[22]
• Vaillant-Couturier Battalion: French, Belgian, Czechoslovakian, Bulgarian, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.
• Veinte Battalion: American, British, Italian, Yugoslavian and Bulgarian.
• Zwölfte Februar Battalion: mostly Austrian.
• Battalion De Zeven Provinciën:Dutch