Commune de Paris Battalion

Commune de Paris Battalion
Flag of the battalion. One side is in French and the other side is in Spanish
Active	October 1936–25 July 1938 31 July 1938–23 September 1938
Country	France and Belgium
Allegiance	Republican Spain
Branch	International Brigades
Type	Foreign volunteer
Role	Infantry
Size	Battalion
Part of	XI International Brigade
Patron	Paris Commune
Engagements	Spanish Civil War Siege of Madrid Battle of the Ebro

The Commune de Paris Battalion (Commune of Paris Battalion) was a unit which fought on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War.

History

The battalion was formed in October 1936. It was composed mainly of French and Belgian communist volunteers, ^[1] though it also included volunteers from the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand. ^[2] Sam Russell, a British volunteer on the Republican side, described the Commune de Paris Battalion as "just a collection of odds and sods." ^[3] During the Siege of Madrid, the many of the British and New Zealander members of the battalion were killed or wounded. ^[4]

The battalion was practically annihilated on 25 July 1938 during the Battle of the Ebro, which caused what remained of the battalion to be sent into reserve. The battalion was reconstituted on 31 July 1938 and placed under the command of Henri Rol-Tanguy.

References

1. "International Brigades". Britannica. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
2. Crusells, Magí. The International Brigades on the screen (in Spanish). Univ de Castilla La Mancha, 2001, p. 115-116. ISBN 8484271498.
3. "The Commune de Paris Battalion". International Brigade Memorial Trust. Retrieved 4 February 2026. One of the other British volunteers, Sam Russell (aka Lesser) described them as, 'just a collection of odds and sods'.
4. "The Commune de Paris Battalion". International Brigade Memorial Trust. Retrieved 4 February 2026. During their desperate defence of the Spanish capital, many of the British section were injured or killed. Amongst those killed were the leader of the group, H. Fred Jones, Robert Symes and two New Zealanders, Steve Yates and Griffith McLaurin. John Cornford, the Communist intellectual and poet, was wounded to the head.