List of surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War

The following is a list of known surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936 – 1 April 1939). The total number of participating personnel is unknown, but an estimated 35,000 foreigners fought on the Republican side in what was known as the International Brigades. In addition, Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany sent as many as 20,000 soldiers (not all at the same time) and Benito Mussolini of Italy sent as many as 60,000 soldiers to fight alongside the soldiers of Spanish General Francisco Franco.

Veterans, for this purpose, are defined as people who were members of the armed forces of one of the combatant forces up to and including the date recognized as the end of the War, which was 1 April 1939.

Republican Forces–8 veterans

Nationality Name Date of Birth Age Residence Force served Notes
ArgentinaQuesada, Luis Alberto19 August 191995ArgentinaRepublican ArmyEnlisted at age 16. Fought at the battle of Sierra de Guadarrama[1]
CzechoslovakiaDufek, Karel24 January 191699Czech RepublicInternational BrigadeJoined in January 1937. Lieutenant-Colonel in Republican Army. Czechoslovak Ambassador in Brazil from 1968–1972.[2]
FrancePiñol, Antoine1915100FranceInternational Brigade[3]
SpainFernandez del real, Virgilio26 December 191896MexicoInternational Brigade[4][5]
SpainGonzalez Francisco, Luis192095United KingdomInternational BrigadeVolunteered in 1936. Was captured on 2 November 1938 in "Puebla de Masaluca" at 20:30 and was a prisoner of war until 1 April 1939.
SpainMacarro Castillo, Fernando (known as Marcos Ana)20 January 192095SpainSecond Spanish RepublicMobilized in 1936. Secretary general of JSU of Alcala in Peguerinos's zone in 1936. Affiliated to Communist Party of Spain.[6]
United KingdomHilton, Stanley31 December 191896AustraliaInternational BrigadeJumped ship in Alicante in November 1937 and trained with the British Battalion. Left Spain in March 1938.[7][8][9]
United StatesBerg, Delmer20 December 191599United StatesAbraham Lincoln BrigadeVolunteered in 1938. Served in anti-aircraft. Served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Lives in Columbia, California.[10][11]

Nationalist Forces—3 veterans

Nationality Name Date of Birth Age Residence Force served Notes
SpainÁlvarez Limia, José4 August 191995SpainNationalist ArmyServed in Barcelona. Writer.[12]
SpainGárate Córdoba, José María8 September 191896SpainNationalist ArmyPromoted to captain in 1942. Awarded four medals. Military historian, author, and teacher.[13][14]
SpainOlivera, Faustino191996SpainNationalist ArmyVolunteered in 1937. Wounded on 11 November 1938. Had a bullet removed from his shoulder after 70 years. Lives in Barbastro.[15]

World Totals–11 veterans

See also

References

  1. ↑ Quesada's biography
  2. ↑ Karel Dufek (1916) - Životopis "Lieutenant Colonel Karel Dufek (1916)". Post Bellum. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.acer-aver.fr/index.php/actions/commemoration/devoir-de-memoire/575-hommage-a-antoine-pinol-ancien-brigadiste
  4. ↑ http://www.brigadasinternacionales.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=581:virgilio-1&catid=42:cronicas&Itemid=62
  5. ↑ http://www.ateneodelalaguna.es/pdf/ATENEO23/mendivil.pdf. Retrieved 26 March 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ Regalado, Antonio (30 October 2009). "Miguel Morayta: Un olvido de cine" (in Spanish). ABC. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
  7. ↑ http://www.richardbaxell.info/stan-hilton/
  8. ↑ http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/IBMT%202010_2.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/aussie-man-becomes-last-civil-war-survivor/story-e6frf7k6-1226543071613
  10. ↑ Williams, Nadya (2 July 2012). "California Vets: Del Berg and Jim Benét". The Volunteer. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Dan Kaufman (2015-03-13). "The Last Volunteer". The New York Times Magazine. p. MM38. Retrieved 2015-03-16. Del Berg, 99, is the last known surviving veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a contingent of nearly 3,000 Americans who fought to defend the democratically elected government during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s.
  12. ↑ José Álvarez Limia's official website (in Spanish)
  13. ↑ Córdoba, José (1972). Mil días de fuego: Memorias documentadas de la guerra del treinta y seis. Caralt Editores.
  14. ↑ Córdoba, José María Gárate (1970). Cuentos de la guerra de España (in Spanish). San Martín. p. 108.
  15. ↑ Govan, Fiona (13 February 2008). "Spanish civil war veteran has bullet removed". Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 4 September 2009.

External links