André Marty Battalion

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flag of the Interbrigades

The André Marty Battalion was a largely Franco-Belgian battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War . It was also referred to simply as the Franco-Belge Battalion at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War . The André Marty battalion was completely wiped out in the battle of the Jarama while defending the El puente del Pindoque bridge . The battalion was named after the French André Marty . The battalion was also mentioned at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War at the Battle of Madrid by the photojournalist Endre Friedmann (pseudonym Robert Capa).

history

Battle for Madrid

On November 9, 1936, the XII. International Brigade with the André Marty Battalion, the Garibaldi Battalion and the Thälmann Battalion from Albacete , the headquarters of the International Brigades, ordered to Madrid . The commander of the XII. International Brigade was Máté Zalka , better known as General Lukacz . Luigi Longo was appointed political commissioner . The battalion was designated N o 6 .

The XII. International Brigade arrived in Madrid around the same time as the first anarchist CNT militia from Buenaventura Durruti . From November 12, 1937, the XII. International brigade with the André Marty battalion formation at Angel Hill ( Cerro de los Ángeles / Cerro rojo ) in southwest Madrid and fought from November 13 in the battle of Cerro de los Ángeles, in which the XII. International Brigade was involved in heavy and costly fighting.

In December 1936, Franco's troops tried to cut off the road to A Coruña in northeast Madrid in order to further encircle the city. The nationalist offensive began on December 3rd and intensified on December 13th. After the capture of Boadilla del Monte on December 14th, the two International Brigades were thrown into battle. After taking Boadilla del Monte and Villanueva de la Cañada , the nationalists ended the offensive.

Battle of the Jarama

At the beginning of the Battle of Jarama on February 7, 1937, the XII. International Brigade with the André Marty Battalion, the Dąbrowski Battalion and the Garibaldi Battalion positions on the Jarama River . A central goal of the nationalist troops was to break through the republican lines in this area in order to take the cities of Rivas-Vaciamadrid and Arganda del Rey and thus interrupt the supply of Madrid via the National Road III. The primary goal of the Franco offensive was to take the western bank of the Jarama with the adjacent heights of La Marañosa , and then to advance to Madrid over the El puente del Pindoque bridges at Soto de Pajares and the Arganda bridge near the town of Arganda del Rey. The André Marty battalion took up positions on the Jarama near the El puente del Pindoque bridge , the Dąbrowski battalion positions in the area of ​​the Arganda bridge and the Garibaldi battalion positions near Soto de Pajares.

On February 11, a small group of Moroccan colonial soldiers of the Spanish Legion crossed the Jarama unnoticed in the area of ​​the El puente del Pindoque bridge . They pushed into the positions of the André Marty battalion at Casas de Pajares . In this attack, the André Marty battalion was wiped out so that the nationalists were able to take the bridge El puente del Pindoque near the village of Soto de Pajares. The nationalist cavalry crossed the bridge under heavy Republican barrage. The nationalist cavalry overran the Republican Brigade and built a beachhead. Although the brigade's attached explosives detonated on the bridge, the bridge remained intact. The Republican Brigade met the remainder of the André Marty Battalion at the bridge and tried to stop the advancing cavalry with the Republican Brigade. During these battles the brigade was severely decimated.

After taking the bridge at El puente del Pindoque , the nationalists were able to build a bridgehead. But it succeeded the Garibaldi battalion of the XII. International Brigade to maintain positions on a hill at Soto de Pajares. The battalion prevented the nationalists from advancing further in this section of the front.

After the battle of the Jarama, the André Marty battalion was reconstituted. In June 1937 the André Marty Battalion split off from the XII. International Brigade. The battalion became part of the 150th Mixta Brigade. After the regrouping of the XIII. International Brigade after the Battle of Brunete , due to mutinies, the André Marty Battalion returned to the XII on August 4, 1937. International Brigade back.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ludwig Renn : Im Spanischen Krieg , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, order number 610 912 4, page 92
  2. ↑ Patrik von zur Mühlen: Spain was their hope (Left in the Spanish Civil War 1936–1939) , Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn, Verlag Neue Gesellschaft GmbH, 1983, ISBN 3-87831-375-6 , from page 183
  3. ↑ a b Sociedad Benéfica de Historiadores Aficionados y Creadores: Section Septiembre y octubre de 1936 ( Memento of the original of March 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 27, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sbhac.net
  4. ↑ La Guerra Civil en el Parque Lineal (III): el ataque de la XII Brigada Internacional al Cerro de los Ángeles ( Spanish ) parquelineal.es. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  5. ^ Hugh Thomas: The Spanish Civil War , Ullstein Verlag, Berlin West 1962, page 270
  6. ↑ a b El puente del Pindoque, restos de una Batalla ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Spanish), website with the map El puente del Pindoque: 11-12 de febrero, accessed May 9, 2012  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.parquelineal.es
  7. ↑ a b Batalla del Jarama (PDF; 405 kB), publication by the city of Arganda del Rey (Spanish), accessed on May 6, 2012
  8. ↑ El puente del Pindoque, restos de una Batalla (Spanish) ( Memento of the original from June 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Website with images of the battle for the bridge of El puente del Pindoque, accessed on May 9, 2012  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.parquelineal.es