Richard Baxell

How the International Brigades were ‘thrown into the heart of the fire’

Drawn from 52 countries, the brave volunteers were used as shock troops — so no wonder the casualties were so great, says Giles Tremlett

International Brigade soldiers with a Russian machine gun. Credit: Getty Images
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  • The International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom and the Spanish Civil War

    Giles Tremlett

    Bloomsbury, pp. 668, £30

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