Spanish Civil War: an introduction
Training for Volunteers
‘My first experience of battle was going into battle and realising that I didn't know what to do. I couldn't handle my rifle efficiently, I had only fired ten shots with it, at a wooden man…gradually, we became accustomed to our weapons, but really, we were civilians in uniform'
- Edwin Greening
Welsh Volunteers while Serving in the International Brigade, Madrigueras, June 1937
Training
Early Welsh volunteers suffered inadequate training due to the expectation of previous military experience. Often this training took place in only a few weeks (sometimes not even this long!) before the volunteers were separated and deployed to different units.
The massive German and Italian presence backing Franco's forces on the outskirts of Madrid necessitated increasingly short training periods for volunteers.
Welshman Pat Murphy describes his experience in the International Brigades training village Madrigueras as ineffective and sabotaged by Battalion and Company commanders who prevented training. Murphy believed that the deaths of fellow Welsh volunteers were caused by undercover fascist commanders and faulty weapons.
Volunteers Edwin Greening and Archie Cook discuss their inadequate uniform, equiptment and training:
'we weren't there very long and then we were sent to different units…the next place we went to formed a British company…Foreign First Battalion…all the way there were Welshmen'
- Archie Cook
Greening highlights a key aspect of his training as practice with wooden sticks and wooden men. These rudimentary weapons and targets left volunters woefully underprepared for live combat. Especially so, considering the advanced training and weaponary of Franco's fascist forces supported by Hitler and Mussolini. There seems to be a real sense that the volunteers were ‘civilians in uniform’ facing the regular soldiers of the Spanish army 'and at least 60,000 Germans and 150,000 Italians'. Volunteer Alun Menai Williams, who received no training at all because he first aid trained so served as a Battalion doctor, portrays ‘Franco’s side’ as having ‘an abundance of everything’ while the Brigades were suffering as a result of non-intervention.
He Knew How To Die, Drawing by José Luis Rey Vila
Equipment
Welsh Volunteers were provided with uniform and equipment in Spain. However, due to the lack of resources and funding of the International Brigades, volunteers were outfitted with mismatched uniform and inoperational weapons.
'The uniforms we were fitted out with were ski suits, and the helmet was a French army helmet, and the bandolier was a cavalry bandolier, so we were a mixture of infantry, cavalry and lord knows what, skiers.'
- Edwin Greening
Uniforms of this fashion not only disrupted the cohesion of units, but also did little to inspire confidence in the ability of ill prepared volunteers.
Greening also describes the insufficiency of the guns and rifles in his unit (when eventually provided with them):
'we didn’t fire the darn things because most of them wouldn't fire, the one I had I think had a barrel about four-feet long…it was a French one…we also had a machine gun…take it apart and there would be no one there to put it back together again'
- Edwin Greening
Language Barriers
Upon arrival in Spain, Welsh volunteers were surrounded by volunteers from across the world. Depending on who was leading training exercises the orders could be in a different language each day. Most commonly, orders switched between French, German and Spanish. As such, language barriers and inconsistency became a significant hindrance to International Brigades training.
'the first few months I was in Spain, there was hardly any worthwhile training. We had foot drills and we were to learn the Spanish military commands'
- Edwin Greening