| XV International Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the XV International Brigade | |
| Active | January 1937 – 9 February 1939 |
| Country | United States,United Kingdom,Canada,Ireland,Bulgaria,Greece,Yugoslavia,France,Belgium, andCuba |
| Allegiance | .svg) Spanish Republic |
| Branch |  International Brigades |
| Type | Mixed Brigade – Infantry |
| Role | Home Defence |
| Size | Four battalions: the16th,17th,18th and19th (January 1937) |
| Part of | 35th Division (1937–1939) |
| Garrison/HQ | Albacete,Barcelona |
| Nickname(s) | Brigada Abraham Lincoln (American) |
| Motto(s) | "No pasarán!" |
| March | Jarama Valley andViva la XV Brigada |
| Engagements | Spanish Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Janos Galicz Vladimir Ćopić Robert Hale Merriman Milton Wolff Bill Alexander Tom Wintringham Malcolm Dunbar Veli Dedi |
TheXV International Brigade was one of theInternational Brigades formed to fight for theSpanish Republic during theSpanish Civil War.
The XVth Brigade mustered atAlbacete in January 1937. It consisted of English-speaking volunteers – arranged into four battalions: the mostly BritishSaklatvala Battalion, the mostly North AmericanLincoln Battalion, the BalkanDimitrov Battalion and the Franco-BelgianSixth February Battalion. The brigade fought atJarama,Brunete,Boadilla,Belchite,Fuentes de Ebro,Teruel and theEbro River.
The brigade's first combat, at theBattle of Jarama in February 1937, resulted in heavy casualties. The British lost 225 men out of 600,[1] the Lincolns 120 out of 500.[2] After the battle, the brigade was seriously undermanned.[citation needed]
At the end of March, a Spanish battalion,Voluntario 24 (the 24th Volunteers), joined the brigade. Over the next few months, under the close supervision ofJanos Galicz, the XVth was re-organized into two regiments of about 1,200 men. Galicz appointed "the gallant major",[3]George Nathan, as brigade Chief of Staff.
The first regiment, commanded byJock Cunningham, withHarry Haywood as political commissar,[4] was English-speaking and comprised the depleted British and Lincolns, as well as the recently formed but under-strength second battalion of American volunteers, known as the George Washington Battalion. The second regiment was commanded by Major "Chapaiev" (Mihaly Szalvay)[4] and consisted of the Dimitrov Battalion, the Sixth February Battalion, and theVoluntario 24 Battalion.
This was the composition of the XVth Brigade in July 1937 for theBattle of Brunete. As with the Battle of Jarama, the brigade suffered severe casualties; the brigade strength was reduced from six to four battalions. In particular, the two American battalions were so depleted that they merged to form the Lincoln-Washington Battalion.[5] (This name did not last: it was renamed the Lincoln Battalion in October 1937.) The Sixth February Battalion, which also suffered massive casualties, was transferred after Brunete. After Belchite, the nominally CanadianMackenzie-Papineau Battalion joined the brigade, while the Dimitrov Battalion departed.[citation needed]
The XVth International Brigade included African Americans in fully integrated units, unlike what was allowed in theU.S. Army in the 1930s.[6] The brigade also included volunteers from Canada and Latin America, some of whom felt slighted and mistreated by the Americans, and left the XVth to join other units such asEl Campesino's First Mobile Shock Brigade.[7][8]
During the autumn of 1937, the units of the International Brigade were consolidated into the Spanish Popular Army and the Battalions were re-numbered. The British Bn became the 57th, the Lincoln-Washington the 58th, the Spanish (formerly known as the 24th), became the 59th and the Mackenzie-Papineau the 60th. The battalion line-up remained stable through the withdrawal of the Internationals during the Ebro Campaign.[citation needed]
Music was an important means of lifting spirits within the International Brigades. The XVth Brigade's songs were "Jarama Valley" and "Viva la Quince Brigada".[9] After an invitation fromJ. B. S. Haldane,[10] American singer and activistPaul Robeson traveled to Spain in 1938 to bolster theRepublican cause.[11] He visited theBenicàssim hospital and sang to the wounded soldiers.[12] He also visited the battlefront[13] and provided a morale boost at a time when Republican victory seemed increasingly unlikely.[11]
During theCatalonia Offensive, the Brigade was unable to offer a firm resistance against the Nationalist advance and withdrew to theFrance–Spain border where it was disbanded on 9 February 1939.
On 13 March 2015, Dan Kaufman interviewedDelmer Berg, who at 99 years old was believed to be the last known survivor of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.[14] Berg died the following year on 28 February.[15]
| Date joined | Number | Battalion Name | Composition | Date left | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 1937 | 16th/57th | Saklatvala Battalion | British, Irish,Dominion | 23 Sep 1938 | Demobilized |
| 31 Jan 1937 | 17th/58th | Lincoln Battalion | American, Canadian, Irish, British | 23 Sep 1938 | Demobilized |
| 31 Jan 1937 | 18th | Dimitrov Battalion | Bulgarian, Greek and Yugoslav | 20 Sep 1937 | Moved to45th Div. Reserve |
| 31 Jan 1937 | 19th | Sixth February Battalion | French and Belgian | 4 Aug 1937 | Moved to14th Brigade |
| 14 Mar 1937 | 24th/59th | Voluntario 24 Battalion | Cuban | 10 Nov 1937 | Moved to a SpanishMixed brigade |
| 29 Jun 1937 | 60th | Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion | American and Canadian | 23 Sep 1938 | Demobilized |
| 4 Jul 1937 | 20th | Washington Battalion | American | 14 Jul 1937 | Merged with Lincoln Battalion[16] |
American Veterans of the XV Brigade collectively called themselvesVeterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (Spanish:Brigada Abraham Lincoln) when they returned from Spain. 2,800 Americans volunteered to fight for theSpanish Republic against theNationalists in theSpanish Civil War.[17] The Americans were chiefly organized into two battalions (Lincoln Battalion,Washington Battalion) that were assigned to theXV International Brigade (XV Brigada Internacional)
Del Berg, 99, is the last known surviving veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a contingent of nearly 3,000 Americans who fought to defend the democratically elected government during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s.
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