The International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom, and the Spanish Civil War

Journalist Tremlett (Isabella of Castile) presents an exhaustive history of the volunteer force of 35,000 fighters who came from 65 countries to support the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Vastly outnumbered by the Italian and German forces sent to aid dictator Francisco Franco’s army, members of the International Brigades were predominantly communist and 10%–20% Jewish, according to Tremlett. He describes many Brigade defeats, including a Christmas 1936 battle near Córdoba, when Brigaders with “just... five days of training and six shots each” suffered heavy casualties against hardened Francoist troops. He also details tensions between soldiers of different nationalities and profiles volunteers including Oliver Law of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, who became the first African American to command white troops in battle. Exploring the different roles Brigaders played when they returned home, Tremlett notes that many French volunteers were active in the Resistance during WWII, while some German volunteers led East Germany’s secret police during the Cold War. Though the individual stories get lost in the mountain of detail, Tremlett provides a lucid and thorough history of the Brigades’ military campaigns. Spanish Civil War buffs will savor this epic account. (July)