Rakosi Battalion
The Rakosi Battalion ( Rakosi ) was a largely Hungarian battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. In Rakosi Battalion served 524-1500 Hungary, communists mainly well-educated. Namesake of the battalion was the socialist Rákosi group that joined the militia units. The group was named after Mátyás Rákosi, a Marxist politician from Hungary. When naming Matyas Rakosi was in Hungary in prison under the Horthy regime.
Like all battalions, the battalion of the Comintern and the Soviet NKVD security service was organized and supervised. Political Commissar of the Rákosi Btaillons was László Rajk, later the Hungarian Interior Minister and Foreign Minister. Furthermore Ferenc Munnich (pseudonym Otto Flatter ), who later also Political Commissar of the XI. International Brigade ( Thalmann ) was. From 1958 to 1961 he was Prime Minister of Hungary.
History
JSU / UHP militiamen
On July 19, 1936, joined the Hungarian participants, who were at the opening of the People's Olympics in Barcelona, on the Republican militias. They formed the group Rákosi. These joined a socialist militia unit of Juventudes Social Followings Unificadas ( JSU ) and UNIOS Hermanos Proletarios ( UHP) and fought on the Aragon front. The Rákosi unit was later in the XI. Integrated International Brigade and was the nucleus of the Rakosi Battalion.
XI. International Brigade ( Thalmann )
The international Columnas (columns ) and Centuries ( hundreds ) have been reorganized according to the Decision of 28 September 1936 establishing the International Brigades ( Brigade Mixta ). As JSU / UHP militia unit Columna de Ferro Hungarian militiamen were a unit in the XI. International Brigade. The XI. International Brigade consisted of three battalions. The Edgar André Battalion, with the hard core of veterans Thalmann column, the Hungarian Columna Rákosi ( Rakosi ) and a British gunner - Columna; the Franco-Belgian commune de Paris Battalion and the Polish Dabrowski Battalion.
International brigades
On June 23, 1937, the Rakosi Battalion of the 150th Brigade, together with the Dabrowski Battalion, the André Marty Battalion and the Palafox Battalion. It was a mixed brigade Brigada Mixta. In July 1937, the Pole Józef Strzelczyk took over ( Pseud. January Barwiński ) command of the 150th Brigade. The brigade was transferred to other units of the International Brigades to the front before Brunete. The 150th Brigade was at this time from around 1910 soldiers. At the battle of Brunete from 6 July 1937, the 150th Brigade suffered heavy losses. Subsequently, the 150th Brigade fought in August 1937 on the Aragon front, in Teruel, in defensive battles in Almeria and at the front of Granada and Cordoba. After these battles the 150th brigade the Rakosi Battalion XIII was. To split the International Brigade.
13 Brigada Mixta
On October 1, has been prepared with the remaining brigade members after the Battle of the Ebro, the 13 Brigada Mixta. This brigade consisted mainly of Spaniards. Their commander was Enrique Escudero Serrano. After a short time the situated battalion intervened again in fighting on the Ebro sector and covers the retreat of the 35th Division in the gorge of Barranc Fosc. It was the last unit who retired on 16 November 1938 at the Ebro Filx.
Catalonia offensive
The Government of the Spanish Republic, agreed to, among other things because of the pressure from the League of Nations, the resolution of the International Brigades on 24 September 1938. In January 1939, therefore, the stateless Hungarian Brigadists of Rakosi Battalion assumed command again sovereignty of the Spanish People's Army. The brigade members were on January 23, 1939 in La Garriga, the Catalonia Offensive Franco, with former brigade members of the Dabrowski Battalion, Palafox Battalion, and Mickiewicz Battalion reactivated while. Commander of the Rakosi Battalion was the Hungarian Miklos Szalway (pseudonym Chapaev ). The battalion fought with the Dabrowski Battalion under the name XIII. International Brigade Dabrowski. From January 26 to January 29, 1939 in La Garriga and from the February 2, 1939 held the Brigadists with other units of the Spanish People's Army in Cassa de la Selva in Girona the advance of the Nationalist troops two days. In an absolutely chaotic retreat across the Girona Brigadists reached at El Pertus the French border. They crossed on 7 February 1939, the Spanish People's Army, the boundary where the stateless Polish brigade members were interned in the detention center of Argelès- sur -Mer.