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30-902: Flechas Division (Flechas = Arrows, in Spanish) was created from the Flechas Negras Brigade expanded into a Division sized unit. It served in the Aragon Offensive and the March to the Sea, in 1938, during the Spanish Civil War . Italians from the Corpo Truppe Volontarie served in these mixed Italo-Spanish Flechas (Arrows) units where the Italians provided the officers and technical personnel, while

60-529: A policy of shooting commanders of retreating troops. This created discussion among the Communists since Lister was a Communist and the commanders being shot were also Communists. Even as Rojo ordered the Republican concentration at Caspe , the Italians were approaching Alcañiz , and the Republican rout became absolute. Even where a Republican unit would fight effectively, it had to fall back because of

90-566: A strategic mistake, but his intelligence reports suggested that to extend the conflict further into Catalonia might draw French intervention. He directed that the attack continue towards the sea. By April 15 the Nationalists had reached the Mediterranean sea at Vinaròs and by April 19, the Nationalists held 40 miles (64 km) of the Mediterranean coastline. This series of victories that started with Teruel inspired great confidence in

120-709: The XV International Brigade , with its US, Canadian and British complement, was the last unit out of the destroyed town. The commander of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion , part of the XV International Brigade, Robert Merriman , was killed during the retreat. A Soviet secret policeman had specially designed the fortifications at Belchite, but they fell easily to the advancing Nationalists. The Italians attacked at Rudilla , met some initial resistance and then, led by

150-614: The 60th. The battalion line-up remained stable through the withdrawal of the Internationals during the Ebro Campaign. 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 ". After an invitation from J. B. S. Haldane , American singer and activist Paul Robeson traveled to Spain in 1938 to bolster

180-915: The Americans, and left the XVth to join other units such as El Campesino 's First Mobile Shock Brigade. 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

210-512: The Battle of Teruel, half the Republican troops lacked even rifles, and since the best troops had been withdrawn to refit, the frontline defenders had no combat experience. The Republic could not replace its lost equipment as Soviet aid was starting to dry up. Essentially, the Republican army was surprised by the Nationalist attack. The Nationalists had redeployed their forces much faster than

240-587: The Black Arrows ( Flechas Negras Division ) broke through. Everywhere the Republican forces were falling back. Many, soldiers and officers, just ran, and the retreat became a rout. In addition, the spreading anti-Communist sentiment in the Republican Army deepened the demoralization. The Communist commanders were accusing each other of various acts of wrongdoing or failure to act. André Marty and Enrique Líster attacked each other. Lister started

270-499: The Italian General Mario Berti . A reserve commanded by García Escámez and García Valiño constituted the main force. José Enrique Varela with the army of Castile was to stand by, on the wings of the attack, at Teruel. The Condor Legion was also on standby. Colonel Ritter Von Thoma , its commander, convinced Franco to concentrate his tanks rather than spread them out. Because of the material losses at

300-566: The Lincolns 120 out of 500. After the battle, the brigade was seriously undermanned. 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 of Janos Galicz , the XVth was re-organized into two regiments of about 1,200 men. Galicz appointed "the gallant major", George Nathan , as brigade Chief of Staff. The first regiment, commanded by Jock Cunningham , with Harry Haywood as political commissar,

330-640: The Nationalist army was numerically inferior to the Republican forces, the Nationalists were better equipped and had almost 950 airplanes, 200 tanks and thousands of trucks. In addition to his foreign aid from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy , Franco by this stage had the advantage of controlling the efficiently-run industries in the Basque Country . The attacking army was commanded by Fidel Dávila Arrondo , with Juan Vigón Suerodíaz as his second in command. José Solchaga , José Moscardó , Antonio Aranda , and Juan Yagüe would command army corps alongside

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360-516: The Nationalists that the war was almost won. In the meantime, the French had reopened the border, and military aid that had been purchased and was piling up in France because of the embargo, streamed into Spain and to the Republican forces. This slowed the Nationalists as the Republican defense stiffened. The disaster was contained for the time being, and although the Nationalists pursued other attacks in

390-590: The Republican general staff thought possible. Although warned by spies, the Republican generals were convinced that the Nationalists would resume the Guadalajara offensive. Another error made by the Republican military leadership was assuming that the Nationalists were as tired and worn out as the Republicans. The Nationalist attack began on March 7, 1938, preceded by a heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. At 6:30 a.m., three Nationalist armies attacked

420-526: The Republican government, whose armament industry in Catalonia was already beleaguered. At the same time, however, Francisco Franco had concentrated the bulk of the Nationalist forces in the east and was preparing to drive through Aragon and into Catalonia and the Levante . The Nationalists were able to concentrate 100,000 men between Zaragoza and Teruel with the best troops in the lead. Even though

450-608: The Republican line stretched between the Ebro River and Vivel del Río . The northern part of the attack was carried out by Yagüe's elite Army of Africa , supported by the Condor Legion and forty-seven artillery batteries. The Nationalists broke the front in several places on the first day of the battle. Yagüe advanced down the right bank of the Ebro, slashing through all defences. Solchaga won back Belchite on March 10, and

480-431: The Republicans, forcing them to abandon position after position and attacked the retreating columns. Both Germans and Soviets learned valuable lessons in this conflict about the use of aircraft in support of infantry. On the ground, Lleida and Gandesa fell on April. One hundred and forty American and British soldiers from the XV International Brigade became prisoners of the Nationalists. Also on this day, Aranda's troops saw

510-533: The Spanish served in the rank-and-file. For its final campaign it was further strengthened and renamed Flechas Negras Division . Division "Flechas" - Mario Roatta Aragon Offensive The Battle of Teruel exhausted the material resources of the Republican Army , and wore out the veteran Republican troops. A slowdown of supplies from the Soviet Union exacerbated the difficulties of

540-830: The XVth Brigade in July 1937 for the Battle 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. (This name did not last: it was renamed the Lincoln Battalion in October 1937.) The Sixth February Battalion, which also suffered massive casualties,

570-473: The attack started again, this time in the area east of Zaragoza and Huesca . This part of the front that the Republic had held since August 1936, was lost in one day. The villages in eastern Aragon that had experienced social revolution, either by their own actions or from the anarchist columns from Catalonia, were all taken by the Nationalists, with many of the inhabitants becoming refugees. In this part of

600-464: The collapse of neighboring units. The Italian and German airplanes controlled the skies; their bombers attacked the fleeing Republican units with aerial protection from modern fighters. Karol Świerczewski , known as General Walter, commander of the International Brigades, barely escaped capture at the fall of Alcañiz. Finally, after two days of heavy fighting, Caspe fell on March 17 to Varela's attacking army. The International Brigade performed valiantly in

630-402: The defense, but was driven off. After eight days, the Nationalists were 70 miles (113 km) east of the positions they had held when the battle started. This first part of the offensive punched a huge hole in the front, created a salient from Belchite to Caspe to Alcañiz and back to Montalbán . The Nationalist Army now paused before the Ebro and Guadalupe Rivers to reorganize. But on March 22,

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660-721: The mostly British Saklatvala Battalion and mostly North American Lincoln Battalion . The XVth also included two non-English-speaking battalions, the Balkan Dimitrov Battalion and the Franco-Belgian Sixth February Battalion . The brigade fought at Jarama , Brunete , Boadilla , Belchite , Fuentes de Ebro , Teruel and the Ebro River . The brigade's first combat, at the Battle of Jarama in February 1937, resulted in heavy casualties. The British lost 225 men out of 600,

690-1169: The north toward the Segre River and in the Valencia area , the Aragon Offensive was for all intents and purposes concluded by April 19. The Nationalist attack was spent and the resistance on the coast was much more formidable. XV International Brigade Central Europe Germany Italy Spain ( Spanish Civil War ) Albania Austria Baltic states Belgium Bulgaria Burma Czechia Denmark France Germany Greece Italy Japan Jewish Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Slovakia Spain Soviet Union Yugoslavia Germany Italy Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United States The Abraham Lincoln Brigade ( Spanish : Brigada Abraham Lincoln )

720-562: The north, Republican forces pinned Solchaga down in the Pyrenees , but in the south, the Nationalists drove across the Maestrazgo. Almost everywhere, the Republicans started to fall apart. The various factions started to accuse each other of treachery. The Communists starved anarchist troops of needed munitions. André Marty , the overall commander of the International Brigades, travelled around looking for traitors, but he could not prevent

750-561: The offensive, Barbastro , Bujaraloz and Sariñena succumbed to the Nationalists. On March 25, Yagüe took Fraga and entered Catalonia. He attacked the next town, Lleida , but El Campesino held him off for a week, giving the Republicans a chance to withdraw with valuable equipment. The retreat of the Republican forces was covered by Colonel Durán 's Mountain Group in the Maestrazgo , the rugged mountainous area of southern Aragon. In

780-471: The sea for the first time. In the north, the Nationalist advance continued and by April 8, Barcelona's hydro-electric plants in the Pyrenees fell to the surging Nationalists. Barcelona's industries suffered a severe decline, and the old steam plants were restarted. The Nationalists could easily have taken Catalonia and Barcelona, but Franco made a decision to advance to the coast. This decision turned out to be

810-432: The virtual destruction of the International Brigades. Republican troops suffered arbitrary executions with officers sometimes being shot in front of their men. In general, the campaign seemed lost, and nobody knew where the rout would end. The campaign was decided by air power. The plains of Aragon provided easy landing fields allowing rapid air support from close behind the front. Nationalist aircraft continually drove back

840-695: 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) and consisted of the Dimitrov Battalion, the Sixth February Battalion, and the Voluntario 24 Battalion. This was the composition of

870-799: Was the name given to the 2,800 Americans who volunteered to fight for the Spanish Republic against the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War . The Americans were organized into several battalions ( Lincoln Battalion , Washington Battalion , etc.) that were assigned to the XV International Brigade ( XV Brigada Internacional ), which was one of many such mixed brigades within the International Brigades . The XVth Brigade mustered at Albacete in January 1937. It consisted of mainly English-speaking volunteers – arranged into

900-474: Was transferred after Brunete. After Belchite, the nominally Canadian Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion joined the brigade, while the Dimitrov Battalion departed. The XVth International Brigade included African Americans in fully integrated units, unlike what was allowed in the U.S. Army in the 1930s. The brigade also included volunteers from Canada and Latin America, some of whom felt slighted and mistreated by

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