Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion

The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (in English: Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion, popularly called Mac-Paps) was a unit of Canadians that fought as part of the International Brigades in defense of the Spanish Republic during the Civil War. The number of members was, according to figures from the unit's archives, 1,448, of which 721 died in combat, making Canada the second country in number of members contributed to the Brigades after France, proportionally to its population.

History

Although at first the few Canadian volunteers were integrated, above all, into the mostly American Lincoln Battalion, in February 1937 about 500 had already arrived and this separate battalion was formed. The members came mostly from the working class, highly motivated after the depression of 1929. The Communist Party of Canada led the recruitment operations. However, its members were not only affiliated with said party, but also with unions not linked to communism and other people not politically affiliated. However, many of them maintained a common link: they were of European origin, especially Finns and Ukrainians. When the Government of Canada resolved in 1937 the illegality of the participation of citizens of its country in the Spanish War, following the doctrine of the Non-Intervention Committee, enlistments continued but for civilian tasks, such as doctors or engineers. However, volunteers continued to arrive who, to obtain the passport, argued false reasons. They generally left from large cities such as Toronto or Montreal to reach the United States and cross the Atlantic to France, passing legally or illegally to Spain.

The large number of Canadian volunteers allowed the creation of its own Battalion, which was integrated into the XV International Brigade. The unit's first combats took place during the Battle of Jarama where they obtained high renown, followed after his intervention in the bloody Battle of Brunete. They then participated in the battle of Teruel and, shortly after, in the withdrawal from Aragon, as well as in the external defense of the fronts in Catalonia and Valencia. They had their last major intervention in the Battle of the Ebro, where the intense fighting left a high number of casualties. On September 21, 1938, still present on the Ebro Front, they received the order to withdraw from the republican government, so the Battalion was dissolved and its members repatriated to their homeland.

The government of Canada, aware that citizens of its country were fighting in Spain against the decisions of non-intervention, denied entry to the brigade members until January 1939, when it finally authorized their return. The Second World War caused some veterans of the Battalion to demand official recognition of their government as the first to confront the emerging fascism and Nazism in Europe. However, they have never been officially recognized.