XII International Brigade
The XII International Brigade was mustered on 7 November 1936 at Albacete, Spain. It was formerly named the Garibaldi Brigade, after the most famous and inspiring leader in the Italian Independence Wars, General Giuseppe Garibaldi.Structure
Its first commanding officer was a Soviet advisor of Hungarian origin, Gen. "Pavol Lukács", who went on to command the 45th Division of the Spanish Republican Army, and its first political commisar was Gustav Regler.
The brigade included, among others, the following battalions:
- Garibaldi Battalion – Albanian, Italian and Spanish volunteers, led by Randolfo Pacciardi.
- André Marty Battalion – Franco-Belgian volunteers.
- Dabrowski Battalion also known as the Dombrowski Battalion – exiled Polish volunteers
- Thaelmann Battalion – German and Austrian volunteers, led by Ludwig Renn.
- Figlio Battalion – Spanish volunteers
- Madrid Battalion – Spanish volunteers
- Prieto Battalion – Spanish volunteers
The Brigade fought in the battles of Madrid, the Corunna Road, Guadalajara, Guadarrama and Brunete.
