The 20th International Battalion ( —''Vigésimo Batallón Internacional'' or ''"Batallón 20"'' — ''Batallón Veinte'') was a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

History

The high number of casualties suffered by the

XV International Brigade The XV International Brigade was one of the International Brigades formed to fight for the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. History The XVth Brigade mustered at Albacete in January 1937. It consisted of English-speaking volunte ...

during the month of February 1937 prompted the General Staff of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la República'' ...

to create the 20th Battalion at the time of the

Fascist Italian Italian fascism (), also called classical fascism and Fascism, is the original fascist ideology, which Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini developed in Italy. The ideology of Italian fascism is associated with a series of political parties le ...

attack in Guadalajara in March. The 20th Battalion was formed by remnants of the 21st Battalion garrisoned at Pozo Rubio,

Albacete Albacete ( , , ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the area around the city is known as Los Llan ...

, new

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

s, as well as some soldiers and officers who had recovered from their wounds. It was made up of three companies of

fusilier ''Fusilier'' is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While ''fusilier'' is derived from the 17th-century French word – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in cont ...

s, a Polish/Czechoslovak Company, a French Company, an Anglo-American Company—which had an American, a Latin-American, and an Irish and British section, as well as a mixed machine-gun company of Germans and Austrians.Full text of "International Solidarity with the Spanish Republic (1936-1939)"
/ref> It was moved to

Puertollano Puertollano () is a municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha. The city has a population of 45,539 (2022). Contrasting to the largely rural character of the region, Puertollano stands o ...

—at the edge of the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

—and put under the orders of the Chief of the Army of Andalusia on 20 March. Later the 20th Battalion would be joined by two battalions, one of militias and a

Carabineros The was an armed carabiniers force of Spain under both the monarchy and the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic. The formal mission of this paramilitary gendarmerie was to patrol the coasts and borders of the country, operating against ...

battalion. Eventually the 20th Battalion became the nucleus around which the

86th Mixed Brigade The 86th Mixed Brigade (), was a mixed brigade of the Spanish Republican Army in the Spanish Civil War. It was formed in March 1937 with battalions of the ''Carabineros'' corps. Until its demise it operated mostly in the Sierra Morena area, at ...

would be established around the first half of April 1937.Manuel Requena Gallego (ed.), ''La Guerra Civil Española y las Brigadas Internacionales'', Ediciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (1998) p. 166 In January 1938, as a result of heavy restructuring, the 20th International Battalion was split into three battalions, the 20th, 21st and 22nd.Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República'', 1999; p. 114

References

External links

From Monageer to Spain – The Story of Peter Daly
International Brigades Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1938 {{SpanishCivilWar-stub