Like many militia columns during the Spanish Civil War, the Durruti Column and other anarchist militias had their own Shock Groups. These were small action squads which conducted raids, nighttime actions, and other dangerous assignments in support of the larger columns regular operations. Often these sections were made up of foreign volunteers and veterans of the 1st world war (and other conflicts of the time,) experienced street fighters from the decades of battles between workers and "pistoleros" gangs hired by the bosses, and minors well-versed in explosives.
The Durruti Column had up to seven of shock groups active at any given time. One of the most famous in the group that evolved out of the International Group of the Durruti Column, the Sons of the Night. These fighters often wore black clothing, and especially black caps, to help them stay hidden during the nighttime raids they became famous for. I highly recommend the wartime memoirs of one of these anarchist commandos, Antoine Gimenez "Sons of the Night."
No comments:
Post a Comment