This article is about volunteers of Polish nationality or extraction who fought for the

Spanish Second Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

in 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 ...

. According to

André Marty André Marty (6 November 1886 – 23 November 1956) was a leading figure in the French Communist Party (PCF) for nearly thirty years. He was also a member of the National Assembly, with some interruptions, from 1924 to 1955; Secretary of Comintern ...

, the Comintern "chief organiser", about 3,000 Poles volunteered for the International Brigades. Elsewhere, it has been calculated that 5,400 Poles fought in Spain. The majority (3,800) were miners working in France, 300 were Polish-Americans, and several hundred were Poles living in various European countries. Only 800 came from Poland itself.

The ''Dąbrowszczacy''

The International Brigades often named its battalions and brigades using stirring historical symbolism. Such symbols included the Italian leader, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the French anthem,

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...

, and contemporary political figures, such as

Ernst Thaelmann Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (1975 ...

. The 19th century Polish general,

Jarosław Dąbrowski Jarosław Żądło-Dąbrowski (; 13 November 1836 – 23 May 1871), also known as Jaroslav Dombrowski, was a Polish nobleman and military officer in the Imperial Russian Army, a left-wing independence activist and radical republican for Poland ...

was an obvious choice, too. General Dąbrowski was involved in the January Uprising, in a plot against

Tsar Alexander II Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Fin ...

and imprisoned. In 1865, he fled and escaped to France. In 1871, he was elected to the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

and took over the defence of the city. He was killed on the barricades, "fighting gallantly" for a foreign cause. Throughout the

, the name ''Dabrowski'' was used in addition to the unit designation for units with a Polish connection or component. These include the

Dabrowski Battalion The Dabrowski Battalion, also known as Dąbrowszczacy (), was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was initially formed entirely of volunteers, "chiefly composed of Polish miners recently living and working in F ...

, 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. ...

(also known as the ''13th Dabrowski Brigade'') and the 150th International Brigade. See below. Even today, in Poland, Polish veterans of the

are known as the " Dąbrowszczacy".

The International Brigades

The International Brigades were international in character. Initially, for ease of communication, units were grouped by language or ethnicity. As the war progressed, and the casualty rates increased, this policy eased and reinforcements of Spanish conscripts were sent wherever they were required. The following battalions all had strong Polish connections.

Dabrowski Battalion

Raised in October 1936, the

was one of the first international battalions raised. The first Poles to arrive were miners from the Polish mining communities in Northern France and Southern Belgium. Its first commander was Stanislaw Ulanowski (a former corporal in the Polish army); later Major Tadeusz Oppman took command.

Palafox Battalion

The

Palafox Battalion The Palafox Battalion was a volunteer unit of largely Polish and Spanish composition in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. It was named after José de Palafox, a Spanish general who successfully fought French Napoleonic for ...

was formed on 28 June 1937 as a unit of the 150th International Brigade. It was formed from Poles, and Soviet citizens, with a nucleus of Spanish volunteers from the '' La Pasionaria Battalion''. "Most of the four companies were commanded by Red Army lieutenants". On 4 August 1937, two of its companies were sent to reinforce

, with the remaining companies following in early October. On 12 October 1936, the Palafox Battalion was merged with Mickiewicz Battalion to form the 4th battalion of

. It remained with the 13th Brigade until the International Brigades were disbanded on 23 September 1938.

Mickiewicz Battalion

1 Coy: 2 Coy: Naftalí Botwin 3 Coy: Adam Mickiewicz (el 4.Oct.1937 forma batalló) 4 Coy: Taras Szewczenki (6.Jul.1937- 2.Aug.1938) 5 Coy: Ludwig Warynski

The "Dabrowski" Brigades

: Main articles:

and 150th International Brigade The

was first formed in December 1936 and named after

. Strangely, it did not contain many Poles in its component battalions. The following July (1937), it was disbanded, together with its battalions, and the men and equipment were dispersed amongst the other International Brigades. On 4 August 1937, it re-formed as a predominantly Polish Brigade. The 150th International Brigade was formed in July 1937.

After demobilisation

A reformed ''Dabrowski Brigade'', led by Henryk Torunczyk was formed in January 1939 from stragglers and veterans who remained in Spain after demobilsation. It took part in the Battle of Barcelona. Survivors crossed the Pyrenees with the remnants of the Republican general staff after the fall of Barcelona . On 9 January it crossed French border and was finally dissolved, most if its soldiers were interned. Most of Dąbrowszczacy were members of the

Communist Party of Poland The interwar Communist Party of Poland ( pl, Komunistyczna Partia Polski, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland a ...

. For their communist orientation they were condemned by the authorities of the Second Polish Republic, which cancelled citizenship of many of them (in spite of the fact that Poland was the third biggest arms supplier to the Republic, after the USSR and Mexico). On the other hand, they were portrayed as heroes in the People's Republic of Poland; many of them served in the

Berling Army Berling may refer to: *Berling, Moselle, France * Berling (surname) *Berlingr, a dwarf in the short story " Sörla þáttr" See also * Berlin (disambiguation) * Berlinger (disambiguation) *Berlingske ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berli ...

Armia Ludowa People's Army ( Polish: ''Armia Ludowa'' , abbriv.: AL) was a communist Soviet-backed partisan force set up by the communist Polish Workers' Party ('PR) during World War II. It was created on the order of the Polish State National Council on 1 ...

and

Gwardia Ludowa Gwardia Ludowa (; People's Guard) or GL was a communist underground armed organization created by the communist Polish Workers' Party in German occupied Poland, with sponsorship from the Soviet Union. Formed in early 1942, within a short time Gw ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

.Instytut Pamieci Narodowej
''Dąbrowszczacy'' The official rehabilitation came when Polish government issued medals to Polish Spanish Civil war veterans. The first was a white-metal badge - the ''Odznaka Pamiątkowa Dąbrowszczaków'' (the " Jarosław Dąbrowski Brigade Commemorative Decoration") - issued in 1945 to soldiers of the

. The second was a white-metal medal - the ''Medal Za Waszą Wolność i Naszą'' ("Medal ''

for our freedom and yours For our freedom and yours ( pl, Za naszą i waszą wolność) is one of the unofficial mottos of Poland. It is commonly associated with the times when Polish soldiers, exiled from the partitioned Poland, fought in various independence movements ...

''") - issued by decree of the State Council of Poland of 18 October 1956. It was awarded to all Polish volunteers who participated on side of the Republic. The ribbon is red with a central white band, reflecting the Spanish Military Order of Merit.

Notable people

* General "Walter" (

Karol Świerczewski Karol Wacław Świerczewski (; callsign ''Walter''; 10 February 1897 – 28 March 1947) was a Polish and Soviet Red Army general and statesman. He was a Bolshevik Party member during the Russian Civil War and a Soviet officer in the wars foug ...

) - Commanded

XIV International Brigade 300px, A memorial commemorating the International Brigades The XIV International Brigade was one of several international brigades that fought for the Spanish Second Republic during the Spanish Civil War. History and structure It was raised on ...

and 35th International Division * Major "Edward"

Bolesław Mołojec Bolesław Mołojec (pronounced ; born 9 February 1909, Henryków, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County – died 29 or 31 December 1942, Warsaw), known under ''noms de guerre'' "Edward" and "Długi", was a Polish communist activist and commander of Int ...

- Commanded

* Henryk Torunczyk (1909-1966) - Led the "revived" brigade in 1939 * Jozef Strzelczyk - International Brigade commander * Waclaw Komar - Commanded CXXIX International Brigade (129th International Brigade) * Stanislaw Ulanowski - Commanded

* Tadeusz Oppman - Commanded

* Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz - served as an advisor to

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

Trivia

The motto of the Educational Unit of VALB (''Veterans of the

Abraham Lincoln Brigade The Abraham Lincoln Brigade ( es, Brigada Abraham Lincoln), officially the XV International Brigade (''XV Brigada Internacional''), was a mixed brigade that fought for the Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War as a part of the Internation ...

)'' is ''"For our freedom and yours"'', the Dabrowski motto.

External links

A Telling Omission: Polish participation in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War
*
Udział Polaków w hiszpańskiej wojnie domowej 1936-1938

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= Beevor, ''Battle for Spain'' p. 116 Beevor, ''Battle for Spain'' (2006), p 163 Marty Attrib. S Álvarez, ''Historia Política y Militar de las Brigadas Internacionales'' (Madrid 1996) p309 Polish Decorations website
/ref> Thomas, ''The Spanish Civil War'' Poland–Spain relations es:Brigada Dabrowski gl:Brigada Dabrowski pl:Dąbrowszczacy