Why So Many Foreign Nationals Fought In The Spanish Civil War | Battlefield Mysteries | War Stories
TLDRThe video chronicles the story of the nearly 1,500 Canadian volunteers who journeyed to Spain to defend the Republic against the rise of fascism in the 1930s Spanish Civil War. Half never returned home, their fates buried for over 50 years. Historian Norm Christie uncovers the truth behind the missing Canadians who died fighting for the International Brigades. Their sacrifices and mass graves remain mostly unknown due to dictatorship erasing history. Only recently has Spain tried reconciling past conflicts to honor fallen soldiers. Bringing them justice and closure may help heal wounds still opened from the savage civil war.
Takeaways
- 😞 In 1936, hundreds of Canadian volunteers went to Spain to defend the Republic against the rise of fascism. Many never returned home.
- 😨 From 1936-1939, Spain was ravaged by one of the most savage civil wars of the 20th century.
- 💂♂️ In late 1936, the International Brigades arrived in Spain to defend Madrid, bringing a morale boost to the Republicans.
- 😓 The inexperienced volunteers suffered heavy casualties defending Madrid against the fascists.
- 😠 Over 10,000 lives were lost in the brutal fighting over Madrid in late 1936.
- 😎 By spring 1937, the Republicans were ready to launch counter-offensives against the fascists near Madrid.
- 😵💫 The bloody fighting at Brunete in July 1937 resulted in terrible casualties, including 24 dead Canadian volunteers.
- 😱 The September 1937 battle to capture the fascist stronghold of Belchite left the town in ruins, with casualty figures still unknown.
- 🤝 Canadian survivor Jules Paivio endured over a year as a POW before being released and returning home in 1939.
- 😢 Many Republican dead from the war, including international volunteers, remain in unmarked mass graves to this day.
Q & A
When did the Spanish Civil War begin?
-The Spanish Civil War began on July 17, 1936 when fascist Nationalists aided by the military launched a surprise coup against the Democratic Republic of Spain.
Who emerged as the leader of the fascist forces in Spain?
-In September 1936, General Francisco Franco emerged as the leader of the fascist forces in Spain.
Who were the International Brigades?
-The International Brigades were ragtag bands of civilian idealists and socialists from other countries who came to Spain to fight against the fascists. They added desperately needed combatants to defend the Republic.
Where did some of the fiercest fighting take place in Madrid?
-Some of the fiercest fighting took place at the University of Madrid campus which became a battleground. The pharmacy building still has scars from the fighting.
Where did the Canadian volunteers see their first major action?
-Many of the Canadian volunteers first saw major action at the Battle of Jarama in February 1937 as part of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. They suffered major casualties.
What happened to the dead Republicans and International Brigades?
-The vast majority of Republicans and International Brigades killed in battle were left unclaimed on the battlefields. Many still lay where they fell, lost to history.
What was the Valley of the Fallen?
-The Valley of the Fallen is a memorial and burial place built by Franco to honor the Fascist dead from the war. Franco himself is buried there.
How many International Brigade volunteers died in Spain?
-About 15,000 volunteers of the International Brigades were killed fighting in Spain. Most died on the battlefield and were never properly buried.
What happened to Spain after Franco's victory?
-After Franco's victory in 1939, Spain suffered under his fascist dictatorship for 36 years until his death. The fate of the Republic dead was suppressed.
Why are archaeologists now digging up mass graves?
-Archaeologists are now finally able to dig up mass graves of Republic dead to try to return some small measure of dignity and closure from the war.
Outlines
🎥 Overview of Canadians fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War
The script introduces the story of Canadian volunteers who traveled to Spain in 1936 to defend the Republic against the rise of fascism in the Spanish Civil War. It focuses on the experiences of 19-year old Jules Pavio and the sacrifices of the Canadian volunteers, many of whom were killed and remain buried in unmarked graves in Spain.
😞 Motivations for Canadian volunteers to fight in Spain
The paragraph discusses the motivations of the Canadian volunteers. Moved by newsreels showing the bombing and shelling of Madrid, they felt a duty to help defend the Spanish people against fascist aggression. Volunteers came from diverse backgrounds but shared an anti-fascist belief.
🔫 Baptism by fire for the Abraham Lincoln Battalion at the Battle of Jarama
The paragraph covers the first major battle for the Abraham Lincoln Battalion at Jarama in February 1937. Comprised of 450 volunteers including Canadians, the battalion suffered immense casualties of 127 killed in their first day of battle, with total losses of over 10,000 for both sides.
☠️ Thousands remain in unmarked mass graves at Jarama
The paragraph discusses the aftermath of the Battle of Jarama. Thousands of dead Republicans including International Brigades volunteers remain buried in unmarked mass graves. A memorial recognizes the fallen heroes, though their dignity was not restored until decades later after Franco's dictatorship ended.
😨 Canadians come under heavy fire at Mosquito Ridge
The paragraph covers the attack at Mosquito Ridge in the Battle of Brunete in July 1937. Many Canadian and American volunteers with minimal military experience went into their first battle, coming under intense machine gun and rifle fire as they tried to take the strategic fascist position.
💀 House-to-house combat leaves its scars on Belchite
The paragraph describes the intense urban fighting to capture the fascist stronghold village of Belchite in September 1937. Republicans resorted to ramming doors and using fuel drums to burn out buildings occupied by fanatical fascist defenders. The ruins still bear scars of the destructive six-day battle.
😰 Republicans routed and thousands vanish in March 1938 fascist offensive
The paragraph covers a major fascist offensive in March 1938 that routed the Republican army. Chaos led to the deaths and disappearance of thousands more Republican lives. Canadian volunteer Jules Pavio was nearly executed before improbably being captured for prisoner exchange instead.
🤝 Shared humanity emerges behind prison walls
The paragraph recounts Pavio's year-long imprisonment at the Burgos prison camp before his release and return to Canada in 1939. Harsh conditions were endured, but moments of shared humanity also emerged, like an emotional Christmas concert bringing guards and prisoners together.
❤️ International Brigades memorialize their fallen
As their 1938 Ebro offensive failed, International Brigades erected a monument to memorialize their dead. With no marked Republican graves from the war allowed under Franco’s regime, the monument and a lone marked brigadista grave represent a heartfelt tribute from volunteers to their fallen comrades.
🕳 The long-hidden dead of the Spanish Civil War finally laid to rest
Mass graves of Franco’s victims are now being exhumed, seeking to recover the dignity and properly memorialize Spain’s forgotten dead after decades of suppression under Franco’s dictatorship. Closing these wounds is seen as necessary for Spain to move forward.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Spanish Civil War
💡Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion
💡International Brigades
💡Francisco Franco
💡Republicans
💡Nationalists
💡fascism
💡The Disappeared
💡mass graves
💡historical memory
Highlights
In 1936, 19-year-old Canadian Jules Pavio was one of hundreds of Canadian volunteers who journeyed to Spain to defend the Republic against the rise of fascism.
Historian Norm Christie has come back to the Spanish Civil War battlefields to uncover the truth behind the fate of the missing Canadian volunteers.
The Spanish Civil War involved 40,000 international volunteers including 1,500 Canadians. Half of those men were killed and none have a grave - they simply vanished.
In November 1936, the International Brigades arrived in Madrid, bringing 3,500 desperately needed combatants to defend the city against Franco's forces.
In the Battle of Jarama in February 1937, 450 volunteers of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion suffered a bloody baptism of fire, with 127 killed on their first day.
At Brunete in July 1937, the Lincoln Battalion lost a third of all the Canadian volunteers who fought in the battle - 24 Canadians.
In March 1938, Franco launched a major offensive that routed the Republican army. New reinforcements including Jules Pavio were sent in to try to stop the advance.
Pavio was captured by Fascist soldiers and lined up against a wall to be executed, before a black limousine arrived and ordered them to be taken prisoner instead.
Pavio was held as a prisoner of war for over a year before being released and returning to Canada in 1939.
In July 1938, the Republicans launched one last major offensive against the Fascists in Catalonia, which quickly failed.
In September 1938, the surviving International Brigades were reluctantly sent home. 15,000 of their comrades had fallen in Spain.
After Franco's victory in 1939, the Fascists tried to erase all traces of the defeated Republicans and the foreign volunteers.
Archaeologists are now uncovering mass graves of people executed under Franco's regime. Up to 200,000 Republic supporters remain missing.
Many civilians and soldiers killed in the war were left in unmarked mass graves. Bringing dignity to these forgotten victims is an attempt to heal the wounds.
If Spain doesn't face this troubled past and restore justice, how can it move forward into the future?
Transcripts
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