SCW Anarchist Militia

[Peter]

Hi,

Back to Spanish Civil War with a new Republican unit: the Anarchist Militia. And more precisely, their British Battalion.

Anarchists play an important role at the first stages of SCW. Despite the bad behaviour of some anarchist individuals (mostly former criminals and members of the FAI) that prosecute and murder people suspicious of being Franco’s supportive, but also simpler Catholics or wealthy people, the Anarchist first line units fight magnificently and making probe of a great deal of courage. The Catalan Durriti column, play an important role helping to stop the fascist attacks at the outskirts of Madrid and raising the morale inside the almost surrounded city. After the death of Durriti in confuse circumstances during the fight on the University Area, their militiamen attack in revenge the fascist’s stronghold at Clinic Hospital (from where they suspect Durruti was aimed and shot) taking an horrible toll of 70% casualties.

Anarchist units had a good deal of foreigners fighting on them, being the most popular example George Orwell, who joins the POUM militia.

Later on the war, with the Communists taking the leadership of the Republican army and with the Russian advisors fearing the good reputation of the Anarchism amongst the Spanish low class workers and farmers and the risk of their political theories spreading all over Europe (Spain was full of left-handed people from all European countries fighting on the Republican side) they disbanded the all-anarchist-units or committed them on nearly suicidal and unsupported attacks.

The Karma play is role when the Russian advisors returned to the Soviet Union after the war. With the Soviet leaders fearing they could be contaminated by revolutionary ideas taken during the SCW, most of them were arrested, tortured and executed or sent to the Siberian camps.

Many thanks for your time!

[Bluefalchion]

Gorgeous figs, nice paint! How can I tell which are Brits?

[Wiking]

Interesting text.

A few of them would work quite well as WWII partisans too.
The kneeling captain with the pistol is a useful pose. As the running one who hold his helmet with his hand. The most of the other are pretty standard.

Colorfull flag.
Nice paint figure.

[sprinkles]

Love the armoured car, thats another thing to add to the 'want' list!. Great stuff!

[Kostis Ornerakis]

My compliments too.

Love the armoured car

Excellent work on the rusted surface.

[Cryns]

Thanks for the pictures and the supporting text.
Very interesting.
Nice work of yours.

Dutch communists too went to Spain to fight fascism.
After return to the Netherlands (if they survived) they were considered 'unwanted civilians' because they fought in foreign service. Something thats pretty actual today again, with Islamic fighters returning from Syria to their European home countries bringing back unwanted ideologies and methods. What to do with them?

How can I tell which are Brits?

As I understood it, all of these are Brits in hotch potch equipment gathered in Spain.

The armoured car is terrific. Looks like a Batmobile. Is it historical? It must be, because what we are used to see from you is always historical. Is it a factory designed military vehicle? Or a conversion made by the anarchists themselves? It looks pretty aerodynamic.

[Durruti]

Fantastic figures and vehicles! I recognize Minairons and a few BUM - any others? I always thought some of the Caesar WW2 resistance sets would make good SCW militia.

Must confess I'm puzzled by this British Battalion flag which I've seen in colour plates in books like "Guerra Civil Y Sus Banderas (1936-1939)" https://www.amazon.es/Guerra-Civil-Sus-Banderas-1936-1939/dp/849508872X however I've not been able to track down a photo or original flag it's based on. The text in that book claims it was an anarchist unit but the problem is that there was only one "British Battalion" in Spain and that was part of the 15th International Brigade under Communist Party control. The hammer-and-sickle device would point to it being one of their flags as it's not something an anarchist unit would use but, on the other hand, the red/black colour is something normally associated with the anarchists.

All the names of British volunteers in Spain are known (MI5 kept records on them!) and have been released by the National Archives http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11541641 Besides the International Brigades they include a section of Independent Labour Party volunteers in the POUM militia (including Orwell) plus a number of individuals who fought in various other units including anarchist ones and even a few on Franco's side.

[despertaferro]

Dear colleagues, thank you very much for your comments!

First of all, I made a mistake: when I wrote -fighting on-, I meant to say -fighting for-. I should not make such mistakes, for good's sake! My English sucks...

Bluefalchion: do not forget that the foreigner volunteers fighting for the Republican side were not like the German “Condor Legion” or the Italian “Corpo di Truppe Expeditionare”, who were regulars sent by Hitler or Mussolini to help Franco and the Spanish fascism. The men joining the Republican cause were civilians, mostly workers and intellectuals, who reach Spain by their own means or in small groups. As an example, few people know that the first foreigners to join the republican cause were a group of German athletes who were in Barcelona for the Mediterranean Olympic Games when Franco's made up is fascist push. (I don't understand why Germans never made a Film out of this: the fact that on 1936 N**i ruled Germany, so many Germans were brave enough to elude its own authorities control and join the Republican cause knowing that there would not way back for them).

Wiking: here the link to the figures just in case you're interested on them http://www.minairons.eu/en/1-72-scale-f ... 21058.html

sprinkles: same about the armoured car http://www.minairons.eu/en/1-72-scale-v ... 20440.html I believe Minairons made a deal with Plastic Soldier, so they can sale each other miniatures.

Mr. Cryns: Same happened to all the volunteers when they returned home. American SCW veterans were who suffer the most once back to their country. Let me tell you that the parallelism you stablish between them and the European Islamic fighters in Syria today, some may consider a bit controversial (I know you do not mind being controversial... ). The volunteers who join the Republican side (communists or not) were not ghetto's inhabitants, misfit individuals or cannon fodder with no future at all. They left their homeland and their works following the romantic idea of fighting for what they believe were a just cause and to stop the fascism spreading all over Europe. Some American and Canadian volunteers join the Medical Corps and bought ambulances with their own money. Some, like the French writer and adventurer André Malraux, help to break the International blockade that prevent the Republicans for importing war material and bought planes for them.

The armoured car represents a real model, some of the few manufactured in some numbers. There were many of these tries, turning existing truck models into armoured vehicles, with different levels of success. Of amateur production, most of them unique, underprotected, underpowered and without off-road capabilities, they were used mostly on urban fights. The industrial regions like Catalonia or the Basc Country produced the only decent designs, being this one amongst the best of them. Built on the chassis of the excellent Hispano-Suiza T-69 heavy truck, some were captured by the nationals and fitted with a T-26 turret, cannibalized from destroyed or captured tanks.

Durruti: I can't answer you question, maybe you know more than me about it . I found references of foreign volunteers being part of the Anarchist Columna Durruti: the "Sébastien Faure" century (French and Italians), the "Sacco & Vanzetti" century (Americans) and the "Erich Mühsam" century (Germans). But nothing about an all-British century or Battalion. Maybe the flag is an artistic interpretation made by the manufacturer (Minairons).
I was thinking on Caesar figures but finally discarded them. Most figures are Minairons with just four BUM sneaked in for variety.

Many thanks for your attention!

[Bluefalchion]

Thanks for the additional explanations to all who contributed here. This thread and threads like these are some reasons why I love this forum so much.