Hans Beimler Battalion

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Flag of the Interbrigades

The Hans Beimler Battalion was a unit of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War . The battalion was formed in March 1937. At the end of April it was officially named after Hans Beimler , who fell in defense of the university district of Madrid on December 1, 1936. The battalion consisted mainly of Dutch and Flemish as well as Scandinavians .

Commanders

Heinrich Schramm was the first commander of the Hans Beimler Battalion until July 1937 . Further commanders were Willy Schwarz (July – Nov. 1937), Fritz Klamm (Nov. – Dec. 1937), Max Doppler (Dec. – Jan. 1938) and Spanish commanders. Political commissioner was Ernst Braun when the battalion was formed . Heinz Hoffmann took over this function until July . Other political commissioners were Robert Weinand (July – Sept. 1937), Otto Kühne (Sept. – Dec. 1937), Hans Golz (Dec. – Jan. 1938) and Spanish political commissioners.

Beginnings

At the end of March 1937, before the battalion was officially named, after the Battle of Guadalajara it took up positions in front of the ridge of La Alcarria in the province of Guadalajara , a few kilometers from Troy, in the valley of the Badiel River. At the suggestion of the brigade command, the battalion was named Hans Beimler Battalion at the end of April . On April 21st the brigade flag was handed over at a parade in Troy.

First regrouping

After the Battle of Guadalajara in March 1937, the International Brigades were regrouped. The French Commune-de-Paris-Battalion was on March 9, 1937 of the XIV. International Brigade and the Hans-Beimler-Battalion of the XI. Assigned to the International Brigade. After the regrouping, the XI. International Brigade:

I. Edgar-André-Battalion
II. Thälmann-Battalion
III. Hans Beimler Battalion
IV. Pasionaria Battalion

Guadalajara Province

On June 11 and 12, 1937, the Hans Beimler battalion fought with the XI. International Brigade ( Thälmann ) at Utande in the province of Guadalajara. The village of Utande is located in a deep gorge through which the small river Badiel flows. Beyond the gorge there is an approximately 200-meter-high rock wall, partly interrupted by narrow terraces. Because of this topography , the nationalists assumed that no attack from Utande was to be feared. The XI. The international brigade climbed the steep face with the Hans Beimler battalion from June 11 to 12, 1937 on the right wing and penetrated the position of the nationalist battalion Vitoria . The battalion had the order to advance to the town of Padilla de Hita and to thwart a possible outbreak of the nationalists there. The Hans Beimler battalion, however, had to retreat after a surprise attack by Requetés coming from the direction of Padilla de Hita and overcome the climbed rock face and the valley floor without any cover. According to the eyewitness Heinz Hoffmann , the battalion then learned that the nationalists had already known in advance of the operation that the International Brigades were planning an attack on the La Alcarria ridge .

Second regrouping

From June 19, 1937, the XI was regrouped again. International Brigade : the Pasionaria battalion was replaced by the February 12 battalion and an unknown Spanish battalion .

Battle of Brunete

At the beginning of the Battle of Brunete on July 6, 1938, the 35th Division with the XI. International Brigade, 32nd Brigade and 108th Brigade reserve positions behind the 11th Division of Enrique Líster . After the deployment order from the Edgar André battalion and the Thälmann battalion around 11 a.m., the deployment order for the February 12th battalion was issued towards evening. On July 8, 1938, at 8 p.m., the Hans Beimler battalion intervened in the fighting in another section of the front. During the attack on the Quijorna cemetery , the battalion reached it, but could not take the cemetery and withdrew to its original position. During these battles, among others, the adjutant of the battalion Gustav Kern fell. On the following day, July 9, 1938, the February 12 battalion carried out another attack on the cemetery in the morning hours. Around 10 a.m., the two battalions took the Quijorna cemetery and the town of the same name. Towards evening the 35th Division received the order to attack in a southerly direction, with the XI. International Brigade took up reserve positions behind the 108th Brigade. On July 10, 1938 at 8 a.m., the Hans Beimler battalion and half of the February 12 battalion, excluding the Edgar André battalion and the Thälmann battalion, reached their positions. After the attack failed, another attack took place on July 17, 1938, which also failed. In the last two days of the battle of Brunete on July 26, 1937, the Thälmann battalion with the Edgar André battalion and the Hans Beimler battalion moved into new positions south of the road from Quijorna to Villanueva de la Cañada , with battalion 12 February remained in its original position. After the 32nd Brigade retreated , the February 12th battalion received the order to stabilize the front in this area and took positions between Quijorna and Villanueva de la Cañada next to the Thalmann battalion, so that the Thalmann battalion would hold the front line could.

Battle of the Ebro

The Hans Beimler Battalion was the first battalion to cross the Ebro between July 24 and 25, 1938 during the Battle of the Ebro .

Other members of the Hans Beimler Battalion

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hanns Maaßen : Brigada Internacional is our honorary name…. Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , p. 360.
  2. ↑ Patrik von zur Mühlen: Spain was your 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 , p. 213.
  3. ^ Journal of Contemporary History. Vol 4 Number 2 1969. (PDF; 1.4 MB), page 81, accessed on June 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ Hanns Maaßen: Brigada Internacional is our honorary name…. Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , p. 359.
  5. ^ Battalions and Brigades. PDF, accessed January 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar 1983, 5th edition, DNB 830793704 , p. 277.
  7. ↑ Hanns Maaßen: Brigada Internacional is our honorary name…. Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , p. 365.
  8. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar 1983, 5th edition, DNB 830793704 , p. 324.
  9. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar 1983, 5th edition, DNB 830793704 , p. 327.
  10. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar 1983, 5th edition, DNB 830793704 , pp. 334-355.
  11. ↑ Hanns Maaßen: Brigada Internacional is our honorary name…. Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , p. 459.
  12. ↑ Hugh Thomas: The Spanish Civil War. Ullstein Verlag, 1967, p. 419.