[This is the fourth in a series of articles about life on the Spanish Loyalist front, written in a Madrid Hospital by a Columbus youth, Samuel Levinger who died last week from wounds received while fighting with the International Brigade. The articles were transcribed from pencilled notes by his mother, Mrs. Lee J. Levinger, 2257 Indianola-av.]
The Battalion commander gathered us in a room and gave a talk. He reminded us that we had had our chance to run back if there were any last-minute qualms.
Now we were members of the Spanish people's Army and must subordinate ourselves to to its discipline. What we had been in America did not count - it was what we showed here which would determine who the officers would be. The gravest crimes were desertion under fire, drunkenness in the line, and defiance of the orders of a superior officer.
"we have no idea when we'll leave for the front," he said. "It may be tomorrow or it may be next month. Always be ready to leave at one hour's notice. You'll find the quarters can stand lots of improvement. When we begun cleaning up we had to wear rags over our faces. It's better now, but there is plenty of work to be done to make it really livable.
"the Irish and Cubans each have a section in our battalion. A lot of them had military experience in the Irish Republican Army and the Cuban patriotic movements. So thre's plenty we can learn from them.
"We didn't have any mattresses for you boys so I appealed to the may of the town. These stone floors are too cold to sleep on. He said if necessary the leaders of the P{eople's Front here would give up their own mattresses, but I don't think that'll be necessary. The mayor will say a few wirds now."
The mayor opened with the People's Front salute; he greeted us in Spanish. He was a little man with a strong face, as shabbly dressed as anyone in town. He had taken the lead in surrpessing the rebellion of the Civil Guard in July. We found out later that he could read and write, being self-educated. (The Loyalists, by the way, in spite of all the fighting are actually setting up schools for the workers and doing a great deal to cut down illiteracy.) Just now he was taking his turn on the city patrol; he carried on his shoulder a rifle withch looked like a relic from the Spanish Armada. We cheered him when he had finished.
"There's one thing you know already but which must be absolutely clear," resumed the battalion commander. "We didn't come like O'Duffy's Fascists to supress the Sapnish people in the rear - we came to do the will of the Spanish people at the front. The People's Front contains various parties; we are in no way to seem as if we agree with one party more than another. Hitler and Mussolini have sent hundreds of planes, hundreds of thousands of men and a vast quantity of the materials of war to conquer the Sapnish people. We are here for only one purpose - to help repel that invasion. What sort of government the Spanish people decide to have is up to them, not to us. For that reason we will wear no sort of party insignia.
"If there are traitors in the rear the Spanish militia will deal with them. Our fighting is to be done in one place - on the firing line."
We discovered that theis policy was strictly enforced. I heard of a company commander in another battalion who raided a meeting of Fascist spies. He was reduced to the ranks because he had raided the meeting himself instead of informing the Spanish militia. By this policy the International Brigades have remained friends with every group in the People's Front from the Republicans to the Anarchists.
After the meeting there was food; I met a coupld of boys I had known at home, who wre willing to talk until morning about what they had done and elaned in Spain. However, I was exhausted and sick. Someone had stpped on my frace in the truck and the bruise hurt. I found a mattress, threw my blankets on it and collapesed. Most of the other boys did the same. We were to learn that often the worst thing about a battle is the ride getting to it, though I never since have ridden a truck quitse so crowded as that first one to Albacete.