Lincoln Battalion Batallón Abraham Lincoln | |
---|---|
Active | 1936–1938 |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Second Spanish Republic |
Branch | International Brigades |
Type | Battalion – infantry |
Role | Home Defence |
Size | • 2,500 troops |
Part of | XV International Brigade (1937–1939) |
Garrison/HQ | Albacete |
March | Jarama Valley |
Engagements | Spanish Civil War |
Website | alba-valb.org |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Robert Hale Merriman Milton Wolff |
Insignia | |
Flag of the Lincoln Battalion | |
Flag of the Tom Mooney Company |
The Lincoln Battalion (Spanish: Batallón Abraham Lincoln), also known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, was the 17th (later the 58th) battalion of the XV International Brigade, a mixed brigade of the International Brigades. It was organized by the Communist International[1][2] and named after United States President Abraham Lincoln who led the United States during the American Civil War.
The Lincoln Battalion was formed by a group of volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War as soldiers, technicians, medical personnel, and aviators fighting for Spanish Republican forces against the Nazi-supported forces of General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist faction. The Lincoln Battalion integrated white and black volunteers on an equal basis. Of the approximately 3,015 volunteers from the US, 681 were killed in action or died of wounds or sickness.[3]