The last known survivor of the International Brigade, a group that fought the fascist Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, died this week. His name was Josep Almudéver, and he was 101.
The International Brigade included the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a group of Americans who had to sneak into Spain to fight on the side of the democratically-elected government.
Franco was aided in his successful attempt to overthrow the legitimate Spanish government by both Hitler and Mussolini; Mussolini provided troops and Hitler provided war material. Many members of the International Brigade were Communists, and the Brigade received a small amount of aid from the U.S.S.R. in a war often considered a precursor to World War II.
I have always admired the men and women of the International Brigade. Many of them had no military training, but they fought and died for a cause that was just. While the fascist nations were pouring in aid to help Franco, democracies like the U.S., Britain, and France stood by and did nothing.
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