The Yugoslav volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, known as Spanish fighters (Croatian: Španjolski borci, Slovene: Španski borci, Sr-cyrl-latn: Шпански борци) and Yugoslav brigadistas (Spanish: brigadistas yugoslavos), was a contingent of volunteers from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia that fought for the Republicans (in support of the Second Spanish Republic) during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

An estimated 1,664[1] "Yugoslav brigadistas" fought in the war, of which 800 were killed in action. According to Spanish statistics, 148 Yugoslav volunteers received the officer rank during the conflict.

The volunteers were recruited by the outlawed Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) in their home regions, or through the recruitment centre of the Comintern that Josip Broz Tito managed in Paris. There were four airmen among the volunteers, the most notable being fighter pilot Božidar "Boško" Petrović who attained the status of "flying ace".

The volunteers joined the International Brigades of the Spanish Republican Army. In October 1936, a Balkan regiment was formed from Yugoslav and other Balkanese volunteers, defending Madrid in the Battle of Madrid. The Balkan regiment was later renamed to Đuro Đaković Battalion and was part of the 13th (Polish) Dabrowski Battalion. Slovene volunteers from Italian-governed Yugoslav regions (Trieste, Istria) fought in the 12th (Italian) Garibaldi Battalion, while others fought alongside Czechs, Bulgarians and other nations in the Dimitrov Battalion which belonged to the 15th (Anglo-American) Lincoln Battalion.

The 15th (Lincoln) Batallion was commanded by CPY leader Vladimir Ćopić and fought in the Battle of Jarama in February 1937. The 13th (Dombrowski) and 15th (Lincoln) Battalions participated in the Battle of Brunete in July 1937, in which CPY leader Blagoje Parović was killed. 15th (Lincoln) Batallion also fought in the battles of Quinto and Belchite during the fall of 1937. At the Battle of Ebro in January 1938, the 129. international Brigade was formed mainly from Yugoslavs, it was commanded by Aleksej Demnijevski-Bauman and fought defensive battles south-west of the Ebro river in July 1938. In January 1939, at the end of the civil war, a Balkanese Battalion under the command of Kosta Nađ was formed for guarding the Republican retreat over the Pyrenee mountains to France.

Those who managed to retreat across the Pyrenees fell captive in internment camps in France, with about 250 fleeing to Yugoslavia during the summer and fall of 1941. Most of them immediately became eminent leaders of the resistance against the Nazi occupation.

Some of them were killed at the very beginning of the Second World War: Žikica Jovanović Španac, Milan Blagojević Španac, Branko Krsmanović, Marko Orešković, Franjo Ogulinac-Selja, Slobodan Mitrov-Danko, Jože Gregorčič. Many former members of the International Brigades ended up commanding armies of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II: Koča Popović, Peko Dapčević Kosta Nađ, Petar Drapšin, Stane Rozman, Dušan Kveder, Ivan Gošnjak, Srećko Manola, Veljko Kovačević, Ivan Rukovina and others.[2]

Composition

The exact number of Yugoslavs who volunteered in Spain is unknown and is still being researched. The Belgrade-based Association of Spanish Fighters, established in 1946, cites a figure of 1,775 confirmed members. It estimates 595 of these were killed in Spain, and another 116 in Yugoslavia during World War II.

The ethnic composition of Yugoslavs is also unknown. A surviving personnel archive of the 129th International Brigade, compiled in Barcelona in May 1938, lists 1,052 people originating from Yugoslavia. Ethnicity data is missing for 140 of them, and the remaining 912 are listed as 48% Croats, 23% Slovenes, 18% Serbs, 3.2% Montenegrins and 1.5% Macedonians.[3]

The matter is further complicated by the fact that only about a quarter (421) is estimated to have come directly from Yugoslavia. The rest were predominantly working class Yugoslavs who had emigrated elsewhere and then came to Spain from other countries, such as France (420), Belgium (191), the Soviet Union (84), Canada (83), the United States (57), and others.

Data about political affiliations of volunteers is also incomplete. Spanish sources say that out of 1,040 Yugoslavs on record some 561 self-described as communists, ten as social-democrats, eight were affiliated with the Croatian Peasant Party and four were anarchists. The remaining 457 had no political affiliation to declare.

Legacy

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Asociación Brigadistas Yugoslavos "Naši Španci Archived October 16, 2010 at the Wayback Machine" Retrieved 2012-02-29
  2. ^ Lenninists "International Solidarity With the Spanish Republic 1936•1939. Yugoslavia" Retrieved 2012-02-29
  3. ^ Milo Petrović, editor; (2014) Preispitivanje prošlosti i istorijski revizionizam. (Zlo)upotrebe istorije Španskog građanskog rata i Drugog svetskog rata na prostoru Jugoslavije. (in Serbo-Croatian) p. 243; [1] Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine

Sources