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. Its first commanding officer was a soviet advisor of Hungarian origin, Gen. "Pavol Lukács" (Máté Zalka), who went on to command the 45th Division of the Spanish Republican Army (he was killed during the Huesca Offensive).

The brigade included, among others, the following battalions:


 * Garibaldi Battalion - Albanian, Italian and Spanish volunteers
 * André Marty Battalion - Franco-Belgian volunteers (named after André Marty)
 * Dabrowski Battalion also known as the Dombrowski Battalion - exiled Polish volunteers
 * Thaelmann Battalion - German and Austrian volunteers (named after Ernst Thälmann)
 * Figlio Battalion - Spanish volunteers
 * Madrid Battalion - Spanish volunteers
 * Prieto Battalion - volunteers