Dabrowski Battalion
| Dabrowski Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1936-1939 |
| Country | Poland |
| Allegiance |
.svg){kind=small} Spain
|
| Branch |
 11th Mobile Brigade (XI "Hans Beimler" International Brigade), XII International Brigade, 150th International Brigade, XIII International Brigade
|
| Type | Battalion of the International Brigades |
| Nickname(s) | Dąbrowszczacy |
| Motto(s) | For our freedom and yours |
| Mascot(s) | Jarosław Dąbrowski |
| Engagements | Siege of Madrid, Battle of Jarama, |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Józef Strzelczyk |
The Dabrowski Battalion, also known as Dąbrowszczacy (Polish pronunciation: [dɔmbrɔfˈʂt͡ʂat͡sɨ]) was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was initially formed entirely of volunteers, "chiefly composed of Polish miners recently living and working in France and Belgium". Because of the relatively short travelling distances, these men were amongst the first to arrive in Spain. The battalion had a strong Polish flavour and even when, towards the end of the war, Poles were heavily outnumbered by Spanish troops, the officers and non-commissioned officers were still predominantly Polish. It fought from 1936-1939.
It fought with great honour and took appalling casualties.
The battalion was raised in Albacete (the headquarters depot of the International Brigades) in mid-October 1936.
This battalion was originally part of XI Brigada Movil ("11th Mobile Brigade") which was formed 14–17 October 1936. The volunteers were grouped by language into four battalions to make communication easier. On 22 October 1936, the IX Brigada Movil was renamed the XI International Brigade (also known as the 13th Hans Beimler Brigade), with General "Kléber" (Manfred Stern) commanding. The four component battalions were renamed as follows:
About 5,000 Poles fought in that unit. The Brigade was named after the 19th century Polish general Jarosław Dąbrowski. The unit was formed as Dąbrowski's battalion in October 1936; in June 1937 it was reorganised into the 150th Brigade, which in addition to two Polish battalions (Dąbrowski's and Palefox's) included also a Hungarian (Rakosy's) and a Belgian-French (Marty's) one. In August it was renamed again to the 13th Dąbrowski's International Brigade. The brigade was demobilized in 1938 but volunteered back to service in 1939. On 9 January it crossed the French border and was finally dissolved; most of its soldiers were interned.
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Wikipedia