Thalmann Battalion

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The Thälmann battalion was part of the XI. International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War . Like the Thälmann , Centuria Thälmann group , the Thälmann battalion derived its name from Ernst Thälmann , who was chairman of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933 , was arrested by the National Socialists in 1933 and was imprisoned until his murder in 1944.

history

Thalmann Battalion

The Thälmann Battalion was the first battalion that was formed according to the organizational principles of the Fifth Regiment . The Thälmann battalion was set up in Navacerrada at the beginning of August on the orders of Juan Modesto of the Fifth Regiment. It consisted of five companies and an engineer unit . Since mid-August, the 2nd and 5th companies of the battalion fought in the front section near Guadarrama , with the Thalmann battalion remaining in Navacerrada until mid-September. From September the Thälmann battalion fought near Peguerinos and from mid-September after the battle of Talavera near Talavera and Seseña in the Tajo plain. After the decision of the republican government in Madrid , a Spanish people's army, the Ejército Popular de la República Española , was created at the end of October 1936 , so that the Thälmann battalion with the Acero companies and the Victoria brigade became part of the 1st Brigada Mixta. Enrique Líster became the commander of the 1st Brigada Mixta of the Spanish People's Army . From October 25th, the Thälmann Battalion was incorporated into the IX. Brigada Móvil de Choque, an international brigade. After the incorporation, the motorized brigade with 600 brigadists had the following structure:

I. German battalion (German)
II. Commune de Paris battalion (French)
III. Garibaldi Battalion
IV. Dąbrowski Battalion
V. Thälmann Battalion

As a result, on November 1, 1936, the IX. Brigada Móvil de Choque the XI. International Brigade . The unit fought in Villaverde , a suburb of Madrid, on November 5-6. In the fighting for Madrid, the XI. International brigade suffered high losses, so that the Thälmann battalion in Albacete had to be reformed.

XII. International Brigade

On November 9, 1936 , the Thälmann Battalion was reorganized in Albacete , the new headquarters of the International Brigades. Some members of the Thälmann battalion were former militiamen of the Centuria Thälmann . At the same time as the Thälmann battalion, the Garibaldi battalion and the André Marty battalion were also formed in Albacete. The three battalions became part of the XII. International Brigade with the following composition:

I. Thalmann Battalion

  • German company
  • Polish company
  • Balkan company
  • English machine gun unit

II. Garibaldi Battalion
III. André Marty Battalion

The commander of the XII. International brigade was Máté Zalka (better known as General Lukacz ). Luigi Longo was appointed political commissioner . Commander of the Thälmann battalion was Ludwig Renn . The battalion was named N o 5 .

After the formation in Albacete, the XII. International Brigade ordered to the Madrid Front , to Chinchón .

Battle for Madrid

Cerro de los Ángeles

View of the Cerro de los Ángeles complex

Through the success of the republican forces, which it with the XI. The international brigade and the anarchist CNT militia of Buenaventura Durruti succeeded in stopping the nationalists' advance in the university district in the north of Madrid , the Republican High Command decided to retake the Cerro de los Ángeles monastery and the Getafe airfield in the south of Madrid . The XII. International Brigade withdrew from Chinchón . Via San Martín de la Vega , the Thalmann battalion with the Garibaldi battalion and other Spanish brigades reached their starting position on La Marañosa . On November 13, 1937 at 10:15 am, the XII. International Brigade, but without the André Marty Battalion , advanced to the town of Perales del Rio . After the occupation of Perales del Rio and the securing of the town, the Thälmann battalion and the Garibaldi battalion advanced to the Cerro de los Ángeles monastery at 2:30 p.m. The Thalmann battalion managed to occupy positions on the monastery walls. Due to the fact that the Thälmann battalion lacked explosives, the battalion remained in positions in front of the monastery walls until evening. After the failed attack on the monastery on November 13, 1937, the Garibaldi battalion with the André Marty battalion retreated to Perales del Rio, and subsequently the Thälmann battalion. During this retreat, the military formation of the XII broke up. International Brigade completely, for example, the German company of the Thälmann Battalion returned to the base in Chinchón.

After the reorganization of the XII. International Brigade the following day, the Thälmann battalion received the order in the evening to relieve a Spanish unit on the Cabeza Fuerte hill . The Thälmann battalion moved out and occupied several hills, to the right of the Cabeza Fuerte hill . In addition, the Garibaldi battalion took up position to the right of the hill, with no position to the left of the Thalmann battalion. After a Spanish battalion on the left had withdrawn, the Thälmann battalion with the Garibaldi battalion received the order to withdraw on November 16, 1936 at 9:00 a.m. The battalion returned to its original position in Chinchón that afternoon.

University district of Madrid (Moncloa Palace)

On November 15, 1936, the nationalists broke the republican positions in the area of ​​the university district of Madrid. The nationalists managed to advance deep into the university district, despite fierce opposition from the XI. International Brigade , Column Durruti and other Spanish militia formations . Supported by strong artillery fire , Moroccan colonial soldiers and Foreign Legionnaires penetrated the university district of Madrid. Although violent counter-attacks by the XI. International Brigade and the Republican came, the nationalists managed to take two-thirds of the university complex.

View of the La Moncloa complex from the University of Madrid.

On November 17, 1936, the Thälmann battalion was ordered to this section of the front with the order to take the position of Casa de Velázquez . The XII. International Brigade should be between the XI. International Brigade and Spanish units on the left of the XI. Attack International Brigade. But the Thälmann battalion received the order, the Edgar André battalion from the XI. International Brigade at the Moncloa Palace . The German company of the Thälmann battalion and the Garibaldi battalion took up positions in a forest. In the immediate vicinity of the German company, the Polish company and the Balkan company of the Thälmann Battalion occupied positions in the Moncloa Palace. After an attack by the nationalists with tanks, the Polish and Balkan companies withdrew from their positions. The commander of the Thälmann battalion, Ludwig Renn , ordered the battalion's German company, which was in a reserve position , to counterattack immediately. The German company succeeded in this counterattack to stabilize the front line again. On November 21, 1936, a platoon of the Thälmann battalion attacked the lost buildings of the Moncloa Palace. The battalion succeeded in retaking the building complex, except for the main building of the Moncloa Palace. On November 22, 1936 at 8:30 a.m., another attack on the main building of the Moncloa Palace with three tanks took place, but it failed. The reason for this was that an anti-tank gun hit the first tank in the gate to the inner courtyard, so that it blocked the access to the main building of the palace. After the nationalists attacked some houses in the palace during the day and the Balkan company of the Thalmann battalion had withdrawn, the Thalmann battalion and the Garibaldi battalion tried to recapture these houses at 4:45 p.m. Only the Thälmann battalion succeeded in retaking some of these houses. After these battles on November 25, 1936, the Thälmann Battalion from the Edgar André Battalion of the XI. International Brigade relieved.

Furthermore, the Thälmann battalion fought in the areas of the Philosophical Faculty and in the University Hospital of the university district . In the university hospital, the Thälmann battalion placed explosive charges in elevators and sent them to the first floor, which was occupied by the Moroccan colonial soldiers, where they set off.

Regrouping of the XI. International Brigade

On November 29, 1936 the command of the XI. International Brigade to Hans Kahle , the commander of the Edgar André battalion and Ludwig Renn, the commander of the Thälmann battalion. Due to an attack by the nationalists on the Moncloa Palace and the death of Hans Beimler , the handover of command was delayed until December 1936. According to a list drawn up by the brigade leadership on December 3, 1936, the Thälmann battalion was 252 loud This list was the Thälmann Battalion already part of the XI. International Brigade. According to the list, the brigade had the following composition:

I. Edgar-André-Battalion
II. Commune-de-Paris-Battalion
III. Dąbrowski Battalion
IV. Thälmann Battalion

The brigade also included a Spanish battery , a cavalry peloton and an anti-tank group. In the course of a renewed regrouping of the international brigades for language homogenization, the XI. International Brigade regrouped. On December 4, 1936, the leadership of the XI. International Brigade from General Kleber to Hans Kahle and Ludwig Renn . After the regrouping, the brigade had the following composition:

I. Edgar-André-Battalion
II. Commune-de-Paris-Battalion
III. Thälmann Battalion
IV. Asturias Heredia Battalion

After the fierce fighting in the university district of Madrid, at the Moncloa Palace, the Madrid front calmed down, so that the XI. International Brigade was assigned to the reserve . On December 6, 1936, the brigade was withdrawn from the front line in the university district and took up reserve positions a little across the river Manzanares . The staff of the XI. International Brigade was in El Prado .

After the decision of the military leadership, the Spanish Asturias-Heredia battalion was split off from the XI. International Brigade, as this battalion was to become the nucleus of a new Spanish brigade. After Ludwig Renn , the Asturias-Heredia battalion was one of the best Spanish battalions.

Boadilla del Monte

In December 1936, Franco's forces attempted to encircle Madrid from the north-west in order to further encircle the city. Furthermore, the aim of the offensive was to cut off the water supply and electricity supply of Madrid from the Sierra de Guadarrama . This offensive is known in Spanish as the first battle for the road to Coruña (Primera Batalla de la Carretera de Coruña). The nationalist offensive began on December 3rd and intensified on December 13th. After the capture of Boadilla del Monte on December 14th, the International Brigades were thrown into battle. The Thälmann battalion with the Dąbrowski battalion succeeded in retaking Boadilla del Monte. After the village was surrounded by Franco's troops, heavy fighting broke out within Boadilla del Monte. The two battalions left 78 dead. Of the battalion's 18 former Englishmen, 8 had died in the earlier battles for Madrid. Another 8 died in these fights. After taking Boadilla del Monte and Villanueva de la Cañada , the nationalists ended the offensive.

Las Rozas

As early as January 2, 1937, in the run-up to the fighting at Las Rozas de Madrid , the Republican High Command learned that the nationalists were again planning to encompass Madrid from the north-west. The attack by the nationalists took place in the morning hours of January 3, 1937. The three international battalions of the XI. International brigades formed their own section staff with six Spanish battalions and held positions from Villanueva del Pardillo via Monte del Pilar and Pozuelo to Villa von Oriol near Madrid . On January 4th, the nationalists reached the first houses in Las Rozas on the railway line. The Republicans sent the Commune de Paris battalion to Pozuelo and the Edgar André battalion and the Thälmann battalion to Las Rozas as reinforcements . On January 5th, the nationalists attacked again and reached the road from Madrid to A Coruña, but the international brigades managed to maintain their positions. Nevertheless, the Thälmann battalion was surrounded. The next day, Kléber sent the Thalmann battalion an attack order. The survivors of the battalion reported to Kléber: “Impossible. The battalion has been destroyed. ”Only 35 brigadists from the former Centuria Thälmann survived this battle.

Due to the extremely high losses during the fighting near Las Rozas, the battalion was replaced by the Edgar-André battalion in the early morning hours of January 8, 1937 . After a renewed alarm on January 10, 1937, the order to leave came on January 11, 1937 with the order to move to Murcia in southern Spain without any military equipment .

Integration of Spaniards into the Thälmann battalion

Due to the losses of the XI. International Brigade at Las Rozas took place on January 19, 1937, after the brigade was moved to Murcia, the integration of 500 Germans into the Thälmann Battalion and the Edgar André Battalion. In addition, on January 23, 900 Spaniards were integrated into the International Brigade. The Spaniards are involved in such a way that a Spanish platoon was integrated into each of the four companies of the three international battalions, the Edgar André battalion , the Commune de Paris battalion and the Thälmann battalion . After the integration of the Spaniards, the XI. International brigade with the Spanish socialist Asturias-Heredia battalion half from Spaniards. After this regrouping, the XI. International Brigade the following composition:

I. Edgar-André-Battalion
II. Commune-de-Paris-Battalion
III. Thälmann Battalion
IV. Asturias Heredia Battalion

After the integration of another anarchist Spanish battalion into the XI. International Brigade on January 29th, the brigade received on February 4th, without the two Spanish battalions, the order to march to the central front in Morata de Tajuña near Madrid .

Battle of the Jarama

The battle of the Jarama began on February 5th with attacks on the republican positions in the valley between La Marañosa and Ciempozuelos . Parts of Sebastián Pozas' republican army were already on the run when the elite brigades of Enrique Líster and El Campesino stabilized the front. José Miaja also sent the XI. International Brigade with the Thälmann Battalion to the Jarama River . On February 9, 1937, the Republican units took up positions along the ridge on the east bank of the Jarama. Immediately after the arrival of the XI. International Brigade on January 11, 1937, a Spanish battalion was once again assigned to the brigade. After this regrouping, the XI. International Brigade the following composition:

During the battle, on February 12th, the XI. International brigade with the Thalmann battalion, the Dimitrov battalion and a Soviet tank unit, the nationalist brigade of Eduardo Sáenz de Buruaga returned to the Jarama river. On February 17, José Miaja ordered the XI., XII. XIV. And XV. International Brigade launched a major counterattack. These four International Brigades held the front from Arganda del Rey to Morata de Tajuña . The only success was that the nationalist troops in the northern part of the combat area in front of Arganda del Rey had to retreat. The International Brigades suffered heavy losses in these attacks.

Renewed regrouping of the XI. International Brigade

Before the Battle of Brunete in July 1937, the international brigades were regrouped. After the regrouping, the brigade had the following composition:

I. Edgar-André-Battalion
II. Thälmann-Battalion
III. Hans Beimler Battalion
IV. February 12th 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 Enrique Líster's 11th Division . After the deployment order from the Edgar André battalion and the Thälmann battalion at around 11:00 a.m., the deployment order for the February 12th battalion was issued towards evening .

On July 9, 1938, the 35th Division received orders to attack in a southerly direction, with the XI. International Brigade took up reserve positions behind the 108th Brigade. On July 10, 1938 at 8:00 a.m., the Hans Beimler battalion and half of the February 12 battalion reached the front section, with the Thälmann battalion and the Edgar André battalion remaining in their positions in the southern section of the front.

On July 25, 1938, due to the nationalist offensive to straighten the front line, the order to withdraw the XI. International Brigade from the positions at Quijorna. With the Thälmann Battalion, the Edgar André Battalion and the Hans Beimler Battalion, the brigade moved into new positions south of the road from Quijorna to Villanueva de la Cañada , north of the Morales brook, with the February 12th battalion in a starting position remained. With the retreat of the 32nd Brigade , the February 12th battalion received the order to stabilize the front in this area. To this end, the battalion moved into positions between Quijorna and Villanueva de la Cañada next to the Thälmann battalion. The action of the February 12th battalion allowed the Thälmann battalion to hold the front line.

Battle of Teruel

Ten days after the Battle of Teruel , in the Battle of Alfambra , the XI fought. International Brigade between February 5th and 8th 1938 in the area of ​​the Alfambra river , about 25 kilometers north of the city of Teruel . In this area, the nationalists began an offensive on Alto de Celadas and El Muletón , two hills from which the valley of the Alfambra river is dominated.

In April 1938, during the Aragon offensive , the XI. International Brigade at Tortosa to prevent the nationalists from advancing to the Mediterranean, although the brigade had already been largely wiped out by bombing.

Willi Bredel was war commissioner for the Thälmann battalion and recorded his experiences in the report Encounter on the Ebro (1939). Commander Ludwig Renn wrote the book The Spanish War about the Spanish Civil War . The XI. International Brigade (Thälmann Brigade), consisted of about 1,500 Germans, Austrians and Swiss. From 1936 to 1939 around 3,000 German-speaking anti-fascists died on the side of the Spanish Republic .

The song Spaniens Himmel by Gudrun Kabisch (pseudonym Karl Ernst) (text) and Paul Dessau (pseudonym Peter Daniel) (music) commemorates the participation of the Thälmann battalion in the Spanish civil war. It is still widespread in the socialist movement today, sometimes even known as the Thälmann Battalion . A well-known interpreter of this and other songs from the Spanish Civil War was Ernst Busch .

Companies of the Thälmann Battalion

  • Machine gun company
  • Primera Compañía Alemana (German company)
  • Compañía balcànica (Balkan Company)
  • Compañía polaca (Polish company)
  • Grupo inglés-ruso blanco (English and Belarusian companies)
  • Batería “Thaelmann” (Thälmann battery)

Other members of the Thälmann battalion

literature

  • Max Hewer: From the Saar to the Ebro. Saarland as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. 2nd, corrected edition, Blattlausverlag, Saarbrücken 2016, ISBN 978-3-945996-08-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Carlos A. Pérez: El Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares, Unidades organizadas e incluidas en el Quinto Regimiento (Spanish) , accessed on February 4, 2014
  2. ↑ Sociedad Benéfica de Historiadores Aficionados y Creadores: Section 22 de 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 on August 27, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sbhac.net
  3. ↑ Brigadas Internacionales, Milicias Populares Centuria Commune de Paris (Spanish) ( Memento of December 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 13, 2012
  4. ^ Ludwig Renn : In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, page 74
  5. ↑ Structure of the international brigades ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 27, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.guerracivil.org
  6. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, page 90
  7. ^ Journal Contemporary History (PDF; 1.4 MB) Vol 4, Number 2, 1969, page 81, accessed June 30, 2012
  8. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 90 to 112
  9. ↑ Patrik von zur Mühlen : Spain was your hope. The German Left in the Spanish Civil War 1936 to 1939 , (PDF file; 9.7 MB), Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn, Verlag Neue Gesellschaft GmbH, 1983, ISBN 3-87831-375-6 , (a) Page 183ff., (B) Page 212ff.
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ^ Battle of Cerro de los Ángeles Guerra Civil en el Parque Lineal (III): el ataque de la XII Brigada Internacional al Cerro de los Ángeles , Spanish, accessed June 27, 2012
  12. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 112 to 126
  13. ↑ The Spanish Civil War - Part 3 - Battleground for Idealists Eyewitness report by Willi Bürger vom Thälmann-Bataillon, adjutant of Ludwig Renn , film sequence from minute 27:30 (no longer available)
  14. ↑ a b c d Hugh Thomas : The Spanish Civil War , Verlag Ullstein, Berlin West 1962, (a) page 256, (b) page 270, (c) page 272, (d) page 291
  15. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, page 129
  16. ↑ a b Patrik von zur Mühlen : Spain was their hope. The German Left in the Spanish Civil War 1936 to 1939 , (PDF file; 9.7 MB), Research Institute of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Bonn, Verlag Neue Gesellschaft GmbH, 1983, ISBN 3-87831-375-6 , (a) from page 212, (b) page 213
  17. ↑ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, page 130
  18. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 132 to 133 and 138
  19. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 132 to 133 and 138
  20. ↑ a b c d Antony Beevor : The Spanish Civil War , 2nd edition, ISBN 978-3-442-15492-0 , (a) page 245, (b) page 405, (c) page 412, (d) page 273
  21. ^ Ludwig Renn : In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 161, 162 and 174
  22. ↑ Hanns Maaßen : Brigada Internacional is our honorary name ... , Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , page 176
  23. ^ Ludwig Renn : In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 161, 162 and 174
  24. ↑ Ludwig Renn : In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 180, 185 and 197
  25. ^ Ludwig Renn : In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 200 to 202
  26. ^ Battalions and Brigades , accessed January 20, 2014
  27. ^ Ludwig Renn: In the Spanish War , Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin and Weimar, 5th edition 1983, pages 334 to 355
  28. ^ Hanns Maaßen: Brigada Internacional is our name of honor ... , Röderberg-Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt / Main 1976, ISBN 3-87682-515-6 , page 459
  29. ↑ kfsr.info: A stumbling block for Franz Vehlow (alias Louis Schuster) in Cologne. (Documents on Franz Vehlow from the Werner Abel archive (AWA)), accessed on October 2, 2018

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