The Brigade volunteers were organised into battalions and columns according to language and origin. At the beginning, the people in charge were chosen by the volunteers themselves. Later on, however, they were appointed by the military staff according to the requirements of the war.
There was a political commissar together with every military chief, whose main work was political in nature (keeping up moral, rousing the troops politically, controlling their disposition and mood, etc.), although sometimes they also had to take on military tasks.
Seven brigades were set up (called XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, 129 and 150), each divided into three or four battalions of around 650 men. These battalions had clearly political names.
The first combat operations in which the Brigades took part were those of the Battle of Madrid, as from 4 November 1936, in an attempt to stop the first offensive of Franco’s army. Later on they were present at the hardest and bloodiest battles such as Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragón and the Ebro.
There was a political commissar together with every military chief, whose main work was political in nature (keeping up moral, rousing the troops politically, controlling their disposition and mood, etc.), although sometimes they also had to take on military tasks.
Seven brigades were set up (called XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, 129 and 150), each divided into three or four battalions of around 650 men. These battalions had clearly political names.
The first combat operations in which the Brigades took part were those of the Battle of Madrid, as from 4 November 1936, in an attempt to stop the first offensive of Franco’s army. Later on they were present at the hardest and bloodiest battles such as Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragón and the Ebro.
Comentarios