Dabrowski Battalion
The Dabrowski Battalion, also known as Dąbrowszczacy, was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was initially formed entirely of volunteers, "chiefly composed of Polish miners recently living and working in France and Belgium". Due to the relatively short travelling distances, these men were amongst the first to arrive in Spain. The battalion had a strong Polish flavour and even when, towards the end of the war, Poles were heavily outnumbered by Spanish troops, the officers and non-commissioned officers were still predominantly Polish. It also contained a significant nucleus of Red Army officers. It fought from 1936-1939.
The battalion was raised in Albacete in mid-October 1936.
Soldiers
About 5,000 Poles fought in the unit. The brigade was named after the 19th-century Polish general Jarosław Dąbrowski. The unit was formed as Dąbrowski's battalion in October 1936.In June 1937 it was reorganised into the 150th Brigade, which was renamed to the 13th Dąbrowski's International Brigade in August. The brigade was demobilized in 1938 but volunteered back to service in 1939. On 9 January it crossed the French border and was finally dissolved; most of its soldiers were interned.
Most of the Dabrowski Battalion were Polish communists. For their communist orientation they were condemned by the Second Polish Republic, which cancelled the citizenship of many of them. On the other hand, they were portrayed as heroes in the Polish People's Republic; many of them served in the Berling Army, Armia Ludowa and Gwardia Ludowa during the Second World War.
Commanders
- Stanisław Ulanowski
- Antoni Kochanek
- Józef Strzelczyk „Jan Barwiński”
- Wacław Komar właśc. Mendel Kossoj
- Franciszek Księżarczyk
- Antoni Pietrzak
- José Martinez
- Emiliano Chamon
Operational history
Formation
This battalion was originally part of XI Brigada Movil which was formed 14–17 October 1936. The volunteers were grouped by language into four battalions to make communication easier. On 22 October 1936, the IX Brigada Movil was renamed the XI International Brigade, with General "Kléber" commanding. The four component battalions were renamed as follows:- 1st Bn Franco-Belge became Commune de Paris Battalion.
- 2nd Bn Austro-German became Edgar André Battalion
- 3rd Bn Italo-Espanol became Garibaldi Battalion
- 4th Bn Polish-Balkan became Jarosław Dąbrowski Battalion, commanded by Major Tadeusz Oppman.
- An entirely Spanish volunteer unit - the Asturias-Heredia Battalion - was added after the Battle of Madrid to bring the brigade up to strength.
Siege of Madrid
The Dabrowski Battalion was in the thick of the action - at the University City and Casa de Campo - losing two thirds of its men. It was subsequently reinforced by new volunteers arriving from Albacete and by Spanish volunteers, and reorganised into three Polish/Balkan companies and one Spanish company.
Battle of Jarama
The Dąbrowski Battalion, as part of the XII brigade, was sent to Jarama, a few kilometres from Madrid, to block a Nationalist attack. The Nationalist aim was to take the main Madrid to Valencia highway and thus cut Madrid off from Andalusia, where the Republican government was based. The fighting was ferocious with all five International Brigades engaged along a continuous front.At Jarama, the battalion was commanded by Józef Strzelczyk. During the course of the battle, the battalion lost a third of their effectives.
Order of battle
The Dabrowski Battalion served as part of several brigades. As its numbers were reduced by casualties, it absorbed various other understrength international battalions, supplemented by Spanish conscript companies, but it never again reached full strength. It was disbanded in September 1938.| Date joined | Date left | Brigade | Comment | |
| 26 Oct 1936 | 28 Nov 1936 | XI International Brigade | 11th Hans Beimler Brigade | |
| 28 Nov 1936 | 30 Apr 1937 | XII International Brigade | 12th Garibaldi Brigade | |
| 1 May 1937 | 4 Aug 1937 | 150th International Brigade | ||
| 4 Aug 1937 | 23 Sep 1938 | XIII International Brigade | 13th Dabrowski Brigade | Disbanded |