Comrades And Commissars: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War (Hardcover)

by Cecil D. Eby (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the summer of 1936, Generalissimo Francisco Franco led a group of right-wing nationalists in a military attack on the Republican government of Spain--the start of what would become the Spanish Civil War. Despite U.S. laws banning participation in foreign conflicts, American volunteers began pouring into Barcelona in January 1937. The most famous of these anti-Franco groups was the band of 2,800 American fighters who called themselves the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. In Comrades and Commissars, Cecil D. Eby pushes beyond the bias that has dominated study of the Lincoln Battalion and gets to the very heart of the American experience in Spain.

Controversy has plagued the Lincoln Battalion from the very start. Were these men selfless defenders of liberty or un-American Communists? Eby has long been regarded as one of the few balanced interpreters of their history. His 1969 book, Between the Bullet and the Lie, won accolades for its rigorous and fair treatment of the Battalion. Comrades and Commissars builds upon that earlier study, incorporating a wealth of information collected over intervening decades. New oral histories, previously untranslated memoirs, and newly declassified official documents all lend even greater authority and perspective to Eby's account. Most significant is Eby's use of Lincoln Battalion archives sequestered in a Moscow storeroom for sixty years. These papers draw renewed focus on some of the most provocative questions surrounding the Battalion, including the extent to which Americans were persecuted--and even executed--by the brigade commissariat.

The Americans who served in the Lincoln Battalion were neither mythic figures nor political abstractions. Poorly trained and equipped, they committed themselves to backto- the-wall defense of the doomed Spanish Republic. In Comrades and Commissars, we at last have the authoritative account of their experiences.

About the Author
Cecil D. Eby is a retired Professor of English at the University of Michigan. He is the author of eight books, including Hungary at War: Civilians and Soldiers in World War II (Penn State Press, 1998).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 510 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271029102
• ISBN-13: 978-0271029108
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #271,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth reference, composed by an author with a solid reputation for expertise, balance, and objectivity on the topic, June 9, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Written by retired Professor of English Cecil D. Eby, Comrades and Commissars: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War is a fascinating history of 2,800 American fighters who formed a Battalion to fight against Generalissimo Francisco Franco and his right-wing nationalists against the Republican government of Spain during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930's. Building upon Eby's previous study published in 1969, "Between the Bullet and the Lie", Comrades and Commissars draws from additional data that Eby gathered in recent decades, including the Lincoln Battalion archives that have been hidden in a Moscow storeroom for sixty years. These papers shed light on some of the most provocative questions concerning the Battalion, including which Americans were persecuted or even executed by the brigade commissariat. An in-depth reference, composed by an author with a solid reputation for expertise, balance, and objectivity on the topic, Comrades and Commissars is a welcome addition to world and military history reference shelves.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Abraham Lincoln volunteers deserve better, November 14, 2008

By	Francisco J Gonzalez (Saint Paul, MN) - See all my reviews

Eby's book is clearly written to indict the Soviet Union and Communism, portraying the Lincoln volunteers as, at best, useful dupes of Stalin that suffered both at the hands of the inflexible and authoritarian commissars, and also under the disorganized Republican military structure that could not train or supply them adequately.

The truth, as in all cases, is more complex and nuanced than that. Of course Stalin had other geopolitical concerns in mind when he decided to support the democratically-elected Spanish Republican government, but Soviet assistance was crucial at a time when the US and the other democracies refused to help the Republic. Of course many American volunteers were shocked at the level of incompetence, political infighting and cronyism within the Lincoln Battalion and throughout their parent 15th Brigade. However, any reading of memoirs from US Army and Marine units during WW 2 would reveal many of these same problems and concerns.

Eby's dogmatic and sectarian work is far from being the definitive book on the Abraham Lincoln Battalion and the American experience in Spain. A much better account is "Men in Battle" by Alvah Bessie, the classic first-hand memoirs of a volunteer who, while supporting the Republican cause, does not mince words when describing shortcomings and mistakes.

However, history has already rendered judgment on the American and other foreign volunteers of the International Brigades. In 1996 the Spanish government officially honored these men and women for their sacrifice on behalf of democracy and bestowed on them Spanish citizenship.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, May 3, 2008

By	Steven Wood "Esteban Madera" (South of Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a very busy guy who does an awful lot of reading. I made room, however, for this book, and it didn't disappoint. (This is a solid effort!) Eby was able to grab me by the collar and take me back to Spain circa 1936-1939 and place me in the ranks of the Lincoln Battalion. Believe me, I was there.

One important note. Eby does a great job of not romanticizing the Lincolns nor does he demonize their opponents. Very, very balanced.